Hacks, Mods & Circuitry Features
How To: Make a vinegar battery
Need to use up vinegar? Here is an interesting way to convert your standard vinegar into a working battery. Learn the technique to create an alternative source of energy using vinegar. Make a vinegar battery.
News: Remote Control Your Car via iPhone (Albeit Dangerously)
Bonafide How-It's-Done (not exactly a HowTo) on remote-controlling your car via iPhone and Power Wheels. Brought to you by some crazy Texans, over at Waterloo Labs.
How To: Use a function generator to make waveforms for electronics projects
A function or signal generator is an electronic device that can create different types of waves and send them through a circuit without building oscillators. This video will teach you how they work and how to build a basic LED dimmer that uses one as an example.
How To: Program Wiimote buttons with GlovePie
Learn how to program basic script in GlovePie to allow your Nintendo Wii Wiimote to function as an input device on your PC. Using GlovePie input emulation software and a bluetooth connection you can connect your Wiimote to your PC.
News: LED Faucet Light
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News: Creepy Talking-Piano Hack
Austrian composer Peter Ablinger has created a "speaking" piano. Ablinger digitized a child's voice reciting the Proclamation of the European Environmental Criminal Court to "play" on the piano via MIDI sequencer. Apparently, the computer is connected to the piano, which analyzes the human speech, and then converts it to key-tapping.
How To: Custom fit a pair of earbuds to fit your ear
Earbuds can be great for filtering out distraction, but they certainly aren't built for every ear. This tutorial shows you how to create your own pair of custom fit earbuds using just a custom earplug kit. Follow the instructions, and you'll have your own pair of noise-cancelling headphones!
How To: Prep a thermocouple for a printed circuit board
How to prepare a thermocouple for attachment to a printed circuit board (PCB) for profiling a reflow or wave soldering system. This is advanced PCB circuitry and you need to watch all videos in the series to understand all the steps of wiring a printed circuit board entails.
How To: Hack together a widescreen TV
Learn how to make your own widescreen TV in 5 minutes. The process involves using two full screen TVs side-by-side with two DVD players.
How To: Build an Illuminated Star Map
It's what every astronomy-loving geek has always wanted... a beautiful, twinkling home galaxy. As Instructables user MrTrick rightly warns, this project is no small feat. Be prepared to get schooled in:
How To: Convert a Zoom H2 into a 4 track field recorder
Convert a Zoom h2 into a 4 track field recorder which cane record from 4 channels on a computer audio interface. You will need four 10 Kohm resistors, four 100 ohm resistors, two double pole switches, four RCA chassis parts, some wire, small screwdrivers, a wire cutter, a soldering iron, gaffa tape, and a drilling machine with a 6mm metal drill. Watch this video circuitry tutorial and learn how to modify a Zoom H2 into a 4 track field recorder.
How To: Make a flexible aluminum electroluminescent display
Make a flexible aluminum electroluminescent display using aluminum foil, EL phosphors and a simple electrolytic etching bath. This video shows the chemical process behind etching foil in an electrolytic bath, and develops it into a practical application for it by creating an electroluminescent caution display.
How To: Build an alarm system in under three minutes
This is a DIY (do-it-yourself) alarm system. Try building it in under three minutes!
How To: Operate an accounting calculator
In this video series, watch as accountant Joseph Salazar teaches how to operate an accounting calculator. Get tips on how to calculate sales tax, how calculate finance charges, and how to find the installment buying amount. Use these step by step online tutorials to continue your accounting career.
How To: Repair printed circuit board laminate materials
In this soldering tip video brought to you by BEST, Inc. Bob Wettermann demonstrates how to repair damages that have occurred to the based printed circuit board laminate materials as well as to PCB corners.
How To: Scan a 3-D object
In the season finale of Know How, Tim uses a laser pointer and a wine glass to scan a 3-D image of his mom’s head. You have to see it to believe it.
How To: Make a brain machine
For those of you who don't know, a brain machine is a machine that controls your brain waves. This particular brain machine puts your brain in a meditative state and then brings you back out via brain waves.
How To: Build a USB flashdrive eraser
Moujan, from PopSiren, transforms a boring USB drive into a master of disguise with the help of an eraser!
How To: Make a disposable camera belt
A piece of homemade spy gear - learn how to make a belt with a disposable camera attached to it.
How To: Embed lights into a backpack for safety with LilyPad
Get started with the LilyPad Arduino! It's a sewable microcontroller that lets you embed lights, sounds, sensors, and much more into your wearables, perfect for clothing and accessories. In this Make Magazine intermediate, soft circuit, video tutorial, you'll see how to make a light-up patch that can be used on your backpack for fun and bike safety. Get the details.
