2012

Name the Thing Contest – 209

    The prize this week is a credit card knife, it has a ton of features to get you out of a jam in a network closet or your next camping trip. This contest will run for one week (October 27- November 2, 2012). Ending time is based on central standard time. To enter, identify the item above and what it can be used for. Please do not give

Haunted Mirror Project

  We have seen Al Linke’s project before. His latest creation is powered by an IOIO Board and uses a large RGB matrix display for the users to see what is going on.  An IR proximity sensor shines through the mirror to sense when someone comes close, the display looks great even though this isn’t a 2 way mirror. Al scored the back of a regular mirror to allow the

Rendering 3D PCBs

    Even before you send out your PCB for manufacturer you can have a realistic image of the finished populated board! Thanks to Ian at Dangerous Prototypes I think we will start to lots of Rendering 3D PCB even before a soldering iron has been used. Best of all it won’t cost you anything other than some time to learn a new skill. The engine used to render the

DIY Tin Electroplating

    This DIY Tin Electroplating process will come in handy if you ever want to protect some copper in a project from oxidizing. Green copper looks great on a roof but not in your projects. Dane from Transistor Man shows us how he electroplated some tin onto some copper buss bars. Other than some stuff you probably have around the house you will need some tin and muriatic acid. 

Automated Drink Fridge

  This Automated Drink Fridge would be great in a business or roommate setting where you want to charge people based on consumption without needing a box to deposit money. All it takes is a swipe of a card to get your drink, an email at the end of the day will let you pay for your drinks using an online payment method. The fridge has ramps on the inside

Name the Thing Contest – 208

    The prize this week is a credit card knife, it has a ton of features to get you out of a jam in a network closet or your next camping trip. This contest will run for one week (October 19 – 26, 2012). Ending time is based on central standard time. To enter, identify the item above and what it can be used for. Please do not give

Automated Tea Maker

    If you enjoy drinking tea but forget to remove the tea bag when it has finished steeping this Automated Tea Maker project is for you. There is a tea timer that has been connected to an old CD drive mechanism, when the timer is done the tea bag is removed from the cup using the motor in the CD drive mechanism. I think this is just the beginning