The guys at Instructables have come up with yet another great tutorial to add some USB gadgetry to your closet. This time we take a look at building a USB telescope from an old analog zoom lens, webcam and PVC piping for housing. Reading through the instructions, the USB tutorial is a seven step process. You will need some prep work done at the hardware store and have your zoom lens and webcam available (both items can be found on eBay for under $15 each). Here is a video summary:

For the full USB Telescope tutorial make the jump.

The first couple of times I connected a USB drive to my computer it was nice to see the pop-up window asking me what I wanted to do with the drive. However, the pop-up window gets old. Here is how to disable the autoplay pop-up window for USB drives:

Go to your Windows Start button and navigate to RUN… type in:

gpedit.msc then click OK

A Windows Group Policy window pops up. This is where you configure the pop-up window setting.

Click the Administrative Templates folder, then click the System folder.

On the right side of the window you will see (may have to scroll down) the “Turn Off Autoplay” item. Double click that item.

Another window pops up and this is where you enable the turn-off autoplay pop-up window dialogue box. Simply click the radial button for “Enable” now select “All drives” or “CD-ROM drives”   Click OK or Apply and you’re set.

Please note, this setting will also affect your CD-ROM autoplay function as well. I’d like to see the ability to select only USB devices, but that’s just not the case.

To reverse the setting, follow the above instructions and set the radial button to either “Not Configured” or “Enabled”

If using Windows Vista - the process is just a little easier. Go to your Start button, or Windows Logo and navigate to “Dafault Programs” here a pop-up window opens and click the link for “Change AutoPlay Settings” which then takes you to the following window to configure your autoplay settings for all your devices.

Unlocking the iPod Touch isn’t too difficult and the transformation allows for some powerfull and fun applications to find their way into your iPod Touch.  Take for example, this tutorial which gives you the tools to run Instant Message on your iPod Touch

Click for a tutorial on installing Instant Message on your iPod Touch (via Instructables)

If you have a few minutes and want to sharpen some Photoshop skills you can run through this tutorial on how to create a USB drive. I for one will definitely do this, as my USB Forum link needs an updated look.

This Photoshop tutorial would also be a good project for anyone running a gizmo or gadget website to create some stock images for those random posts.

Before you make the jump, the tutorial uses 19 steps to create the image below.

However, I think a little more time is needed to make the object more proportional and some attention to shadows would also help. But if you are in a pinch and need something quick - this will work.

Jump to Photoshop tutorial

So it turns out a white onion is not only good for salsa, but good for charging iPods too. Here is a video showing you how to charge an iPod with an onion, Gatorade and USB cable.

I knew those electro-lights are good for something. For those not interested in watching a 3 minute video here is the down-n-dirty:

• put two holes on either side of your onion with screwdriver
• soak the thing in Gatorade until most is gone (about 1 cup worth)
• use the iPod USB cable and push in the USB connector into the onion.

Your iPod will then turn on and charge shortly there after. So for about 1 cup of gatoraid soaked into the onion will get you about 30 minutes of charge time.

Source: TreeHugger, YouTube link
If you like this we have other USB hacks and USB Tutorials.

Windows Vista has not been an easy transition for many people. One of the problems with Vista is USB support, or lack of. If you are having USB problems with Vista then please read on.

Several months ago Microsoft released hotfixes for Vista for some badly-needed improvements for USB operation. Most notably is the problems, conflicts and issues related to USB and audio components.

Microsoft plans to officially address the USB issues with their SP1 due out in early 2008, but in the mean time lets check out the Microsoft roll out update page.

If you are using Vista and having problems be sure to double check the device manufacturer update before using the Microsoft updates, your solution might already be out there.

Peter Kirn provided a couple valuable tips while diving into your problems, please read (more…)

Reading an article from Crave, I realized the very obvious… I should have written about this topic months ago…maybe years ago. Turning a typical USB hub into a power center for all those electronic gadgets.

The key is getting a USB hub that has a dedicated AC Power adapter which plugs directly into the wall. This way a stable supply of 5v will be streaming to all ports. You can grab a 4 port, 6 port or 7 port hub for only a few dollars.

The power hub via USB is a perfect illustration of the potential of such a setup: pretty much anything that accepts USB charging (iPods, Blackberries, cellphones, headsets, Xbox 360 controllers, and the like) should be compatible.

You should be able to power up non USB charging devices as long as they are (more…)