element14

Science

Science By element14

Ben Heck's mini pinball game: Analysis and programming

Ben is moving walls around, but don't expect him to quit his day job to become an architect just yet. After a few tests on the pieces for the modular miniature pinball kit, it has been decided that the angles need to change for the pinball run. That means a redesign is in store. Meanwhile, Felix has received the final design of the printed circuit board from OSHPark, and based on some initial tests it appears to be a-okay! What do you think of the build so far? Let the team know over on the element14 Community.

By element14 Read More

News By element14

Ben Heck's super glue gun: Designing a better enclosure

Karen and Ben break out the pencils and go back to the drawing board to redesign their super glue gun. After changing the auto stand in response to feedback from the element14 Community, the team is looking at how best to fit together the extruder and electronics. They also need to decide on the best plastic to use for the casing. After buying a few off-the-shelf glue guns for inspiration, Ben loads up Autodesk Fusion 360 and starts designing a 3D model to print. Is the team headed in the right direction? Let them know over on the element14 Community.

By element14 Read More

Computing By element14

Ben Heck's Hex game: Fun with soldering

After working out the kinks with the layout of the Hex board game, Ben and Felix have received the PCBs from OSHPark and they're all ready for soldering. That's interesting, because ultimately the game itself will be used to teach soldering in schools. How's your own soldering technique? And what do you think of the Hex game? Let us know over on the element14 community.

By element14 Read More

Reviews

Reviews By element14

Ben Heck's Nintendo Switch teardown

Nintendo has a new console out, which means Ben, Karen and Felix are responding exactly as you'd expect them to: by tearing down the new Switch console and Joy Con controllers. How does it compare to a laptop or tablet computer? Is it designed for easy maintenance and upgradeability? Share your take over on the element14 Community.

By element14 Read More

News By element14

Ben Heck's next three builds are meant to be shipping products

You asked for bigger, better, longer-term builds, so the team is going to design three things that can be brought to market or to a crowdfunding site like Kickstarter. First up: Logic Bomb, a refactoring of the Hackmanji board game. How can it be made durable, smaller and help make digital logic as easy to learn as using a Speak & Spell? Next up is the Super Glue Gun, which is great because Ben has an obsession with such things. Finally, our viewers' top choice: a mini pinball machine. Can this build be made into a kit? is 3D printing suitable? Follow the team as they work on these builds and have your say in guiding the projects over on the element14 Community!

By element14 Read More

News By element14

Ben Heck makes a Zelda lamp by upcycling laptop screens

Humans by nature can be a little bit wasteful. Recycling helps, of course, but some things are too good to throw away. That's where upcycling comes in. Karen has the idea to repurpose laptop screens to create a Legend of Zelda-inspired lamp. However, not just any laptop screen will do. As the team rips apart old hardware they soon discover the different types of panels that have been used in various laptops over the years. With the optimal screens identified, Karen gets down to business with Adobe Illustrator and designs suitable laser-cut frames. Watch the episode to find out tips and tricks to make the perfect design. Have you upcycled any old hardware? Think you could enter your project in a design competition? Find out more on the element14 Community.

By element14 Read More

Wearables

Wearables By element14

Ben Heck's sound-switching headphones

try{document.getElementById("aol-cms-player-1").style.display="none";}catch(e){} You might not have wondered what Felix was like as a baby, but you're about to find out. Ben hacks apart a VTech baby monitor so that it's possible to listen to your favorite music with headphones, with interruptions when your little one needs attention. After breaking open the baby monitor, Ben finds the perfect place for the digital logic level control and 555 timers needed to latch onto the audio signal and switch over from music and back again. What devices do you need to make your life easier or more comfortable as a parent? Let the Ben Heck Show team know over on the element14 community.

