zedomax.com &#187; DIY

Looking for a great Christmas gift for your whiz kid? Here’s a great DIY that shows you how to make a solar powered ball robot. Of course, there exactly isn’t a kit for this but all the parts are easily findable so it might actually work better than any other gift you can buy off the shelf.

This technology of using minimal electronics and simple mechanical design is call BEAM robotics.

The Miniball itself was originally invented by Richard Weait of North York, Toronto.The Miniball is a amazing robot – it uses a simple circuit and the robot itself proves to be very capable, rarely getting stuck. The Miniball is mechanically complex and electronically simple. (But don’t worry – the mechanical part is still pretty easy)

In this case, we aren’t going to build the original Miniball, but a smaller, more basic wannabe version. This robot is extremely simple and can take a beginner less than 2 hours to build.

Robot DIY – How to Make a Solar Powered Ball Robot!

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Craft DIY – How to Make Hand-Warming Heat Gloves!

max — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 20:10:45 +0000

For those of you trying to beat cold in snow, here’s how to make re-usable hand-warming heat gloves using rice as inserts that can be heated via microwave. I can tell you from growing up in the snow in Korea during winters that hand-warming heat gloves can come in super handy on those short trips outside the house.

Place the gloves in your microwave and heat for a few seconds. Microwaves vary, so experiment with yours to see what amount of time and what power level work best. The gloves should feel warm but not hot to the touch. When you have your hands in them, the heat will be trapped against your palms and feel quite a bit warmer, so heat your gloves a little less than you think you need to.

via craftstylish

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Craft DIY – How to Make Hand-Warming Heat Gloves!

Table DIY – How to Make a Table Out of Recycled Wood!

max — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 02:20:44 +0000

Here’s a great way to make a table using recycled wood. When I get a big house, I will certainly make one myself. (and upload me doing so on YouTube)

The results on this table are rather magnificent, I didn’t know you could do that with old wood.

There’s a lot of wood out in the world free for the taking — in dumpsters, back alleys, vacant lots, abandoned buildings, recycling yards, and architectural salvage centers. Most wood, if free from rot, is just as strong, durable, and good to use as new wood, once you sand off the weathering. This table was made from all salvaged wood — both dimensional lumber and plywood, mostly taken from decaying buildings in and around Hale County, Alabama

via bedzine

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Table DIY – How to Make a Table Out of Recycled Wood!

USB DIY – How to Make Your Own DIY USB Motion Controller!

max — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 23:56:00 +0000

There’s a slew of great USB motion controllers now on the market you can buy but for those of you hackers and DIYers who enjoy the challenge of making one, go ahead and refer to this site on how to make your own DIY USB motion controller. (Of course, don’t forget we made one couple years back before the days of Wii)

This is the schematics for a PIC USB gamepad that I have built in a steering wheel shell. The code for the firmware was written in PicBasic Pro and it implements a HID USB device with 2 axes and 4 buttons (only 2 buttons connected in the prototype). The device is detected by Windows XP/Vista as a standard USB gamepad and can be used with many games and applications.

USB DIY – How to Make Your Own DIY USB Motion Controller!

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iPhone DIY – How to Make a Magnifying Camera Lens and LED Flash!

max — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 18:16:52 +0000

Honestly, you might do better using a real camera (such as a DSLR) for taking photos rather than a smartphone like iPhone but if you must, you can make yourself one of these cool magnifying camera lens along with an LED flash that will let you take close-up, macro shots with ease. Also, don’t forget to adjust your iPhone Lens to focus for macro by hacking it if you are going to use this gizmo.

At first, I just had small metal bezels that I used to hold the lenses up to the camera lens. This was clumsy and upon getting the camera close enough to focus, all of the light was crowded out. These are the problems I intended to solve with this device. This is what I came up with.

iPhone DIY – How to Make a Magnifying Camera Lens and LED Flash!

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iPod Nano Hack – How to Make an iPod Nano Projector!

max — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 07:25:45 +0000

Well, I guess there’s many uses for old projectors that can be used to make a bunch of things including a macro DSLR lens plus this iPod Nano projector.

This could be a great way to project your iPod Nano photos/videos onto a white wall for all your family to enjoy, an iPod Nano Projector made with an old slide projector!

Imagine if you took that digital camera that you dropped and broke the lens but it still reads memory cards and does photo slide shows on its little screen. If you take the backlight off the LCD you can project light through it so if you could fit it inside a cheap slide projector, you’d have a wall-sized digital photo frame.

iPod Nano Hack – How to Make an iPod Nano Projector!

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Chrome OS DIY – How to Install Google Chrome OS!

max — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 02:09:42 +0000

For those of you who can’t wait until Google comes out with automated installation ISO, you might want to try building one yourself by following these instructions here.

You will need a linux-based computer to generate the images though. (or the compiler equivalent in Windows or Mac)

I will try installing Google Chrome OS on my netbook later this week, perhaps have a DIY post on that soon so…

For now, there’s instructions for burning the Chrome OS images to a USB Flash Drive, harddisk, or a VMware virtual machine. I will have to try the USB flash drive, that might be the most portable way to go.

Although I have been excited with Windows 7 lately, having Google Chrome OS run on my netbook might even be more exciting as I’ve had some speed issues with my Eee PC.

