Sunday
Mar142010

Linksys RC Monster Truck

DateSunday, March 14, 2010 at 11:14PM

If you haven't heard yet, I've been busy splicing together a Linksys WRT54GL router with a Traxxas Stampede Monster Truck. The plan is to be able to use any controller connected to a computer in order to drive the RC truck just like you would with the generic RC remote. Can you imagine driving a RC truck with a Xbox 360 controller, a joystick, a Wiimote, or perhaps even an iPhone? Well that's the plan so let me tell you where everything stands.

 

I have successfully established communication between a VB.NET program to a Linksys router over TCP that then sends commands to a Basic Stamp over RS232. Many thanks has to go to Jonathan Bennett over at http://www.jbprojects.net/. He came up with the original idea and design of the RC Linksys truck. On his website you will find detailed instructions on how he built his truck along with all of the code he wrote for the project. I am recycling his carserver.c program that runs on the Linksys router. The only change I've made is with the line :

 

toWrite = line[0] – 1;

to this:

toWrite = line[0];

 

If you are looking to write your own code for the Linksys router, check out http://gargoyle-router.com/old-openwrt-coding.html by Eric Bishop. He's written an excellent tutorial with how to cross compile programs that will run on a Linksys router.

 

Since I'm using a Basic Stamp instead of an Arduino, I'm writing all the code for the microcontroller from scratch. By using the Stamp, I don't have to use a Max232A level converter for serial communication between the Stamp and the Linksys. I will also be able to program PWM signals to drive the RC truck at variable speeds and turning radii. This is the most significant difference between my build and Jonathan's design. Currently his design is only capable of one speed forward and backward and one turning radius either left or right.

 

The platform which the Linksys router and the Stamp will sit upon on top of the truck has been finished and mounted to the frame. I decided to use 3mm Sintra sheets that you can find at http://www.solarbotics.com/construction_materials/. This is great stuff. Easy to machine but very strong and durable.

 

I'm entering the final phase of construction now. It's just a matter of mounting the router and other electronic parts to the chassis and finishing up the interface code. Here are some of my notes that should help you along.

 

  • Get the Linksys WRT54 Ultimate Hacking book. It's a must have for understanding how to use the WRT54 router. Bookmark Page 299 when you decide to begin interfacing through the router's serial ports.
  • If you aren't going to use Jonathan's carserver.c code for the router and plan to compile your own, you will need Linux.
  • You have two versions of OpenWRT firmware for the router, White Russian and Kamikaze. If you want to keep things simple, go with White Russian. This firmware has had the most development on it. The hacking book and Eric Bishop's webpage use primarily White Russian. If you decide to go with Kamikaze, know whether you are using a 32bit or 64bit version of Linux. OpenWRT's 64bit Kamikaze SDK works straight out of the box. However, the 32bit SDK needs to be compiled on your machine before it can be used. It will take a couple of hours to do this. Don't worry though as there are plenty of instructions online. I decided to go with Kamikaze.

 

That's it for now. We will have video in the near future introducing the project and showing you all of the parts needed in order to get started. With some luck, we'll also have pictures of the build online soon so that you can follow along. I'll keep posting my progress as the project moves along so check back again soon.

 

Always remember, if it's not broken, take it apart anyway and enjoy voiding that warranty!

AuthorIan | Comment10 Comments |
Sunday
Mar072010

VU Monitor Case Mod

DateSunday, March 7, 2010 at 11:01PM

Want to spice up your computer? Tired of having just a plain LED blinking, showing your hard drive activity? Try installing an analog VU meter and add a little style to your computer. Watch the needle bounce around showing you that your hard drive is actual doing its job.

 

Here's what you'll need:

 

  1. Analog VU Meter: Grab one of these from an old stereo set. If you don't feel like cannibalizing that prized piece of nostalgic equipment or just don't have an old style stereo amp, you might find what you need at a garage sale or the flea market. If you're absolutely desperate, cruise over to Radio Shack and pick up an analog battery tester for $10.

     

  2. Potentiometer: You will want something around 5Kohm.

     

  3. Multimeter: Use this to test for the resistance across the potentiometer.

     

  4. Alligator clips: A must have for any electronics project.

     

  5. A Resistor: Size to be determined later.

     

  6. Solder and Soldering Iron: When it's all said and done its time to put everything together.

 

Steps:

 

