Here is a simple circuit to control 110VAC things such as Christmas Lights with low voltage audio. Be careful, high voltage AC can kill you. “The basic Idea was to have Christmas lights flash with the music. In my design I use an ordinary amplified computer speaker, a diode bridge, and a ‘CRYDOM’ SSR (Solid State Relay). In order to increase the time that the lights were on as
If you want to play around with some LEDs, why not hook them up to some brains (a PIC chip) and have some fun. Pete provides all the details you will need to create your own Serial Controlled RGB LED PWM Driver. The provided firmware will run on the following PIC chips: 12F629, 12F675 and 12F683. “If you want to build your own multiple RGB LED display that you
Phillip Torrone from Make Magazine has put together a long list of open source gift ideas. Items include everything from a cool open source Home Automation System to their own POV device that’s only $18.00! Is there anything missing from the list, leave a comment and I will pass it along… What is open source? “There are hundreds of gift guides this holiday season filled with junk you can buy
Sitting in a 19″ rack the temperature monitoring unit that Jeroen Hoppenbrouwers built looks like it is worth several thousand dollars. When you have a look inside, the lack of components reflects on the power of the 1-wire communication technology. “I needed several sensors. The DS18S20 was perfect for this, as this device is designed for the 1-Wire® bus system. Actually this means that you need two wires, but these
This device is helping to deliver TV on the cheap. For about $34.00 you could build your own. Read more about the WiFi Can TV at Geekcorps. If you are interesting in building your own check out the detailed instructions in PDF form. The heart of the device is a module from Airwave Technologies, you can have a look at the specs. and buy your own from Active Robots.
Ever want to try your hand at time-lapse photography? Chances are you already have all the required hardware! And David from Volunteer Lab Rat has the software you will need for free. Watch the videos then go and check out the details on making your own. “Time-lapse photography is a method where you take pictures of processes that goes very slowly with relatively long time interval, and then join
Seems like anything can be made from an old NES system, including a guitar. “For the courageous (and musically gifted) this god of a man posted a quasi-DIY guide here, complete with extra pictues. How much would you pay for one of these babies? This god of a man sacrificed his NES, the best system evar, to make a freakin’ awesome guitar. Unlike the Halo fanboy who made the rocket