Well, I just wish I could make my netbook run a bit faster without changing in hardware but Google Chrome OS certainly could achieve that and more.

Brought to you by: Zedomax.com

Chrome OS DIY – How to Install Google Chrome OS!

DSLR DIY – How to Make an Intervalometer for Canon or Nikon!

max — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:30:54 +0000

Intervalometer can be used in DSLR photography to take time-lapse shots. You can buy one of these Intervalometers off the shelf for anywhere between $60 to $200+ but if you got some programming and soldering skills, you might be interested in learning to make one yourself.

Circuit schematics, code, and whole bunch of images are included in this DIY to help you make the intervalometer for your Canon or Nikon DSLR camera.

This instructable is teaches you how to make an intervalometer that can be used with virtually any camera. It has been tested with Canon and Nikon cameras, but making adapter cables for other cameras is just a matter of figuring out the camera pinout.
It’s also available as a kit so you might want to go that route if you are not familiar with programming an AVR.

This intervalometer has the following features:

Intervalometer mode with options to change delay time and exposure time

Sensor mode with built in light sensor and connector for external sensor input

Manual mode allows intervalometer to act like a simple remote cable

Integrated 2×12 LCD display

Fully optically isolated interface to camera

Total package is roughly 1″ x 2.5″ x 3″ finished

Electronics small enough to fit in a mint box

Source code is available for download so that you can change programming as desired

Available as a kit from www.ottercreekdesign.com

DSLR DIY – How to Make an Intervalometer for Canon or Nikon!

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DIY Accelerometer Controlled Marble Maze!

max — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 20:20:46 +0000

DIY Accelerometer Controlled Marble Maze!

Here’s a rather very interesting DIY project that involves a marble maze controlled by a wireless accelerometer housed in a Wii Steering Wheel unit. Brilliant!

I purchased the Wii steering wheel unaware that an additional button is mounted to the back for the “B” controller input. At first I considered removing this button to prevent users from getting confused but decided to utilize it instead. During testing I found it awkward and difficult to hand off the controller or put it down without the maze going crazy as it continued to follow the accelerometer’s measurements. I decided that a “dead-mans” switch would be a useful addition so that the maze would only accept input when the button is held down. This allowed the controller to be handled without causing the maze to move unless desired.

via hackedgadgets

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Recycle DIY – How to Recycle Tin Cans as Pencil Holders using Grout and Creativity!

max — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 19:53:57 +0000

I really love it when people make things like this out of stuff that would go into your recycling bin, a pencil holder made using old tin cans and grout! Brilliant! Keep up the great work and reduce our carbon footprint!

We all use some canned foods from time to time. And we all probably use empty cans for one purpose or another. This instructable shows how to decorate cans to be used as organizers for pencils, pens, paint brushes, etc. It’s a simple thing to do, and children would especially have fun making their creations.

Recycle DIY – How to Recycle Tin Cans as Pencil Holders using Grout and Creativity!

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Meat DIY – How to Make a Chicken Plucker!

max — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 19:03:58 +0000

Personally, I like eating chicken but refuse to really have anything to do with making chicken meat itself. I know it’s going to be harder to eat chicken if you watch this video so…

Meat DIY – How to Make a Chicken Plucker!

But for those of you who are used to stuff like this, you can make your own chicken plucker by reading this great book on how to do that.

via kottke

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Earthquake DIY – How to Make a Seismic Earthquake Detector/Reflector!

max — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 01:23:18 +0000

Here’s a rather cool device you can make to let you know when there’s an earthquake anywhere around the world using Arduino and RSS feeds from USGS.gov.

Basically, the device will simulate the intensity of earthquake’s magnitude through vibrations. For seismic scientists and reporters who specialize in earthquakes, this could be pivotal in launching an emergency campaign.

As a Californian who witnessed one of the biggest SF Bay Area earthquakes in 1989 (and lived through it), I can see the value of this gadget. Plus, most big earthquakes hit after a series of small/medium ones, meaning this could potentially alarm people of upcoming earthquake too. I still remember the day when my parent’s house rocked back and forth about 1-2 feet like if I were on a boat or something for full 20 seconds. I didn’t know it was an earthquake at the time until afterwards, that was not a lot of fun as I immigrated to the US like 3 months before it.

Even today, I know there’s another big earthquake coming to San Francisco Bay Area, my prediction is around 2070 though, I think they hit this area every 90 or so years.

This project has two strands, a software and a hardware component. The aim is to build a device which responds to earthquakes being reported in near-real time via the USGS RSS feeds. The device responds by illustrating the magnitude of the reported earthquake via two fairly chunky vibration motors of the kind used in video game controllers. The device is connected to a PC via a virtual com port over USB (thanks to an on board Arduino). On the PC, an application sits there checking the RSS feed periodically and when a new event it posted to the RSS feed, the desktop app parses the data out of it and presents the magnitude of the quake to the Arduino which interpreters this as rate at which to activate the vibration motors.

Earthquake DIY – How to Make a Seismic Earthquake Detector/Reflector!

