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Hardware Hacking Projects for Geeks
Fullam takes the reader from the very basics of hardware hacking and quickly gets up to speed with some fun and interesting hacks. Projects start out easy and increase in complexity and cost as the book progresses. Hardware Hacking covers many popular hacks we've all seen before, such as the "Macquarium" (Mac Aquarium), a web-enabled coffee machine, and the Blinkenlights building-sized display.
The book is divided into two main parts, the first covering basic hacks, and the second covering more advanced hacks.
Part One:
Starting with the basics, Fullam takes the reader through a crash course in electronics, covering concepts like soldering, using a voltmeter, identifying various electronic components and reading schematics. This section of the book is by no means a replacement for a course in electrical engineering, but it is definitely a solid primer for those of us who weren't born with a soldering iron in our hands. If you've never played with electronics before and don't know the difference between a resistor and a capacitor, this section should get you up to speed fairly quickly.
After the brief basics lesson, the next chapter dives right in to the first project, which is a portable laptop power supply made with a pile of D-cell batteries, a battery holder and some wire. This project is very simple and requires no soldering at all, yet it gives the reader a quick and easy way to make something useful with very little investment in time or money.
Each of the projects is presented in a well-organized manner, starting out with a brief summary and some background information about where the hack originated. A list of necessary tools and materials is also given, followed by a project overview, outlining the major tasks required to get the project completed. Each project outline gives estimates for the cost range, time required and difficulty level for the hack.
After the introductory stuff is out of the way, step-by-step instructions are given on how to assemble, modify or hack the device in question. The instructions are easy to follow and are complete with images or illustrations where appropriate. Many pages contain sidebars that contain additional information related to the project, such as more photos, hints and tips, and links to relevant websites. These sidebars really help to fill in any gaps that may be present in the main text.
At the end of each chapter, Fullam has an "extensions" section, where he suggests ways the hacks can be hacked further, to improve upon the design or alter them to offer more or different functionality. This is one point where the book really shines, advocating the true spirit of hacking and encouraging creativity and experimentation whenever possible throughout the book.
At the end of each chapter is a "Bill of Materials" and schematics for the hack. The bill of materials outlines in great detail all tools and hardware required for the project, including approximate costs as well as sources where they can be purchased.
Some of the highlights in the first section of the book include the "Macquarium," a water-based PC cooling system, and the infamous Furby hack. The Macintosh mod teaches some valuable lessons on using a Dremel tool and working with Plexiglas, which are great skills any budding case modder would want to have. The water-based PC cooling project is one of the more useful hacks presented in the book, showing the reader how to create an inexpensive but effective means to cool down an overclocked CPU. And hacking the Furby to give it a new vocabulary is... well, definitely a great topic for conversation if nothing else. If you have to ask why someone would do such a thing, you wouldn't understand the answer.
Part Two:
Part Two of the book starts off with another more advanced lesson in electronics. It delves into more detail, describing different types of resistors, capacitors and connectors. It also introduces transistors, looking at integrated circuits and surface-mount components as well. One thing I found particularly useful was the section explaining how to read and interpret manufacturers' data sheets for integrated circuits.
The advanced hacks featured in Part Two of Hardware Hacking are a little more exciting than those featured in the first half of the book, but are definitely more involved. The section starts off with a chapter on building a PC-based PVR, using Mandrake Linux. Sample code is included to create shell scripts for a simple, text-based interface, although Fullam does briefly mention some of the more popular GUI-based PVR software available, such as Freevo and MythTV.
Another great hack featured in the advanced section is the "Building-Size Display" hack, reminiscent of Blinkenlights. The chapter starts off with instructions on how to build a display matrix on a much smaller scale, using a series of ultra bright LEDs, but later shows how the project can be expanded to create a 12-story display using an entire building.
Some other mentionable hacks in the advanced chapters include a cubicle intrusion-detection system, an Internet-enabled toaster and coffee maker, and a remote object tracker. These projects provide instructions on how to use more advanced components such as photodiodes, lasers, GPS receivers and microcontrollers (such as the BasicStamp2, in particular).
Two other noteworthy projects in Part Two include a MAME cabinet and a wearable computer.
Plans for the MAME cabinet are very well done, taking the reader through cutting MDF, building the cabinet, installing the software and interfacing the controls to his PC. This chapter goes into great detail, even covering things like creating a monitor bezel and a backlit marquee, and using T-molding for that authentic arcade machine look.
