February 2009

Apple iPhone App developed by Father and Son Team

  Next time you have a great idea for the next big iPhone game you might be able to have Ding Wen develop it in his free time between homework and bedtime. This is a great story of a father and some team who wrote Doodle Kids, a free artistic app for children. If you are thinking that the father is just looking for publicity you may think again when

DIY IR Light Dimmer

  This interesting DIY IR Light Dimmer project allows you to make your light into a remote controlled dimmable system, best of all it uses one you your existing remote controls. Have a look at the schematic below and notice that there is no low voltage transformer for the microcontroller. The board layout, schematic and microcontroller code is available so that you can build your very own. Thanks Muris "Dimmer

High Octane Chess Set made from Car Parts

  Even if you aren’t a car guy this High Octane Chess Set which is made from Car Parts is sure to put a smile on your face. Instead of dumping the old engine parts into the scrap metal bin where it will fetch a few cents the RevRod crew decided to make one of the heaviest chess sets I have ever seen. Via: DIY LED Chess Set Comments

Servoelectric Guitar

  This Servoelectric Guitar is an interesting concept, it is cool so see the combination of art, electronics and mechanical components. What we need next is a machine that also automatically pucks the strings as it tensions the strings. Thanks Keith. "A servoelectric guitar is a fretless guitar that is played by controlling servomotors that change the tension of the strings over an octave or more on a real-time basis.

RC Controlled Propeller Powered Skateboard

  Here is a cool RC Controlled Propeller Powered Skateboard. I am impressed at how quick Ryan Bavetta from Crazy Builders was able to put it together. Watch the time lapse video below to watch the 4 hour build progress a plank of wood and some parts into one of the coolest DIY skateboards I have ever seen! There is also some build details over at Instructables. "It took approximately

Pneumatic Control System

  Vern Graner wrote an interesting article in the latest Nuts and Volts magazine that goes over some pneumatic basics. Best of all he interfaces the pneumatics to some electronics so that us electronic people can understand it. It’s so true that when all you have is a hammer everything looks like a nail. I can think of lots of times that I would think the obvious solution was a

Vintage Electric Cannon

  Weiss from Volunteer Lab Rats posted a cool picture of an old Electric Cannon in the forum. As you know we love coil guns around here! I didn’t realize that this idea had been around for this long though. I would love to see how the coil sequencing circuit was designed back then, I am thinking it would be completely mechanical. It could be as simple as the projectile