By element14 Read More

Gaming By element14

Ben Heck's multi-system retro controller

try{document.getElementById("aol-cms-player-1").style.display="none";}catch(e){} Using a build idea from the element14 Community, Ben takes an ESP8266 module and creates the ultimate all-in-one retro gaming controller for the Super Nintendo, Sega Megadrive / Genesis and Nintendo Entertainment System. To get the digital signals from the buttons across the wireless transmission to the receiver, Ben will have to use shift registers such as the 74HC595 to combine the bits into a data stream. It's not all straightforward, though: Felix steps in to help with LUA scripting and the team hits a snag with the programming. Fortunately, designing the enclosure is a lot simpler thanks to Autodesk Fusion 360. After a lot of testing, soldering and taking apart a Sega controller, the team creates a controller of wonder. Which consoles would you control? Would you design it any differently? Suggest a build on the element14 Community.

By element14 Read More

Reviews

Reviews By element14

Ben Heck's PlayStation 4 Slim teardown

try{document.getElementById("aol-cms-player-1").style.display="none";}catch(e){} Voiding warranties is what we do best here on The Ben Heck Show, and a new game console gives us the perfect opportunity. Join Ben as he tears down the Sony PlayStation 4 Slim to find out what makes it tick, and how it compares to Microsoft's Xbox One Slim. From creating their own Blu-ray solution (you know, just because they can) to questioning the build quality, Ben guides us through the design decisions Sony made when building the PS4 Slim. The real question you might be wondering, though, is: Can Ben turn it into a portable console? Probably yes, but more importantly, what would you like to see us do with it? let us know at the element14 Community.

By element14 Read More

Computing By element14

Ben Heck's Intel Edison laser harp, part 1

try{document.getElementById("aol-cms-player-1").style.display="none";}catch(e){} Inspired by #MTFBerlin and the projects at Music Tech Fest, the Ben Heck Show team uses Intel's Edison chip to build an electronic harp. The team harness the power of lasers, virtual studio technology and the prototyping tools at their disposal in the workshop to produce a fully working instrument. Ben uses an oscilloscope to measure the capability of a photoresistor when hit by a laser. Felix writes up code to handle the input from the photoresistors into the Intel Edison chip, which will then be processed and exported using an audio codec. Finally, Ben gets on with designing the harp and the housing for the lasers using Adobe Illustrator. What instrument would you like to control with the power of electronics? Get in touch over on the element14 Community, where you can also find the build files and behind-the-scenes footage.

By element14 Read More

Robotics

Robotics By element14

Ben Heck's Hackbot Wars, part 2: Weapons

try{document.getElementById("aol-cms-player-1").style.display="none";}catch(e){} It's time for the "Hackbotz" to assemble! In this second part of the series, we see the bots being weaponized for ballon destruction. With their experience in thrifty salvaging, The Ben Heck Show team has scavenged parts to enhance their robots. Karen has taken apart a toaster for its warming nichrome resistive wire element, which should result in a popping surprise for Ben and Felix. Meanwhile, Ben develops a scorpian-tail-like weapon, the construction of which doesn't quite go according to plan. We still don't know what Felix has in store for his bot, but we do know he's made the Intel Edison chip work with a Playstation 4 controller over Bluetooth. Find out how the team has put the CEL Robox 3D printer to use as they prepare for the Ultimate and Final battle of the Hackbots. Let us know over on the element14 Community what you think of the bots and how you'd design them differently.

By element14 Read More

Robotics

Robotics By element14

Ben Heck's Hackbotz, part 1

try{document.getElementById("aol-cms-player-2").style.display="none";}catch(e){} With the return of BattleBots and Robot Wars, The Ben Heck Show team produce a real-life Nintendo Mario Kart battle arena with robot kits. In this first of a three-part series, the robots are assembled -- and weaponized -- without instructions. Join Ben as he shows us how to combine motor controller driver hardware with a custom LiPo battery pack. Meanwhile, Felix introduces us to XBee to wirelessly remote control the robots, and considers using Bluetooth with an Intel Edison chip. However, Felix is keeping his weaponizing details under wraps; it'll have to be something good since Karen has something crazy in mind! Tell us your ideas for your battling robots over at the element14 Community.

