Novel uses for old shit gadgets

[peanutbutter]

Discovered Kinect can be used as a (really shit) 3D scanner a few days ago so I've just ordered one of them to see if I can figure it out. Worst case scenario it'll give me a slightly cumbersome external webcam so I can do video chats without moving my whole desk layout around.

It's kinda interesting, the tech was fairly impressive 10 years ago even if the usages were pretty shit and now there's loads of them just lying around that _could_ be used for something useful, possibly.




I remember years ago someone saying the wii fit boards (which people would pay you to get rid of) are a pretty competent electric scales. there's probably some pretty good potential to hack them. I could imagine them being coupled with VR pretty effectively in some kind of immersive art shit. Bound to be some potential from Wii motes and sensors too.

Barnes and Noble's original Nook tablets were very easily rooted to Android 1.2, which for most purposes is fucking shit but it opens a lot of room to make eInk display devices at a price way cheaper than building something out yourself from scratch.

More simple, but there was a long patch there where Wii's, due to the extreme ease of hacking them, had them commonly being used as emulation machines.




Any neat ones you know of? any you've actually repurposed yourself?

[Sebastian Cobb]

I think some people repurposed the nintendo powergloves for other vr type stuff back in the day as although the ultrasonic aspect of them was total shite, the bend sensors on the fingers was actually ok.

[Hand Solo]

Remember Johnny Lee and his Wii VR hacks?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jd3-eiid-Uw

Surprised not much came of this?

The VR thing without needing an over-eyes headset was interesting, I imagine because you had to literally move round the room to alter perspective made it less practical than sitting on your arse with a giant headset on which seems to be the route everyone's gone down instead, but it was much cheaper to assemble and I'm sure there were other uses than FPS games for the tech.

Also his dirt cheap projectors for interacting with media or education for schools should have really caught on:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5s5EvhHy7eQ

People are still commenting on this stuff looking futuristic and it's over 12 years old!

[MojoJojo]

Remember Johnny Lee and his Wii VR hacks?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jd3-eiid-Uw

Surprised not much came of this?

The VR thing without needing an over-eyes headset was interesting, I imagine because you had to literally move round the room to alter perspective made it less practical than sitting on your arse with a giant headset on which seems to be the route everyone's gone down instead, but it was much cheaper to assemble and I'm sure there were other uses than FPS games for the tech.

I've not actually tried it, but I think because both your eyes are seeing the same thing, the effect is a lot less convincing in reality than it is in a monocular youtube vid.

[Hand Solo]

I've not actually tried it, but I think because both your eyes are seeing the same thing, the effect is a lot less convincing in reality than it is in a monocular youtube vid.

If that's true then the resurgence of the pirate eye-patch would be a new use for an old shit gadget.

[Thomas]

I use Morrissey's autobiography as a doorstop so my cat can access his litter tray.

^{A book is a retro gadget.}

[Blumf]

Remember Johnny Lee and his Wii VR hacks?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jd3-eiid-Uw

Surprised not much came of this?

There's a interesting augmented reality table-top gaming system being developed that kinda work like that but much better:



Basically, the board surface has a fancy reflective coating that reflects back an image from a projector in your glasses.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jse-GwkcYgI

[Claude the Racecar Driving Rockstar Super Sleuth]

I took apart a broken old hard disk and use the platter as a mirror.

[Hand Solo]

There's a interesting augmented reality table-top gaming system being developed that kinda work like that but much better:



Basically, the board surface has a fancy reflective coating that reflects back an image from a projector in your glasses.

That looks interesting but looks very specific for boardgame type layouts, looking down in a group.. and does each person around the table see what's projected from the angle their sitting? Another way would be each person would see the board from the same perspective which might work for some types of games, it would make it confusing in a group game where you interact with the board though.

Still waiting for getting rid of TVs and projectors altogether, just have glasses that can turn your entire wall or ceiling etc into a screen to play games and watch movies. Would put a lot of manufacturers out of business when you can have a screen any size or quality that you don't have to lug up stairs or update every few years.

[olliebean]

Still waiting for getting rid of TVs and projectors altogether, just have glasses that can turn your entire wall or ceiling etc into a screen to play games and watch movies. Would put a lot of manufacturers out of business when you can have a screen any size or quality that you don't have to lug up stairs or update every few years.

Also it'd fuck everyone's eyes in no time, so opticians will love it.

[Hand Solo]

Also it'd fuck everyone's eyes in no time, so opticians will love it.

How? I'm not clued up but don't a lot of them work on different technologies? If they're showing an image that appears far away wouldn't you focus as if it was? Unlike holding a book right up to your face for hours to read, which many of us do.

[olliebean]

I guess you're right, thinking about it, suitable lenses within the device would move the focal point further away so as not to cause ciliary spasm. I still think forcing a fixed focus for hours at a time has the potential to cause problems, though. Particularly if viewing 3D content, as you'd essentially be training your eyes not to refocus when switching between near, middle and far vision.

[Hand Solo]

Cool use for projector to make it touchscreen: https://youtu.be/5NNO5Kb-PZo?t=183

[Fr.Bigley]

My old toaster makes an excellent bath water heater.

[peanutbutter]

Cool use for projector to make it touchscreen: https://youtu.be/5NNO5Kb-PZo?t=183

It's $1000 though, so... not exactly in the spirit of the thread?

My old toaster makes an excellent bath water heater.

