Hackaday Links: February 12, 2017

Taking small LCD screens, a tiny computer running Linux, and a 3D printed enclosure to build miniature versions of old computers is a thing now. Here’s [Cupcakus]’s tiny little Apple II, complete with Oregon Trail. This Apple II is running on a C.H.I.P., uses a 3s lithium battery from a drone, and works with a Bluetooth keyboard and joystick. Yes, the power button on the monitor works.

At Hackaday, we get a lot of emails from people asking the most important question ever: “how do you become a hardware hacker?” [Tex Projects] lays it all out on the line. All …read more

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Wiggling Pokéball Detects Rare Pokémon

[TJ Hunter] wanted to find some of the rarer Pokémon without draining his smartphone battery while staring on a screen. The handy ø 25 cm Pokéball he built to make the endless marches more tolerable detects nearby Pokémon and wiggles to alert its owner if there’s a rare catch in sight.

On the inside of the authentic looking, red-white painted styrofoam sphere sits a Particle Electron and a Particle Asset Tracker board, which give it the necessary GPS and 2G/3G connectivity. An RC servo with a little weight takes care of the shaking motion. Every minute, the ball sends its …read more

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