The sweet spot for home turntable enthusiasts on a budget seems to be the $200 mark. This might be the best of the bunch.
One can only imagine the sake-fueled club hopping that led to the development of the Seiko Frequency drum machine watch.
Affordable homebrew gaming: XGameStation Pico Edition 2.0
By James Grahame
We first looked at the XGameStation in September 2005. The system was created to introduce a new generation to the fun of coding and playing classic console video games. The original unit was priced at $199, which put it out of reach of many casual hobbyists. To reach a wider audience, the company offered the Pico Edition, a tiny (and fiddly) $59.95 DIY breadboard unit.
They now offer the $79.95 XGS Pico Edition 2.0, which includes the original breadboard system along with a sexy all-new compact PC board that looks extremely easy to assemble. The unit is designed around the 80 MHz Ubicom SX28 microcontroller and features a Harvard Architecture core based upon the popular Microchip family of MCUs. Video is generated using a software-based raster graphics technique similar to the old Atari 2600 and Apple II systems. The compact PC board features a simple 7-segment LED display and built-in gamepad buttons. It absolutely screams "Hack up a cool case for me!"
