Applefritter - Apple, Other

SportPod

Fri, 16 Dec 2005 18:46:08 -0800

I recently found a need for a sturdy iPod case -- one that would hold the iPod safely and provide substantial protection, preferably from the elements. This need arose when my fiancée got a new job and, having neither a driver's license nor a car, she needed to start taking the bus to work. It's a long commute, and not the safest one either. She likes to listen to her iPod, but of course was afraid of being mugged if she had it out in the open. She'd been making do by leaving her iPod in her purse, but that became a hassle with the headphone cord becoming tangled, and also having to dig through her purse to find the iPod when she wanted to change the volume or track. (Naturally, she doesn't use the Apple headphones -- she'd be asking to get mugged if she wore those.) I was surfing at work one day and came across an article on [url=http://www.engadget.com]Engadget[/url] about the [url=http://www.retropod.com]RetroPod[/url], an iPod case made out of an old Sony Sports Walkman. This struck my interest as this seemed to be the perfect solution to my fiancée's problem. It would allow her to keep the iPod out in the open, but disguised -- any casual observer would think she was simply listening to the radio or a tape. Unfortunately, the RetroPod was expensive, and eventually sales got shut down by Sony because Sony felt that it would make people mistakenly think they made iPods (whatever). But the design made me remember that I had an old sports radio laying around, so I decided to make my own RetroPod. I call mine the SportPod. The sports radio isn't Sony. In fact, it's a piece of junk made by Wilson (yeah, the same people who make basketballs). It had an analog tuner and cassette player, and the audio quality wasn't particularly good. [i]The donor sports radio for the SportPod project.[/i] Unfortunately, I didn't take many photos of the construction process, but that's OK in the end because the specific steps taken will vary greatly with the donor radio. What's nice about this one is that there's a decent amount of weatherproofing to it, so hopefully the iPod will stay nice and dry. I don't expect it to be submersible or anything, but it should be able to withstand a bit of rain easily. With this radio, all I really needed to do to gut it was to remove several screws from the inside and the cassette mechanism and circuit boards came out in one piece. I then shaved down the internal plastic standoffs and some other structures for the battery compartment, and was left with a completely empty shell. Thankfully, the rubber cassette transport buttons are attached to the case itself, not the innards, so I didn't need to do anything special to keep them in place. The headphone jack was soldered to the circuit board, so I needed to find a replacement. Luckily, a spare panel-mount 3.5mm stereo jack I had fit perfectly. [url=http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2103452&cp=&pg=1&kw=panel-mount&parentPage=search]This one[/url] is the one I used. With the securing nut in place, it fit perfectly in the headphone jack cutout on the case, and all I needed to do was superglue it in place. I didn't want to just provide a passthrough audio connection, because it would mean having to open the case in order to change the volume. I had originally toyed with the idea of somehow creating a passthrough connection so the iPod's corded remote control could be used, but that would involve two things: First, I'd have to source the female jack, which would likely involve finding a dead iPod to scavenge it from (which would be relatively costly, as even broken iPods can fetch a decent amount on eBay). Second, it would mean I'd have to find a male jack, which would mean I'd have to cannibalize a remote control. When the cost of the broken iPod and remote control were totaled, it would have cost me way too much to be worth the effort. I decided instead to at least provide an external volume control for the headphone jack. The volume and tuning knobs were secured to the sports radio by a bolt that threaded right into the potentiometer on the circuit board. That board being gone, I had to come up with another way to interface the external volume knob with a potentiometer. While digging through my parts bin, I found one of [url=http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2102975&cp=2032057.2032187&cp=2032057&f=Taxonomy%2FRSK%2F2032187&categoryId=2032187&kwCatId=2032057&kw=volume&parentPage=search]these[/url]. It's an inline volume control, with a right-angle miniplug on one end and a potentiometer in the middle. With some careful cutting and soldering, I got it wired up to the minijack mounted in the casing and, with the help of some superglue, got it mounted in the case. I had cut off one side of the potentiometer casing, so the entire surface of the dial was visible. I glued it to the casing so the dial faced the hole the volume control sat in. All I needed to do was superglue the volume control to the dial. The tuning knob was just superglued in place; it's just a dummy now (along with the rest of the switches, which are also glued in place). [i]Only the volume knob and headphone jack are functional on the SportPod. The rest are superglued in place.[/i] The rest of the hack was pretty easy. I found some dense open-cell foam and carefully cut it into three pieces. The first was the liner for the lid, which I made a little notch in so it wouldn't get hung up when the case was closed. The second was a 1/4" sheet that lined the bottom. The third was the sides that held the iPod in place and provided cushioning agaist side impacts. All the pieces were held in place with hot glue. All I had to do was drop in the iPod, plug in the headphone cable, close the case and I was set. [i]The final product. Note the cutout in the foam on the lid to allow the case to close properly.[/i] [i]The SportPod sans iPod. The iPod is protected on all sides by foam padding.[/i] [i]Closeup of the internal headphone jack. The black piece between the foam and the side of the case is the volume control. The external headphone jack is to the right of the volume control and hidden under the foam. To prevent the possibility of a short, the solder joints on the external headphone jack were coated with hot glue.[/i] I paid a total of $8 for this hack, and that was just for a new tip for my Weller WLC-100 soldering iron. If you had none of the parts, I'd estimate the total cost at about $30 (assuming you found a cheap sports radio on eBay or something). This hack required a lot of attention to detail, but I say that only because I wanted it to look good.

