In the above video you can see what I call my “Uno Attack Hack”. My hacked Uno Attack consists of an Uno Attack game that has been modified to allow me to secretly change the outcome of the game to my advantage.  The hacked Uno Attack has four different operating modes that are set over a Bluetooth connection using an Android based program.  The orientation of the Android phone determines which mode the hacked Uno Attack is in.  The four modes are:

1. Normal – In normal operating mode it operates like a non-hacked Uno Attack.  When the button is pressed there is a 1 in 3 random chance of cards getting shot out.  The number of cards being shot out varies randomly between approximately 1 and 6.  The hacked Uno Attack is in this mode when the phone is laying on a flat surface, screen up.

2. Don’t Attack – In this mode the hacked Uno Attack will never shoot out any cards.  This is the mode that I will typically have it in on my turn, so I don’t get any more cards added to my hand.  The hacked Uno Attack is in this mode when the phone is on its left side.

3. Timed Attack – In this mode the hacked Uno Attack is preloaded with an amount of time ( in milliseconds) that cards should shoot out for on the next button press.  The amount of time is loaded into the hacked Uno Attack by standing the phone on end, then laying it flat again.  The amount of time the phone was standing straight up will be the amount of time loaded into the hacked Uno Attack.

4. Attack Now! – In the mode, the hacked Uno Attack will start shooting cards without its button ever being pressed.  This would be used near the end of a game, when you are ready to give away your secret, but want to really confuse the other players first.  The hacked Uno Attack is in this mode when the phone is standing oriented upside down.  Normal operating mode is returned once the phone is put flat again.

The original circuit board of the Uno Attack was completely replaced with a new custom made one using a PIC 16F88 and a RN-42 Bluetooth Module.  If there is enough interest in this, I will post more information on the construction of this including source, schematics, etc.

Changelog:

v2.0 – 9/13/2010
-New: Updated User Interface!
-Bug Fix: Several Force Close fixes
-New: Touch Timer+ created, same as Touch Timer with no ads or analytics.

v1.6 – 9/1/2010
-Bug Fix: Fixed Force Close issue involving WakeLock.
-New: Text Color Option for the countdown text.
-New: Added Google Analytics to send back anonymous usage data to assist with future development.

v1.5 – 8/27/2010
-Bug Fix: Alarm Finished dialog no longer dissapears on orientation change.
-Bug Fix: Alarm in Silent Mode now works properly on all versions of Android.

v1.4 – 5/16/2010
-New: Icon updated to comply with Android 2.1 standards.

v1.3 – 3/21/2010
-Bug Fix: Notification volume issues fixed.
-Bug Fix: Now starts properly from the quick launcher.

v1.2 – 2/1/2010
-New: Snooze Option

v1.1 – 11/11/2009
–New: Vibrate On/Off Preference
-New: Notification Length Preference

v1.0 – 10/6/2009
– Initial Release

I recently switched from an iPhone to the HTC Dream (T-Mobile G1) Android phone.  I am a huge fan of the Android operating system and I started writing applications for it.  My first application is “Touch Timer”. I developed this application after not being happy with any of the timer applications on the market.

Touch Timer is a countdown timer application with an intuitive touch interface.  You input your time by scrolling up and down on the appropriate number or by pressing the plus and minus buttons.  The alarm will go off even if the phone is asleep.  You can set the alarm to honor or override the silent/vibrate mode depending on user preference.  Alert sound is user selectable.

You can download Touch Timer for free from the Android market.

Cyrket Link for those not on an Android device.

Changelog:

v1.0 – 5/16/2010 – Initial Release

My second Android application is Risk Odds Calculator.  This application will calculate the odds of an attacker winning any single attack in the game of Risk and its variants.  The die selector for Attacker and Defender cycles through 3 types: none (black shadow), six-sided die, and an 8-sided die.  There is also a list of modifiers that allow you to do more advanced calculations for some of the more complicated Risk games, such as Risk 2210 or Risk Godstorm.

If there are any modifiers that I missed that you would like to see added, let me know and I will try to add them in.

You can download Risk Odds Calculator for free from the Android Market.

Cyrket Link for those not on an Android device.