By element14 Read More

Gaming By element14

Ben Heck's Nintendo PlayStation prototype teardown, part 2

try{document.getElementById("aol-cms-player-1").style.display="none";}catch(e){} In part 1 we took a close look at the amazing SFX-100 Nintendo PlayStation console for a teardown of the hardware and an analysis of how the chips function together. After looking inside, Ben discovered a few post-production bodge jobs that were seemingly intended to fix the prototype -- but do they, really? Join Ben again as we look inside this rare hardware to see if we can whip it into a functioning state and get the CD-Rom tray finally working. Finally, what better way to test out a console than a beat-em-up showdown? Join Felix and Ben as they duke it out on Super Streetfighter 2. Let us know what you think of the Sony Nintendo PlayStation over at the element14 Community, where you can also interact with The Ben Heck Show team and watch past episodes.

By element14 Read More

Gaming By element14

Ben Heck's Nintendo PlayStation prototype teardown, part 1

try{document.getElementById("aol-cms-player-1").style.display="none";}catch(e){} It was originally thought to be a rumor: a games console that combined Sony and Nintendo hardware. Now Ben Heck proves it does exist. Thanks to Terry and Dan Diebold, who approached The Ben Heck Show team with the console, Ben was able to give you an exclusive teardown of the elusive Super Nintendo / Famicom and Sony PlayStation hybrid console. While taking apart the device, called the SFX-100, Ben guides us through the post-production alterations made to fix the prototype and gives us a tour of all the components on the board, including a custom audio chip and standard Sony integrated circuits. We also compare the system to similar consoles at the time, such as the PC Engine / TurboGRAFX-16 and the Sega MegaCD. The real question is, can we get it working? Let us know what you think of the teardown over at the element14 Community, where you can also interact with The Ben Heck Show team and learn more about Nintendo and Sony's history.

By element14 Read More

Gaming By element14

Ben Heck's Hackmanji board game, part 3

try{document.getElementById("aol-cms-player-1").style.display="none";}catch(e){} The last piece of the Jumanji-esque puzzle falls into place as Ben, Karen and Felix complete the Hackmanji puzzle board -- and with your help. Putting the finishing touches on the board involves combining the mechanical with the electronic as Ben ensures the servos line up and the player pieces don't clash, all while making sure the micro-controller doesn't run out of RAM and I/O. We get to hear what Felix sounds like as he announces the status of the game while Ben distresses it by hitting it with a hammer. Meanwhile, Karen's design changes make the game more accessible. Tell us what you think of Hackmanji over at the element14 Community, where you will be able to find the code and files, as well as chat with The Ben Heck Show team.

By element14 Read More

News By element14

Ben Heck visits Berlin #MTF Hack Camp

try{document.getElementById("aol-cms-player-1").style.display="none";}catch(e){} Ben and Felix bust out the bad jokes as they visit the Music Tech Fest in Berlin as part of the #MTF Hack Camp sponsored by element14. The event brought together talented musicians, singers and hackers for a 24-hour hackathon, and in this episode you can watch interviews with the makers at the event. Projects ranged from one that lets you slice audio samples in real time, to an artificially intelligent drummer that chimes in by itself. Discuss all that and more with other fans over at the element14 Community.

By element14 Read More

Gaming By element14

Ben Heck's Hackmanji board game, part 2

try{document.getElementById("aol-cms-player-1").style.display="none";}catch(e){} Ben, Karen and Felix continue to work on the Hackmanji board game puzzle. In particular, they've attempted to make it educational, with electronic logic gates ranging from AND, OR to XOR. Ben breaks down the solutions to the logic puzzles while Felix solders the logic chips. Get in touch with The Ben Heck Show team to be involved in the build of logic puzzles for the game, and create an account with element14 to join one of the largest online communities for makers and engineers.

By element14 Read More

Gaming By element14

Ben Heck's Hackmanji board game

try{document.getElementById("aol-cms-player-1").style.display="none";}catch(e){} With a bit of laser cutting for the box and some 3D printing for the pieces, cogs and arms, Ben, Karen and Felix build a new version of the board game Jumanji. (Yes indeed, it's on based on the 1995 Robin Williams film.) Also in this episode, Karen and Ben get a hold of the original Nintendo Power Glove to hack for a future installment. If you have any show ideas of your own, or simply want to engage with The Ben Heck Show team, visit the element14 Community page.