Clear AirPort Base Station

Sun, 17 Jul 2005 14:59:31 -0700

Like the first Dual-USB iBooks, the snow AirPort base station has its casing made of clear plasic painted white on the inside. And like many have done with iBooks, with a little work you can also make an APBS clear (or any color you want, if you repaint it). Here's how you go about making your own ClearPort. Tools: 1. Torx T8 screwdriver 2. 16 ounces of the strongest isopropyl alcohol you can find 3. Electrical tape 4. Scissors 5. Watertight plastic container, large enough to hold the APBS Here are the steps: 1. Open up the base station by removing the three screws from the bottom. Lift the top off, remove the port cover on the back, and lift out the metal electronics pack. Set the pack aside; you won't need to touch it until it's time to reassemble the APBS. 2. The only two pieces we'll be working on is the top and bottom casing. The rear port cover is solid white plastic. 3. Find an out-of-the-way, well-ventilated place in which to work. Set the top cover of the APBS upside down inside your plastic container -- you will, simply enough, be filling it with isopropyl alcohol as you would a bowl. The plastic container is used to help hold the piece upright (if you get the right size container, the top should fit snugly between the sides) and contain spills. 4. Exactly 16 ounces of isopropyl will fill the top casing to its brim. If you're doing this hack on a graphite base station, you'll want to use electrical tape to seal off the port access hole (you'll want electrical tape because it's waterproof). Fill the top casing and let it sit for at least 4 hours, so the alcohol will have sufficient time to break down the paint. 5. While the top casing is soaking, mask off the bottom casing. Use electrical tape to cover over the two screw holes and also seal off the port access hole (without the screw and port access holes sealed, the isopropyl will leak out of the bottom casing during soaking). If you care about such things, mask off the sticker on the bottom of the casing, otherwise just write down the MAC addresses listed there in case you need them in the future. I recommend just making off the sticker. 6. After at least four hours have passed, dump out the isopropyl from the top casing into the plastic container. Don't get rid of the isopropyl, as we'll reuse it for soaking the bottom casing. 7. Get a soft kitchen sponge and, under running water, rub off the paint from the inside of the top cover. If the paint is hard to remove, soak the cover in alcohol longer. DO NOT use an abrasive pad, as this will leave visible scratches in the plastic (trust me on this one). A soft kitchen sponge should be all the more you need. 8. Once all the paint has been removed from the top cover, set it aside to dry. You may also want to wash your hands at this point and/or apply some lotion, as isopropyl has a nasty haabit of drying out your skin quickly. 9. Soak the bottom cover using the isopropyl you soaked the top cover with. Even though it may appear to be thick with paint, the isopropyl is still strong enough to remove paint. 10. Rub off the paint from the bottom case, as you did with the top. 11. After thoroughly drying the two pieces, simply reassemble the AirPort. If you got scratches in the plastic while removing the paint, try using a polishing agent such as Brasso. While it may not remove deep scratches (like the kind I ended up with after mistakenly using a scouring pad to help remove the paint), it will, with patience, remove light scratches. And here's the finished product: [img]http://www.applefritter.com/images/clearport-8396_640x480.jpg[/img]

