3 Techno

Digital Camera Flash Memory Adapters

2013-07-10T09:52:00.002-07:00

Due to the growing popularity of portable devices, memory cards have become ubiquitous in consumers' daily lives. From smartphones to digital cameras and even portable video game consoles, many different devices now require you to purchase flash memory cards in one of 25 various and incompatible formats. Thus, it not surprising that manufacturers have designed adapters to help you transfer the contents of those cards between devices or onto a computer.

Memory Cards
Flash memory cards contain a chip that stores data on digital cameras, as well as smartphones, gaming consoles and MP3 players. Memory cards also can handle data transfer between computers, although USB flash drives more frequently perform that job. If you need a device to read the contents of a card format it doesn't support, such as when transferring pictures from a new camera to an older computer, a memory card adapter facilitates that process.
Card-to-Card
Priced at less than $5 at electronics or camera retailers, card-to-card adapters make it possible to plug a memory card into a slot originally designed for another, larger type of card. For example, the MicroSD and MicroSDHC to SD adapter from Sandisk lets you insert MicroSD or MicroSDHC cards into Secure Digital slots.The NEON MicroSD to Memory Stick PRO Duo Dual slot adapter enables MicroSD cards in devices that normally require Memory Stick Pro Duo cards. Another adapter, Semco's ESDCFII: Extreme MMC, SDHC, SD to CF Type II, lets you insert Extreme MultiMediaCards, in addition to SDHC and SD cards, into CompactFlash II slots.
External USB
External USB adapters are small devices that plug into a USB port on your laptop or desktop computer. Most have more than one type of memory card slot so you can, for example, connect your camera's CompactFlash cards and the Memory Sticks from your PlayStation Portable console.After you plug an external adapter into a USB port, any card inserted into it will appear as an extra drive in Windows Explorer, the native application that manages your computer's drives and files. A new window, known as AutoPlay, will automatically open and let you to perform certain tasks automatically, such as play songs or view pictures stored on the card.Typical models of external USB adapters, which generally retail for under $10, include the Kingston 19-in-1 USB 2.0 Flash Memory Card Reader FCR-HS219/1; the IOGEAR 12-in-1 USB 2.0 Pocket Flash Memory Card Reader/Writer GFR209; and the Transcend P5 9-in-1 USB 2.0 Flash Memory Card Reader TS-RDP5K. These models, respectively, enable your computer to read 19, 12 or nine different memory card formats.
Internal Desktop Computer
Overshadowed by the popularity of external USB adapters, internal adapters go inside a standard desktop computer, and range from a Peripheral Component Interconnect plugged directly in a motherboard slot to Integrated Drive Electronics readers attached to your motherboard by a flat, ribbon-like IDE cable that's traditionally used by older hard drives and CD or DVD drives.In addition to requiring some basic technical know-how for installation, internal adapters typically let you insert memory cards into slots below or above your CD or DVD drive, which may be less accessible than an external adapter sitting on your desk.Internal adapters usually cost less than $20 and include the Sony MRW620/U1/181 Internal 17-in-1 Memory Card Reader/Writer; the Sabrent 64-in-1 Multi Flash Media Card Reader (CRW-UINB); and the Rosewill RCR-AK-IM5002 USB2.0 75-in-1 Internal Card Reader.
PCMCIA
The Personal Computer Memory Card International Association Card format, now shortened to PC Card, is a type of slot often seen on laptops produced before 2008. With the advent of fast USB2 and USB3 connections, however, laptop manufacturers stopped integrating PCMCIA slots into new models.A PC Card adapter looks like an oversized credit card and allows you to insert a memory card directly into a PCMCIA slot. This can be particularly convenient if your laptop doesn't have USB 2.0 connectors -- the PCMCIA technology that supports faster transfer rates.Most PC Card adapters cost between $20 and $50, depending on the manufacturer and the type of cards they support. Common models include the SanDisk 6-in-1 PC Card Adapter; the Sony PCMCIA Memory Stick(R) Reader, which only reads Memory Sticks; and the Sandisk SDAD109A11 Digital Media Memory Card to Express Slot Adapter, which supports seven common memory card formats.

