DIY Hacks & How To’s: Snow Monitoring Scale
Need to shovel the snow off your driveway? Build on these first.
Jason Poel Smith
DIY Hacks & How To’s: Make a Simple Intercom From a Pair of Corded Phones
In this project, I show you how you can make a simple intercom system from a pair of old corded telephones. The phones already have all the circuitry that is needed for processing a voice call.
DIY Hacks & How To’s: Adjustable Power Outlet
There are a lot of electrical devices that only have two settings: ON and OFF. For a many of these, it would be helpful if you could adjust the output with an external circuit. In this project, I show you how to make an adjustable power outlet. This circuit acts as an external dimmer and can be used to adjust the power on a variety of appliances such as Lamps, heaters, soldering irons, and hot glue guns.
DIY Hacks & How Tos: Glowing Treasure Chest
We have all seen movies and TV show where someone opens a treasure chest and the treasure inside is so shiny that the container is glowing as soon as it is opened. I thought that this would make a great effect for Christmas presents. So I made a small treasure chest with a built-in light that turns on when it is opened. The lights are activated by a normally open momentary switch.
DIY Hacks & How To’s: Chainmail
Chainmail can do more than just protect you from sharp objects. It can also protect you from high voltage electricity. Many people who work with Tesla coils use chainmail as a kind of wearable faraday cage. A great example of this is the band ArcAttack. They use solid state Tesla coils to play music. The performers on stage are able to safely get struck by lightning from the Tesla coils because the metal suits redirect the electricity around their bodies. In this project, I am going to give you a basic introduction to the art of making chainmail.
DIY Hacks & How To’s: Articulated Camera Stand
A tripod is the most common way to stabilize a camera. But there are a few situations where a regular tripod is very impractical. In this project, I show you how to make a small table top articulated camera stand from a desk lamp and a few piece of scrap wood. This lets you get pictures from any height and just about any angle. Its a great tool for documenting your DIY projects.
DIY Hacks & How To’s: Automate Your Haunted House With a Motion Sensor
When working with special effects, the most important part is timing. So for this Halloween, I am doing a series of projects that use simple DIY sensors to help you automate your Halloween setup. So far we have covered pressure plates and proximity sensors. This week, I am going to show you how to use motion sensors to activate your special effects.
