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Print your own PCBs
DIY Plastic Injection Molding
3D Printing is relatively slow. And while the quality of 3D printed parts from entry level machines is acceptable for prototypes, it’s not up to par with most professional consumer level products.
Check out this video on a Hobbyist DIY Plastic Injection Molding System from LNS Technologies that was recently featured on Kickstarter. Make and perfect a prototype part or invention with a 3D printer, then produce it in medium quantities with a setup like this. Awesome!
Low Cost Android TV Box
Android for your TV in an affordable package; the Mini XPlus! Looks like you could use it for all sorts of things, too. Wifi, an A10 processor, HDMI, USB; all for $69.99. The Miniand site has a few other hackable platforms that also look interesting.
PlayLater: Online PVR Bliss?
Check out http://www.playlater.tv. I’ve been researching ways to cut cable without getting the shakes too hard. This looks like a potentially handy tool.
On another note, I wonder if this is another way to get your Netflix content on a Linux box. It’s probably a few extra steps, but might be handy.
Let us know if you’ve tried it out!
Free VPS
Ever wanted a server “in the cloud” so you could do things like proxy web traffic, or put up a PageKite for personal use? Unfortunately, a VPS is expensive for the average DIYer who wants one for occasional personal use.
If you only need a light-weight VPS, search no more. Buy a Raspberry Pi and put it in a Colo for free! Follow the link to EDIS and see if they might be a good option for you. If nothing else, it just might put you on the list of who’s who of nerddom.
Please Gadget Freak! Don’t make me open source everything.
Gadget Freak is a Design News program that features DIY projects by inventors and hackers from across the net. Sometimes the projects are very polished, sometimes they look pretty cobbled together. That’s the beauty of it.
My only complaint is submissions have to be full disclosure. The following is an email I sent Design News to open their open source policy up a bit.
To the Gadget Freak Editor,
I love your Gadget Freak column. It seems like a pretty unique thing on the net, which is saying a lot these days.
I like Gadget Freak because I can see what other DIYers are building. It inspires me to do better, and gets me excited about the efforts we experimenters are doing collectively. You can see some of my projects at techbloginator.wordpress.com.
I’d like to recommend you create another category of Gadget Freak submission that doesn’t require complete disclosure. I’d love to read about Gadgets even without being able to recreate them. I value and participate in the Open Source movement, but it doesn’t apply to everything. I’m sure people would still submit projects without the $500 reward if they could have it appear on your site for all to adore.
Rover 2 SpyTank Teardown
Brookstone Rover 2.0 SpyTank Teardown
- Brookstone SpyTank
The Brookstone SpyTank is a track-driven spy cam with night vision that you can remote control using a tablet computer. It includes auditory listening and loudspeaker functionality in its arsenal of intelligence gathering weaponry. Drive it around to surveil targets, gather intelligence, and master your environment. Your home may never be the same.
Project Ophelia – Mobile Computing as a Component
Dell seems to be working on a new type of “cloud” device. Project Ophelia is described in the provided link. Basically, it’s a small thin-client type of computer that’s the size of a large thumb-drive.
It will be interesting to see if the market will accept Ophelia. Maybe there’s a window for her now? Anyone remember Black Dog? Let’s hope Dell pushes this project long enough for it to get some traction. I, for one, would like to see what can be done with something like this.
Fun Lego Contraption (Huge)
3D Design on Thingiverse
I published a 1″ Grommet on Thingiverse! Check it out. It’s very simple, but born of necessity. I used it in my kitchen to make a charging shelf inside one of our cupboards. Power for the charging hub is routed out of sight and then through the grommet. The grommet hides the 1″ hole I made with a paddle bit and finishes things off.
Now all our tablets, phones, cameras and other gear can catch a breather without displaying all their cables.
1″ Grommet Printed in PLA on an UP! 3D Printer
techbloginator 