By element14 Read More

Computing By element14

Ben Heck's lunch box dev kit

try{document.getElementById("aol-cms-player-1").style.display="none";}catch(e){} This week, Karen and Ben produce a portable, plug-and-play hardware development kit enclosure, suitable for diagnosing problems on the go and swapping over between kits. Using the BeagleBone Black, a modified Motorola Atrix phone dock and various 3D printing tools at their disposal. As a bonus, Ben unboxes the Raspberry Pi 3 and accessories while Felix looks at NXP hardware sensor dev kits for a future project. Join us on the element14 Community page where you can get the supporting files and talk with The Ben Heck Show team!

By element14 Read More

News By element14

Ben Heck's design workflow

#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-651427{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-651427, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-651427{width:570px;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-651427").style.display="none";}catch(e){} Have you ever wondered how The Ben Heck Show team tackles your suggestions and problems? Why use perfboard instead of a manufactured PCB or a breadboard? Is a 3D printer the best way to go, or should you use a CNC mill ? Which is better, CNC or a laser cutter? Karen and Ben help answer these questions for your design workflow when creating your project or hacking hardware. If you have any suggestions or questions about the show or want to see what we couldn't fit in this week, engage with team on the element14 Community page: There you'll find past episodes and the project files along with fellow hobbyists, makers and engineers.

By element14 Read More

News By element14

The Ben Heck Show's Felix hacks a guitar

#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-252904{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-252904, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-252904{width:570px;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-252904").style.display="none";}catch(e){} While Ben is away, Felix and Karen will play... the guitar! Karen uses lasers for the electronic housing while Felix prototypes the microcontroller, audio codec and LCD display to embed in an acoustic guitar. It takes a bit of modding, cutting and even an accident with the screen! Watch the episode above to hear how well the guitar plays, and then head over to the element14 community to talk to The Ben Heck Show team and find the build files for this project.

By element14 Read More

Nintendo

Nintendo By element14

Ben Heck's giant Game Boy

#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-752795{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-752795, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-752795{width:570px;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-752795").style.display="none";}catch(e){} Karen, Ben and Felix are back, this time with a supersize Game Boy. To do this, they needed a vinyl cutter for the decals, a CNC router for the huge case and a 3D printer to ensure the switches were in place. The best part is that the smarts behind it use an FPGA DE0-Nano to adapt the output from the Game Boy to a VGA monitor, ensuring a crisp layout. (It's even green!) What do you think of it? Tell the Ben Heck Show team yourself and find the code used to make the Giant Game Boy on the element14 community.

By element14 Read More

Computing By element14

Ben Heck's Raspberry Pi Bitscope mod

#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-929136{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-929136, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-929136{width:100%;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-929136").style.display="none";}catch(e){} If you need to troubleshoot or design electronic hardware, an oscilloscope is a useful bit of kit. This week Ben and Felix put together a Raspberry Pi-based Bitscope Micro Oscilloscope with a 7-inch touchscreen. Using Autodesk Fusion 360 to design a case for 3D printing in combination with a laser cut back and stand, Ben guides us through case design considerations to ensure everything is a good fit (especially with the insanity of the metric system). There's also a sneak insight into a future project! Remember you can watch behind the scenes footage, get the build files for this project and interact with the cast on the element14 community, home of The Ben Heck Show.

By element14 Read More

PC Gaming

PC Gaming By element14

Ben Heck's Steam controller-inspired concept

#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-468517{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-468517, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-468517{width:570px;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-468517").style.display="none";}catch(e){} The Ben Heck Show team were asked to check out Valve's Steam Controller, so we took this as an opportunity to see how the controller works and bring PC gaming to the console masses. The team uses it as inspiration to create a gaming controller for the living room. Karen, Felix and Ben work together using a Teensy, hall effect sensors, clay and metal cutting (with some sewing) to let you kick back and enjoy a game of Quake on the sofa. Do it yourself on the element14 community where we post behind the scenes content, project files and you can talk with the Show's team!

By element14 Read More