]]> http://www.adamthole.com/?feed=rss2&p=272 0 http://www.adamthole.com/?p=233 http://www.adamthole.com/?p=233#comments Tue, 21 Jul 2009 02:59:03 +0000 adam http://www.adamthole.com/?p=233

I am releasing  my source code for Tilt Board v3.  It is released for personal use only.  Please contact me if you would like to use any part of it commercially.  The project files were written in C using the Source Boost IDE and the BoostC compiler.  It was originally written for a Microchip PIC16F88 microcontroller, but should be easily modified to work with most  microcontrollers.  I tried to comment the code well to make it easy to understand.  The download includes the C source code files and the compiled hex file.  The source will allow you to make your own modifications, and the hex will allow you to program your own PIC without the trouble of setting up the compiler.

This completes the information I have to release about the Tilt Board v3.  You should now be able to make your own and modify the code to suit your needs.  If you need any help, make any improvements to my code, or just like what I am doing please e-mail me and let me know.  Have fun!

Download Tilt Board v3 Source Code by clicking here.

Download Tilt Board v3 Schematic and Board Layout

The link above gives you the schematics and PCB board layout for the Tilt Board v3.  They were created using the program Eagle CAD 5.4.0 which is available to download from here.  Eagle CAD is an excellent (and low priced) program that has a free version available.  The zip file contained in the link above  this post contains two files.  The .sch is the schematic and the .brd is the board layout.  For an excellent tutorial on how to use Eagle CAD software check out this tutorial by Spark Fun.  If you don’t want to mess with learning Eagle CAD but you still want your own board you can order as many as you want from Batch PCB.  They are who I ordered my prototypes from and are a really cool company.

Please feel free to use these files for any personal use.  I am making them available to help others learn more about electronics.  They may not be used for commercial purposes.

• Wireless Xbox 360 Controller
• Tilt Board v3
• Torx T8 Security Bit
• Soldering Iron
• Solder
• Wire
• Double Sided Foam Tape
  

These instructions will show you how to install the Tilt Board v3 into an Xbox 360 controller. There are two main types of wireless Xbox 360 controller boards. The older boards are known as the matrix version, because the digital inputs are wired as a matrix. The newer board is known as the common ground version because its digital inputs are wired in a simpler common ground fashion. The Tilt Board v3 is designed to work with the newer common ground boards. If you use an older matrix board, your digital inputs will not work correctly. It is very easy to tell which board version you have after you take off the back cover.

To take off the back cover you will need a Torx T8 security bit. This is a very uncommon tool, as there are both Torx T8 and Torx T8 security bits. The security bits have a hole running up the center of the bit to allow for a protruding section of the Torx T8 security screw. There are 7 screws holding the cover on. Six of the screws are clearly visible and one is in the battery compartment under the sticker with a barcode on it. You can either peel the sticker off or poke through the center of it to reach the screw. After the cover is off you should see a board that looks like one of the following:

Figure 1: Matrix Style Controller

Figure 2: Common Ground Controller

Figure 1 shows the matrix style controller. It’s most notable feature is the big metal square in the center of it. Figure 2 shows the common ground controller. It’s most notable features are a black square chip and a crystal in the center. If you have the common ground board the Tilt Board v3 digital outputs will work for you. If you don’t, you will not be able to use the digital output of the Tilt Board v3.

After the back cover is off the vibrating motors need to be removed. Just be careful and try to pull on the connector and not the wire. Note that the two vibration motors are different sizes.

To get the circuit board out of the controller shell, push up on the analog sticks. With a little wiggling both the circuit board and the gray piece will pop off. Figure 3 shows the removed board and controller pieces. Note that your board layout may be slightly different.

Figure 3: Circuit Board and Controller Casing

Now you should have the circuit board all by itself. The next step is to remove the plastic trigger assembly that is currently over the left analog stick potentiometers. To do this you first need to disconnect the trigger from its potentiometer. This is done by pushing the trigger to the left and the plastic connector that goes to the potentiometer to the right. It should pop out fairly easy. Next remove the trigger from the assembly. To do this just squeeze the trigger together at the end and push it back. To remove the trigger completely, just slide it to the right. Figure 4 shows a removed trigger.

Figure 4: Trigger Removed from Assembly

In order to take the rest of the trigger assembly apart you have to desolder the trigger potentiometer. To desolder, heat up the potentiometer leads one at a time using your soldering iron and use a solder sucker to suck the solder off. After you have the potentiometer desoldered, pull it straight out of the circuit board. Now that the trigger potentiometer is off of the board, the remaining trigger assembly comes off easily. Figure 5 shows the exposed left analog stick connections.