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LCD DIY – How to Use an LCD Monitor as a HDTV!

max — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 22:57:15 +0000

It’s very easy to use a computer LCD monitor (with DVI inputs) as TV by simply plugging in an HDMI to DVI cable. Of course, you will need a separate sound system/speakers unless your LCD comes with speakers too.

Of course, it’s also easy to do the reverse, using your HDTV as computer screen, you will just need an HDMI cable from your graphic card to the HDTV. (all HDTVs have HDMI inputs)

LCD TVs have come down in price, but not enough. If you have a cable box, than your tv tuner is in the that box, not in the tv, so then why buy a tv with a tuner you will never use? Believe it or not you can save almost $200 when you buy a computer monitor instead of a tv.

Also see what is HDMI here.

LCD DIY – How to Use an LCD Monitor as a HDTV!

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DESIGN – DIY Polaroid Flower Vase!

max — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 19:24:36 +0000

Check out this awesome design, a DIY Polaroid Flower Vase for small plants and alike. (via greenmuze)

Designer’s Website

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DESIGN – DIY Polaroid Flower Vase!

iMac G4 Hack – DIY iMac G4 Touch Screen!

max — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 08:21:47 +0000

iMac G4 Hack – DIY iMac G4 Touch Screen!

Looking for a cool way to hack your iMac G4 into a touchscreen computer? Look no more, here’s a DIY iMac G4 touchscreen! The author even hacked a Windows 7 into a PowerPC machine, I don’t know how he did that. (I guess you can install Win 7 on PowerPC CPUs??? Will have a post on that soon too then!)

Way cool!

I added the original speakers connected to a Griffin Power Wave Adapter and now I finally have an updated iMac G4 on my desk. It’s connected to a dual booting Windows 7 / Mac OSX Dual Core machine.

via hackedgadgets

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Windows 7 Hack – Windows 7 Activation Hacked!

max — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 07:43:21 +0000

This is sorta old news already but I guess Windows 7 activation was hacked within days of Windows 7 official release:

According to Windows enthusiast site Neowin, one of the first to report the crack, a Lenovo disk image of Windows 7 leaked to a Chinese Web site, then moved to English-language domains. Pirates proceeded to retrieve the master OEM key and the OEM activation certificate from the .iso file. Microsoft lets major computer makers like Lenovo, Dell and Hewlett-Packard pre-activate new PCs at the factory to save customers the hassle, and provides OEM master keys for that purpose.

Windows 7 uses an updated activation scheme, dubbed OEM Activation 2.1, which is an updated version of the activation software that first appeared in Windows Vista. The technology, ironically, has been the focus of a Microsoft lawsuit filed last January against a former employee charged with stealing company documents related to the anti-piracy software that computer makers use to lock Windows to their PCs.

My advice? You probably will want to get the official version because a lot of those hacked Windows 7 versions might potentially come with a Trojan horse.

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Windows 7 Hack – Windows 7 Activation Hacked!

Plumbing DIY – How to Unclog Bathroom Sink!

max — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 05:41:17 +0000

I guess using liquid draino isn’t the safest nor environmentally sound choice and for bathroom sinks, you might just be able to unclog your drains/pipes simply by cleaning the U-pipe attachment. Not a bad solution plus it will save you some money buying that toxic, chemical stuff or calling your local plumber.

The steps of this instructable show you how to remove biological mysteries from your sink’s drainage without using caustic chemicals that cost money, are bad to breathe, less fun and whose success as an unclogging strategy has a lot of uncertainty.

My bathroom sink is simple enough that the pipes and pop-up assembly do not require any special tools to take apart and put together. The only tool I employed besides my hands was an old tooth brush.

Btw, my friend is a plumber in SF bay area, call him and refer Max from Zedomax.com referred you for deep discounts!

Plumbing DIY – How to Unclog Bathroom Sink!

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DSLR Hack – How to Make a Macro Tilt Lens for your DSLR using Lens from a Slide Projector!

max — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 03:35:12 +0000

Need a cheap macro lens for your DSLR? You might want to consider hacking one up yourself from an old slide projector and make this cool, cheap macro tilt lens. It won’t make you look more professional but heck, if you can take better photos, who cares right? See more DSLR hacks here.

I just came back from the Christchurch SuperShed (our city council recycling centre) where I bought a discarded slide projector for $6. In less than an hour, I turned the projector lens into a tilt macro lens for my dSLR. I know there have been lots of these sorts of projects but I tried to do this one without hot glue or gaffer tape so hopefully my process will help you to turn your odd lenses into useable ones.

DSLR Hack – How to Make a Macro Tilt Lens for your DSLR using Lens from a Slide Projector!

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RFID Hack – How to Make an RFID Music Selector!

max — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 02:00:59 +0000

For RFID modders, here’s a great DIY to refer to, an RFID application that involves selecting your favorite music using RFID modules! I know some of you are working on RFID projects, this one should be very helpful indeed.

The RFiDJ project is my first attempt at an application in Imperceptible Computing. After work I like to listen to music/radio for a bit to unwind. This usually involves logging into my HTPC and selecting a playlist. For this project I attempted to change how I interact with my music and HTPC. Using RFID tags and photo frame coasters I am attempting to simplify the interface to my music.

via hackedgadgets

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RFID Hack – How to Make an RFID Music Selector!

