Khoa wanted to give a friend a microcontroller programmer(cache), but didn't want to spend the money. He found almost every part he needed inside of a broken monitor he had in the closet. The only parts he had to provide were the perf board and the serial port. Even the socket was in the monitor. It was too wide, but he just cut out the center spar and made the socket narrower.
2. this is pretty lame I mean the idea is cool, make stuff out of junk, but the web pages is pretty lame. He links to a programer scematic: http://www.olimex.com/dev/images/pic-pg1-sch.gif but there's no mention of interface software, no mention of what PIC chips you can program, no mention of what the interface software runs on (M$ 9*, XP only, Linux, hello?) Not enough data
Posted at 3:06PM on Sep 3rd 2006 by standard mischief
3. I want to see a Monitor been made from a broken PIC programmer. But seriously, if you want a since simple PIC proogrammer I suggest http://www.janson-soft.de/pic/pic.htm I have built it and it work very well, I also made the PCB by following this guide http://www.infiltec.com/SID-GRB@home/pcb-home.htm
Posted at 3:06PM on Sep 3rd 2006 by Rob
4. I think this is the very definition of a hack, grangerx. Repurposing old hardware in a way it was never intended to build something useful.
Posted at 3:06PM on Sep 3rd 2006 by tiuk
6. grangerx, i'm afraid i don't understand your logic. khoa clearly stated that the monitor used was already broken. Even if it wasn't, (assuming he removed the parts in a relatively civil manner) all one would have to do is replace the <15 components. Even a beginner repair-person could do that with ease in a matter of minutes... To follow your analogy, it's like taking the tire off a junker to make a swing. the car is already "dead", and the changes being made to it could be easily reversed. In regards to the landfill bit, do you have any suggestions on how a monitor wouldn't end up there? Even if it were repaired and put to good use, it will eventually become irreparably damaged and get tossed. I think this simple reuse of materials is really our best option. Sure this project only used a small fraction of the monitor, but I hardly think khoa is done with it yet! This is a nice hack, khoa, and is exactly what hack-a-day is all about: turning "worthless" things into objects of (geeky) art and utility.
Posted at 3:06PM on Sep 3rd 2006 by Jakeh
7. You think it's intended for a working monitor? It's obviously for a broken monitor. It's also very much a hack. How is that below a site called "Hackaday"?
Posted at 3:06PM on Sep 3rd 2006 by beanMosheen
8. Umm... #1, I'm afraid you made yourself out to be an idiot.
Posted at 3:06PM on Sep 3rd 2006 by Justin
9. This hack is below the usual level for hackaday. It's akin to "make your own tire-swing by tearing apart your old car.. Just need to add rope and a tree"! Now you not only have $10 worth of PIC programmer, you have a dead monitor that can't be easily repaired by a repair-person, so will probably end up in a chinese landfill.
Posted at 3:06PM on Sep 3rd 2006 by GrangerX
10. cool stuff, thow i woudn't wana give it as a pressent couse off its looks.
Posted at 3:06PM on Sep 3rd 2006 by blackbelt
12. this hack ams very nice ^^ im thinks im goinged to do it sum time. :D
Posted at 3:06PM on Sep 3rd 2006 by k lol hax m8 ^^ omfg teh hax ams on k?
13. how do you actually connect the pic to the programmer? in the schematics, the actual pic module is left out (probably its an in-circuit programmer). also, to the comment about the processor, i'm new to pics, but i'm pretty sure you could use them without the computer after programming (that is the point, after all). i was actually wondering: what could you do with a processor (for a hobby project)? i found some old pentium mmx's and some amd's (i think), but not really sure what i could do with them (if they even work), other than using them as innefficient cup warmers.
Posted at 3:06PM on Sep 3rd 2006 by hike
14. I guess building an oscilloscope would be a better hack out of a dead monitor, than building a pic prog ;) The hack does no indicate what programming application is reqd and what PICs it can burn!!!
Posted at 3:06PM on Sep 3rd 2006 by Sid
15. Ah, yes, I like what GrangerX has said. Really awesome hacks. We should have a hack-a-day awards webcast... Well, at least give out awards to the top hacks of the year. Like hooking a floppy drive up to a gameboy. What else are we going to do with our floppy drives? (Besides playing with the steppers) Lets consider a hack a really cool means of altering/creating an electronic device.
17. @ Wesley, that didnt really answer his question did it tho? id also like to know if there is a way to program pics from a mac..i have a pc but would like to program them on my powerbook away from home.
Posted at 3:06PM on Sep 3rd 2006 by msheard
18. Wait..theres not processor, right? I guess you'd just use your computer, but I'd rather use a chip on the board so I could use it detached from the computer, like a Basic Stamp board. Looks like I just don't get it..
Posted at 3:06PM on Sep 3rd 2006 by Erik Jackson
19. does anyone know where I can find a pic programmer that takes care of the 18xx series? I'm having a witch of a time.
Posted at 3:06PM on Sep 3rd 2006 by Zeldadog
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1. Well, what I was specifically taking issue with was the percentage of pieces that got used. If he had, say, made a radio out of it or something that used more than the most miniscule of parts. If he continues gutting it for parts, okay. But, i was referring to that, in my own experiences trying to replair monitors (not that I've had much success, but still), it's usually a single large part that dies, such as the flyback transformer, not the resistors, transistors, etc., but once your remove 15 random transistors, it makes it much harder to repair, esp. without a full schematic. Anyway, i'm 100% for the "make a pic programmer" part, just somewhat opposed to "tear apart a much larger thing to get $15 worth of random parts" aspect. The mention of this 'hack' being below expected quality was that it could be boiled down to "tear apart major electronic item to make $15 minor electronic item (using $10 of extra parts!)", which, while generally applicable to computers, monitors, vcrs, etc, etc, is only a 'hack' because someone took an axe to a monitor. He just referenced a already available schematic, after all. Avoiding landfills is a difficult subject. I myself have a shelf of 6 or so old (not dead though, so I can't make pic programmers yet!) monitors that I'm not sure what to do with. I guess I could make a cool LED-flasher. I think they maybe have one LED -each-! That's SIX LEDs. That's almost Knight-Rider level hackery, there, sir! GrangerX
Posted at 3:06PM on Sep 3rd 2006 by GrangerX