mac stuff

frankintosh / mac stuff — Comments Off
20
Mar 12

My pressure sensitive iPad stylus

I’ve been getting a lot of links and traffic for the G4 IIc (thanks, the Verge!) so I thought I’d take a moment to link to the other hardware hacking project that’s been taking up a lot of my time.

The PressurePen is a pressure sensitive stylus for iPad and Android tablets. The plan is to commercialize a more final, refined version as open source hardware. What you see here and on the PressurePen site is the Beta prototype – functionally complete, and ready to put in the hands of developers. The necessary code to incorporate into an iOS or Android app is free and open source also. The goal is to allow others to create compatible products and improve on my designs.

Meet the G4 Apple //c

[Welcome, RetroMacCast listeners!]

This is my latest Frankintosh project – housing a G4 Mac Mini in the case of an Apple //c. From all outward appearances, a stock Apple IIc or //c with a little wear and tear. Inside, it sports a 1.4GHz G4 with a gigabyte of RAM. A far cry from its original 1MHz 65C02 and 128K of RAM.

Everything you see is still fully functional. The original keyboard is rewired and run through an Arduino (Teensy) so it can be used as a USB keyboard for the Mini. I’ve also maintained many of the original ports, and repurposed a couple for updated peripherals. For instance, the mouse/joystick port has been wired up to a USB port on the Mini. To plug into this, an M0100 mouse has been fitted with the guts of an optical USB mouse, wired to the original 9-pin connector.

To attach to the original Apple monochrome display, I built a VGA adapter that outputs monochrome NTSC via RCA. Instructions and pinouts for the adapter were found here. To adjust the sync and refresh rate, I use SwitchResX.

You can see a complete gallery below (via Flickr)

[flickr-gallery mode=”photoset” photoset=”72157628540220857″]

fun stuff / mac stuff — 11 Comments
12
Nov 10

USB Floppy hack

see the rest here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/charles_mangin/sets/72157625250155063/

fun stuff / mac stuff — Comments Off
27
Jan 10

Apple’s new iCrotchshot

Apple has done it again. Not only have they come up with a really nice looking glass rectangle that does pretty much what all the other big glass rectangles out there do, only… you know… better…

…they’ve also created a whole new way to get strangers to stare at your crotch.

mac stuff — Comments Off
20
Jan 10

Apple’s Billions

Dear Apple,

If you’re really looking to spend some of the $23 billion in cash you have on hand, I have a proposal for you.

Rather than buying some shiny new baubles, you could do something that would be both a PR sensation and help your local economy.

Announce that all future Apple products will be Made in the USA. Not just “Designed in California” or “Assembled in the USA” but Made in the USA. If you’ve got all that money just burning a hole in your trousers, buy Foxconn and move their operations here.

Spend a few billion and build – or rebuild – your own facilities closer to home. California could certainly use the help.

mac stuff — Comments Off
01
Sep 09

the Ars Leopard review

ah! the Ars Technica review. i’ve been devouring these since the developer previews, and i’ve been waiting excitedly for the latest installment. for the technically minded (big ol’ geeks like me), John Siracusa digs into the deepest crevices of the Mac and puts the crumbs under a microscope. they’re usually a long read, but worth taking the time if you want the fine grained details.

read it at Ars Technica

fun stuff / mac stuff — Comments Off
01
Apr 09