Re-use DIY – How to Make Recycled Wallpaper!

max — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 00:56:52 +0000

I remember when I lived in South Korea for a year couple years back, there used to be a bunch of bars where the walls were pasted with DIY newspaper wallpapers. Of course, they looks sorta nicer, it wasn’t just pasted randomly but looks “clean”.

I think this is a great way to make any room in your home “vintage”. Even better, you might be able to make a wallpaper out of all your old photos somehow, that would be more awesome than your digital frame that’s pushing out only 1 image per second.

you can make wallpaper out of anything from newspapers and magazines to color copies by applying them to the wall with polyurethane (one coat underneath and one on top to seal the paper).

via apartmenttherapy

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Re-use DIY – How to Make Recycled Wallpaper!

Sonar DIY – How to Make Sonar-Like Radar Visualizer for an Ultrasonic Scanner!

max — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 22:52:13 +0000

Good morning! Here’s a rather interesting DIY that shows you how to make a sonar-like radar visualizer for an ultrasonic scanner. Now, I think this could easily be applied to other types of scanners including infrared, radio, etc…etc… Great!

First things first, we need to build our circuit. This is the easy bit! We’ll be using the Arduino to control a servo that will rotate our sensor around 180 degrees. The Arduino will then send the value from the sensor along with the current angle of the servo to the serial port.

Sonar DIY – How to Make Sonar-Like Radar Visualizer for an Ultrasonic Scanner!

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Book Review – How to Become an Accidental Millionaire!

max — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 20:00:13 +0000

Recently I’ve read Accidental Millionaire by Gary Fong, a renowned wedding photographer who has made millions through photography. A great book filled with insights for life and business, highly recommended over all those marketing books by marketers. Really, it inspires me more if someone who’s successful writes a book than someone who writes about how to be successful and is successful by telling others how to be successful. (do you get it what I am saying here?)

And oh yeah, Gary has a blog here, check that out too.

Anyways, this is one of the best books I have read on business and life. The renowned photographer/inventor/entrepreur Gary Fong, the author of the book, goes into details of his life and how he came to be a millionaire through “accidents” in his life.

I can really relate to him in that sense that most of things I’ve achieve in life are by “accident” also.

In the book, Gary goes into depth of how he grew up with his Korean mother and Chinese father in Southern California. (and also goes into depth about his mother’s wig business in the ghetto of Compton where they witness killings of their neighbors by thugs)

Read my full book review I posted on my Zedomax.Biz blog here.

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Book Review – How to Become an Accidental Millionaire!

LED Hack – How to Make a Remote-Controlled RGB LED Mood Light!

max — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 19:34:41 +0000

Like LED hacking? Here’s another rather interesting LED hack involving a remote-controlled RGB LED mood light. Awesome!

With this thing I can control the colour of a bright light into many different colours using the three fundamentals colours : red green and blue. Adding them toghether with different intensity can yeld very great a range of colours from the visible spectrum.

Also check out our Top 30 LED DIY projects here.

LED Hack – How to Make a Remote-Controlled RGB LED Mood Light!

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DIY Animation – Pigeon Impossible!

max — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 04:28:16 +0000

DIY Animation – Pigeon Impossible!

Here’s rather cool animation made by Lucas Martell over the course of 5 years featuring a CIA agent and a pigeon who launches a nuclear missile by accident, hilarious!

The film took nearly 5 years to complete and is the first attempt at animation by writer/director Lucas Martell: “When the project started, it was mostly an excuse to learn 3D animation, but by the end of the project I had spent so much time reworking and polishing the story that I just wanted people to laugh.”

[official site]

via neatorama

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Radar/Laser Detector DIY – How to Make a LIDAR Gun Simulator!

max — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 23:29:24 +0000

With advances in radar/laser detectors that can detect cops from miles away, police officers have been using radar/laser guns that are more sophisticated so they cannot be detected with some of the older radar/laser detectors.

By learning how to make a LIDAR gun simulator, you will be able to actually test whether your current radar/laser detector can detect them all, perhaps saving you some money in the future from getting tickets.

Of course, my advice is just to drive slow enough that you don’t get tickets. In my experience, cops don’t give you a ticket unless you are going at least 15MPH above speed limit and perhaps driving a bit crazy such as weaving in and out of lanes or cutting off other innocent drivers for no reason.

Also, don’t forget you can get PhantomAlert, which is a software add-on for your GPS and lets you know where the cops are.

Brought to you by: Zedomax.com

Radar/Laser Detector DIY – How to Make a LIDAR Gun Simulator!

DROID Hack – How to Tether Motorola Droid and Other Android Phones!

max — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 20:42:58 +0000

Here’s a simple way to tether your motorola Droid using a free app (and there’s a paid app too).

And of course, it seems that this tethering app is only supported for USB or bluetooth, I wish they were able to turn it into a WiFi router like a Palm Pre can. Oh well…

What you’ll need:

USB Driver – Download or Download (Mirror)

Tethering Software – [PDANet] Download (Full version costs $29, onetime)

via taranfx

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DROID Hack – How to Tether Motorola Droid and Other Android Phones!