The Eve iBook Mod

Sun, 27 Jun 2004 19:34:35 -0700

[center][image:3444][/center] This is my Eve iBook mod. Awhile ago I wanted to do something different with my iBook, having grown bored with the plain snow-white surface. Now that it's way past its warranty, I figured this would be the perfect time. After checking out Applefritter, I was inspired by some rather creative mods that mostly involved removing the white inner paint and replacing it with an image. I came up with the idea for Eve because I wanted to create a mod that acknowledged the Apple logo, rather than just ignoring it. I also wanted something more feminine. Rather than experimenting with my own case, I bought a used one on eBay. It was unfortunately pretty scratched up, but fine for a first attempt. [center][image:3477] [image:3478][/center] The first step was to remove the inner plastic elements and padding. You can see them somewhat in these images. On the top shell, there is a piece glued to the plastic on the inside that lets the shell snap to the frame. Removing this was fairly easy. The foam padding in the edges of the bottom part was a pain though, I suggest tackling it only if you have a good solvent and long finger nails. The second step was to strip off the paint. It's only a thin layer, but tough to remove. I found that 91% rubbing alcohol works quite well by pouring some, letting it sit, wiping away, and then repeating. An old toothbrush also works for the tough spots (of which there are quite a few). [center][image:3479][/center] The top shell was relatively easy, but the bottom is a pain with all of the nooks and crannies. The battery lock took a lot of prying, but once it came up it was easy to separate the two pieces, then just snap them back together after repainting. The Apple logo also came up with some prying. It's just a solid piece of frosted plastic that makes up both the apple and the leaf. [center][image:3480][/center] Once the case was clear, It was time to place my image. The image of Eve and the snake I drew in Illustrator and painted in Photoshop, then printed on Canon Photo Paper Plus Glossy. I cut it out with an exacto knife, and to make sure that the edges wouldn't show the white of the paper, I carefully darkened them with a permanent marker (I had to be careful though, because permanent ink will bleed through and cause dark spots in the image). Next was the toughest part, by far. I had to figure out how to attach my image to the case so that it was facing out from inside, and adhere it well enough so that paint would not sneak under any gaps. I also couldn't tape it down, because the paint had to reach to the exact edge of the image. I thought about using a clear spray glue, but I didn't try it for fear that it wouldn't be clear enough, or would foul up my image, or that it would erode the photo paper. The next time I do this though, I think it's worth experimenting with. The first thing I tried was a glue stick, just barely along the edges of the graphic. This worked for awhile, but as soon as it fully dried the image just flaked off. Since I wasn't able to paint it right away, this didn't help much. I had to touch it up with clear Elmer's glue just before I was ready to paint. The glue stick also left a white residue on the black edges (barely noticeable, but still there). If you use this technique, I suggest waiting until the glue is dry, and then painting immediately before the graphic has a chance to peel off. You should also do it keeping in mind you might end up with a white residue. As my image extended all the way to the bottom edge of the case, it also had to curl in a sharp curve, one that the glue was definitely not strong enough to hold down. Paint snuck in under this gap during the repainting, but later I was able to remove it with more alcohol and a cue tip. After the image was in place, I cut out the shape of the apple from the front, again with an exacto knife. This was fairly easy, but I had to be careful not to cut too much or there would be gaps for the light to shine through. I then made sure to tape the edges and front of the case with masking tape, in case any paint got around the sides. Then it was ready for painting. [center][image:3481][/center] As for the background, I wanted more than just a plain color or graphic, so I thought I'd look into color-changing paint like the kind they use on cars. At first airbrushing seemed like the obvious choice, but while there are plenty of color-changing airbrush colors, airbrushing itself is expensive if you're just starting. I then looked into using brush-on paint, in pearlescent and interference colors. Interference colors, if spread thinly, will cause an effect much like a color change when layered over another color. However, when I did some testing on the cover of an old battery, I found the streaking from the paintbrush much too obvious, and I wanted something very smooth. [center][image:3449][/center] The interference colors are to the right and left. The paint I ended up using is in the middle. Finally I found a 3-step spray paint by Dupli-Color