Hack N Mod - Amazingly Cool Hacks, Mods, and DIY Projects

Geo-Location Game “Urban Defender” using Arduino

Joe L — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 23:41:54 +0000

By using an Arduino, GPS, and an accelerometer, this group put together the “Urban Defender” – A hyper-local geolocation based game which allows users to “claim” various districts of a city by throwing the ball against a wall to claim the territory. The ball tells you whether you’re in friendly or enemy territory through it’s built in speakers and LEDs. The concept video below does a great job of demonstrating the project.

The map above is how the users can track which geo-locations are owned by different groups. It’s just a concept for now, but it would make for a great iPhone app to use to monitor which territories are owned by each team.

The Concept:

The superb concept video above demonstrates the goal of the game, mapping out your “territory” by claiming and taking over blocks of a city. Awesome stuff!

The Execution:

The Plan: The entire project is incredibly well documented, full of flow charts, diagrams, concept photos and videos so you can learn how to recreate the build.

The Code: Full details including flow charts, initial sketches, and source code can be obtained under their coding section.

The Build: Pictured above is their first prototype with all the electronics stuffed inside the ball, comfortably protected by foam. You can view a walk through of the entire project build if you’d like to learn more.

Final Results:

The final result reminds us a lot of Foursquare, a popular location based game. Full project details can be found at the links above at the project build site. Be sure to subscribe to HacknMod for free to stay in the loop on future projects.

Resurrect a Dead XBox 360 into A PC

Saikat — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 08:00:02 +0000

Need a project for that dead Xbox 360? Check out this detailed Xbox 360 mod which converts the console into a functional PC. Give it a new identity – the Xbox 360 PC. If you are wondering about the specs that was pushed inside the small case of an Xbox 360, here they are:

3.0Ghz Pentium 4 HT (upgraded from 2.26GHz P4 at start of mod)
512MB RAM
60GB 4200rpm SATA HDD
DVD-ROM, CD-RW
8x USB 2.0 ports
Integrated Intel graphics

The main challenge with an Xbox to PC mod is fitting everything inside the cramped space of an Xbox 360. The CPU and the power supply have different sizes and line up differently. Innovation is the name of the game as electric0ant shows through careful planning and his project illustrations. Check out a few below. The complete step by step is given on his project page.

Step by Step:

The project is born from a faulty Xbox 360 scrapped for the outer case. Below is fitting the motherboard inside is the first test.

Installing Windows XP. In the final mod XP is exchanged for OS X.

Fitting the heatsink (taken from a dead P4 laptop) vertically.

Wiring up the power supply to the Xbox 360.

The Final Results:

The well illustrated project gives you the headsup about the pitfalls. Maybe you can work your way through it with your own take on it. Let us know what you would do differently if you managed to find yourself a spare Xbox 360 lying around.

Check out some Xbox 360 case mods we’ve covered in the past.

LED “Graffiti” using LED Throwies

Joe L — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 03:51:46 +0000

With all the exceptional LED projects we’ve featured, it’s amazing we haven’t published this one yet. Take some basic LED throwies (a magnet, an LED, and a battery) and place them into a stencil. Then, place the stencil on a pole and you can “write” any message you’d like and stick it on any magnetic surface. Full details can be found in the video above and detailed instructions are below (from their site):

Buy LEDs in our store – Blue, Green, Red, White in multiple sizes.

Materials:

1/2-inch, 3/16-inch and 1/8-inch foam core, preferably black
5-minute epoxy
Clay
Paint Edger attachment
15-foot telescoping pole
A few hundred LED throwies
Shrink Tube or electrical tape

Tools:

An exacto-knife
T-square/ruler

Instructions:

Above we can see the final product. The LEDs are positioned in the grid and the “artist” has the extension pole ready to place them on an unsuspecting build or overpass.

Above is the “stencil” to fill with LEDs for posting on surfaces. The yellow attachment on the left attaches to the pole allowing the user to post the message well off the ground.

Step 3 (shown above) demonstrates one method for shrinking heat wrap tubing and also an assortment of blue led throwies ready to go. For full instrcutions and detailed build photos, check out the project website.

More Superb LED Projects:

Make your own District 9 Rifle

Joe L — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 06:41:46 +0000

Learn to build your own futuristic rifle straight out of the newly released District 9 movie. It’s definitely a unique design with plenty of wicked looking gadgets accessories. The author has a superb write up with details on how you can recreate the gun yourself or buy it on eBay. Be sure to check out our other DIY projectile and gun projects.