Rocket DIY – How to Make a Water Rocket!

max — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 20:07:10 +0000

Rather than polluting our mother earth with traditional hobby rocket fuel, here’s a great way to experiment and learn about rockets by building water rockets where the fuel is solely based on pressurized air pushing out water. (Of course, don’t forget water can also cut through heavy metal too.)

This instructable with show you how to build water rockets, recovery systems, rocket launchers, two stage rockets and much more.
Water rockets are fun to build and make, but can be dangorous if used improperely.

Rocket DIY – How to Make a Water Rocket!

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Build your own RC Lawnmower

David Allen — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 15:00:22 +0000

How about cutting the lawn by remote control, sounds cool! Well it should be because this the real thing and although being slightly dangerous this has to be one of the coolest garden ideas around.

The RC Lawnmower has been built by a johndavid400 using stuff obtained from eBay and other places. Apart from a slight slip up during the initial testing phase when a lawnmower made a run from it.

This is what you need for the Lawnbot400:

(2) electric-wheelchair motors from ebay = $40 ea

(2) 12v marine deep cycle batteries – Walmart – $60 ea new (used batteries might work)

36″ pieces of 2″ angle-iron (2) and 1″ square-tubing (2) from Home Depot = $8 ea

36″ pieces of 1″ angle-iron (2) and 1″ flat steel bar (2) from Home Depot = $5 ea

(a lot) of nuts, bolts, washers, lock washers 3/8″ or 1/2″ with drill bit = $20

(2) caster wheels from Harbor Freight Tools = $14 ea

(2) drive wheels from Harbor Freight Tools = $8 ea

(36″) 5/8″ threaded rod with several 5/8″ nuts and washers from Home Depot = $8

(2) sprockets from Allelectronics = $5 ea

#25 roller chain and a few universal links from Allelectronics = $10 for 3′

sprockets from Electronics Goldmine = $1.50 ea

(24) mosfets from Digikey = $1 ea

(there were quite a few small parts for building the H-bridge, they are listed later on)

Source [Hack a Day]

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Build your own RC Lawnmower

Windows 7 DIY – How to Run 1680×1050 in Windows 7!

max — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 08:50:20 +0000

To run 1680×1050 resolution (which is typical of 20″ and 22″ LCDs) on your Windows 7, you will need to connect your LCD via an HDMI/DVI cable.

If your computer has HDMI output, you can get this HDMI to DVI cable. If your computer has DVI output, then simply connect DVI to your LCD. (you can get DVI to DVI cable here if you don’t have one)

Windows 7 doesn’t support 1680×1050 without a digital connection, meaning a VGA connection won’t get you the native resolution of your LCD even if you install the drivers. (This is only in Windows 7, XP and Vista supports it on analog too.)

If you don’t have HDMI/DVI outputs on your computer, get an aftermarket graphic card such as Nvidia GeForce 9800. (that is the only way if you want to run Windows 7)

Of course, your LCD monitor must have either a HDMI or DVI input, most have DVI so…

Once you got those digital connections going, you should see an option in Windows 7 to be able to set the screen resolution to the monitor’s native resolution. Yey, problem solved!

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Windows 7 DIY – How to Run 1680×1050 in Windows 7!

HD DIY – How to Render 1080P HD Videos!

max — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 03:40:30 +0000

With my recent purchase of the new Canon 7D, I have been rendering HD videos for days on my old XP computer. Well, it turns out rendering is completely useless for HD movies longer than like 10 minutes.

If your computer freezes while rendering using programs like Sony Vegas Pro or Adobe Premier, it’s probably your computer hardware.

You will want to use 64-bit versions of any video editing software in order to render videos faster and in reasonable time.

Plus, Windows XP only supports upto 4GB of memory (and for some AMD processors even less). Even with a 4GB Windows XP setup I had, rendering came to a crawl and never rendered completely.

So, I had a 64-bit Triple-Core AMD with 4Ghz that was running Ubuntu. I decided to install Windows 7 64-bit version coupled with Sony Vegas Pro 9.0 64-bit version.

For Windows operating systems, you will need either Vista or Windows 7 to take full advantage of extra memory you have on your computer.

For decent rendering, I recommend at least 4 gigabytes of memory and perhaps 8 gigs if you can afford it.

Anyways, I just got the new Windows 7 64-bit plus Sony Vegas Pro 9.0 64-bit working flawlessly. Also, I am very impressed with Windows 7 as this is the very first time I am using it. I like how Windows 7 is more compatible with my older XP programs plus you can use most of Vista drivers for hardware.

Now, I can finally start rendering 1080P HD videos and make long movies too.

Whether I am uploading them to YouTube or making a home DVD, having the right hardware makes sense if you are going to render 1080P HD videos.

Of course, 32-bit machines will do short clips well, they just can’t handle the long ones.

Well, I hope that helps you. If you are having trouble with rendering HD videos, try upgrading your operating system to a 64-bit OS and the software also. (minimum Dual-Core CPU and 4GB of memory)

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HD DIY – How to Render 1080P HD Videos!

Xbox 360 Hack – How to “Unban” your Xbox 360!

max — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 19:48:52 +0000

Here’s some great news for Xbox 360 hackers who have been “banned” from modding your Xbox. Sorta complex but I guess it’s doable to unban your Xbox 360.