The wearable computer hack is very interesting, covering a wide range of concepts I would never have considered. Fullam gives ideas on what to use for a head-mounted display (HMD), what types of motherboards and CPUs work best, and looks at various power sources, including batteries, solar panels and different generators. The chapter also presents ideas for input devices, such as keyboards and mice, but also speech recognition systems, cameras and GPS receivers. At the end of the chapter, there is an extensive list of websites related to wearable computer projects, offering much more reading to the interested hacker.
The appendixes, while quite brief, do offer more information on topics like creating and editing schematics, using microcontrollers and using different power sources. There is also a list of resources for further reading and a short list of parts suppliers.
Hardware Hacking also has an accompanying website, where readers can download all of the images, illustrations and schematics from the book. The files are available in EPS, PDF and TIFF formats, although they are all gzipped, and are not readily viewable without downloading and extracting first. The website supposedly has code downloads as well, but the links are broken as of this writing, so you'll be stuck typing in code from the book until the site is fixed.
Overall Thoughts
Overall, I was very impressed with this book. Fullam has given the geek community a valuable resource that will provide inspiration for aspiring and veteran hackers alike. It covers many projects that I have personally wanted to build or learn more about, and presents concepts that would be of interest to many fellow Slashdotters.
The only things preventing me from giving this book a 10 are the aforementioned issues with the accompanying website (which I'm sure will be fixed soon) and the quality of some of the photos. Most of the photographs in the book are crisp and clear, but some are rather grainy or pixelated, as if they were enlarged from a website image. Fullam does make mention of the image quality, stating that many photos actually were taken from the original Web sources, and "the clarity of the photograph suffers in print." It's a small point, but definitely noticeable in certain sections of the book. However, as mentioned, the images are available online, and often do look better on a monitor in full color, as opposed to the black and white images in the book.
I highly recommend Hardware Hacking Projects for Geeks to anyone with an interest in those fun projects that only nerds can understand.
You can purchase Hardware Hacking Projects for Geeks from bn.com. Slashdot welcomes readers' book reviews -- to see your own review here, read the book review guidelines, then visit the submission page.
Turning my CDR into a toaster?
...was never designed to spark and fill the room with flames and magic smoke. The local fire company has asked that I refrain from future hacking efforts.
I want a books that includes all the components to hack.Z ZZZZZZ.jpg">How to Play Air Guitar (it includes a free genuine air guitar) ;)
like this book: http://images.amazon.com/images/P/1844110036.01.L
Consensus is good, but informed dictatorship is better
how about turning my mac into a pc??? or has that already been done.
serenity now!
If you want to complain about dupes, what about that "Have you Meta Moderated lately?" article that always seems to be on the main page?
...
...start by hacking your spell checker:
rediculous is spelled ridiculous
Hacker? Why would anyone want to be a hacker? I heard they're very bad people!!!
Make a Tattoo Gun
,second one from the smallest. ( this is your needle)
Things you'll need:
* bic pen (this is your tube that houses the needle)
* 4 or 5" section of guitar string
* tooth brush ( this gets bent like a "7" and joins the pen to the motor)
* an eraser from a pencil (this joins the shaft of the motor to the needle/guitar string)
* small battery operated motor (from a "walkman" or a hand held fan)
* some tape (to join everything together)
Putting the pieces together:
1. Take the guitar string and bend a little bit of the end down or up.
2. Take out the ink tube of the pen, and cut it to about a 3 or 4" length, now file down the brass tip of the pen to get the ball out, make the hole big enough to allow passage of the needle.
3. Insert the needle into the pen.
4. Now take the tooth brush and cut off the bristles making it about 4" long. Heat it up in the middle with a lighter and bend it in to a "7" and hold in place untill stiff.
5. Join/tape the pen needle assembly to the tooth brush.
6. Now take the eraser from the pencil and shove it onto the shaft of the motor, try to get it as dead center as possible. Join the pen/needle/tooth brush to the motor/eraser assembly, tape the brush to the motor.
7. Take the bent part of the needle/guitar stirng and stick it into the eraser, IMPORTANT- the needle must be purposely OFF CENTER.
8. Now all that is left to do is find a power source, I used the plug-in adapter frrom a cd player. i guess you could hook up some batteries to a switch and then to the contacts of the motor.
Just try to explain that to the TSA people at the airport when you try to haul your "laptop battery" through security.
"No Officer, this pile of batteries with wires sticking out everywhere is just a spare battery for my laptop...wait - what are you doing with those handcuffs - heeeelp".
And without knowing, you probably, inadvertently, violated someone's patent. :P
"for those of us who weren't born with a soldering iron in our hands."
Um.. Ouch? The poor mother..