called "Mirage" at Kmart. They have it in many colors, I chose purple/green. You're supposed to spray your surface with the matte opaque black first, to give the color change a good base. It apparently only works over black. Then you're supposed to put on 3-6 coats of the color-changing paint, and finish it with a clear top coat to enhance the effect. [center][image:3482][/center] Unfortunately, I was working from the inside-out so to speak, because I wanted the paint to be visible through the case from the inside. After some testing, I realized it was possible to use the clear top coat on the shell first, then the color-changing paint for the next coat, and finally the black last to act as the "base" for the color. Unfortunately when you do it this way, the 2nd step appears clear rather than color-changing, because it isn't sitting on a black background yet. I would suggest working on top of a dark surface so you can begin to tell how effective your color is, and how many more coats you may want to add. The directions say that the more coats you use of the color-changing paint, the more dramatic the color shift will be. They recommend 3-6, I must have put on 10 at least, and I'm pretty pleased with the end result. The only thing I noticed was that there was some cracking in the final coat of black opaque, which shows through slightly on the front. This may be because I put on too many coats, or didn't let it dry enough before recoating it, or it was too hot out and dried to quickly. However it happened, I learned that caution and patience are definitely necessary when working with this kind of material. [center][image:3483][/center] The finished painted case. After the painting step was finished, I used black electrical tape to hold down the edges of the graphic and against the sharp curve, which filled in any gaps and ended up being much more secure. However, if you ever do a mod anything like this, here's what I suggest you do and what I intend to do the next time: Print two copies of the graphic you intend to use, a rough one and a final one. Cut out the rough, creating the shape that you want to have "stenciled" within the spray paint. (Make sure that the final version has a thicker border than the rough, and will overlap the final paint job so that you don't have to align it exactly.) Adhere the rough version (temporarily) to the case, perhaps with a glue stick or with spray glue (I have a feeling rubber cement would work well, because it peels easily off plastic). Make sure your edges are clean of glue spots etc., and paint your case. When the paint is dry, carefully remove your rough graphic. Replace it with the final graphic, make sure it is aligned correctly, and then adhere it to the case. If you don't want to use something like glue, tape seems to work well. I was afraid that it might pull up the paint, but the Mirage actually seemed sturdy, perhaps because of all the layers. I was also afraid that the heat from the computer might make the paint or tape peel, but I've only noticed a large amount of heat emanating from the bottom of the chassis, none from the top. So I assume this is safe. One thing I noticed: scratches. On a white surface they're barely noticeable, but because the Mirage colors are so dark (especially indoors and away from any direct source of light, they appear almost black), the scratches appear much more noticeable. I'd like to have a brand new case to work with the next time I do this, I would suggest it for anyone else as well. After painting, I concentrated on changing the color of the Apple logo. I knew from the beginning that I wanted to change the color, but wasn't sure what to expect when I removed the top part of the case for the first time. I found that the only thing between the case and the light source is a thin piece of plastic-like paper. [center][image:3484][/center] I decided to just replace this paper with one of my own design. However when I tried regular printer paper, the pulp would show up as blemishes because the paper was not evenly translucent. I went to Kinko's, and found a paper that was as smooth as I could get. I think it was opaque white, or something to that effect. They sell it by the sheet, so I could get enough to experiment with without spending an arm and a leg. I was told that it wouldn't work on an ink jet printer, only on laser jets, but I found it worked fine on my photo printer. I decided on a psychedelic-looking graphic, again created in Photoshop, something that would look cool when lit up. Then it was just a matter of adhering it to the back of the Eve image, again with tape. [center][image:3451] [image:3450][/center] Here is a close up of the apple, and when lit. I put the case back on, and voila! One iBook mod. The color-change appears best in any direct light, especially sunlight. From straight on it appears a blue-ish green, from a slight angle a purple, and from an extreme angle anywhere from gold to blue. Here it is taken from different angles, so you can see the color change in action: [center][image:3445] [image:3446] [image:3447][/center]

