Seismic2D

Been off my programming game for some time now - decided to get back into things by reviving this old project http://code.google.com/p/seismic2d/ . I've uploaded a good bit of source code already, though there's nothing useful going on in the demo, yet.

As the google page says - the projects main goal is to wrap 2d rendering and input in a portable container with the goal of becoming multi-platform. A generic side-scroller game will be developed along-side.

DOSBox for Android

While it's still in early stages, the project does show promise. http://androiddosbox.appspot.com/

Seems this project went inactive a while ago :(.

New Year

Howdy all. Been a while between posts but that's how it goes. Been playing lots of Forza 3 and toying around with my new phone.

I'm working on a calculator which should be useful in Forza and other racing simulators. The main feature I'm proud of is a gear ratio calculator for fine tuning transmissions. You supply some bits of info about the car; tire dimensions, drive type, rpm power range and redline - and the program will calculate gear ratios tuned for optimal power. Project is temporarily on hold due to a dead laptop, should get a chance to recover my files soon.

The new phone is a Samsung Captivate(AT&T) running a custom ROM - Phoenix Reloaded 1.5(http://www.phoenix-hq.com/). NunHugger over on the xda-developers forum made a great custom boot animation. I mixed up the colors for a different look - check out my blue and green versions here. Check out the wallpapers below. Thanks to Drakonite for additional help.

Xbox 360 Extra Fans

I wanted to cool my Xbox 360, but went the DIY route instead of wasting some $20 on fans and plastic, especially since I already had everything I needed. Pretty basic, hooked some fans up to a switch and a 12v wall power supply.

I made some small hooks from pipe cleaners after burning the cotton from them.

Xbox 360 Controller hack details

You'll need a voltmeter, soldering iron, and a wire stripping tool

1. USB Cord - I salvaged mine from an old web cam
2. 3.0V - 3.3V Voltage Regulator - I'm told the controller may accept 5v+, but I'm unable to confirm.
   
3. Thin wire - I used 28 AWG
4. Heat shrink tubing of various sizes
   
5. Electrical tape
6. 2 dead AA batteries - the inspiration for this hack

The negative(black*) and positive(red*) are soldered to the corresponding leads on the regulator, a ground wire for the controller, and the voltage output. Test the cable and make sure you are getting a good voltage. Cover everything up with heat shrink tubing and leave a few inches of wire for the negative and positive connections.

*Could be different, test with voltmeter.





Trim the end of your wires and wrap a bit into the battery springs. Positive is on the left and negative on the right.



Next, take your AA's. Using a sparing amount of electrical tape, cover the negative side of one battery, and positive on the other. Insert the batteries in the pack so that the taped ends are showing. Insert the battery pack and make sure the wires stay on the terminals. A small piece of tape on the back of the pack will help keep the wires out of the way.



http://www.flickr.com/photos/11709980@N05/sets/72157623931619963/

http://skitchin.blogspot.com/2010/05/xbox-360-controller-hack-cont.html
http://skitchin.blogspot.com/2010/05/xbox-360-controller-hack.html

Xbox 360 Controller hack cont.

Full details here: http://skitchin.blogspot.com/2010/05/xbox-360-controller-hack-details.html
Original Post: http://skitchin.blogspot.com/2010/05/xbox-360-controller-hack.html

The mess of tape was a bit of an eye sore so I went ahead and cleaned things up. To start, I got rid of some excess wire and covered the regulator and splices up with white heat-shrink tubing to make it look nice. I decided to use the original back, so I made dummy batteries by putting tape over 2 AA's, which hold the - and + leads in place. A single piece of tape on the back keeps the wires out of the way. New setup should be much more durable.

I should point out that I am using a voltage regulator that is three-tenths of a volt over what two AA cells produce, which seems to be within the threshold of the controller's components. Also know that the controller is still communicating wirelessly, it is simply using USB as a power supply.

XBOX 360 Controller hack

Update: http://skitchin.blogspot.com/2010/05/xbox-360-controller-hack-cont.html

I've been burning through AA batteries playing Forza 3 so I used what I had and threw together this controller hack.

I haven't prettied it up yet but it works great. Circuitry is overly simple. A 3.3V voltage regulator is connected to a USB cable's 5v supply and ground, VOut and GND are wrapped around the battery coils. Everything is then secured with heat shrinking and electrical tape.

Photos