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

Patriotic USB Powered American Flag

Saikat — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 13:00:01 +0000

Happy 4th of July from HacknMod! Here’s a quick, simple project for your 4th of July celebration: a computer playing the anthem along with a flying American flag illuminated and powered via USB. The setup is simple and easy to put together. The project put together by Evan Roth’s project is definately salute worthy.

The USB LED lamp and the USB fan are paired together. The lamp and fan arms are supported by a straightened wire coat hanger. The wire coat hanger also serves as the mast. The entire gadget is bound with duct tape and heat shrink wrap, twisted into shape and plugged into the USB ports of a computer. Quick list of materials:

USB Fan
USB LED lamp
12″ of heat shrink wrap
Flag (country of choice), roughly 9″ x 6″
Roll of electrical tape
An unlimited supply of patriotism.

The final effect is supplied by the PC (call it the ‘patriotic computer’). Change the boot-up music to your national anthem and the desktop wallpaper to a patriotic image. When the computer boots up, the USB fan wafts the flag, the USB LED lamp lights it up and as a backdrop you have the anthem with patriotic imagery thrown in.

USB has its uses like the how to on a cheap USB powered fan we had covered earlier. That’s one from our entire section on USB project hacks.

iPhone Controlled USB Missile Launcher

Joe L — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 20:58:58 +0000

By hacking the fantastic USB missile launcher, this modder can control his missile attacks remotely with his iPhone. The video above demonstrates the functionality and you can learn more about the project, grab the code, and build your own remote control launcher.

Furthermore, you can take this hack to the next level by adding a wiimote to the mix and creating an automatic aiming USB missile launcher. Don’t miss out on more fantastic projects – subscribe now.

Outstanding Uses for your Old USB Drives

Joe L — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 03:50:36 +0000

With 8GB sticks coming out for less than $20, it’s no wonder why our old 128mb sticks have been stuffed away in drawers, never to me used again.Â� Learn to resurrect your old USBs and make them into a physical “key” for your computer, portable OS, and more.

Create a physical key for your computer, so it only boots when your USB is inserted.
Turn them into portable NES, SNES, Game Boy, Genesis, and arcade emulators.
Carry your own portable Linux operating systems.

For an entire list of how to reuse your old drives, see the full guide and our USB projects.

How to Hack and get Free PayPerView in Hotels

Joe L — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 19:55:11 +0000

You’re stuck at a hotel, there’s nothing on TV and you don’t want to fork over the $10 to watch a PPV movie.Â� Learn to bypass the hotel’s charges by routing the TV signal through WinTV, a device which routes the incoming video signal to your computer via USB.Â� Basically, it gives you access to the hotel’s standard channels but you can also view PPV programming at no extra charge.

Run Windows XP from a USB Drive

Joe L — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 19:06:53 +0000

Learn step by step how to simply run XP from your USB Drive. Basically, download a file, click agree, next, next, finish, and viola! XP via USB!

Build your own USB Thumbdrive

Joe L — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 19:03:31 +0000

In this article I will walk you through Project: Make a USB drive from conception to finished product. Step by detailed step. No detail spared. So in-depth you’ll need a fricking snorkel.

Make a USB Mini Fridge

Joe L — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 18:58:56 +0000

Now that we’re seeing those 12 volt camper coolers turning up at garage sales and thrift stores (I found one for $2.50), here’s a neat little idea for turning it into a customizable mini-fridge powered by a USB port!

Make a Glowing USB Turtle

Joe L — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 18:58:02 +0000

Take any transparent figure, drill a hole in it, stick an LED inside, and POOF – the perfect cheap n easy LED Charm or Christmas Present!

Cornell University Microcontroller Projects

Joe L — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 18:51:21 +0000

Students at Cornell University were given the responsibility of choosing, designing and building a microcontroller project. This year’s projects include laser pong, an air guitar, an evolving
neural robot, and a USB host controller.

During the last 5 weeks of the spring semester in ECE476, Microcontroller Design, students have to hack together sensors, actuators, microcontrollers, and mathematical techniques to build something. Some projects are infrastructure, such as an 8-bit color display for video games or a voice recognition scheme. Many groups built some kind of robot or musical device. All projects show a great deal of originality and work. There are over 200 projects on the page.

Learn about Secure Microcontroller Design:

Secure Design Using a Microcontroller – Part 1
Secure Design Using a Microcontroller – Part 2
Secure Design Using a Microcontroller – Part 3

Flashing LED for your spare USB

Joe L — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 18:46:51 +0000

Easily place a small LED in your spare usb drive to make it blink. Why, you ask? Well…Why not?