Motorize a phenakistoscope, a 19th-century parlor novelty that preceded motion pictures, and keep its frames synched to an LED strobe by using a sensor and an Arduino microcontroller. Invented in 1832 by Joseph Plateau, this device creates a moving picture from a sequence of stills arranged on a spinning disk and viewed through strategically cut […]
In this fun and easy project (which originally appeared in the Spy Tech edition of Make Magazine), you’ll connect a shirt-pocket “amplified listener” hearing aid with an in-car FM transmitter to create a wireless bug. Then you’ll tuck them inside a hollowed-out book with the microphone (mic) concealed by the dust cover, and you’ll have […]
Many inventions/hacks often arise out of the need to solve a problem. The Arduino mailer notifier project was no exception. My workshop is in my backyard. During the day, I am far away from my mailbox. Using two Arduinos, some cheap RF modules, and a light sensor, I was able to create a solution that […]
I needed a lighting solution for my spiral staircase. After looking at various options (such as direct lighting from above or below) I decided to create my own lighting using some cheap components and a bit of time. I’ll show how I designed and built my lighting rig. Hopefully I can help other people avoid […]
Use a broken speaker, bits of wire, and tape to prepare a coneless voice coil driver, then use it to generate standing waves on a sheet of metal, making sound visible. Magic! My knowledgeable friend Robin once said that you don’t need to worry about having too big an audio amplifier, because speakers are usually […]
Whether you’re at a Bangkok hostel or backpacking in Goa, you can rock out to your favorite tunes with these portable Rock ’n’ Roll Speakers, a set of customizable, low-fi travel speakers that allow you to take your music everywhere. The speakers are driven by a simple power amplifier circuit and a tilt switch. With […]
Many of us over the years have collected boxes of CD cases of the music albums we purchases. Nowadays more and more people are buying digitally, but some of us still prefer the higher quality audio and tangible cover art of physical CDs (used CDs are often cheaper than digital downloads too). However, storing CDs […]
