Cool Gadgets

Binary Burst Clock

    Check out this great looking Binary Burst Clock that Mike Szczys from Jumptuck has built. At first glance you might be a bit confused on how to read the clock but it is actually quite simple. Mike ordered the boards from Seeed Studios and had a good experience and it was cheap! In this design a MCP7940 RTC chip is keeping track of time with the help of

Hacked Chocolate Box has Blinking LEDs controlled by an ATTiny13

  Just in time for Mothers Day. Dress up your box of boring chocolates with some blinking LEDs. This project by Dmitriy Abaimov uses an ATTiny13 programmed using the Arduino IDE to do the interesting blinking. The microcontroller doesn’t have very many pins but with a bit of Charlieplexing this project can control all 10 LED that were desired.   “By counting the possible spots for LED locations in the box,

Ball and Beam Project Overview

  This project by some 4th year engineering students will get them ready to build the next Segway. “This project consists of prototype lab module for Control Systems II. The purpose of this lab is to teach 4th year electrical engineering students how to implement control systems to a real life mechanical system. The controller seeks to balance the ball on the beam. It is also possible to set a

Drive a Car with an iPhone

  If you are getting a bit tired of driving your car manually this hack might be for you. 🙂 The guys from Waterloo Labs built this car that can be driven around using an iPhone. They are using a CompactRIO controller as the brains of the system which might be considered overkill and does come with a hefty price tag of almost two grand! Thanks to Jody for sending

Sip'n Puff Arduino Shield controls an iPod

  There is a Kickstarter for this Sip’n Puff Arduino Shield. Check out this project where it is used to control an iPod. The uses are endless but just imagine the usefulness for people who don’t have the use of their fingers for the tasks we take for granted. Thanks for sending this in Bob. “The Sip’n Puff shield is a standard shield for the Arduino platform.  It is a

DIY Motorcycle LED Brake Lights

     If you have ever had a motorcycle you know that being seen by other motorists is always on your mind. Pete Mills recently purchased a motorcycle and installed a custom brake light to combat this issue. His DIY Motorcycle LED Brake Light was inspired by a flashing brake light of an ambulance. His design flashed quickly when it is activated and then goes on solid. There is also

Mechanical Bit Adder Clock

  Thanks to Lior Elazary for sending in this great project. It accomplished a few things, he was able to justify the purchase of a laser cutter and his kids learned come computer basics.  His Mechanical Bit Adder Clock is sure to be built by many since he also made a detailed Instructable for it. “The inspiration for this project came from trying to teach my son and daughter about