PORTABLE COMPUTER

PORTABLE COMPUTER

PORTABLE COMPUTER

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This is the BT mini boombox (or ghetto blaster if you prefer). It uses a motorola DC800 for the bluetooth to stereo connection, a homemade 5v regulator, an old mini boombox, a custom push button switch used with the original tape deck,  and some hackery.  I left a few things out but you can see those things in the pictures.

The DC800 was disassembled and modified to fit into the boombox.  The RCA connectors were removed and simply replaced with shielded audio cable, soldered into the output contact points.   Since the DC 800 uses a 5v power supply, I figured it might be easy to tap that from the boom box circuit board, but strangely, I didn’t find any.  There might be one SOMEWHERE, but I didnt feel like digging , so I whipped up a simple 5v power supply that attaches to the tape deck motor leads (which gave me 12v, plenty of juice for the LM7805CV I had laying around).

To make sure the tape deck motor power (now connected to my 5v regulator) stays on you have to connect the wires hooked up to the play button switch which will vary from deck to deck.  Basically, this just tells the motor to turn on or off while playing a tape.  In our case we want to  keep the connection closed so the DC800 stays on…

Now i needed room for the DC800 board so I removed the tape deck and started hacking away, removing the “taller” parts and motor.   I ended up with the minimal tape switching assembly you see below.   I wanted to keep the original buttons intact so I modified the mechanical pause button to push down a tactile switch connected to the DC800’s pairing button contacts.

I love it when stuff just fits as well as that tactile button switch did.  MMMmm :)   The plastic spacer you see was filled with epoxy (it was hollow) then held in place with a self tapping screw

I wanted it to stay in place even more firmly so i added a little hot glue.

while i was building this, the front cassette plastic piece fell off which was actually a good thing since i wanted to spray the clear part with frosted glass spray.

Finally, I took a superbrite LED I had laying around and connected it to the DC800’s SMD LED points.  It was white so i colored it with a blue sharpie shhh! don’t tell anyone!  PRETTY BLUE, BRIGHT BLUE!  I put some reflective material in the cassette bay and placed the LED in the cassette deck with some hot glue.    I’m not usually this into hot glue but for small components, it can work well.

As you can see from the videos, it works pretty well with my android G1 (atnt).  This was a fun little project and didn’t take too long.  I’ll be more likely to listen to music while i work since the G1 is capable of streaming internet radio.  Pairing the two takes only a few seconds.  Audio quality is obviously not great, but i can’t complain.  Aesthetically, I couldnt be more happy, this thing is flawless and looks 10000x cooler than the  $$$ modern alternatives geared towards ipod users.  OH! Forgot to mention that it still works with the original batteries so i can walk with it in my hood.

Pictures:

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Action Video:

Mini Bluetooth BoomBox (homemade) from ntrre on Vimeo.

UPDATE: Forgot to mention that there was no stock audio input on the boombox, the bluetooth receiver’s output was wired into the inputs for the tape deck’s magnetic (play) head.

UPDATE #2: I got a little excited the play-head input was working and stopped there, (disregarding the fact that it was distorted at high volumes, and there was a bit of hum). I wasn’t satisfied so I decided to look at the data sheet for the tape deck pre-amp (http://www.datasheetcatalog.org/datasheet/unisonic/TA7668BP.pdf ) and the primary amp (http://www.datasheetcatalog.org/datasheets/480/275604_DS.pdf ). Preamp output pins 5 and 12 (L&R) on the preamp were cut and the DC800 was re-wired into the primary amp (through the main volume pot). Also, an rf shield around the DC800 was grounded to the boom box circuitry.
Both of these additional modifications have helped the sound quality tremendously. (thanks ivan and concino for pointing that out)
Check out the updated pics for the details

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Thought i’d post it before it gets it’s guts re-used

My Son,  kitty,  and best friend,  Sputnik has a poop-n-pee problem, he likes to go all over the house.  To remedy this I created a kitty treat dispenser that sits atop his litter box.  When he goes into the box, the PIR sensor detects this and waits 25 seconds or so then dispenses a treat onto the floor.

I modified this: http://www.arduino.cc/playground/Code/PIRsense sketch

to do a few things like setting a delay so the dispenser activates only after 25 seconds then turns the solenoid on for 150ms and waits before sensing again.

Here is the new sketch:  http://www.cosmicblooper.com/miscc/Sputnik/PIRSPUTNIK2.pde

The dispenser and arduino will be mounted above his litterbox and the PIR sensor will be inside his litterbox to sense his presence.

just about everything except for the arduino were scraps i had laying around my little shop… The PIR sensor is from this:  http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3868524&tab=custRatings which i found at my local radio shack for 97 cents.  The sensor is almost identical to the standalone product they sell for $9.99: http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2906724

The AC solenoid came from one of those golf ball return putter things (i found at a thrift store).   The relay is 5v DC to 120v AC.   The movable stand is a car phone stand i found while dumpster diving a while back.  The plexi was scrap i cut with my cnc mill then “welded” together (for strength) underneath the electrical tape.

PICS:

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Video:

Untitled from ntrre on Vimeo.

Sorry, no inside pictures.

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This is a custom keytar/entrancer I built for Marty ( tv death squad ) He drew up how he wanted it to look (on paper) and I did the rest (slightly redesigned picture above.)  I custom cut some parts with my homemade CNC mill and rewired everything to work with a db-25 cable and a breakout box. Everything is held together by 2 pieces of steel (with sliding inserts)  on the back and tapped heavy duty plexi. The keyboard is a Microkorg XL and the kaoss pad is an entrancer. I had a deadline with this project so the pictures are few. It got done and was shipped overnight the next day.

If you’re interested in owning a custom instrument or electronic project, contact me on the contact page and tell me what you want.

I’ll email you my questions and we’ll come up with something.

This service includes any kind of aesthetic or electronic project you can think of given your budget is big enough.

I wont charge an arm and a leg for smaller projects, so don’t hesitate to ask.

Midi projects welcomed.

Modems have always given me such an audible pleasure. Being able to hear myself connect to the innernut at an early age was such a thrill. This last version really puts icing on these bent-modem cakes ive been baking.

The keyboard function is the primary addition to these IBM modems. Four individual keys (abcd) are able to produce four frequency selectable sounds via potentiometers to allow a quick n EZ way of playing the modem.

The panel design just stems from some of the sounds it makes….kind of jet engine-y, turbo powered.

I usually take the time to use ghettofied studio lighting and i end up spending a while editing them together, but i got lazy this time and just made a couple of unedited quickie vids to give you an idea.

I put it on ebay

but if you want to buy it and save me from having to pay ebay final value fees, you can buy it from me directly: CONTACT and i might throw in a few extra goodies for helping me avoid ebay’s BS.

If you wanna know more you can contact me via “contact”. Feedback is always appreciated.

w/ love,

CornBrown