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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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
Ben Heck's Star Wars Christmas special
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-322754{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-322754, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-322754{width:570px;display:block;}try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-322754").style.display="none";}catch(e){}No Star Wars spoilers! From the Boonta scrapyard, Ben, Felix and Karen get hacking with electronics, grinders, bearings, laser cutting and a CNC router to build their own R2D2 cooler, who wouldn't want a robot that gives you a drink when you use the force? Join the Ben Heck Show team at the element14 community for construction files, behind the scenes footage and join other makers, creators and engineers.
Live from Expand: The Industrial Revolution Starts at Home
This is going to be a fun one. We've brought some of the top names in the maker space to discuss the world of do-it-yourself electronics. We'll be joined by master modder Ben Heck, littleBits founder Ayah Bdeir and Make Magazine Editor-in-Chief Mark Frauenfelder. November 10, 2013 10:20:00 AM EST Follow all of Engadget's Expand coverage live from New York City right here!
Meet the judges for Expand NY's Insert Coin competition: Ryan Block, Ben Heck, Hilary Mason and Peter Rojas
There are but two days left (including today) for all you makers and would-be entrepreneurs to submit your projects for our Insert Coin competition for Expand NY. And, you may be wondering, who, exactly will be judging the worthiness of your work? Well, MAKE Magazine Editor-in-Chief Mark Frauenfelder will once again be helping present the five finalists on stage, and we've got quartet of tech industry insiders who will decide which project gets our $10,000 Judge's Choice prize. (There's also a $15,000 winner chosen by you, our dear readers.) Our judges are: Ryan Block, VP of Product, Aol; Editor Emeritus, Engadget Ben Heck, Master Modder on element14's, The Ben Heck Show Hilary Mason, Data Scientist in Residence, Accel Partners Peter Rojas, VP, Strategy, Aol Brand Group So, if you've got a bright idea, but haven't already signed up for the chance to put it in front of our judges panel, what are you waiting for? Head past the break for all the pertinent info, then fill out this form -- YOU could wind up winning!
Bicycle turn signals get the Ben Heck mod treatment (video)
Ben Heck's devised hacks for everything from console mashups to wheelchairs, and now he's turned his attention to the humble bicycle turn indicator -- something we've seen reinvented from time to time. Heck's take on the device uses a LilyPad Arduino and a backpack modified with an array of lights in the shape of two arrows. Merely pick a direction by jabbing one of the satchel's shoulder pads with your chin, and the appropriate lights will blink for 20 seconds. Sure, the existing contraption is slated for a giveaway, but the build process will be detailed on the next Ben Heck Show this Friday. To catch a glimpse of the construction in advance, mosey past the break for a quick video preview.
Darkmatter flaunts its Xbox 360 laptop Kickstarter project at Maker Faire
Darkmatter's portable open source Xbox 360 project may have hit Kickstarter with bad timing, but it looks to be drawing crowds all the same. The laptop-like console is available in fully finished or kit form for the Xbox 360, thanks to a 3D-printed, laser-cut casing, 15.6-inch 720P widescreen LED display, capacitive Arduino-based touch interface, a headphone jack and support for all native features, like WiFi, 4GB storage and DVD compatibility. Addressing concerns about the lame duck console it's working with, the group said in an update that it should be able to adapt the Xbox One's motherboard as well, though it's obviously never laid a hand on it yet. Any future-proofing concerns didn't dismay those who saw the device at Maker Faire, however, as most seemed enthusiastic about the project, including Ben Heck, who's been known to mod a device or two 75. You can pledge $499 for a full DIY kit (without the required Xbox 360 Slim 4GB), while a fully assembled and tested Darkmatter Xbox Laptop will run $999. Check the video after the jump or hit the Kickstarter page at the source link to ante up.
Ben Heck combines PS3, Xbox 360 and Wii U into one console to rule them all (video)
Most TV stands don't have the space for the litany of home entertainment equipment we have these days, much less three different gaming consoles. Well, Ben Heck has decided to do something about it in a special three-part series: by cobbling together a PlayStation 3, an Xbox 360 and a Wii U and housing them in an all-in-one custom enclosure that would set any gamer's heart aflutter. The first step to this "Ultimate Combo Gaming System" is to tear everything apart, which is what Heck does in part one of the series, available to view downstairs. Let's just hope he'll repeat the process once he finally gets his hands on that mythical PS4...
