news.volyx.in

IKEA Frekvens LED box hack (spritesmods.com)

574 points by rubenbe · 2376 days ago · 82 comments on HN

Article summary

The article discusses a hack of the IKEA Frekvens LED box, which is part of a range of electronics developed in cooperation with Teenage Engineering. The author found the device's built-in animations to be disappointing and decided to crack it open to see what makes it tick. The device has a matrix of 256 white LEDs and can be controlled individually. The author's goal is to make the device more interesting by modifying its hardware and software.

Main themes

  • IKEA Frekvens LED box hack
  • Hardware modification
  • Power consumption
  • Business practices
  • Website design
  • Devkit opportunity
  • Tax avoidance

What commenters say

  • Some commenters praise the author's hacking skills and the potential for IKEA to provide a beginner-friendly devkit for controlling the patterns.
  • Others discuss the power consumption of the device and the differences between PWM and binary code modulation.
  • There is a debate about IKEA's business practices, including tax payments and sustainability.
  • Some commenters criticize the website's design and readability, while others defend it.
  • The idea of IKEA capitalizing on the opportunity to provide a devkit is seen as a potential niche market.
  • The discussion also touches on the topic of companies like IKEA and Facebook avoiding taxes.
  • The author's project is seen as a cool and well-written article, despite some issues with the website's design.