Re: metal detector app for N900
 

the tricorder app sounds great! : D

Re: metal detector app for N900
 

TriCorder yup sounds like a killer app to be sure.

We could even hack a compass into your fm transmitter-receiver
notion - I am quite busy with other things but this sounds like
it could be a game-changer for the n900 usage.

I have my spare disassembled and am looking for space to
put a coil for just such a hack - looks like the only site would be
near the stylus insertion hole, which suggests an idea.
If we replaced the stylus with a long air coil it might be
possible to wire that into the FM side and get some interesting
results from ambient fm noise (I do work on ambient noise
data acquisition techniques in geophysics so it fits right in)
Any compass app would need to integrated with accelerometer
data to provide an orientation basis.

All this might hinge on being able to (quickly) toggle FM
transmit and receive functions (which may be too slow for interaction detection):(
but a passive coil on receive only might at least be useful
for detecting metal as the induction change from nearby
ferro-magnetics might be detectable by noise attenuations.:)

Re: metal detector app for N900
 

I want a tricorder to be able to read minds, is it possible?

Re: metal detector app for N900
 

I just want FM-radio to work without headphones plugged in.
Having stylus as a FM-radio antenna sounds interesting and patentable. Let's license it here and now with GPL3.

Edit:
How to trick by software N900 to think headphones are connected when they are not, but there in the 3.5 mm hole is just saliva moisted stylus working as a FM-antenna?

I used to have "empty" 3.5mm plug with N95 with me, so I could listen FM-radio without headphones if I wanted. Just touching the connector with a finger usually got good reception on many FM-stations.

Re: metal detector app for N900
 

While looking, could you also look for something for me? :)

I've been toying with the idea of using a mylar ribbon cable, and a micro USB male/female connector set to "move" the micro USB port on the N900. This would reduce the chance of the on-board connector separating, as it would protrude only about as much as a standard case (and thus with a case on would be flush).

The problem being, where to put the female connector in such a way that it's also flush with the surface. I really don't care where it comes out of the case, as the ribbon is quite flexible. It could run under a compartment, and preferably under the outer case to wherever there is space to embed the female port. The problem is the width/height/depth of the port. Finding a space that's at least 7.8mm x 2.8mm with at least 3.8mm depth into the device is tough.

If you spot any area that looks large enough for that, I'd love a pointer to it. :)

Re: metal detector app for N900
 

A tricorder app?

Cool!

All I need now is a salt/pepper pot and I can say:

"WeeaWeeaWeeaWeea.........He's dead Jim"

:)

Re: metal detector app for N900
 

Looking now, just a moment....:D

Re: metal detector app for N900
 

IR signals for detecting metal?.possible eh ?

Re: metal detector app for N900
 

But the IR of N900 can't receive signals, am I wrong? I guess it's just send.

Re: metal detector app for N900
 

I want video to be recorded like a pic-in-pic skype call, where the person taking the video is also being recorded on the secondary cam. Is that possible?