The new workaround, dubbed iXtreme LT (Light Touch) aims to provide a minimum amount of security checks and aims to make the firmware as close to the stock firmware as possible to prevent detection. This fix may allow modified consoles to return to playing backup discs and other forbidden materials without Microsoft noticing.

via gadgetvenue

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Xbox 360 Hack – How to “Unban” your Xbox 360!

Lawn DIY – How to Make an RC Lawnmower!

max — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 18:46:59 +0000

Lawn DIY – How to Make an RC Lawnmower!

Here’s a rather interesting hack that involves a regular lawnmower converted into an RC lawnmower. Brilliant!

This should make lawnmowing much more fun. Better yet, your kids will have a blast cutting the lawn.

This instructable will show you how to make your Arduino into an R/C interface that you can use for just about anything requiring remote control. I will also show you how I built an R/C lawnmower using my Arduino, a cheap R/C transmitter and receiver pair, and a couple of electric-wheelchair motors from Ebay. I have used this interface to control anything from basic LED’s to Bipolar stepper motors, mini-robots, lifeless R/C cars from the thrift store, and even a 100lb lawnmower (all with appropriate motor controllers). It is very flexible and easy to change and very simple to set up.

via hackaday

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Hard Disk Life and How to Maximize Hard Disk Life!

max — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 12:03:24 +0000

I’ve always wondered how long a hard disk’s life is if you left it on 24 hours a day (which I do with some of my server computers).

Well on average, according to this site,

The average service life of a hard disk is usually given as “5 years or 20,000 hours.” This means if a hard disk operates 24 hours a day, you will need to replace your drive with a new one every 1.5 to 2 years. (For specification details, refer to your hard disk drive’s user manual.)
The measure of service life used by most hard disk manufacturers is “mean time between failures” (MTBF)*1 (usually quoted at between 300,000 to 500,000 hours). The ratings (for expected service life) used by PC makers are more conservative, as they are based more closely on “real world” usage conditions. Since expected service life and MTBF figures can differ by hundreds of thousands of hours, we recommend you use the expected service life value. For example, the usual service life of a 2.5 inch drive will be almost 5 years or 20,000 hours, if used at the temperatures specified for your PL. However, if a drive is operated continuously, i.e. 24 hours a day, its service life will be shorter.

Also, there’s a way to put your hard disk under sleep mode on most operating systems, I suggest you to turn that on:

I see no reasons why you should leave your hard disks on if you have left your computer for couple minutes or even hours.

For Windows operating systems, go to ScreenSaver->Power then set “Turn off hard disks” to “After 3 mins” so you save both power and your hard disk life. Also digitgeek.com has a great article on maximizing more life out of your hard drive.

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Hard Disk Life and How to Maximize Hard Disk Life!

Balding DIY – How to Stop Balding Naturally!

max — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 09:48:50 +0000

Balding can be one of the most traumatizing experience for men and women, especially if they care for their hair. Of course, as for me, I think it’s perfectly okay to be bald, perhaps you would look more “mature”, not that I am bald anytime soon.

For those of you looking to stop balding, there are remedies such as rogaine or propecia, both of which are not natural but may stop/cure balding.

Most of balding is caused by your genes so if your parents are bald, you would probably go bald someday. My dad is balding slightly, he’s now slightly over 60 so it seems I have another 30 years to go before I reach his point or NOT?

Of course, you may want to seek natural remedies for balding. For that I’ve heard scalp massages (where you massage your head with your fingers and circulate more blood) might help. Also I have heard from my hair stylists while I was in Korea that simply washing your hair and drying it properly often helps too. Too often hair loss can be caused from dirty hair. Like your face, you might want to keep your head clean, isn’t that common sense? For one, don’t go to sleep without taking a shower if you’ve sweated profusely.

I also did some research and there’s even a way to stop hair loss by applying fresh coconut milk on your hair. This seems to make sense but I wouldn’t go further.

Would you put horse shit on your scalp if it proved to stop hair loss? I hope to God no, just be natural, if you are going to be bald, just accept it and perhaps girls would find your shaved head even more manly and attractive. Please don’t spend a dime on hair growth products, although I am sure someone is becoming a millionaire this second due to people who spend money on that. (Instead, donate that money to the homeless society please!)

Of course, last but not least, don’t stress yourself, relax!

Life is too short to worry about your hair (or scalp), if you think that much about your outside appearance, perhaps it’s time for you to work on your inner ones first.

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Balding DIY – How to Stop Balding Naturally!

Circuit DIY – How to Make PCB with an EAGLE schematic!

max — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 08:57:59 +0000

Here’s a great tutorial showing you how to make a PCB with an eagle schematic. I am sure most of your PCB experts know how to do this but for those of you dummies who can’t, this is invaluable free lessons.

In this instructable, we’ll make a printed circuit board from that schematic

I guess I should say that we’ll make a PCB DESIGN ; making the physical board is a different task, and there are a lot of tutorials on the net (and even some instructables) on making the board after you have the design.

Circuit DIY – How to Make PCB with an EAGLE schematic!

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DIY Water Purifier!

max — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 00:58:15 +0000

Check out this awesome DIY water purifier from Russia. It’s in Russian so you might want to check out the translated page here.

Stroller DIY – How to Make Stroller Handle for your Toddler!