Don’t Miss: Make a DIY Fallout 3 Laser Rifle

At the top of the page is the project guide and above is the final product. The designer definitely did a great job on the details of the gun with the limited, basic resources used on the project. How cool would it be to have this hanging on your wall? Great project!

Similar DIY Weapons from Games:

Secret Knock Detecting Door Lock

Joe L — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 04:52:13 +0000

Here’s a fantastic project using an arduino, a motor, and a piezo sensor which allows you to both record and detect knocking patterns to unlock a door. The video below does a fantastic job of demonstrating how it works: It’s completely mobile and can be suction cupped to any dead bolt. Press a button to record a new sequence. Upon detecting the correct sequence of knocks, the motor turns the lock open. Brilliant!

Don’t miss: Top 40 Arduino Projects of the Web

For more details on the project including detailed photos and code, check out the project build. We have hundreds of the best Arduino projects for your inspiration:

15 Exceptional Xbox 360 Case Mods

Saikat — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 07:20:09 +0000

So, you’ve got an Xbox 360 like millions of other people. It’s white, it’s boring, and it’s begging to be customized. It’s time to learn from the modding experts and stand apart from the average gamer. Throw in a few game inspired themes, chrome, and LEDs to create your own custom masterpiece.

Don’t Miss: 5 Ways to Hack your Xbox 360 Controller

Epic Halo Mod

Check out the detail as these two Master Chiefs battle it out. There is even a plasma pistol mixed in with the realistic terrain!

Xbox 360 Car Mod?

First up is the questionably legal Xbox 360 car mod. Check out the console in the dashboard – The Xbox 360 has been seamlessly fit into the car. The wireless controllers have also found a place for the driver and the passenger. Learn 3 ways to install an Xbox, PS3, or any console in your car.

Hot Rock case Mod for Xbox 360

The LED on the side glows with the rise in temperature of the gaming console. It’s time to switch off but not before admiring the LED luminescence.

Xbox 360 Hellboy Case Mod

Comic books and movies are the inspirations for case mods this year. If it was the Wall-E case mod or the Star Wars Nintendo Wii Case Mod then, it’s a Hellboy inspired case mod for the Xbox 360.

Chrome HDMI Case Combo

While this wasn’t done custom (it was a kit), the High Quality Chrome HDMI Case definitely adds style to the otherwise bland, white console.

Master Chief Helmet Case Mod

Another Halo inspired case but modeled on the Master Chief’s helmet. The Xbox bares its innards through the cutout in the shape of Master Chief’s visor.

Xbox 360 Laptop Mod

Why go back to being a computer when you are an Xbox? Because you get to be portable with a 17? 1280×720 progressive-scan LCD VGA monitor and Water-cooled custom-built radiator. A keyboard and Wi-Fi gives you the best of both worlds. Created by Ben Heck.

The 360 PC

This modder added keyboard and mouse functionality to his Xbox making it a compact, powerful “PC” but has the power of the Xbox to play cutting edge games.

Water Cooled Xbox Mod

Play your favorite games without worrying about the Red Ring of Death. It’s temperature controlled with cool blue water.

Half Life Mod

An Xbox case mod with a game theme is common, but what’s not common is the detail that goes into this Half Life inspired mod with cut away windows and raised HL2 logos.

Rockstar Case Mod

This one is for the GTA buff. All in silver and orange, with controllers to match, the case mod gives a transparent peek into its guts. It’s a special edition Xbox, not a custom case mod, but it looks stunning so we’re including it on the list.

The Joker Inspired Xbox 360 Mod

The Joker’s face pokes out accompanied by the now famous line, “Why so serious?” Creepy, but definitely a fantastic mod for Batman fans.

Gear of War Case Mod

This one looks evil and wicked. Blame it on the Gear of Wars addict who wants to kick some ass with this deadly mod.

The Xbox Millennium Falcon

If you know your Star Wars, you would want this to play your favorite Star Wars classics. Although it’s the original Xbox, it’s still worthy of being added to the list for inspiration.

Texas Longhorn Case Mod

A tribute to the University of Texas, this burnt orange stylish Xbox mod features a Longhorn logo as a window.

Dig deep into our archives of our past Xbox 360 mods:

DIY Halloween: When Pumpkins meet Circuitry

Joe L — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 08:27:02 +0000

No honorable hacker or modder can be satisfied with a simple candle inside of a pumpkin. How boring! Us proud nerds step up and create unique, appealing, and downright stunning pumpkins complete with lasers, LEDs, robotics, motion sensors, whatever it takes! Here are some of our DIY Halloween favorites:

If all else fails, just build a gigantic pumpkin cannon and launch them.