Figure 5: Removed Trigger Assembly

Now that the trigger assembly is off, we are ready to solder our 7 wires from the Tilt Board to the controller board. The Tilt Board’s X and Y outputs will be connected to the spot where the original analog stick’s outputs are connected. This will be the center pin of the X and Y potentiometer of the controller board. The REF pin of the Tilt Board must be connected to the highest voltage side of the potentiometer on the controller board. All 3 of these locations are shown and labeled in Figure 6.

Figure 6: X, Y, and REF Locations

Before you can connect DO1 and DO2 to the Xbox 360 controller board, it is necessary to understand how the digital inputs on the Xbox 360 controller work and how the Tilt Board interacts with them.

When a button is pressed on the common ground Xbox 360 controller, a conductive pad is pressed against two metal pads on the controller’s circuit board. This causes the two pads on the circuit board to be shorted together. One of these pads is tied directly to ground and the other is used as an input to the controller’s microcontroller. When the two pads are shorted together, the microcontroller sees the input for that button change to ground and registers that you pressed a button.

When the Tilt Board detects a jolt on the Z axis it will ground either its DO1 or DO2 (depending on which one you currently have selected). By connecting the output from DO1 or DO2 to a non grounded button pad of the controller, we can simulate that button being pressed. The Tilt Board will ground the pad that DO1 or DO2 is connected to when a jolt is detected. To the controller this will be no different than you actually pressing the button on the controller. Both DO1 and DO2 will be high impedance inputs and have no effect on the controller board unless a jolt is detected.

Shown in Figure 7 are possible locations for DO1 and DO2. In the figure DO1 is connected to the “A” digital button, and DO2 is connected to the “B” digital button. You can connect DO1 and DO2 to any digital button that you want. Make sure that where you connect is the non grounded side of the button. You will need to scrape away a small part of the black surface of the pad to solder to it. The locations for V+ and GND are also shown in Figure 7.

Figure 7: V+, GND, DO1, and DO2 Locations

To run the wires soldered to the Xbox 360 controller board out to the Tilt Board a hole needs to be drilled in the Xbox 360 controller case. The recommended location for this hole is in the center of the bottom portion of the battery compartment. Figure 8 shows a completely soldered controller board with wires routed through the controller case. Figure 9 shows the controller board in its case with all of the wires routed out of the case. Make sure that none of your wires are pinched by the case as you put it back together.

Figure 8: Routed Wires

Figure 9: Routed Wires in Controller Case

Continue putting the controller back together until it all fits snuggly. Again, make sure no wires are pinched. After verifying that no wires will be pinched and the controller is together correctly, put the screws back in the controller. Now cut your wires down to the desired length and solder them on to the Tilt Board. After all of the wires are soldered, mount the Tilt Board to the back of your Xbox 360 controller battery compartment using double sided foam tape. A completed picture of the Xbox 360 controller is shown in Figures 10 and 11.

Figure 10: Completed Installation Back View

Figure 11: Completed Installation Bottom View

Congratulations on successfully installing your Tilt Board v3!

Check out WirelessInternet.net for wireless service on your laptop.

Here is a quick video of the Tilt Board v3 in action. The games played are Burnout Revenge and Marble Blast Ultra. I apologize for when the controller gets in the way of the camera, these videos are always hard to shoot. The only part of the controller physically used in this demo is the right trigger in Burnout Revenge and the right analog stick in Marble Blast Ultra. All other control is done using the Tilt Board v3.

I have more documentation, source code, etc. still coming.

Video and more information coming soon!

The Tilt Board v3 is the newest version of the Tilt Board. This version follows the same basic idea as the older versions with a few big changes. The first big change is that it now uses a 3-axis accelerometer. This allows it to detect a jolt on the Z-axis and map it to one of the digital output pins. This allows you to jerk the controller up or down to perform an action in game. The second big change is the addition of an external input port. This is an RS232 port that will allow the functionality of the Tilt Board v3 to be expanded. (More on this in the future… ) The third big change is that it is now going to be an open source project. In the coming weeks(s) I will be releasing the schematics and source code to make it easier for those of you who are interested in making your own version.

I would like to release the source code and schematics under a license that allows it to be used in any not for profit way. If someone reading this has knowledge in that area, please contact me and give me advice!

Continue reading for the basic operating instructions.