Modding guru Ben Heck hacks his way through the Engadget Questionnaire
Every week, a new and interesting human being tackles our decidedly geeky take on the Proustian Q&A. This is the Engadget Questionnaire. In this edition of our weekly question and answer session, Ben Heck -- the master of mods and host of The Ben Heck Show -- discusses the paradigm shift of personal assistants and how E.T. was saved by a Speak & Spell. Head on past the break for the full lot of responses.
Ben Heck mods midi controller into guitar enclosure, scores pinball soundtrack in return
Love pinball? So does professional modder Ben Heck -- he's building a ghost hunt-themed pinball machine, and needs it to sound just right. Luckily, a local musician is happy to help, provided Heck can rejigger his midi controller into a guitar. Challenge accepted. With the help of his musician friend, Heck spends the first episode of a two-part Ben Heck Show disassembling the instrument, desoldering its components and reassembling them in the desired pattern -- stitching together a few undersized circuit boards along the way. Ben lays out the key pattern too, which will dictate how large the axe's case will need to be. It's classic hardware modding, and a darn fine break to the deluge of CES news. Check out the first episode in the series after the break.
Ben Heck's Naughty or Nice Meter knows if you've been bad or good
Sometimes even Santa Claus needs help. Thankfully, the jolly fat guy's got one of our favorite modders on his side. We visited Ben Heck's Madison, Wisconsin workshop a few weeks ago for an Engadget Show segment and got to watch as the master put together a special holiday-themed project, the Naughty or Nice Meter, a big candy cane-accented box that'll help tired parents "keep the kids in line" this holiday season. The box itself is actually a mostly hollow shell, with an Arduino, TI LaunchPad and a few other select components in the rear that communicate with a specialized app, letting the parent in question adjust the needle based on their kids' behavior. Nothing like a little manipulative fun in the spirit of the holidays! Check out our segment on Mr. Heckendorn just after the jump and click on through the source link to find out how to make a Naughty or Nice meter or your very own.%Gallery-173971%
The Engadget Show 39: Holiday Spectacular with Jonathan Coulton, John Roderick and Ben Heck
It's the most wonderful time of year. There's stockings hung above the fireplace, overflowing hot cocoa on the table, a MakerBot Replicator 2 printing ornaments beneath the tree and a sampling of the year's most exciting gadgets strewn about. Yes, friends, it's time for the Engadget Holiday Spectacular! We're kicking off this very special holiday episode with a visit to Ben Heck's private workshop in Madison, Wisconsin to watch the construction of his holiday creation, the Naughty or Nice Meter. Also on the docket is a trip to NORAD's headquarters on a base in Colorado Springs, to find out how the military will be hard at work tracking Santa Claus later this month. Of course, not even Saint Nick can deliver all of the presents this year, so we've paid a visit to UPS's massive 5.2 million square foot Worldport shipping facility in Louisville, Kentucky to get a behind the scenes look at its late night operations. Speaking of gifts, we've got two huge presents in the form of songsters Jonathan Coulton and John Roderick, who will be playing a trio of brand new holiday classics off their new record, One Christmas at a Time. We've also got a visit from Engadget founder Peter Rojas, who will be helping us make a twice-checked list of some of the year's top gadgets. And as if that weren't enough, we've got an appearance by a very familiar looking Santa Claus and a special holiday animation. So light a fire, get cozy and prepare for a very special -- and very spectacular -- episode of The Engadget Show.
Visualized: a tour of Ben Heck's lab (video)
We've been following Ben Heck since the days of the Atari 800 laptop, so we jumped at the chance to take a look at the modder extraordinaire's shop in Madison, WI. As expected, the place is jam-packed with industrial tools, 3D printers and half-finished pinball machines. Check out where the magic happens below -- and as a bonus, Heck takes us on a tour of his work-in-progress Ghost Squad pinball machine.