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DIY Water Purifier!

Stroller DIY – How to Make Stroller Handle for your Toddler!

max — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 00:53:52 +0000

Check out this cool little DIY stroller handle you can make for your toddler so he/she can grab while you push your stroller for “the other” baby.

Btw, everyone has been telling my friend about the Maclaren Stroller recall where it has been apparently cutting toddler’s fingers off. (Recall here)

Attach something to the stroller for your older child to hold onto, so that she feels included and so that you know exactly where she is, without rolling over her little feet. Make a Big Brother/Sister Handle out of something you’ve already got in the house.

via craftzine

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Windows XP Hack – How to Downgrade to Windows XP When You Get BSOD(Blue Screen of Death) on Boot-up!

max — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 20:18:33 +0000

Recently, my old Acer Aspire X3200 that I’ve bought couple months back needed to be installed with Windows XP because it had more power and memory than my current HP desktop, which is REALLY OLD! I used to have a Ubuntu on it (because I gave up installing Windows XP before) but I finally figured out how to install Windows.

The problem was mainly because my old Windows XP CD doesn’t include the new SATA harddrive drivers for installation, which the Acer Aspire X3200 comes with.

I found that the Acer Aspire X3200 uses an integrated Nvidia card which includes the display, harddisk drivers, and more. I simply downloaded the NForce drivers. Install the .exe file onto a file folder but don’t install the drivers itself.

You will need your existing Windows XP CD, nLite, and download the Nvidia drivers mentioned above. (Also, you can download Windows SP2 to integrate it into your Windows XP CD if it’s OLD like mine.)

First, open up nLite and locate your Windows XP installation:

For me, it was my CD disk:

Next, nLite will ask you which folder to save all the modifications, just make a new folder and choose that.

nLite will then proceed to copy your existing Windows XP copy, just let it do its job for about 10 minutes.

Once your Windows CD is copied, you will find a bunch of options.

For most, you can choose “Drivers” and “Bootable ISO”, I’ve also added “Service Pack” so I can add SP2 to my old Windows CD disk.

If you click “Next”, you will get prompts to find your Service Pack, simply choose the .exe service pack file you downloaded.

Once that’s installed you will come up to a screen where you can add drivers needed for your computer hardware. For me, I installed all the Nvidia drivers.

Next, you can simply create an image by clicking on “Make ISO”.

My image ended up around 800MB so I simply burned it on a DVD but if you want, you can probably take some stuff out of the CD (by customizing it) and burn it to CD.

Boot up and you should be welcomed!

Also, if you have another problem where your driver is set up to RAID, you might be able to skip all the steps above by simply setting up your harddisk as IDE. (See more here on how to downgrade to Windows XP. – also here

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Windows XP Hack – How to Downgrade to Windows XP When You Get BSOD(Blue Screen of Death) on Boot-up!

Palm Pre Hack – How to Mount a Custom Palm Pre Touchstone Mount for your Car!

max — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 04:33:48 +0000

Here’s a rather cool DIY that shows you how to mount a custom Palm Pre Touchstone Mount for your car. I think this goes well with Sprint’s on-board voice directions GPS program although I still prefer GoogleMaps as it seems more accurate.

So you’ve been dying to get a Touchstone and put in in the car. You get one only to find out it doesn’t work in the car! As a former professional car audio installer, I’ve got that problem solved and here’s how.

via palmpre-hacks

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Palm Pre Hack – How to Mount a Custom Palm Pre Touchstone Mount for your Car!

GoogleMaps Hack – DIY Exercise Bike uses GoogleMaps as Virtual Map!

max — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 01:08:28 +0000

GoogleMaps Hack – DIY Exercise Bike uses GoogleMaps as Virtual Map!

Here’s a rather cool hack where the hacker uses his bike as a GoogleMaps Virtual Map. Using Vuzix iWear as display device while he’s cycling (around the world) on GoogleMaps, this simple hack shows how far GoogleMaps Street View can be applied for adding a little fun to your next workouts.

It’s still in the works but kudos for what he has done so far! Brilliant hack!

Pragmatically explained, it means that I don’t have to sit in the darkness or stare at my garage door while I’m huffing away. Hopefully once this is done, I’ll be able to spend a few nights a week pedalling away downstairs and work my way across the US or Australia over the course of the year. The irony of this project is, well, while it’s supposed to help me entain myself while using the exercise bike, the project itself has been keeping me from exercising. Oh well.

via hackaday

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Bike Hack – How to Make a Bike Trailer!

max — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 00:18:28 +0000

For those of you who want to make your own bike trailer (and save about $200 buying a one), you might want to read up on this cool bike hack that shows you how to make a bike trailer. I think this is a great idea for custom bike modders out there who need to make more use of their bikes, especially if they need to lug around luggage to work on a bike. I think this is highly useful as I did lug my Alto Saxophone on my regular cheapy bike rack for years during middle school and that wasn’t a lot of fun to be commuting 5 miles to school everyday.

I made this trailer out of wood as I am a woodworker. I used metal electrical junction box covers cut in half to make my plates for the wheels. The fenders are made out of the middle of a piece of vinyl gutter that I bought at Lowe’s. A 10′ piece of gutter was only about $7.00 and you score it with a utility knife and then just snap it off. Flexes nice and Krylon fusion paint will stick to it well if you let it dry overnight.

via lifehacker

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Bike Hack – How to Make a Bike Trailer!

