How-To Guides about Hacks, Mods & Circuitry

The pressure underwater is undeniably strong. If you were to fill a balloon with water and take it underwater, it would not burst but would stay the same size because liquids are not compressed. The pressure is the same, inside and outside of the balloon. If you were to fill that same balloon with air instead, the lower it dives into water, the more it shrinks, until it eventually can't take the pressure anymore and bursts.

This tutorial shows you how to create an intruder alarm that sends you text message alerts when motion is detected. This may sound complicated but I am pretty confident any beginner with electronics should be able to do this just fine. The range sensor senses motion and tells your Arduino board to send the text (SMS). So you can leave the intruder detector at home, connected to your network, and still receive the SMS alerts, no matter where you are, as long as you have cell phone service.

Have any Star Wars fanatics in your family? Well, here's a great Christmas gift idea for those Star Wars fans who think they have everything... a freaking LEVITATING DEATH STAR!

With this video tutorial, you'll learn how to hack demo versions of applications such that they'll run indefinitely. You'll just need to modify the date and time on your computer. Learn how to use trials of programs without them ever expiring instead of buying the real thing with the hack outlined in this how-to video.

Make batteries out of nothing but pennies, washers and a little vinegar soaked cardboard.

Convert the CO2 Cartridge Rifle into this awesome Cardboard Rocket Rifle! Shoots cardboard rockets 500 feet away!

How to get a vending machine to pay you for its goodies, instead of you paying for them. First off, find a older vending machine, and insert your dollar bill as you normally would. Once you have entered it, you can select which ever item you want. Then quickly, before the item dispenses, hold up on the gate to prevent the item from falling. When it falls, it should rest on the back of the gate you're holding up—don't let go yet. After a long wait, the vending machine will think nothing...

Instructables user vmspionage demonstrates how to make a tiny bbq grill with an Altoids tin "powered by a standard-sized charcoal briquette and capable of cooking a full-size hot dog (cut down to size) or smaller hamburger patties with ease." Impressive design and execution.

Nowadays, protecting your valuables can be challenging especially when you're on the go. That's why I decided to make a little secret compartment inside my car. Only you'll know it's there because nobody will be able to find it. Not only that, but you'll have easy access to it. It's fairly cheap and the total cost was under $5.00. Let me show you how to make it. You can watch the video or scroll down below for the written guide.

Today we show you how to peel potatoes with a drill! It's So Easy a Guy Could Do It!

Two years ago, driven by a good friend of mine i decided to give it a try on timelapse photography. I had a DSLR camera but didn't had an intervalometer, so i assembled a small electronic circuit on top of an Arduino Uno, made some basic code and did my first timelapse movie. The result was awful, but for some reason I was hooked.

Using this method is stupidly simple.A hand-powered method that magically scrambles 4 eggs at once without breaking or penetrating the shell.

Hand made air conditioner made of a foam lunch box, 5 volt DC fan, 4 AAA rechargeable batteries, and some ice. This homemade AC can run on batteries and you can plug directly into any USB port.

This is an easy step by step tutorial how to lock your jewels in a hotel room or in a public safe. Be aware that in a public safe it is more secure to use the second method of locking by a magnetic card, not by a PIN code that can be easily seen by someone nearby.

Clothespins are pretty innocent-looking, but with a mod here and a hack there, that innocence quickly turns into danger. Well, sort of. In this project, we'll be turning an ordinary spring-action clothespin into powerful matchstick and toothpick shooter that can shoot apples and lob fiery darts over 20 feet.

This simple contraption almost acts like a Rube Goldberg machine to give you that cold tranquility that you need during the summer.

No matter your reason, if you want to hide what's on your computer screen from prying eyes, there are plenty of ways to do it. You can get a privacy filter, install a panic button for your browser, or just develop super fast reflexes. But all it takes is the right angle or a too-slow reaction to blow your cover.

Mac laptops, especially the older PowerBooks, often can become very hot when doing processor intensive tasks like movie rendering, YouTube videos streaming, database lookups, or just gaming. Often just lifting the machine from the surface is enough to cool it down without the need of expensive hardware or software tuning.

So, I wondered whether there was a possibility to integrate Facebook even further into my life! (I still wonder why I wanted that actually...) Here's the way to do it!

The first thing anybody really thinks about after watching Rear Window is how much they want their own telephoto lens. These days, they aren't cheap, so how do you go about spying on your neighbors without putting down so much dough?

For this project, you will need a magnet, two AA batteries, two keys, a metal plate, and a copper wire coil.

When you're using vacuum power, moving water, or compressing air, it's more than likely being done with some sort of pump. I'll be needing a pump for some of my future projects, so in this tutorial, I'll be showing you how to make your own customizable PVC hand pump that will let you do all three.

Led infinity mirror that I make with some materials like mirror from old hard drive,leds,plastic mirror sheet and battery holder.

If you're going to build yourself a water gun to cool down this summer, or maybe just a useful water pump, you'll need some check valves. However, the most expensive parts of a water pump or DIY super soaker are usually the check valves. So, let's make some from scratch for as little as $0.35 each.

In this video clip series our expert, Kyle Saylors, will walk you through all the aspects, parts and options for LED lights and how to use them. He will offer tips on how to work around damaged lights and how to fix them as well as how to set up preset patterns for a light show and all the benefits and downsides to LED lighting.

Paper clips and any kind of power adapter that gives 5 volts will do the job for charging your phone battery.

This summer's going to be a hot one, so skip the water pistol this year and break out the big guns! In this project, I'll be showing you how to build a water balloon shotgun—a high-powered water balloon launcher that's capable of firing 17 water balloons at the same time!

I use a lighter as a case for my USB drive and it came out pretty cool. Watch to see how I made it.

I all the time play games and my hand always sweat.So I add small dc fan into my mouse and fix the problem with sweating.What you will need is one dc fan that work on 5 volts,tiny switch and some wires.

In this video I show you how to repair the cable of your badly damaged headphones and basically give them another chance.

"What is dead may never die." That's easily one of the best lines (and episode title) from HBO's Game of Thrones series. While the saying may ring true for the Ironborn, it's not quite as catchy when it comes to batteries.

Perfect kids room project! Make an oozing faucet nightlight!

Learn how to make this cool little fog machine! It's great for a halloween prop!

Create your very own alcohol powered bottle rocket!

A deck of cards may be a magician's best way to demonstrate his or her's sleight of hand, but for the prankster, it's the perfect way to deliver a shocking 300 volts of electricity! And that's exactly what I'm going to show you how to do today. Stuart Edge used it in his "Electric Shock Kissing Prank" to show the ladies how a man can really put the sparks in a kiss.

Watch this video tutorial, and learn how to turn an ordinary inexpensive webcam into a hidden home security system, viewable anywhere in the world from your cell phone! With a cute and cuddly teddy bear and a cheap webcam, you can make the perfect homemade security camera, or just a camera to spy on your sister and her friends during sleepovers. Follow along with the steps in this how-to video and learn how to set up this spy system. Note: this video is NOT recommended for people who are...