  1. Take your multimeter and measure the resistance across pins 1 and 2 of your potentiometer. There are 3 pins. The center pin is always pin 2. It doesn't matter which pin you choose for 1 or 3 Spin the potentiometer back and forth and watch the resistance change on your multimeter. Turn the potentiometer all the way in one direction that will give you the largest resistance. This is the potentiometer setting that you will start with when connecting up your VU meter to your computer. Remember which pin is pin 1. If you connect up pin 2 and pin 3 to your multimeter, your resistance will be 0 ohms.
  2. Open up your computer and identify your hdd light cable. Notice where its plugged into on the motherboard. The pins are usually on the bottom right corner of the motherboard.
  3. Cut the hdd wire as close to the led as possible. Since this wire already has a connector to the motherboard, we might as well use it.
  4. Now to connect up the VU meter and the potentiometer. Using your alligator clips connect the clip to the positive wire of the hdd cable. It's probably red. The negative should be white. If the colors are different, don't worry too much You can always reverse the wires. Connect the other end of the alligator clip to pin 1 of the potentiometer.
  5. Take a second alligator clip and connect it between pin 2 of your potentiometer and the positive wire of your VU meter.
  6. Connect the negative wire of the VU meter to the negative wire of the hdd cable using a third alligator clip.
  7. Double check that you've connected to the correct pins on your potentiometer and that the potentiometer handle is turned all the way in the proper direction. If the resistance between you're two potentiometer pins is zero or too low, you'll burn out your VU meter as soon as you turn your computer on.
  8. When you're ready, turn on your computer. Chances are you won't see anything since the potentiometer is on its highest resistance. Slowly turn your potentiometer until the needle on the VU monitor is bouncing
  9. You may need to restart your computer a couple of times or just copy large files from one folder to another in order to activate the hdd meter.
  10. Once the meter starts bouncing the way you want it, turn off the computer and measure the resistance between pins 1 and 2 on your potentiometer using your multimeter. Pick a resistor that best matches the value you read on the multimeter.
  11. Now your ready to solder all the wires together permanently with the resistor in line instead of the potentiometer. Don't forget to cover up all the exposed connections that you soldered together. Use heat shrink or electrical tape.
  12. Mount the VU meter somewhere in your case and enjoy!

 

Happy Modding

 

AuthorIan | Comment2 Comments |
Sunday
Feb212010

Upgrade Windows 7 RC to Retail

DateSunday, February 21, 2010 at 11:11PM

Microsoft did a really awesome thing when they allowed the general public to download a beta copy of Windows 7 before they released it, and let you use it for a relatively long period of time.

Theres only one problem, it was so good in pre-release form that a lot of people, including myself, used it, loved it, installed a ton of software on it, and forgot that it was not offered to be free indefinably. Now they are receiving notices that soon their computer will start shutting down every two hours to get them to purchase a retail copy now that the beta is over.

You might assume that you would be able to just buy a retail copy of Windows 7 retail and pop in the key or upgrade your install in place so you can keep your programs and settings, but Microsoft does not offer this as an option, and since it was beta code, I don't blame them.

Now, I will be the first to say that you should always do a clean install of an operating system if you have option. However, there are times when its just not practical. For example, you only have a short period of time to get someone off the beta and onto a retail copy, and you don't have to all of their software and / or the time to reinstall it back to how they had it.

If you are in this situation, and you want to do an in place upgrade from a pre-release copy of Windows 7 to a retail copy, it is possible. 

I found the directions on how to do this here: http://tech.icrontic.com/articles/upgrade-the-windows-7-rc-to-retail/ 

I tested this on an install moving from Windows 7 release candidate to Windows 7 Home Premium Retail Upgrade.

Remember to back up all of your important data before doing anything that could nuke your OS... ever. This is a process that could nuke your OS. Are we clear? But since your not a total n00b you have two copies of all your essential files, so this shouldn't even need to be stated.

Now, here is how you do it. (I am going to assume you are using (Windows 7 Home Premium)

Step 1. Put your Windows 7 Home Premium retail DVD

Step 2. Create a new folder on your hard drive to copy the contents of your Windows 7 disk to. Lets go with creating a new folder on your c:\ drive named "retaildvd"

Step 3. Now go to your new folder, which is c:\retaildvd, leave it open

Step 4. Open up your My Computer folder, right click on the Windows 7 DVD, hit open

Step 5. Copy all of the contents of your Windows 7 DVD to your new c:\retaildvd folder

Step 6. Get yourself a beer and wait for it to copy

Step 7. After the copy process is done, go to the c:\retaildvd\sources\ folder and find a file called "cversion.ini"

Step 8. Right click on this file, and hit edit

Step 9. Change the value of "MinClient=7233.0" to "MinClient=7077.0" (this tells your retail installer that its cool to upgrade your existing copy of Windows in place)

Step 10. Assuming you didn't buy Windows 7 Ultimate, and lets be honest you didn't, we need modify your registry. Go to your start menu, type in the search area "regedit" and hit enter.

Step 11. Hitting the arrows next to the correct folders and navigate down to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\Current Version, and click on that "Current Version" folder, not one of its subfolders

Step 12. Double click on the "EditionID" icon and change it's field to say "HomePremium", then hit ok

Step 13. Double click on the "ProductName" icon and change its field to say "Windows 7 Home Premium", then hit ok

Step 14. Close out of the registry, you don't have to save anything, its just magic like that

Step 15. Go to your c:\retaildvd\ folder and run Windows setup

Step 16. Go all the way through this Windows 7 setup doing it as an upgrade. After a while your computer will restart, then run some more, then restart, then run some more, then restart, and run some more. An in place upgrade takes longer than a clean install.