G1 Hack – How to Install GoogleMaps Navigation on the G1 Phone!

max — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 22:50:22 +0000

Here’s a good hack that will let you install GoogleMaps Navigation on your G1 Phone. I believe the new navigation is only supported with the new Android 2.0 but with this hack, all G1 phone users should still be able to access the new GoogleMaps navigation, yey!

Download here

Make sure you have CyanogenMod 4.2.3.1, by the way.

1) Unzip zip to desktop
2) Run Part 1.bat
3) When prompted to press any key, do so; the phone will reboot
4) When your phone is running again, run Part 2.bat
5) When prompted to press any key, the installation process is done.
6) Make sure GPS is enabled
7) Open Maps and press OK
Press Menu
9) Press Directions
10) Enter an end point
11) Click Go
12) Just under “Show on map”, click Navigate.
13) When prompted to install the voice codec, do so.

via gizmodo

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G1 Hack – How to Install GoogleMaps Navigation on the G1 Phone!

HD Hack – How to Render Full 1080P or 720P in Sony Vegas Pro 9 Without Freezing or Large Filesize!

max — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 18:09:44 +0000

While trying to render some of my new videos for upload on YouTube with Sony Vegas Pro 9, I encountered a problem where the rendering process would crawl to a stop after 1% or simply freeze. Well, I found a quick solution around it, that is to render it in MP4 instead of AVI.

This works really well btw, now I can do a 20 minute 1080P video rendering in about 5 minutes.

Use the above screenshot settings and change the frame size to 1920×1024 pixels for 1080P. You can also try the above settings for 720P, which should be pretty good also.

Btw, my first short film with Canon 7D is almost done uploading!

via dvinfo

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HD Hack – How to Render Full 1080P or 720P in Sony Vegas Pro 9 Without Freezing or Large Filesize!

iPhone DIY – How to Turn your iPhone into a Digital Frame!

max — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 03:29:02 +0000

Here’s a really cool iPhone stand called AppStand that will fit your iPhone perfectly so you can turn it into a digital frame if you happen to get a new Android-based phone and need to keep your iPhone useful. Available Dec. 1st 2009

Appstand for iPhone 3G & 3GS is here! Simply slide your iPhone into Appstand to get the most out of the tens of thousands of Apps available. With full access to button controls and ports, charging while in Appstand is effortless using the cord you already own.

via wired

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iPhone DIY – How to Turn your iPhone into a Digital Frame!

Airplane Hack – How to Temporarily Fix an Airplane with Duct Tape!

max — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 01:22:29 +0000

One of my best friends and my college freshmen roommate was a redneck guy from Northern California, he has repeatedly told me that duct tape can fix almost everything including relationships.

Well, I can’t believe it, but this guy’s plane got chewed up like a ball of paper by a Grizzly Bear in Alaska then he flew off back up with some duct tape as temporary fix. WOW, duct tape can save lives, make sure you note this if you own a plane.

The fishy aroma attracted a passing grizzly bear who, clearly frustrated at not being able to see the lovely “noms” it could smell, took the plane apart in an effort to find it. Aircraft fabric is no match for bear claws. The bear also chomped both tyres for good measure, then departed the scene.

Alaskans are a hardy bunch, however – as tough as the aircraft they fly. The pilot radioed for two new tyres, three cases of duct tape and a couple of rolls of cellophane to be flown in so he could repair his craft and get home.

via timeslive

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Airplane Hack – How to Temporarily Fix an Airplane with Duct Tape!

Network DIY – How to Make an RJ-45 Ethernet Cable Tester!

max — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 23:14:36 +0000

As a self-claimed network technician, I did a whole 5,000 square foot building with Ethernet Cat-6 cables almost 8 years ago. Well, since then I am glad I never had to use an ethernet cable tester but for those of you looking to save some money on this RJ-45 cable tester, you can make your own.

We are going to make DIY RJ45 Cable tester for incredible cheap.As you know cable testers are really expensive insturments and for people who always works with network it is an essential part.
I will try to help you to build one of them with basic electronic ways.

Network DIY – How to Make an RJ-45 Ethernet Cable Tester!

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Couple DIY – How to Make a Baby!

max — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 22:01:28 +0000

The next time your yet-to-be-teenager child asks you how human beings make babies, you might want to show him/her this video illustrating how to make a baby by blowing air through the partner’s finger. Genius!

Couple DIY – How to Make a Baby!

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DIY Digital Camera Kit for Kids!

max — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 20:26:43 +0000

Here’s a great DIY digital camera kit for kids, designed to help kids learn about how digital cameras work while building the kits. Awesome!

The camera gives us a powerful means to express ourselves and communicate with each other. Today, the camera is almost exclusively designed for, and marketed to, adults. A typical consumer digital camera comes with a sleek silver or black exterior and is densely packed with components and features. If one tries to open up one of these devices to study its innards, it is unlikely to function when put back together. We believe that camera manufacturers have largely overlooked an important demographic in kids and a compelling application in education.

It should be available on the market pretty soon.