Date: 2008-03-14 22:08 Subject: (no subject) Security: Public

My Wii was on the fritz for a while. It started making really loud noises and was annoying to have on all the time. Luckily I fixed it myself. Check out my youtube video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1XKKLkqdZ34

Date: 2008-03-14 21:56 Subject: (no subject) Security: Public

Hello those who care to look at this. It has been a while but that doesn't mean I haven't been busy. So I'll slowly add some of the stuff I've built and tinkered on over the past months. Here is one of my most recent creations.

Starting two weeks ago I've been taking a once weekly blacksmithing course. It's pretty neat although being in a garage full of student blacksmiths trying to make coal fires is about as good for your lungs as smoking a pack a day. It's dirty and hot work, also it's alot more art then science which means I'm not terribly good. But I've finally made the "Smith's Calling Card" a decorative hook. After much pounding with a hammer, coughing, and burning myself I've created the following.



It doesn't look half bad if I must say so. This course lasts another three weeks so I should hopefully have lots more little things to share as I progress. It's a neat hobby and maybe when I get my own place I can start blacksmithing at home. (Although with a propane instead of coal powered forge)

Some additional thoughts on blacksmithing:

I definitely think another cool aspect of blacksmithing is how you get a really good intuitive sense for many mechanical engineering phenomenon. Heat transfer, Dynamics, Stress Analysis, and materials are all very obviously involved in the process. I particularly like the way heat is "sucked" from the hot material by a cold anvil or vise. Due to the way heated metal is colored you can actually watch the heat gradients over the material. If I become a professor in charge of an introduction to mechanical engineering I think I'll find some way to involve a blacksmithing project for the students that helps introduces them to these phenomenon in such a visceral way.

Date: 2007-05-08 22:25 Subject: Parabolic WiFi Antenna Enhancer Security: Public

Motivation: Currently I do not have cable internet in my house as we are in a transitional periods while moving into a new place. However I still have things I need to do which require the internet and the next door neighbors’ wireless LAN is either protected or very spotty. Therefore I have been seeking a way to boost the reception I receive in order to find new unsecured connections or to strengthen the neighbors connect.

Also, I have no money so let's see if I can build something for FREE!

NOTE: Stealing is WRONG

Materials:
Aluminum Cans
Cardboard
USB Wireless Adapter

Tools:
Box Cutter
Scissors
Hot Glue Gun

Design: I currently am attempting to use the parabolic reflector method to increase the power of my antenna. This is because it doesn’t require me to do things which void the warrantee on my laptop or wireless cards.

http://www.freeantennas.com/projects/template/index.html

The concept is to build a metal parabolic shape and place the adapter in the focal point. For a parabola with the equation y = C*x^2 the focal point occurs at f = (0,1/(4*C)). I designed two different dishes, one with a focal point of 2.5 cm and one with a focal point of 10 cm.

Prototype 1:


Step 1: Collect as many aluminum cans as you deem necessary. For my designs the 2.5 cm focal point dish required only one can and the 10 cm focal point dish required 4 cans. In total I collected and washed out 7 assorted cans which I took from recycling bins around campus. Remember to wash out the cans in order to get rid of any sticky stuff.

Next use your scissors (or in my case metal shears) to cut the cans into nice flattenable sheets by cutting the ends off and cutting a slice down the middle.

Step 2:

Either calculate the parabolic shape yourself (as I did for the 10 cm design) or do as I did and print out a copy of the drawing on the website I gave earlier. Next trace it onto the cardboard and use the box cutter to carve out the shape, you’ll need two. Afterwards shave them so the match up nicely.

I also made two more pieces to form a stand so this thing would sit well on my desk. Also cut a hole that will fit your wireless adapter snugly, go ahead and make it a little snug, cardboard isn’t that strong.

Step 3: Glue one of your cans to the curved pieces, hold it until set.




Results of Prototype 1:

The results were limited, the directionality seemed apparent but it just didn’t seem to be either strengthening my connection. If anything the connection seemed spotter (probably because this USB adapter is weaker than my laptop’s internal antenna). So I decided that more testing was needed. According to Network Stumbler when adjusted correctly the dish gave me a 5 db gain to the nearest wireless network.