How To: Fix a broken XLR cable & make a sub mic from a speaker
If you have an extra speaker cabinet, a broken XLR cable and a little bit of soldering knowledge, you can create a functional kick drum microphone in just a few minutes' time. This audio engineer's guide will walk you through the entire process. For detailed, step-by-step instructions, and to get started building your own sub mic for extra low-end, watch this hacker's how-to.
How To: DIY Alcohol Monitoring Ice Cubes, Plus How to Make Tetris-Shaped Ones That'll Make You Drink More
If you're like me (and everybody else probably), you probably have a few nights of reckless drinking that you wish your could take back, or at least turn down a notch.
How To: Make a homemade acetate heater pad
Learn in this video how to make sodium acetate (hot ice experiment)with household item,and how to make heater pad re-usable more than 100time,give 45*c for 1 hour.
How To: Make the Simplest Motor Ever
For this project, you will need a magnet, two AA batteries, two keys, a metal plate, and a copper wire coil.
How To: Shoot macro photography on a budget
Create your own macro lens using the standard 50 mm lens that is shipped with your Digital SLR camera.
How To: Waterproof your thumbdrive
Systm is the Do-It-Yourself show designed for the common geek who wants to quickly and easily learn how to dive into the latest and hottest tech projects. They will help you avoid pitfalls and get your project up and running fast. In this DIY episode, see how to waterproof your thumbdrive.
How To: Build a beer cooling machine
Build a machine that will cool beer in as fast as 6 seconds using an Airduster can of compressed air.
How To: Make a Virtual Private Network
Stay secure on public wireless networks by making your own FREE virtual private network (VPN). This tutorial shows you how to set up an OpenVPN server and connect to it from your laptop.
News: What Every Man Wants in Bed
Wait for it... Wait for it... (Trust me, you won't be sorry).
How To: Make a mute plug for your computer or stereo
Learn how to make a mute plug for your computer by following the steps outlined in this tutorial. This plug can be used for anything, including computers, stereos, mp3 players, or anything else with speakers that has audio. A mute plug is useful to get back at someone that constantly plays their stereo too loud because you are essentially cutting off their audio with this plug. The plug is place into where the headphone equipment would normally go. What you need are some old headphones. Take ...
How To: Hide Secret Messages in Audio
If you want to send someone secret messages you have come to the right place. This is a way in which you can send secret messages to anyone without even making them get a clue that you have sent a secret message.
How To: Make an electric circuit board
See how to make a cool electric circuit board with a software program and some skills. You can do it too, if you follow along.
How To: Make an LED light brick
This video by makemagazine demonstrates a weekend project on how to make a LED light brick. The materials required for this project are listed on the link to the make magazine page in the info box or it can be orders as a kit from the make magazine store. Take the PCB (printed circuit board) and first solder the Resisters and Capacitors as shown. Next test the LEDs and separate them using a button cell batteries. Solder the LED, PIC micro-controller, DC power connector and tilt switch followi...
HowTo: Turn a Security Camera into a Lamp
The end of Daylight Saving Time means two things: a little less light and, as a result, a little less security. This CCTV lamp will give you more of both. And in the nick of time! We fall back to Standard Time at 2 AM on Sunday, November 7th. Better get building!
How To: Make a Twitter talking teddy bear
Alison and Lloyd, the hosts of My Home 2.0, have created a Twittering Teddy Bear by performing surgery on an animatronic toy bear, adding a text-to-speech implant allowing the bear to speak real-time Twitter updates.
News: Make a lemon battery
The lemon battery has a rich history in many elementary science classes as a great example of an electrochemical reaction.
News: Got an Itch? Let Your Chair Do the Scratching
The itch chair, designed by Dana Gordon and Alejandro Zamudio Sánchez, is a futuristic chair that scratches the back of the sitter.
How To: Solder magnet wires
Do you have magnet wires that you need to solder together to get your device working again? This video can help you immensely! Soldering is when you put two wires together using a soldering iron so that even cut wires can be made useful again. Great care and time is taken into soldering these wires properly. Watch the video to learn the proper techniques of soldering magnet wires. The wires shown in this video are extremely thin and are used for small, ready-to-fly airplanes.
How To: Make the z-axis motor mount for a CNC router
A CNC router machine is probably the most useful tool a hobbyist can own, but the price for a CNC machine on the market is way more than the average hobbyist is willing to spend. You can build your own CNC with very basic tools, little knowledge of machinery, mechanics, or electronics, but be warned, these machines are inherently dangerous, so wear the proper protection and use common sense. At the very least, read the instructions and precautions on every tool you use.