Wind Activated Garden Lights
This is my first project that I made for Make Magazine's new DIY Hacks & How Tos YouTube series.We are all familiar with garden fixtures like wind chimes and solar path lights. In this project,...
View ArticleHow to Make a Custom Operation Game
Operation is a game that lets you test your hand-eye coordination by removing ailment tokens from a carton patient. The difficult part is that you can't touch the sides of each slot. Since its original...
View ArticleHow to Get Emergency Power from a Phone Line
What do you do if the power is out but you need to charge your cellphone to make an emergency phone call (or play Angry Birds). Don't worry there are plenty of power sources all around you that you can...
View ArticleMagnetic Magic Wand Toy
Do you know a kid that likes to pretend that they are a wizard or a fairy princess? How would you like to give them a toy wand that can turn on/off electronic devices like magic? You may even be able...
View ArticleSwiss Army Key Ring
Most people have to keep track of at least a few keys. The easiest way to do that is to just keep them all on one key ring. But the more keys that you have, the more they fan out on the ring. If you...
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You are probably already familiar with the classic "Secret Book Compartment" project. You can find variations of this project all over the internet. The basic concept is simple. You hollow out a large...
View ArticleHow to Convert Battery Powered Electronics to Run on AC Power
We use a lot of battery power electronics. And they go through a lot of batteries. But some of them don't necessarily need to be powered by batteries. If your electronics tend to stay in the same...
View Article3D Photography
3D photography or stereoscopic photography is the art of capturing and displaying two slightly offset photographs to create three dimensional images.The 3D effect works because of a principle called...
View ArticleVideo Game Controller Hack
Everyone loves video games. But it can be difficult to enjoy certain games if you are injured or disabled and don’t have the manual dexterity needed to execute fast button combos. Fortunately, we can...
View ArticleUSB Deaddrops
What is a USB dead drop? ‘Dead Drops’ is an anonymous, offline, peer to peer file-sharing network in public space. This network is made up of USB drives that are embedded in walls, buildings and other...
View ArticlePocket-Size Power Supply
I am a big fan of garage sales, flea markets, and thrift stores. They are great places to find used parts and materials for your next project. But one problem that I often run into is not being able to...
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The heat of summer is upon us. So to help beat the heat, today I am going to show you how you can make your own custom soda cooler. As an example I decided to make a cooler that perfectly fits a pack...
View ArticleSecret Candlestick Switch
No feature in a home captures the imagination like a secret compartment or secret passage. But no secret compartment is complete without a secret way to open it.In this project, I share several ways...
View ArticleDIY Glove Box
A glove box is a piece of equipment that lets you perform work on a subject while keeping it in isolation. A glove box is most commonly used to protect operators working with hazardous materials, but...
View ArticleHow to make a digital picture Magic 8 Ball
The classic Magic 8 Ball is an amusing toy for speculating about life's many questions. But it lacks versatility. So I removed the standard 20 side fortune die and replaced it with a digital picture...
View ArticleDIY Finger Printing with Super Glue
You may have heard that you can use super glue to develop finger prints. It's actually really easy, and you can do it with things that you probably already have lying around your house. This tutorial...
View ArticleDIY Sunrise Alarm Clock
There is nothing that is more annoying than the beep of an alarm clock. So I designed a simple DIY "sunrise alarm clock" This uses light to wake you up. At the set time, an LED lamp gradually turns on...
View ArticleArduino Controlled Solar Fountain
A fountain can make a nice decorative fixture for your garden. But it isn’t always easy to run a power cord out to where you want it. So I decided to run it on solar power. The system is controlled by...
View ArticleGiant Cardboard Dinosaur Puzzle
A few weeks ago I purchased some small 3D wood puzzles to build with my son. Among them was a pteranodon. I thought that it was a really fun model, but it was too small. So I scanned the pieces and...
View ArticleHow to Transplant an RFID Chip
RFID (radio-frequency identification) systems are all around us. They help us get through toll booths faster. They help stores keep track of inventory. They are even in a lot of toys.But there is no...
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