How to Back Up Data on a Laptop

2013-07-10T09:40:00.001-07:00

Backing up your data and important files is a crucial part of computer maintenance, especially on laptops as they are more prone to damage or theft than desktops. Windows 7's built-in tool, called Backup and Restore, can automatically manage regular backups for you, saving your data to an external source such as an external hard drive, network location or even a blank DVD. For scheduled auto-backups, use the Task Scheduler to set reminders for yourself to connect an external backup source.

External drive or storage

Instructions

Setting Up Backups
- Click "Start | Control Panel | System and Maintenance | Backup and Restore."
- Click "Set up backup" to begin your backup configuration. Windows may take a minute or two to analyze your available backup locations.
- Choose where you want to save your backup data. While you can use your optical drive, a DVD doesn't have enough space to back the system image that allows you to restore your existing system settings. You can also use an external hard drive, network-attached storage or a flash drive with sufficient space -- if you're backing up large files or using your system image, you'll want at least 10GB. If you're only backing up small files, such as text documents, you can probably get away with just a few gigabytes.
- Select whether you want Windows to choose what directories are backed up, or whether you'd rather pick and choose. A custom setup allows you to remove resource-heavy folders if your backup location is short on space, as well as disable the system image, if necessary, for space issues. Click "Next" when done.
- Click "Change Schedule" and select a time and frequency that works best for your needs. Select a time when you know the computer will be on; if you leave your computer on overnight, for convenience, choose a time during the night when you won't be using it.
- Click "Save Settings and Run Backup," then "Back Up Now" to start your first backup and save your backup options. Backing up can take several minutes or up to an hour, depending on what you're backing up. Once completed, you can remove your external source.
Using Task Scheduler for Reminders
- Click "Start | Control Panel | System and Security | Administrative Tools," then choose the "Task Scheduler" tool.
- Select "Create Basic Task" in the Actions pane on the right side of the screen.
- Enter a name and description for your task, click "Next" and select the trigger for your task at the same frequency as your backups. If you're running a monthly backup, for example, set a monthly reminder prior to the backup time. Click "Next," then choose the time and day for your alert.
- Select "Display a Message" or "Send an Email," depending on whether you want to receive an email or have a popup message reminding you to connect an external drive or disc.
- Enter the settings for your message -- either the mail settings or the contents of your displayed message.

The Arduino Mothbot

2012-07-06T15:14:00.000-07:00

The Arduino Mothbot

The purpose of this project is to design and build a simple light-following robot using an Arduino Duemilanove microcontroller board. I really wanted to share a robot project that was cheap, simple to build, and had a complete set of instructions for all of the different steps. I hope I've succeeded and I'd love to get comments about making this instructable even better.

The design of this robot focused around using the book "Getting Started with Arduino" by Massimo Banzi and published with [makezine.com Make]. I also employed code for running the servos from a project titled: How to Make an Arduino Controlled Servo Robot (SERB).

The Arduino Mothbot is in total a pretty quick robot to build. Assuming you start with all of the parts and don't have to improvise, the project in total should take maybe an hour to build. That is if you follow the instructions and copy the code. However, if you build only one feature at a time and test along the way then this project could take significantly longer. The advantage of the longer track is that you'll probably learn a lot more and have some fun along the way.

Step 1Gather your Parts and Tools

Building this robot is going to cost you roughly $80 in parts if you've never done anything like this before. The cost for me was significantly less since I've got a lot of electronics lying around to work from. However, I know how frustrating it can be to try and follow an instructable without knowing which parts to get, where to order from, and how much everything will cost up front so I've done all that work for you. Once you've got the parts all squared away it should be a snap to do this project. Follow the following link to my project wiki to get a complete parts list.

