[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":152},["ShallowReactive",2],{"blog:2006:hardware_hacking_macbook_movement_sensor":3,"blogMore-Technology":138,"comments-hardware_hacking_macbook_movement_sensor":151},{"id":4,"title":5,"body":6,"category":118,"commentCount":119,"date":120,"description":12,"excerpt":121,"extension":122,"filenames":123,"hidden":124,"image":123,"meta":125,"minutes":126,"navigation":127,"path":128,"seo":129,"showCategory":123,"stem":130,"tags":131,"updated":123,"url":135,"wordCount":136,"__hash__":137},"content\u002Fblog\u002F2006\u002Fhardware_hacking_macbook_movement_sensor.md","Hardware hacking the MacBook movement sensor",{"type":7,"value":8,"toc":111},"minimark",[9,13,16,19,22,25,30,33,36,47,56,60,68,71,74,78,86,89,92,95,105],[10,11,12],"p",{},"Developers keep finding new and unexpected uses for hardware and software, seemingly never more so than on the Mac and OS X.",[10,14,15],{},"Whether they’re using the iSight camera to scan bar codes into your Delicious Library or turning the Apple Remote into a alarm key-fob in TheftSensor there’s always some novel hack around the corner for the latest bit of kit.",[10,17,18],{},"Current attention is focused on the motion sensor added to MacBook and MacBook Pro’s that is used to park the hard-drive should sudden movement be detected.",[10,20,21],{},"In true Apple fashion rather than add a simple yes\u002Fno movement sensor the device can detect tilts and both the X and Y axis as well as the current level of force.",[10,23,24],{},"With a little imagination those enterprising third-party developers have come up with…",[26,27,29],"h2",{"id":28},"sudden-motion-sensor","Sudden Motion Sensor",[10,31,32],{},"Amit Singh is a man with a mission, which is just as well because he doesn’t have a MacBook or a MacBook Pro. So how exactly he’s written a bunch of fun apps and a useful command line motion sensor tool is another matter.",[10,34,35],{},"Amit includes some technical coverage of the sensor and how it works over the I2C bus Apple also use for temperature sensing, fan control etc.",[10,37,38,39,46],{},"He also has a useful ",[40,41,45],"a",{"href":42,"rel":43},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.osxbook.com\u002Fbook\u002Fbonus\u002Fchapter10\u002Fams2hid\u002F",[44],"nofollow","command-line tool and some fun hacks"," such as showing a MacBook Pro in 3D oriented as yours currently is and a window that self-adjusts itself to always be horizontal. Unfortunately, at least on my MacBook Pro, the X axis seems to be inverted and the invert X axis didn’t work so the effect fails to impress.",[10,48,49,50,55],{},"More interesting is his page on ",[40,51,54],{"href":52,"rel":53},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.osxbook.com\u002Fbook\u002Fbonus\u002Fchapter10\u002Fams\u002F",[44],"using the motion sensor as an input device",". While not as advanced as the Nintendo Wand (it doesn’t support detection of position) it still holds some promise as he illustrates.",[26,57,59],{"id":58},"macsaber","MacSaber",[10,61,62,63,67],{},"With the sensor sporting a force level it was only a matter of time before somebody used that sensor magic to come up with something like ",[40,64,59],{"href":65,"rel":66},"https:\u002F\u002Fisnoop.net\u002Fblog\u002F2006\u002Fmacsaber-10-released\u002F",[44],".",[10,69,70],{},"The sole purpose of this app is to make your $2,000 laptop hum like a Star Wars lightsaber as you swing it dangerously around the room with a satisfying tzzzzum and sheuw.",[10,72,73],{},"Just don’t rely on the midichorians to stop your MacBook slipping through your fingers…",[26,75,77],{"id":76},"smackbook-pro","SmackBook Pro",[10,79,80,81,85],{},"You might be thinking this sensor is nothing but a curiosity but ",[40,82,77],{"href":83,"rel":84},"https:\u002F\u002Fblog.medallia.com\u002F2006\u002F05\u002Fsmacbook_pro.html",[44]," illustrates a novel use to desktop switching.",[10,87,88],{},"Desktop switching is one of those problem areas for short cuts. You might be using any one of tens of apps and finding a good shortcut that’s not taken by any of those applications could really be a problem.",[10,90,91],{},"SmackBook Pro’s solution is to tap the side of your machine to switch desktops and the way the new desktop flies in from the side is a great visual indicator of what has just happened as the video illustrates.",[10,93,94],{},"I’m not sure constantly tapping the side of an LCD is good for it’s health.",[96,97,98],"blockquote",{},[10,99,100,101,67],{},"Many more hacks to be found at ",[40,102,104],{"href":103},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.mexicanpictures.com\u002Fheadingeast\u002F2006\u002F06\u002Fmotion-sensing-and-isight-hacks-on-mac.html","Raul’s blog",[10,106,107],{},[108,109,110],"em",{},"[)amien",{"title":112,"searchDepth":113,"depth":113,"links":114},"",2,[115,116,117],{"id":28,"depth":113,"text":29},{"id":58,"depth":113,"text":59},{"id":76,"depth":113,"text":77},"Technology",0,"2006-05-29T09:17:24+00:00","[object Object]","md",null,false,{},3,true,"\u002Fblog\u002F2006\u002Fhardware_hacking_macbook_movement_sensor",{"title":5,"description":12},"blog\u002F2006\u002Fhardware_hacking_macbook_movement_sensor",[132,133,134],"Apple","MacBook","macOS","\u002Fblog\u002F2006\u002Fhardware_hacking_macbook_movement_sensor\u002F",503,"1fGpASN0g0bzs0xdT5Ujj2Ss-42ucz6u75lYIrpRCcE",[139,143,147],{"title":140,"date":141,"url":142},"VTX5000: Part 4 - Communications","2026-05-06T10:19:24.727Z","\u002Fblog\u002F2026\u002Fvtx5000-part-4-comms-routines\u002F",{"title":144,"date":145,"url":146},"VTX5000: Part 3 - Software ROM","2026-04-15T23:00:00.000Z","\u002Fblog\u002F2026\u002Fvtx5000-part-3-software-rom\u002F",{"title":148,"date":149,"url":150},"VTX5000: Part 2 - Hardware","2026-03-30T23:00:00.000Z","\u002Fblog\u002F2026\u002Fprism-vtx5000-part-2\u002F",[],1780900522467]