>Having a book that contains step by step hacks seems like reading a cookbook to become a chef. It just doesn't work that way.
A good analogy is like a chicken with a toupee.
If you had my dad, you'd know why I won't...
____
IWorkForMorons
And whats up with this You have 5 Moderator Points! Use 'em or lose 'em!?
;-)
Christ I just come here to troll, not to get harrased!
Quack, quack.
#ifndef HACK
# define HACK breakingstuffonpurpose
#endif
-WS
An operating system should be like a light switch... simple, effective, easy to use, and designed for everyone.
Looks like you've managed the all-to-common hack of splicing together your technical skills with your ego.
In all matters of opinion, our adversaries are insane. -Oscar Wilde
Mmmmm... Phoebe Halliwell... *dreams*
What kind of head unit?? If you say anything but pioneer im going to digitally bitch slap you a new face
You might do with just a touch, just a touch by the way... not too much, of humility. I mean even Newton (who was by all accounts not at all humble) wrote "if I've seen farther it is by standing on the shoulders of giants." If Newton can acknowledge that he relied heavily on the work of those that came before him (and didn't just spontaneously discover the sum total of all human knowledge gathered prior to the 17th century), perhaps you could acknowledge that someone starting small and growing from there does not immediately make them a complete ignoramus.
Not that I'm comparing you to Newton... no doubt you've contributed a lot more original thought to the body of human knowledge than he ever did. (that is in addition of course to recreate the entirety of the body of human knowledge without ever referencing a book... although I must admit it's passing curious why you seem so focused on electronics given the knowledge of everything you have within you.) On second thought forget my whole post... I think you must be right in your tacit assertion that you didn't learn anything from anyone...
I only hope that you'll have a chance to read my reply and attendant apology for thinking you lacking in humility. That thick condescension towards your coworker and others that exudes from your post surely means you maintain an extremely busy social calendar.
Best of luck to you and please forgive those of us who have to rely on the knowledge of others to learn things. We don't mean to make you bitter. (Although I'm sure your bitterness makes you a wiz with the ladies.)
I used to have a small ego but I hacked it by taking some of my extra id, painting it blue and duct-taping it to my ego to make a super ego.
Well whoopdey #%*-ing do for you! You rock, dude!
Amusing that you would bring this up :-)
I ran a BBS using a C64 with 4 of the 1541 drives that, as you point out, tended to overheat. My solution was to get four of the ever popular muffin fans, and put one on top of each drive to pull the air through.
Of course, with that as my comparison point, you can imagine why I consider my current PC to be quiet enough...
software "engineers?" Software developers, sure. But engineers? I say, stick to programming, and leave the engineering to the civil, mechanical, chemical, and electrical engineers
Stupid keyboard jockeys with their C.S. degrees! Pretty soon, janitors will want to be sanitation engineers! Oh, wait...
Remember The Days When... all you needed to start hacking was curiosity and desire? It's funny how even the art of hacking has been commoditized these days. My own advice, just do it.
:)
What, before books?
You must be REALLY old. Hands down the oldest person on the planet.
Even "oldschool" hardware hackers read books. "Circuit Cellar", Forest Mims books from Radioshack, etc. I'm sure there are guys here who started out on even older stuff than that. They probably still have a box of vacuum tubes somewhere
Life is too short to proofread.
There's an easy way to get rid of that. Just click on the words 'Meta Moderate', go down the page and click 'Unfair' or 'Unfunny' after each comment, and hit 'Moderate' at the bottom. You only have to do it once a day, and eventually the link stops appearing at all!
I just selectively meta-mod liberal crap. The rest of it,I give thumbs up to, and I seem to get to moderate more than ever! I think my process makes me look objective and it looks like I care.
Ha!
What liability? Lawyers should be herded, summarily executed, dried, powdered, and used as fertilizer. Basic knowledge and the awareness of existence of Darwin Prize should be enough.
What's much more detrimental to experimenting and playing with cool toys than people complaining about "hacking cookbooks" is the pervasive fear of liability and lawyers.
I hate disclaimers.
They're used for cooling your GF off after sex.
That's classic. Sort of an automated version of my usual routine:
1. "Hello? Yes, it is... OK... Uh huh..." (Just a few words of encouragement and they're in high gear.)
2. Put down phone, and go about business. (But don't hangup.)
I figure the only way to really penalize them for wasting my time is to waste THEIR time, and the best possible way to do that is to make them work for nothing. The determined ones will actually last for upwards of 10 minutes before they realize they've been scammed!
It only counts if she thought you were so brilliant that you got laid.