All posts by benheck

Super SCART Switcher

Check out my 10 input 1 output electronic SCART switcher:

Quite the item

SCART is a type of plug on TV’s and electronics equipment in Europe. It includes audio, composite video and even RGB signals. This device lets you plug in 10 SCART sources and select which one goes to your TV. Internally it actually uses bus switches to bank the signals, instead of mechanical switches as signal switchers often use.

Frugality gets its revenge on me

Above is a really good example of why it doesn’t always pay to “go cheap” and not have a circuit board professionally made. A few hours of this and $100 for a board starts looking really nice. Oh well, maybe next time!

Are multiple input switchers like this something people would find useful? Let me know your thoughts (maybe I’ll order PCB’s this time)

Latest Atari 800 Computer Laptop

Somehow I’ve been working on this since June. It was a commissioned project that took forever. There were a lot of bugs to work out but I believe I’ve squashed them all.


Click here for larger version

It looks similar to my original Atari 800 laptop but was actually designed from scratch. It’s still built from an original Atari XEGS computer. Several things are different, such as the keyboard and the hinge, which might explain the delays. It also is “back in black” (and silver) so it resembles the XL line. Has the latest MyIDE custom OS, Compact Flash disk drive, SIO port, plus a “New for O-Six” cartridge add-on slot.

Silver and black - ah the 80's....
“The stylish 2006 Atari laptop will be the hit of the presentation!” – ANALOG Computing, were it still around.

For a lot more pics and the usual “making of” tour click the link below. I’m sure many of you are wondering when I’ll do something with the *other* 8-bit computer – I guess only time will tell, because I sure won’t.

Article Links:

Ben’s Atari 800 Laptop – Revision 2.0 “Making Of”

More about the single handed Xbox 360 controller

Wow a lot of reaction to my single-handed Xbox 360 controller! I am surprised but pleased. Been getting a lot of email requests already – a nice break from the usual “plz build me a xbox 360 laptop using a game gear screen for $5” ones.


Melts in your mouth, fits in one hand.

I suspect this sort of item wouldn’t have a large enough market for the typical mass production so maybe that’s where I could come in. I think a more “universal” controller might be best, whereas the thing you hold is nothing but the controls / buttons / analog sticks. Without the bulky circuit board(s) the design could be a lot better. Then this would wire to a standard controller, which could be from any system really. Granted it wouldn’t be a solid “all in one” unit like this prototype but would be a lot easier for me to build (or for people to assembly as a kit) and that means more can be built.

Here’s the first revision of my design from back in August (yes I’ve been tinkering with this for quite a while) Originally I wanted more of a handle grip design but this proved a bit too tricky for the CNC methods I used to cut it.


Rev 1 of the design. Yes, that’s my hand in a scanner, because I am just that hardcore.

So yes, keep those emails coming. Click here to send ideas or requests regarding this project, I shall read them all and do my best to get back to you. If you have facilities or such that could assist me in these endeavors (to increase production numbers) let me know as well. I would like to see what kind of support we could find for a product like this.

Article Links:

Single-handed Xbox 360 Controller

New Benheck.com Podcast – Episode 8

OK our latest podcast is up and ready for download! Use the link below…

For this outing we discuss the possible evils of online gaming, advertising in games and the ever-confusing world of legal movie downloads, specifically, do people want to buy movies to watch on their computers? We look at prices and discuss the feasibility. Plus some Wii/PS3 launch post-mortem.

Article Links:

Benheck.Com Podcast – Episode 8