Step 17. Get more beer, and wait

Step 18. Follow the rest of the prompts, give it your new Windows 7 Home Premium (or whatever version you got) retail CD Key, and you are pretty much done.

Microsoft chose not to officially support this process of in place upgrading from the release candidate, so I can't promise it will work for everyone in all circumstances. It did however, work for me, and its worth a shot if your only other option is a full blown clean install. 

I am writing this from memory, so if I made a mistake, please let me know in the comments and I will fix it.

Enjoy.

AuthorColleen | Comment12 Comments |
Wednesday
Dec232009

Nintendo Purse How-To From Jeri Ellsworth @ FMCG

DateWednesday, December 23, 2009 at 05:16AM

AuthorColleen | Comment1 Comment |
Wednesday
Dec232009

Shoebox Sized Liquid Cooled Gaming PC 

DateWednesday, December 23, 2009 at 02:24AM

My friend Bear needed a gaming computer, but already had his workspace filled up with server gear. I resolved to build him a fast gaming computer that was as small as possible. Check it out.

There are multiple form factors for computer parts, meaning, that the parts are designed to fit into a certain standard that dictates where their bolt holes are, where there slots go, etc, so that you can, for example, buy a motherboard from ASUS and bolt it into an Antec case and not have to worry about them meeting up. ATX and Micro ATX are the two most common form factors for desktop computer. They are not however, the only ones.

Mini ITX is a lesser known form factor, but cool, because it is very small AND able to take powerful PC hardware. The trick you see, is to pick out just the right parts out, from the admittedly limited selection on the market. Below is a list of parts that I used to build a Mini ITX, liquid cooled, gaming PC, for a friend.

 

1. A Zotac 9300 Mini ITX motherboard *key part*

This motherboard one of two things that make this whole build possible. Zotac designed this board to take a full on Core 2 processor by including a 775 socket and a full on graphics card with a PCI-E x16 slot. These are features you would not expect to see in a board this size normally.

The board is rounded out by including pretty much everything you could ask of a board, wifi, gigabit ethernet, HDMI/DVI/VGA ports going to a 9300 gpu, two ram slots, etc. Since this board itself can power a monitor, adding in a dual port graphics card, leaves you with the ability to power three monitors with your shoebox PC... at the same time.

2. The Silvertone Sugo SG05 Mini ITX case *key part*

The case is the other part of the build that makes it possible to build such a crazy system in such a small form factor, with a few key traits. These include a 300 watt power supply, which if you are frugal, WILL power a computer Core 2 processor and a decent graphics card. Next, all of the hard drive mounting trays area easily removable, leaving room for more cooling gear. Even cooler, they give you TWO full height PCI slots, which means you can use a real gaming dual slot graphics card, assuming it isn't too long. Finally, it has a full size 120mm fan on the front inside of the case, perfect for mounting a Corsair H50 water cooler or your own radiator.

3. BFG NVIDIA GTS 250 graphics card *key part*

This graphics card is unique in that it is essentially the same top of the line GPU from the last generation of NVIDIA chips. However, they made the silicon on a much smaller process reducing heat generation and power consumption. This is key, because they were able to make the board shorter than the 9800 gtx, loose one of the power connectors, making it actually compatible with our case and PSU selection.

It fits! But not only that, the GTS 250 is actually an excellent gaming graphics card. It is no screamer, but it will play any modern game well at reasonable settings, assuming you are not trying to drive a huge display... or play Crysis (fat pig).

4. A 2.5" laptop hard drive *key part*

One of the ways that I made room for the cooling systems, was to remove all hard drive mounting mechanisms. I simply used a 2.5 inch laptop hard drive, (SSDs would be perfect too), then used adhesive velcro to stick it to the side of the power supply next to the graphics card.

These drives are so light and small, you can fit them anywhere. Laptop hard drives also only run on 5V power rather than 12V... saving our PSU for CPU and GPU.

5. Corsair H50 *key part*

The Corsair H50 is a wicked part, as it does what a traditional water cooling system does, in far less space, for far less cost. Normally, to liquid cool, you would need a water block, tubing, a reservoir, a radiator, and a pump.  The H50 reduces all of this by using a closed system and using a custom pump right in the block itself on the CPU.

The block is short enough that it fits comfortably under the PSU in the Sugo SG05, and the radiator fits just fine behind the 120mm fan on the front of the case, assuming you remove the drive bays. 

It is also powered directly off a single motherboard fan power connector, saving power and wiring.

Liquid cooling, done.

6. An Intel Q6600 Core 2 Quad 2.4 ghz CPU

Self explanitory. I chose this chip because it is great because its cheap and overclocks like a motherfucker. 2.4->3.4 ghz EASY on liquid cooling. Look for the D0 stepping revision.

7. 4GB of DDR2 800mhz SD ram

Commodity stuff. I wont bore you.

As with all PC building, parts selection is the key. In the end, assemble it, and you get... this

Not bad for a small form factor system, eh? Overclocks quite nicely too.

AuthorColleen | Comment11 Comments |
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