"If I had this book 10 years ago, the FBI would never have found me!" -- Kevin Mitnick This book has something for everyone---from the beginner hobbyist with no electronics or coding experience to the self-proclaimed "gadget geek." Take an ordinary piece of equipment and turn it into a personal work of art. Build upon an existing idea to create something better. Have fun while voiding your warranty! Some of the hardware hacks in this book include: * Don't toss your iPod away when the battery dies! Don't pay Apple the $99 to replace it! Install a new iPod battery yourself without Apple's "help" * An Apple a day! Modify a standard Apple USB Mouse into a glowing UFO Mouse or build a FireWire terabyte hard drive and custom case * Have you played Atari today? Create an arcade-style Atari 5200 paddle controller for your favorite retro videogames or transform the Atari 2600 joystick into one that can be used by left-handed players * Modern game systems, too! Hack your PlayStation 2 to boot code from the memory card or modify your PlayStation 2 for homebrew game development * Videophiles unite! Design, build, and configure your own Windows- or Linux-based Home Theater PC * Ride the airwaves! Modify a wireless PCMCIA NIC to include an external antenna connector or load Linux onto your Access Point * Stick it to The Man! Remove the proprietary barcode encoding from your CueCat and turn it into a regular barcode reader * Hack your Palm! Upgrade the available RAM on your Palm m505 from 8MB to 16MB

Table of Contents:
Foreword Introduction Part I Introduction to Hardware Hacking Chapter 1 Tools of the Warranty Voiding Trade Introduction The Essential Tools Taking it to the Next Level Hardcore Hardware Hackers Only Where to Obtain the Tools Chapter 2 Electrical Engineering Basics Introduction Fundamentals Basic Device Theory Soldering Techniques Common Engineering Mistakes Web Links and Other Resources Part II Hardware Hacks Chapter 3 Declawing Your CueCat Introduction Opening the CueCat Removing the Unique Identifier Removing the Proprietary Barcode Encoding Technical Information CueCat Litter Box:Web Links and Other Resources Chapter 4 Case Modification: Building a Custom Terabyte FireWire Hard Drive Introduction Creating a 1.2TB FireWire RAID Custom Case Modification for the FireWire RAID Additional Resources Chapter 5 Macintosh Compubrick SE Building a UFO Mouse Adding Colored Skins to the Power Macintosh G4 Cube Other Hacks and Resources Chapter 6 Home Theater PCs Introduction Before You Begin: Research and Plan The Components of an HTPC Project Building a Windows HTPC Building a Linux HTPC Further Hacking and Advanced Topics Chapter 7 Hack Your Atari 2600 and 7800 Introduction Atari 2600 Left-Handed Joystick Modification Use an NES Control Pad with Your 2600 Atari 2600 Stereo Audio Output Atari 7800 Blue LED Modification Atari 7800 Game Compatibility Hack to Play Certain 2600 Games Atari 7800 Voltage Regulator Replacement Atari 7800 Power Supply Plug Retrofit Other Hacks Chapter 8 Hack Your Atari 5200 and 8-Bit Computer Introduction Atari 5200 Blue LED Modification Creating an Atari 5200 Paddle Free Yourself from the 5200 Four-Port Switchbox Build Atari 8-Bit S-Video and Composite Cables Other Hacks Chapter 9 Hacking the PlayStation 2 Introduction Commercial Hardware Hacking: Modchips Getting Inside the PS2 Installing a Serial Port Booting Code from the Memory Card Other Hacks: Independent Hard Drives PS2 System Overview Additional Web Resources Chapter 10 Wireless 802.11 Hacks Introduction Wireless NIC/PCMCIA Card Modifications: Adding an External Antenna Connector OpenAP (Instant802): Reprogramming Your Access Point with Linux Having Fun with the Dell 1184 Access Point Summary Additional Resources and Other Hacks Chapter 11 Hacking the iPod Introduction Opening Your iPod Replacing the iPod Battery Upgrading a 5GB iPod’s Hard Drive From Mac to Windows and Back Again iPod Diagnostic Mode Additional iPod Hacks iPod Resources on the Web Chapter 12 Can You Hear Me Now? Nokia Mobile Phone Modifications Introduction Nokia 6210 LED Modification Data Cabling Hacks Other Hacks and Resources Chapter 13 Upgrading Memory on Palm Devices Introduction Hacking the Pilot 1000 and Pilot 5000 Hacking the PalmPilot Professional and PalmPilot Personal Hacking the Palm m505 Technical Information Palm Links on the Web Part III Hardware Hacking Technical Reference Chapter 14 Operating Systems Overview Introduction OS Basics Device Drivers Properties of Embedded Operating Systems Linux VxWorks Windows CE Summary Additional References and Further Reading Chapter 15 Coding 101 Introduction Programming Concepts Introduction to C Debugging Introduction to Assembly Language Summary Additional Reading Index