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Ben Heck mods midi controller into guitar enclosure, scores pinball soundtrack in return

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Ben Heck mods midi controller into guitar enclosure, scores pinball soundtrack in return

Love pinball? So does professional modder Ben Heck -- he's building a ghost hunt-themed pinball machine, and needs it to sound just right. Luckily, a local musician is happy to help, provided Heck can rejigger his midi controller into a guitar. Challenge accepted. With the help of his musician friend, Heck spends the first episode of a two-part Ben Heck Show disassembling the instrument, desoldering its components and reassembling them in the desired pattern -- stitching together a few undersized circuit boards along the way. Ben lays out the key pattern too, which will dictate how large the axe's case will need to be. It's classic hardware modding, and a darn fine break to the deluge of CES news. Check out the first episode in the series after the break.

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The Ben Heck Show kicks off season 3 by clamping down on texting while driving (video)

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The Ben Heck Show kicks off season 3 by clamping down on texting while driving video

Gadget modder extraordinaire, Benjamin Heckendorn, has returned with season 3 of The Ben Heck Show. Along with new segments such as news, viewer questions and rants, you'll find that Ben has whipped up a creative solution to the problem of texting while driving. Using the ShopBot CNC router, Ben carves out a chastity belt of sorts -- his words, not ours -- to form the casing of a system that will sound an alarm whenever one's car is running and their phone isn't in the protective dock. The anti-texting system also logs its status to an SD card, which can then be reviewed at a later time. It won't be until next week's episode that we get to see the final product, but all the geeky bits that make this project possible can be found in the season opener, which you'll find right after the break.

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The Ben Heck Show kicks off season 3 by clamping down on texting while driving (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 05 Nov 2012 21:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ben Heck creates hands-free wheelchair attachment for expectant father

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Ben Heck may have cut his teeth on hacked gaming consoles, but these days, the modder-turned-show-host has turned a good deal of his focus to projects aimed at improving accessibility and mobility for the disabled. The latest episode of the Ben Heck Show offers up the perfect example of this noble pursuit, built when an expectant father came to him requesting a wheelchair that could be controlled while caring for his newborn. Heck designed a motor assembly add-on for Josh Benhart's chair with a foot-controlled joystick that lives under a 3D printed dome. Given a short amount of lead, Heck, sadly, wasn't able to complete the project in time, though you can check out his progress in the video embedded after the break.

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Ben Heck creates hands-free wheelchair attachment for expectant father originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 20 Aug 2012 13:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ben Heck talks about fitting custom 3D printer in briefcase, Q nods in approval (video)

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Ben Heck overhauls his custom 3D printer, makes it extra portable video

The last time we ran into Ben Heck, the tinkerer extraordinaire was waxing poetic at Maker Faire about the Raspberry Pi and cheese curds. One more thing he also talked about, however, was his latest 3D printer project, which he now explains in greater detail in the latest episode of the Ben Heck Show. Improvements made to the device include use of a Birdstruder for easier access to the filament and the ability print off an SD card if you don't have a computer handy. The 3D printer also sports an expanded 200-square-millimeter print area with a solid copper cover for added sturdiness and accuracy. As usual, size matters for Mr. Heckendorn so the device got a boost in portability, now neatly folding James Bond-like into a briefcase that measures 18 x 14 x 4.2 inches. Interested in a briefcase printer of your own? Well, Heckendorn mentioned during the Maker Faire interview that he's already working on an improved version and thinking about putting it up on Kickstarter so hope springs eternal. In the meantime, you can glean more details about the device by checking out the video after the break.

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Ben Heck talks about fitting custom 3D printer in briefcase, Q nods in approval (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 24 Jul 2012 06:13:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ben Heck’s Android-controlled pot-stirrer does (most of) the cooking for you

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Ben Heck's Android-controlled pot-stirrer does (most of) the cooking for you

Ben Heck is always thinking up gadgets that make life easier, from completely hands-free luggage to a sensor system for improved cycling safety. His latest mod is meant for those of us who have burnt Ramen a few too many times. His so-called Ben-Stur Remote Control Android app works with a pot-stirring device, freeing users to stray from the kitchen while their meal is cooking. The app works via Bluetooth, and the pot-stirrer consists of an actuator arm, a chip clip, a timing belt and, of course, a wooden spoon. Heck used a Google ADK and an Arduino Uno for the control mechanism that communicates between the app and the stirrer. In the tablet app, users can check their food's temperature and control the speed of the spoon's stirring. If that whets your appetite, click the source link for more info -- and check out our Maker Faire interview with Mr. Heckendorn himself.

Ben Heck's Android-controlled pot-stirrer does (most of) the cooking for you originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 22 May 2012 05:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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