The “Cardboard” Variable Capacitor as built in this article will yield a cap in the range of about 300 pF Max. Increasing it to 7″ will get well up to 370 pF. It is build of readily available material found around the house (some at the hardware store).Link
Turn that old Win machine in to a gamer box – This article describes how to use a clean boot to start your Microsoft Windows XP, Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition (Me), or Microsoft Windows 98-based computer. When you use a clean boot to start your computer, Microsoft Windows loads only basic devices and services when it starts. [via] Link.
This article will show you how to make your own microphone pop-filter. A pop-filter is a small screen that goes between a microphone and your mouth to prevent sharp popping sounds (known as plosives) like “P” and “B” words from overloading the mic level and distorting. Commercially available pop-filters are expensive and can often cost 20 dollars or more. The pop-filter you can build here will cost less than $6 dollars. Link.
Two parts water, one part coolant, and one part guts are all it takes to water-cool your PC. It may seem a little extreme for a garden-variety desktop, but if your CPU runs hot or you’ve overclocked parts of your system, nothing beats the cooling power of classic H2O. Water conducts heat far better than air, and you don’t have to be a turbogeek to perform the conversion. Modern kits make installation little more challenging than swapping a fan or a heat sink. [via] Link.
Here’s a HOW TO on making your own iPod socks or you can buy homemade ones – A few months ago I asked my Mum to knit me an iPod sock, because I couldn’t stand the thought of shelling out over 20 quid for some thin piece of junk from Apple. Whilst she was experimenting, I suggested that she add in a pocket, for the earphones, because there’s nothing worse than losing your earphones. Link.
Nice HOW TO on G4’s Attack of the Show by David Randolph – Here’s How We Built the World’s Only “Duck Hunt” Sniper Rifle. Everyone thought I was done with the original NES. What could I possibly do after making the world’s largest and smallest controllers? Well, here it is: the world’s only Duck Hunt sniper rifle. Link.
As the title says, advanced spud guns. The site includes plans for spud guns from an experienced builder. The highlight of the site, which the link points to, is a huge spud gun based on the revolver design (i.e. old west 6 shooter, magnum, etc), and plans are included. Link. Thanks Eric! If you wanted to get started a little slower, check out MAKE Volume 03.
