A lot of people find it easier to fall asleep with a dim light such as a nightlight in the room. But the down side of most nightlights is that they waste electricity because they are on all night when you really only need them to be on while you are falling asleep. So I […]
How to build a snake robot
If you have pets or children that you need to feed or check on via the internet, here’s a cheap and easy way to control motors, lights, and other devices at home from another computer online, like the one at work. You can set this system up in minutes and it requires no programming. All […]
Switching plug-in appliances from your computer or microcontroller isn’t difficult in theory, but doing it without turning your home into a potential deathtrap can be tricky. The safer way is to rely on remote control rather than wiring directly.
The brilliant Meara O’Reilly describes how to wind your own electromagnetic guitar pickups on sewing machine bobbins.
The basic construction is relatively simple, with a standard 1/2 inch copper pipe serving as the main support for lightweight tubes (barrels) that spin and emit light when they pass in front of a high intensity LED source. A cheap cordless drill — something from Harbor Freight, for example — would be the easiest way […]
About 2 months ago, after years of begging and pleading from my family, I reluctantly agreed to get another cat from the local shelter. We already have a menagerie of beasts that share our home, but for some reason they felt we needed another. I admit, I do like our new addition to the family. […]
