LadyAda, creator of a variety of cool DIY projects that have been featured in Make magazine, has a new kit that lets you make your own Internet set-top box out of an Altoid tin. 

Description:

The YBox2 is a DIY networked set-top box. Connect it to your TV and you can design customized content to be delivered direct from the Internet.

This project is designed for people who want a new platform to experiment with. The video and Internet cores are ready to go and easy to work with. There are example widgets that demonstrate the YBox2’s capability, and the whole project is open source so you can start hacking your own.

Example widgets include weather and Twitter apps. 

Don’t expect a movie store anytime soon, unless it offers ASCII graphic movies. If you’re interested in a net TV device that’s open and hackable, though, this could be a lot of fun. 

The YBox2 kit (sans Altoid tin) is $75.

Features:

• Built using the new Parallax Propeller chip – 8 cores, 32KB of RAM running at 80MHz!
• Works with any NTSC or PAL TV that has composite (RCA) input
• Works with any network router that supports DHCP, just plug in an Ethernet cable and you’re ready to go
• Kit comes with an Internet-enabled bootloader, so you can upload new programs directly from your computer, without a special cable or prop-plug (Propeller chip programmer)
• IR receiver for using a TV remote control
• Full color status LED
• Piezo Buzzer for generating beeps, alarms, and tones
• Pushbutton for input
• Lots of examples programs to try out
• Fits in an Altoids tin!