DIY Nerds

How to nerd-out your house…

Uzebox in an NES Controller

Nov 24

Posted by diynerds in Projects | No Comments

nesuze

[David Cranor] has managed to fit a fully working Uzebox system into an old NES controller. Uzebox, an open source gaming platform based on the ATmega 644 and an AD725 NTSC encoder, is one of a couple systems that are becoming more and more widespread and accessible. There are a number of ready-to-go Uzebox kits available, but for the more hands-on types, [David] has been very generous with his schematics and step by step instructions. These schematics can all be readily reshaped, and would easily fit into controllers with less fun applications and sentimental value.

[Uzebox NES Controller via Hack a Day]

Share

Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Maker Shed Kiosks Are Invading California

Nov 23

Posted by diynerds in News | No Comments

kiosk6
Unfortunately, there isn’t a Fry’s near me, but it is awesome none the less. If you find yourself at a Fry’s in California, you might see one of these DIY looking Maker Shed kiosks. The Make team did an awesome job of designing an attractive kiosk.

Gareth writes: “We think this is big news, not only for Maker Media, but for all indie makers — a major retail chain is now giving small kit-makers this level of exposure. And, we think it’s particularly cool that we designed and built these kiosks in-house, and even personally delivered them to the stores! What other publisher could claim that?” Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: , , , ,

$400 Budget HTPC

Nov 22

Posted by diynerds in Projects | 2 Comments

Home_theater_PC_inside

IT IS ALIVE, and “I am so excited” in a Jessie Spano sort of way, minus the caffeine pills.  I finally have a house to call my own that is all networked up. For me the HTPC has been the heart and brain of my entire dream system.  The purpose of this project was to take advantage of all the free content on the internet and not have to pay a cable bill.  With programs like Boxee, Hulu, TVersity, and Graboid a person should have no reason to pay for tv.  Save the money on all the channels and up your bandwidth to 16mb+ a second.
Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

2009 Holiday Gift Guide for DIY Nerds

Nov 20

Posted by diynerds in Articles | 2 Comments

This gift guide is going to be a little different than just the usual crap you can buy—it’s a guide that can start you on an amazing journey of building electronics, learning new skills. If you’re really motivated and innovative, you just might invent something new.  Composed from a couple different sources, this gift guide will definitely win the heart of the nerd in your life.

When you see all the DIY Nerd projects here on diynerds.com you might not know where to begin. Through the combination of Gizmodo, Make, and Adafruit Industries here are some favorite tools, resources and beginner electronics kits that will get you going and give you something fun to show your friends. Many kits and gadgets are open source—you can buy the parts, etch a circuit board, build a “breadboard” or in some cases just build parts of them by frankensteining  a junk pile of fail-gadgets which to sum it up means do you don’t have to spend a lot.  Here are some the tips and tools Phil Torrone, senior editor at MAKE magazine and creative director for Adafruit Industries, suggests for all DIY Nerds…

500x_01tools
Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Cable Art

Nov 19

Posted by diynerds in Articles | 3 Comments

111809cabledrawings1_rect540

Raise your hand if you have always wanted to draw a picture using the extension cord to your lamp…really I am the only one!?  Artist Maisie Maud Broadhead has found a way to incorporate the cable of a lamp into the decor of a space in most impressive fashion that actually adds to aesthetics! Cable Drawings by Maisie Maud Broadhead is a series of installations created with wire flex and cable fixings. A fantastic idea…we’re now looking at our CAT-5 cables in a whole new light.
Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: , , , , , , ,