Prototype 2:



Step 1: I already had the cans prepped so I skipped to step 2 of prototype 1, only with a larger parabola. I cut out four pieces so that I could make a cross or X shape. Then I cut notches in them so they’d sit together well. They did and it was rather sweet.




Step 2: I then repeated the same steps, cutting the hole for the adapter and then gluing the cans to the fully assembled body. It definitely was a lot bigger and I cut myself several times (warning: aluminum edges are sharp)




Step 3: I assembled a base for this to sit in, as it was having trouble pointing in a horizontal direction by itself.


Results of Prototype 2:



Frankly I think I was more impressed with Prototype 1. As this one was bigger it took a lot more time and there was a lot more room to mess up. I was unable to get any significant improvement with this antenna. Frustrated I took it down to the top of the parking garage on campus and then did a no-dish sweep and then a with dish sweep. I was pleased to find that the dish helped find twice as many wireless connections. Although it did not help me find off campus hotspots. So I categorize it as a success as it does boost signal but also as a failure as it’s hard to aim and it also does not boost the signal enough to get significant improvement of connection.

Date: 2007-05-04 10:42 Subject: Wireless Wii Sensor Bar Security: Public

Background: It has been discovered since the release of the Nintendo Wii that the sensor bar which goes on top of your TV is actually not a sensor at all. Rather it is an IR emitter which each remote detects individually to determine where it is pointed. Since it is just a sequence of IR LEDs it is a simple matter to remove the cord and have a sensor bar that can be placed independently from the Wii. This serves in two common scenerios 1. when using the Wii with a projector 2. When using a Wiimote Hack to connect your wiimote to your computer.

Parts List:
This project cost quite a bit more than it should have due to going to radioshak to buy the parts rather than being patient and waiting for stuff from online to ship.

(4) IR LEDs [mine are 1.5 V drop with 50 mA ]
(1) Red LED [mine is 1.2V drop with 50 mA]
(1) 6V AA Battery holder [The kind that holds four batteries]
(4) AA Batteries
Wire
(2) 30 Ohm resistors
(1) 96 Ohm resistor
(1) Switch

Tools Used:
Soldering Iron
Solder
Wire Cutter/ Stripper
Electrical Tape
Box Cutter
Hot Glue Gun

Design



Construction:

Step 1 - Soldering Circuit

Honestly most of the work in this project was assembling the electronics and then soldering the circuit together. I stole some wire from some junk electronics to get the right size. I relearned why my soldering skills are not up to par. There isn't much else to explain here. I added the red LED and switch to the circuit so that I could easily turn it on and off and so I could tell if it were on or off.



Step 2 - Making the Box

I was cheap after spending so much money on the IR LEDs so I decided to make my own box out of hot glue and foamcore that I had lying around. After completing the box I realize that foam core is probably perfect for a small time electronics project like this. It was easy to cut to size (3.5x9x1 inches) and punching holes in it was a piece of cake.

Step 3- Put your junk in the box

using a pencil to poke the holes necessary in the box I stuck everything in there and it fit fairly well. I added some additional tape to hold everything together better.



Conclusion:
In the end it worked farily well. I was able to place it on my computer and tried out the HL2 Wii Mod [ http://wii.hl2world.com/ ]. Some of the connections are a little flaky because I'm not good with soldering but a little electrical tape fixed them right up. In short it was a success.

Addendum: My Wiimote died mysteriously the morning after playing the HL2 Wii Mod. However I can say that if anything it is due to the bluetooth connection between the remote and the computer and has nothing to do with my sensor bar.

Date: 2007-05-03 21:37 Subject: The Beginning Security: Public Mood: creative

Oh ho! I'm actually beginning to post in my livejournal, but it isn't what you think. I don't buy into writing about the ups and downs of my personal life. Instead this is going to be the start of my Project Blog. Right now this is just a placeholder entry but soon I will begin to add information about my various projects. I intend to put up step by step guides along with pictures and technical drawings to make something all technophiles can understand and enjoy. If successful enough I'm going to upgrade to a real dedicated website. For now though let's see how this goes.

For my first project entries I'm going to make a post about something I made a few weeks ago. An easy to use wireless Wii sensor bar that runs on AA batteries. With parts you can buy at Radio Shak you can even build one yourself.