electronics
GPS Hacking – Magellan 1424
Modern day GPS devices are essentially miniature computers. Many have a compact version of Windows, called Windows CE, installed, and the GPS software runs over top of it. However, GPS manufacturers often lock out this extra functionality. There are different packages and ways to unlock your GPS, however because there are so many different brands, it isn’t always one-size-fits-all.
I Googled for information on unlocking the Magellan RoadMate 1424 (the GPS I have) but the only information I found was a couple of people who couldn’t do it. Not deterred, I set off and entered the unknown. Read on for my story (spoiler: it ends in success).
Video blog – Cana-Kit VU Meter
Just got a new HD camcorder (JVC Everio GZ-HM300), and decided to make use of the timelapse feature and play around with some 1080 video (check the video below in HD!)
The kit in the video below is the second of two kits I got for Christmas (see bottom).
Gorgar: We Finally Fixed Him!
If you remember, some of my earliest posts are about Gorgar. My dad picked up this pinball machine for next to nothing, rescuing it from the scrap yard. During this winter break, we moved the machine over to my dad’s house, in order to have more room to work on it. Today, we made a breakthrough: we fixed the biggest issue, and now it is 99% functional (all we need is a solenoid coil to fix the center drop targets.)
Read on for a timeline detailing the work done on this machine since we received it.
Video blog – Cana-kit Clapper
Last night, I built one of the two kits I received for Christmas!
Christmas – New Tools!
I hope everyone reading this enjoyed their Christmas events, time off, and the company of friends and family.
This year, I actually made a list, much to the delight of my parents, so that they didn’t need to scramble and search for something they think I’d like (despite my assertions that gifts were not necessary.) In the end, my list was entirely composed of tools for electronics, and how happy was I to find on Christmas morning a plethora of utilitarian gifts!
Video Arcade: Build Log
The video arcade is complete! To be fair, it was complete when I posted the introduction article on the 28th… Anyway.
There it stands, in all its glory.
Read on for the whole build story.
Ooh… that was clever.
Video Arcade: Intro
The youth entertainment business has always been a matter of evolution. They get bored easily, and what was fun last week is obsolete the next. But what about for the older crowd? Their attention spans are higher, and some of these obsolete, youth-targetted trends become timeless classics and passtimes; hobbies and business.
You’ve seen me post before about pinball machines, the collection, the reparation, of these machines that long ago lived in arcades, abused and unmaintained. When technology began to evolve, and interest declined, there was a successor that pushed the bounds of existing entertainment, that captivated the youth, helped children reach bankruptcy hundreds of times before the age of 16. This phenomenon, ladies and gentlemen, was the video arcade.
LCD Monitors
Recently, my “biggest” home project has been acquiring and repairing broken LCD monitors. Most of the time, LCD monitors stop working simply due to some blown capacitors inside, and for me, this is very easy to fix. Because this is a common problem, it has been easy for me to acquire screens like this. In fact, I now have a total of 3 monitors I’ve repaired myself, along with another display that the panel was physically damaged on the top, and another monitor I couldn’t locate the capacitor causing the problem, but that I plan to convert to LED.
The display on the left is a Norcent that was destined for the trash,
the right is a Philips with a band of damage along the top.
Electric Vehicles, Blog
Note: I’ll say this before I dig too deep into the content of the blog. This morning I logged in to find that my WordPress password had been changed (MD5 decryptor couldn’t decrypt it unfortunately), and once I manually reset my password in the database, different parts of the dashboard were broken. I doubt the blog broke itself. So, to whatever bot or being did this:
Every step you take, I’ll be watching you.
Every single day.
Every hack you make.
Every script you change,
Every code you break, I’ll be watching you.
Oops, got carried away.
During the last week or so I’ve been excessively interested in portable and quick “personal electric transportation”. Oh dear, I’ve gone an made an acronym in my first sentence… The idea is to use these small vehicles in areas with high pedestrian traffic, on trips where walking would take too long, and have a range that allowed for multiple such trips on a single charge. The most ideal form for such a vehicle that comes to mind is the scooter.
What have I been doing?
Well, last week I began my new summer job at the school I attend, Heritage College. I am an Electronics Technician, in a manner, in charge of preparing the electronics labs for next semesters students. I am setting up a computer systems class’ components, as well as a networking lab, and various other organization and preparation tasks. Cool!
It also means I have less time to work on certain projects and music, but it also means that my off-time will be better spent doing these things I enjoy. Today I went to Allan’s house, a former band mate, and we jammed all day, and his father, someone I would consider a seasoned musician, gave me motivation to get much more involved in my music again. As a result, I’ve got several new song ideas and projects I’m excited to work on. Expect new posts on that soon!
I also ordered and received a battery desulfator, which is designed to revive batteries that no longer hold a charge as a result of sulfation on the plates. I have many batteries I suspect of having this problem, and tonight I have just begun revival attempts. From what I understand, it can take several weeks to fully revive a battery, so I won’t know if it worked for another while, but naturally updates will follow!