I seem to recall Techmoan or another youtuber buying a water heater off ebay that was pretty much this

[Claude the Racecar Driving Rockstar Super Sleuth]

Big Clive (dotcom) made himself a bath heater from a kettle element. https://youtu.be/uUn17ccR2a4

[Hand Solo]

It's $1000 though, so... not exactly in the spirit of the thread?

Could you not knock something similar up using home equipment these days? I imagine there's various ways.. I had a desktop big touchscreen PC ten years ago that was just a monitor with some kind of IR sensor, like the Johnny Ray Wii stuff from almost 15 years back there's very simple ways to achieve similar things at home. Maybe the above $1000 has a big software advantage but can you not crib that stuff off its Android development even if it's proprietary? I thought it was interesting because I imagined you could do all that kind of stuff over 5 years ago just needed kinks worked out, especially the idea of going to bed in the dark and turning your ceiling into a giant projection screen, though I couldn't work out how to make that interactive, would prob be easiest using a wireless touchpad or mouse though I thought in that mode.

[peanutbutter]

Could you not knock something similar up using home equipment these days? I imagine there's various ways.. I had a desktop big touchscreen PC ten years ago that was just a monitor with some kind of IR sensor, like the Johnny Ray Wii stuff from almost 15 years back there's very simple ways to achieve similar things at home. Maybe the above $1000 has a big software advantage but can you not crib that stuff off its Android development even if it's proprietary? I thought it was interesting because I imagined you could do all that kind of stuff over 5 years ago just needed kinks worked out, especially the idea of going to bed in the dark and turning your ceiling into a giant projection screen, though I couldn't work out how to make that interactive, would prob be easiest using a wireless touchpad or mouse though I thought in that mode.

Nah, mainly cos it involves a bunch of finicky niche as fuck stuff. Projectors are volatile; power intensive, brittle and require a lot of calibration. You could make something for way less I'm sure, but it'd be shit (480p, focusing issues, weak in anything but very dark rooms, heating issues, loud fan...)

I am surprised there doesn't seem to be a market for super low res projectors for ceilings though. Project some shit up there and stare blankly at it until you fall asleep, like. I'd consider £150 for a 240p one tbh

[olliebean]

I am surprised there doesn't seem to be a market for super low res projectors for ceilings though. Project some shit up there and stare blankly at it until you fall asleep, like. I'd consider £150 for a 240p one tbh

You can get ones that project stars for about twenty quid.

[peanutbutter]

You can get ones that project stars for about twenty quid.

but I want pixelated pornhub and TyskySour

[olliebean]

Just get a cheap projector and prop it up so it points at the ceiling, then.

[Hand Solo]

Just get a cheap projector and prop it up so it points at the ceiling, then.

Alternately you could rig up a cheap stick on (magnifying) mirror on the ceiling and put a tablet, monitor or TV positioned correctly to reflect into it, if your screen is up against a wall it would need to be able to be angled up to 45 degree to reflect correctly and you use forced software screen orientation to flip the screen whichever way you need to reflect the right way round in reflection depending on where the monitor is placed. You could put also the screen on the floor with less of an angle issue which would prob be easier to do but not ideal having it so far away from the mirror and able to be accidentally knocked or stood on. Then use a wireless touchpad/keyboard to interact with it. Either way, you'd look like a bit of Stringfellow creep to anybody you invite round.

You could also angle the mirror itself to reflect at the correct angle without having to angle the screen at all but that would be a bit more difficult with it being on the ceiling though you could stick it onto a sheet of cardboard and angle it with sticky tape or string etc. And a lot of people already have parts of their ceiling angled anyway to account for the structure of their house so that would be much easier to use, leaving the screen more flat against whatever surface.

[Sebastian Cobb]

Just get a cheap projector and prop it up so it points at the ceiling, then.

You can get cheap as fuck portable ones that fit the requirements these days.

https://www.aliexpress.com/wholesale?catId=0&initiative_id=AS_20200820034604&SearchText=portable+projector

or amazon
https://www.amazon.co.uk/GooDee-Projector-Portable-Supported-Children/dp/B07JN59CX4/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=mini+projector&qid=1597924091&sr=8-3

[peanutbutter]

You can get cheap as fuck portable ones that fit the requirements these days.

https://www.aliexpress.com/wholesale?catId=0&initiative_id=AS_20200820034604&SearchText=portable+projector

or amazon
https://www.amazon.co.uk/GooDee-Projector-Portable-Supported-Children/dp/B07JN59CX4/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=mini+projector&qid=1597924091&sr=8-3

Oh cool! I misread they way they try to mislead RE 1080p support and assumed that meant they don't work at all, but at 240p they prolly work pretty okay!

Have launched into a mad project with my Optoma projector atm but I'll prolly get one of these outta curiosity if nothing else too.


RE repurposing stuff, gonna get a galaxy s tab to function as a portable second screen for while I'm away the next few weeks. With the OLED screen I can see me using it as a comic book reader and possibly an emulation machine too afterwards.  9.7" OLED screen device for ~100 seems pretty good but maybe there's cheaper options
Somewhat deliberating over the s3 for the better pencil support but I can't see me moving away from actual notepads tbh.
Actual portable monitors seem to be a bit niche and as a result rather overpriced (£150 for 1080p 15"? Fuck off with that...)

[Sebastian Cobb]

Yeah they downscale it. By the looks of it you can get ones that do a more respectable 720p for about 70-80.