The Tilt Board v3 has two functions. The main function of the Tilt Board is to use the tilt of your Xbox 360 controller as an input to the Xbox 360. The Tilt Board uses an accelerometer that measures the force of gravity on each axis to determine the tilt of the controller. The tilt of the controller is then output through the Xbox 360 controller analog stick input. Both the X and Y axes are used.

The secondary function of the Tilt Board is to control the digital push buttons on the Xbox 360 controller. The Tilt Board can sense a sudden jolt of the Z axis (vertically up/down) and activate a digital button of the Xbox 360 controller when the jolt is sensed. For example, if the controller is jolted down it could activate the “A” button.

Analog Operating Modes:

The Tilt Board v3 has 4 main analog operating modes. Each time the push button on the Tilt Board is pressed the Tilt Board cycles to the next analog operating mode. These modes are as follows:

Accelerometer XY – This is the default operating mode and both the X and the Y axes are controlled by the accelerometer.

Potentiometer XY – In this mode the accelerometer is not used for input at all and the Xbox 360 analog stick functions normally.

Potentiometer X – In this mode the Y axis is controlled by the accelerometer, and the X axis is controlled by the analog stick on the Xbox 360 controller.

Potentiometer Y – In this mode the X axis is controlled by the accelerometer, and the Y axis is controlled by the analog stick on the Xbox 360 controller.

Digital Output Selection:

The Tilt Board has 2 possible digital outputs for selection. To cycle between these modes the push button on the Tilt Board needs to be pressed and held for at least one second. After each long press the Tilt Board will cycle to the next digital operating mode. The output selections are:

Digital Output 1 (DO1) – The Xbox 360 digital button that DO1 is connected to will be activated when a jolt of the Z axis is detected.

Digital Output 2 (DO2) – The Xbox 360 digital button that DO2 is connected to will be activated when a jolt of the Z axis is detected.

Every once in a while I will run into an article online that claims the Wii is the “greenest game console”. Sure, the Wii uses very little power when your are using it compared to other consoles, but it uses an absurd amount of power when it is in standby mode compared to the standby mode of other consoles.

By default the Nintendo Wii consumes 11 watts of power while in standby. This number is significantly higher than the standby power used by other game consoles. For instance, the Xbox 360 only consumes 2 watts of power in standby. The reason the Wii consumes more power in standby is because of the WiiConnect24 standby connection, that is enabled by default.

The WiiConnect24 standby connection allows your Wii to stay connected to the internet all the time and allows you to receive WiiConnect24 content even when your console is in standby. The obvious solution to this excess standby power consumption is to turn the feature off:

Goto your Wii Settings, then page 2, then click the WiiConnect24 button, then click the Standby Connection button, the click the off button.

That is easy enough, and will reduce the power consumption of the Wii when in standby to 1 watt. However, Nintendo’s problems don’t stop there. Once you have disabled the WiiConnect24 standby connection, you can no longer use the weather or the news channels! I don’t understand why Nintendo would do this, as there is no technical reason for this to be.

I would like Nintendo to release a firmware update for the Nintendo Wii that will change two things:

First, I think Nintendo should disable WiiConnect24 standby connection by default. This is more of an advanced user option and does not need to be on by default.

Second, I want to be able to use all of my channels with the WiiConnect24 standby connection off. There is no reason that I shouldn’t be able to do everything with my console when it is on.

By doing a simple update like this, Nintendo could save 929,000 Mega-Watt/hours of electricity per year [1], and claim it’s place as “greenest console”.

If you feel that Nintendo should make this update, please contact them about it.

[1] If you leave your Nintendo Wii plugged in all year long, even if you don’t use it at all, you will use 96.4 kilowatt hours of electricity per year with WiiConnect24 standby connection turned on. (11 watts * 24 hours/day * 365 days/year) If you turn WiiConnect24 off, you will use only 8.7 kilowatt hours of electricity per year. (1 watt * 24 hours/day * 365 days/year)

According to Wikipedia there are 10.6+ million Nintendo Wiis worldwide. That means that if everyone turned off the WiiConnect24 standby connection, 929,000 mega-watt/hours of electricity per year would be conserved.

For those that haven’t noticed yet, the Talismoon tiltBoard 360 is no longer just a pre-order and is in stock at many retailers. You might look here, here, here, here, or here.

The installation instructions are available on Talismoon’s website.

Download the installation instructions here.

Download the operating instructions here.