PowerBook 3400 Pictureframe

Sat, 26 Mar 2005 13:50:37 -0800

[center][thumb:2359][/center] After seeing projects like the [url=http://www.applefritter.com/hacks/duodigitalframe/]Duo Digital Frame[/url] and others online, I thought I'd try my hand at it. Instead of hunting down a Duo or Powerbook 100 for a 4x6'' frame, I decided to go for an 8x10'' size (or 800x600 resolution) to display my travel photos. I have, or had, a PowerBook 3400c that had been surplussed from work due to a dead CD ROM drive, the replacement cost of which is about the same as buying another used 3400. The trackpad button also had some issues, but otherwise, the 3400 was in pretty good repair - no spots on the screen, for one thing. And so it began, as most of these project do, with disassembly. As with every Mac model, Apple provides assembly and repair instructions for the 3400 [url=ftp://ftp.info.apple.com/Apple_Support_Area/Misc/Service/servicemanuals/powerbook_3400c.g3.pdf]here[/url]. Don't lose that Torx #6. Once the 'book was apart - completely apart - I set aside all the parts I didn't need, everything but the motherboard, power supply, RAM, hard drive and LCD. If anybody needs a 3400 keyboard, trackpad, bezel, case, speakers... call me :) [center][thumb:2360][/center] [i]update: In a recent overhaul of the 3400 frame, I put the speakers back in, so I can now, potentially, have the tiny little speakers sound off alarms or something. I don't have any real use for putting them in, but I thought I'd find something eventually.[/i] With all that taken out, I needed to be sure the PowerBook still worked for what I wanted to do with it. So i hooked everything that was left back together (on the coffee table in my living room) and fired it up. With thoughts to making the frame wireless, I popped in a WaveLAN Silver PC card and configured it so I could control the 3400 from my iBook via AirPort with Timbuktu, load new photos onto it, etc. It's a lot easier this way than trying to hook up a keyboard and mouse to the ADB port which, at this point in the build, I couldn't be sure was going to be accessible. [i]update: if you look at the [url=http://www.applefritter.com/node/2356]detail[/url] you can see where the ADB port is, next to the AC power in the upper right. it's accessible when the lid is opened, and comes in handy for soft reboots and making occasional tweaks.[/i] [center][thumb:2357][/center] At this point, I also wrote an AppleScript to manage the tasks of 1) randomizing the photos to be displayed, 2) copying the photos to a RAM disk, as I could never get the contents of the RAM disk to be saved between boots, and 3) kicking off the slideshow. At first, I had intended to use JPEGView set to display the photos at random, fade between, etc. But I noticed one problem with JPEGView: the cursor! So I poked around amongst my old utilities and dug up KPT QuickShow, which does slideshows with configurable fades and delays, but doesn't do random, hence that step in the AppleScript. The JPEGs and slideshow software are on a RAM disk, so the hard drive can spin down and the frame can run almost silent. [center][thumb:2356][/center] [i]update: Instead of a RAM disk, I've updated the script to copy images to a 16 meg PCMCIA flash memory card that acts as a little hard drive, just big enough to hold about 25 photos. The advantage of this, in addition to being flash and thus maintaining its contents between reboots, and the continued silent operation of the pictureframe, is that the limited RAM of the powerbook can be used for the system and slideshow program. cutting into the RAM for the RAM disk posed too many problems (a memory leak somewhere, the setting reverting every time power was cut out). It also comes in handy to shuttle files to and from the machine, now that the waveLAN card is being put to use elsewhere, in one of my Newton MessagePad 2100s.[/i] [i]update again: I've posted my applescript in [url=http://www.applefritter.com/blog/3795]my blog[/url]. share and enjoy.[/i] Then came the woodwork. Quarter-inch poplar (probably my favorite material to work with) was cut, sanded, stained, burnished, and attached with hot glue and some scrap quarter-round for strructure. (Remember, measure twice; cut once.) I lay the screen into the frame and attached it with double-sided tape, then built the rest on top of that with a combination of double-sided tape and white masking tape. [center][thumb:2363][/center] I left the top panel of the frame free so the necessary ports on the motherboard could still be accessed. You can see the AC power plug, the ADB port, and PCMCIA slots. The wireless card is removed during normal operation so I can use it elsewhere, but its a simple matter to pop it in and update the scripts or upload photos. On the far right in this shot, you can see where the hard drive is mounted. [center][thumb:2361] [thumb:2362] [thumb:2358][/center] I took some pains to get the little details on the outside of the frame to look right, despite the mess that's on the inside. For one, I needed a way to power up the 3400 without a keyboard and without taking half the frame off. So I drilled a small hole in the frame opposite the reset button on the motherboard and inserted a... um.. well, it's a chopstick from some carryout Chinese food. I didn't have any dowel on hand, and the chopstick tapers perfectly to hit the button on the motherboard. I also cut a notch in the frame to thread the power cable through, so the frame can sit flush to the wall it's hanging on. The final result is a nice addition to my living room, and leaves a lot of room for improvement. For one, I'd like to keep the wireless card in place, and put together an applescript to grab images off my network, rather than having to pre-load them onto the hard drive myself. There's also the possibility of using it to display things like the weather map or scrolling headlines, but showing off my vacation photos is enough for now. Maybe I'll use the PowerBook 190 I've got in the closet for the other stuff, once I find a power supply for it.