Lasers and LEDs:

Learn to stuff a laser light show inside your pumpkin or stuff it full of LEDs which flash to music. Check out the laser pumpkin featured at the top of the screen.

The SteamPunkin:

Based on the super popular steampunk craze, this pumpkin is fitted with plenty of gadgets including LEDs and motion sensor which shoots steam out of its ears when someone walks by.

Silly String Motion Sensor:

A simple motion sensing circuit using infrared LEDs and a servo motor sprays silly string at unsuspecting trick-or-treaters. A superb, simple project to make your house unique.

Wireless Surveillance Pumpkin:

Although this project barely made the list since it involved little hacking, the concept is still pretty unique and worth a mention.

Super Mario 1-Up:

Instead of using the complex circuit in the pumpkin below, this project keeps it simple by flashing some RGB LEDs to create multicolored mushrooms from Super Mario brothers.

Color Changing Pumpkin:

Instead of buying store bought merchandise like the surveillance pumpkin above, this guy built a completely custom infrared sensing circuit to control the color of his pumpkin via a universal remote.

The Classic Cylon:

The classic “knight rider” circuit is a great edition to any pumpkin and is a simple, straightforward circuit to build.

The SpiderBot Pumpkin:

Even though this is a basic hexapod robot with a pumpkin on top, it’s still guaranteed to freak out trick-or-treaters.

Honorable Mention:

While these don’t involve electronics or circuitry, they’re still incredible and deserve to be part of this list. Be sure to subscribe to HacknMod because you dont want to miss out on future DIY posts!

Top 30 Incredible DIY Halloween Props

Saikat — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 07:50:31 +0000

We’ve scoured the web to find the spooky, errie, most detailed Halloween props out there. Are you ready for Halloween yet? If not, here’s a loads of inspiration to get your projec started. For the remaining few days leading up to Halloween, we will be bringing some of the best DIY Halloween projects out there. In the first installment of our series, we’ll look at the top DIY Halloween props – some of them easy, some may require a touch of workmanship. But all are super spooky!

Dont Miss: Exceptional Halloween Decor to Inspire your Haunted Projects

Super Creepy:

Pictured at the top of the page, these are the most gruesome of them all. Check out that intricate detail! Fantastic work!

Animatronics:

Who doesn’t love a werewolf or witch popping out of the bushes? Learn how to master the art of animatronics. Subscribe for free so you don’t miss out on our comprehensive Halloween animatronics post coming up!

Static Displays:

While animatronics are awesome, they do require quite a bit of time to setup. Learn how to build custom static displays like the ones pictured above.

Pneumatics and Electricity:

No Halloween display is complete without some serious lighting and pneumatic effects. Learn some oustanding techniuqes to improve your display:

Simple DIY Props:

Say you might have procrastinated and don’t have time for some of the more time intensive projects above. That’s alright, we have some of the more simple DIY Halloween Props below:

During the next few days, we’ll look at some of the best costumes and some animatronics hacks for spicing up any bland DIY Halloween display. Do not miss out – Subscribe to HacknMod to stay updated.

Wireless DIY Halloween Surveillance Pumpkin

Joe L — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 07:08:16 +0000

We have dozens of DIY home security projects and here’s another outstanding project to add to the collection. Learn to build your own DIY Halloween pumpkin with a built in wireless surveillance camera so you can watch for vandals or have advanced notice of unsuspecting trick-or-treaters. The full tutorials are in step by step instructions as shown below:

Basic Materials:

Basically, this project just combines a consumer product with a pumpkin, making it rather bland. We suggest you can spice up your version with some inspiration (see our popular security projects at the bottom of the page).

Gut, Install, Finished.

The project tutorial shows you how to do this with two different types of wireless cameras. Since little hacking is involved, the project is a little bland so check out our far more exciting tutorials below:

Popular DIY Security Projects:

GhostBusters DIY Halloween Costume (Arduino Powered)

Joe L — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 05:17:53 +0000

For your DIY Halloween costume this year, Learn how to make your own Ghostbusters Proton Pack equipt with red and green lasers (above). There is a full tutorial on how to build your own along with a detailed photogallery of the proton pack. An Arduino is used for basic controls of the various flashing and fading lights on the suit.

The video above walks you through some features of the DIY Halloween costume. Included are some ecto goggles (seen below) and various other non-fuctional, but super cool-looking widgets.

The full tutorial walks you through the costume build and here’s a second tutorial to help you construct your own. More of our favorite DIY costumes are featured below.