thebenheckshow
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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.
Ben Heck builds Arduino-based automatic sunglasses, beats David Caruso to the punch (video)
CSI: Miami might be out of production, but that doesn't mean we'll be deprived of casual eyewear flipping. Not if Ben Heck has a say in the matter, at least. His latest DIY project automatically swings a pair of clip-on sunglasses into view whenever it's too sunny outside: a photocell attached to an AT Tiny microcontroller checks the light levels and, through an Arduino-based AVR MKII language, tells a rotor to spin the glasses into place. No one will be labeled a fashionista with the requisite battery pack strapped to their heads, but the construction doesn't require CNC milling and won't destroy a favorite frame. We're only disappointed that the sunglasses won't play The Who on command... yet.
Ben Heck gives dads the light-up toilet they deserve
Happy belated Father's Day, internet -- now please enjoy some video of Ben Heck modding a toilet. The tinkerer-turned-host offered up one of his more unsanitary projects over the weekend, involving a bathmat, a Glade Plug-in, a porcelain throne and a Tron-esque lighting scheme. Step on the weight-sensing mat and the conductive ink will go to work, lighting up side illuminating fiber optics on the toilet, should the photocell determine it dark enough. All of this means not having to turn on the bathroom lights once that nightcap is ready to make the next step in its magical journey. And best of all, the lighting scheme is visible underneath the lid, so you can put the seat down, like the civilized individual you are. Video after the break.
Ben Heck makes Super Glove mod for Kinect, takes strain out of gestures (video)
Sick of trying to control your 360 using Kinect, semaphore and advanced flailing? Modgod Ben Heck, deciding he wanted to be more Minority Report and less lunatic, has been working on Power Glove 2.0 to improve the console's navigation experience. The prototype glove is tricked out with Arduino, an accelerometer, a gyroscope and some fingertip buttons. With the addition of IR and a little coding magic, the 360's interface can be controlled via subtle gestures, with increased functionality / style points also apparent. Check out the latest episode of The Ben Heck Show after the break for a detailed walkthrough of the project and a demo of the glove in action.
Ben Heck's wireless luggage will draw R2-D2 comparisons, stares from the TSA
Rolling your luggage through the airport with your arms? There's got to be a better way! If you're a lucky fan of everyone's favorite console modder Ben Heck, you could win the freshly-built hands-free robotic luggage lovingly nicknamed "Doug." Or you can just catch the latest episode of Heck's show to figure out how to build an obedient wheeled suitcase of your very own -- and wink at all of the requisite R2-D2 references. Old Doug here will follow its master (whoever happens to be holding its transmitter) up to 20 feet away, speeding up when he or she is further away and stopping when within a foot. The 'bot's desire to follow is fully disabled when you pick it up off the ground. Click the source link, if this happens to be the luggage you're looking for.
Ben Heck delivers holiday cheer to gamer with modded macro controller
Benjamin J. Heckendorn is no stranger to game pads designed for people with disabilities, but the macro controller he just whipped up for Patrick Crowley (pictured above) might be his most impressive accessibility hack yet. On the latest episode of his show the modding extraordinaire crafts a breakout box that allows a complex set of commands to be triggered with just the touch of a button or foot switch. The box at the heart of the project is powered by a PIC microcontroller that takes inputs from a series of modular switches (up to eight) and turns them into virtual button presses that are fed to an Xbox 360 through a standard controller. In addition to being able to swap in eight different inputs, each one can be programmed to perform a different macro. We won't ruin all of the fun -- check out the PR and full episode in the source link to watch everything from Ben Heck's holiday epiphany through the final testing.
Anything your regular alarm clock can do, Ben Heck's can do better
If it's a fight between any gadget, console or mode of transportation and Mr. Benjamin Heckendorn, your money should be on the latter every single time. To kick-start the second season of his eponymous show, the man they call Heck takes on difficult to program alarm clocks with their non-standard arrays of tiny buttons and annoying flashes. His solution? Build a universal model with a single rotary wheel control that's so easy to use a pensioner wearing oven mitts could do it. You can check out the episode in its full visual glory after the break.
Ben Heck splits and condenses a pair of Xbox 360 controllers for the disabled
That crafty Ben Heck is always up to something, like whipping up an Xbox 360 disk changer for the laziest of gamers. But, on the latest episode of his hacking and modding show, Mr. Heck is back to helping those in need and crafting accessible controllers for the disabled. During the 15-minute hackathon, the modder extraordinaire creates two different Xbox 360 remotes -- a split model for those with limited arm motion, and a one-handed version for people with use of only one set of digits. If you've got a smidgen of soldering experience (and ideally access to a CNC) these projects are probably even simple enough to tackle yourself. Check out the entire episode and full PR after the break.
Ben Heck's Xbox 360 automatic disc changer mod targets lazy gamers (video)
The latest creation from modder extraordinaire Benjamin J. Heckendorn? This mashup of an Xbox 360, Maker Faire-provided Arduino board and a Sony CD changer lets gamers play their entire collection without ever needing to leave the couch again. The latest episode of The Ben Heck Show takes viewers through the build process in a bit under 19 minutes, but leaves the device still needing a bit of polish in the end. Sponsor element14 is offering motivated viewers a chance to with this and finish it off properly as they see fit, removing the hassle of L.A. Noire disc swaps once and for all without buying a PS3. The video, and press release with details on how to win the as-yet unfinished project for yourself, can be found after the break.
Latest Ben Heck Show helps you build your very own Portal Shirt
Considering that you're an avid viewer of The Ben Heck Show, we're assuming this is old news to you and yours. On the off-chance that you missed the last episode, we're here to rope you back into reality. Embedded past the break is a video filled with love, laughter and legitimate instructions on building your very own Portal t-shirt. According to Benjamin, the system consists of a front-mounted LCD, pocket-mounted battery pack and rear-mounted camera, and naturally, it's being released just prior to Halloween. You now know exactly what you have to do.