Unlock Serial Communication with the iPhone

Serial ports are as vintage as CRT monitors, but serial communication itself is still widely used.  Some devices feature serial communication via USB as a standard protocol, but certainly not in an iPhone.  But!  A group of network engineers have found out how to create a serial connection to the iPhone.

• Don’t Miss: All Our Apple Hacks

  
  “So…what’s good is it?” you ask.  For one: a jailbroken iPhone with a serial port can be used to connect with servers. Instead of lugging around laptops, network engineers can use the pocket sized iPhone and downloaded applications from Cydia to turn an iPhone into a near computer and troubleshoot networks.
  
  The complete how-to with a slideshow makes it easy for someone who knows his way around an iPhone and a soldering iron. The little known secret lies in hacking the dock connector of an iPhone to make it work as a serial port. Next is jailbreaking the iPhone, installing Terminal, OpenSSH server and Minicom. The last slide tells you where to find the $80 worth of parts to build your own

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Stylish DIY Desktop Speaker Build

These Apple-inspired desktop speakers are custom designed from the ground up.  The speaker enclosures are primed, painted, and polished with a sleek aluminum hued finish. Apart from the smooth finish, the black Plexiglass front and rear is what really makes these speakers stand out.

 The modder has used the 50 Watt Dayton amplifier to power 2 desktop speakers, a 300W Bash Subwoofer, and a Dayton Neodymium Tweeter in his setup.  You may need a CNC machine to help with the precise plotting and cutting.

But with the help of the discussion thread on the project and parts list, you should be well on your way building your own DIY speaker system.

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Turn Old IPods Into Custom Speakers

Learn to build custom speakers by installing bare speakers in two of the original iPods where the scroll wheels normally are.  Instead of gutting your old iPod, you can purchase iPod front panels and back panels on eBay for a few bucks.  Just add a simple amplification circuit and you’ve got yourself a pair of custom iPod speakers.

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