July 2014

µVolume USB Volume Control Project
Cool Gadgets

1

  This neat µVolume project by Rupert Hirst of RunAwayBrainz allows you to control your tunes with a nice big knob that uses a rotary encoder to get the user input. You can see the previous version in action below. Via: Electronics Lab “Features:               Arduino Compatible (Atmel Atmega32u4)               Manual volume adjustment using the rotary encoder               (IR) Infra red  remote control of volume and multimedia controls.               Apple

Arduino GSM Home Automation System
Computer Hacks

  Timofte Andrei shows us how he built his Arduino Home Automation System. The video below is in Romanian but with the English Instructable and video overview you can get a good idea of what is going on. He has went all out and built an Arduino clone for the brain of the system.  “For this project I’ve used: 1. An Arduino clone 2. SIM900 GSM SHIELD 3. Relay module

Portable Device for Measuring Hydration and Body Fat
Cool Gadgets

    Cornell ECE 5030 students Uma Mohan, Sarvesh Sukhatme and Priyanka Venkatesh have designed a Portable Device for Measuring Hydration and Body Fat. The project passes a small current through the body to measure the amount of hydration in the person. A 940 nm LED is used to detect the amount of fat the person has by shining it through a part of the body, the amount of light

Name the Thing Contest – 256
Contests

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    The prize this week is an SD Card Reader. This contest will run for one week (July 26 – August 1, 2014). Ending time is based on central standard time. To enter, identify the item above and what it can be used for. Please note the image above is a side view of the thing. Please do not give the answer in the comments. Send an email to

How OSB is Made
Insane Equipment

  We use OSB (oriented strand board) for many building projects these days as plywood is getting more expensive. The process of how it is made is quite interesting. “Oriented strand board is manufactured in wide mats from cross-oriented layers of thin, rectangular wooden strips compressed and bonded together with wax and synthetic resin adhesives (95% wood, 5% wax and resin). The layers are created by shredding the wood into

Arduino Go-Kart
Cool Gadgets

1

    This Arduino Go-Kart was built by gizzmotronics who is a 15 year old inventor from California. Lots of LED lights on this thing is sure to make it light up great at night. It needs a push start to get it going but once it is rolling the thumb throttle will get it up to speed.   “The drive setup uses a Hobbywing Xerun 150A brushless electronic speed

Squink - PCB Printer
Complex Hacks

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    When you are making a new PCB design don’t you wish you could just print out the design instead of sending your Gerbers out for manufacture? BotFactory has created a PCB Printer called Squink, it prints using conductive ink and places dots of conductive adhesive where each SMD part will be placed. Best of all the machine then does a pick and place of all the parts onto