Arduino Mothbot Parts List

Now you may want to get some tools. Since this project employs a solderless breadboard you can do without a lot of fancy electronics equipment. Hopefully you can find the rest of the things you need in a garage:

1. Needle nose pliers
2. Wire Cutters
3. Flat head screw driver
4. Small Phillips (4-sided) screw driver
5. Adjustable wrench or 11/32" hex wrench
6. Drill
7. 1/16", 5/32" and 7/32" drill bits
8. Saw (optional)
9. Safety Goggles

Please use safe practices when using any power tools.

Step 2The Planning Stage

Before I started this project I looked around Instructables at a lot of other projects. I also spent some time reading the book "Getting Started with Arduino" by Massimo Banzi. Nearly everything in this project is done from an example on this website or in the book. I designed the project this way in an attempt to make it accessible to the novice roboticist.

In my planning phase I did not only looked at hardware and coding but did my electronics homework as well. I wanted to draw up a simple electronics schematic for this project so I could follow what was going on as I built it. You can see in the picture the different components, power lines, and the Arduino pins. Hopefully it's a clear diagram and also illustrates how simple the electronics for this project is.

Step 3Connecting the Servos to the Arduino

If you're going to build a robot the first thing you probably want to work out is how to get it moving around. Most likely you want to be able to send it forward, backward, right, left and make it stop. If you can't figure out how to command it to move properly you're not likely to be able to make it do anything when you connect all the sensors. Below are the steps to connect the motor to the Arduino.

1. The first thing to do when setting up the solderless breadboard is to set up the ground (GND) and power (+6V) for the servos. I chose to use the two long strips on the board that would be closest to the Arduino.

2. Once the ground and power lines are identified connect the ground of the Arduino board to the ground strip on the solderless breadboard. Do not connect the power to the solderless breadboard yet.

3. Each servo has three wires that come out of them. Mine have a black, red, and white wire for each. The black is for ground, the red is for power, and the white is the control wire. Cut three jumper wires for each servo of the same size (so 6 in total).

4. Attach the jumper wires to the end of the servo wires and then each servo to the solderless breadboard.

5. Now use jumpers to connect the ground and power from each servo to the ground and power of the solderless breadboard.

6. Now connect the control wires from each servo to the Arduino. Connect the left servo to digital output (PWM) 3 and the right servo to digital output (PWM) 11.

7. Finally, connect the ground and power from the 4AA batteries to the solderless breadboard ground and power. Don't be alarmed if the servos start moving when your Arduino has no power or is not yet programed.

8. Using the code you should now be able to run the motors in the forward, backward, left or right directions using the included functions.

Step 4Testing out the Motors

I think it's important to include some of the test code I used when putting together the Arduino Mothbot. If you're interested and willing to put in the time to tinker around I think you'll find these code snippets educational and useful in other projects.

Before I post any code below I want to make it known that the following is based on another great project called How to Make an Arduino Controlled Servo Robot (SERB). I learned a lot from following the work on that instructable and want to give credit where it is due.

https://github.com/chrisgilmerproj/Mothbot/blob/master/motor_test1.pde

Step 5Integrating the On/Off Button

Now you may be wanting to turn your robot on and off with the push of a button. The Arduino itself will run code in an endless loop until you unplug it, which can be quite frustrating when you plug in your robot on the table and it starts running away from you! Integrating the button is a great step in this process because you'll also learn how to use buttons for other things, like creating a bumper to detect when the robot hits a wall.

As a note, you'll notice I removed the servos from the solderless breadboard for most of my pictures. This just helps make the image more clear when I'm showing different steps.

1. To begin, disconnect power from the servo motors before doing any more work. Remember to do this every time you add something to this project.

2. Now you may want to be able to turn your robot on and off as opposed to having the robot immediately start moving when you connect the power.

3. Identify a strip on the opposite side of the solderless breadboard to be power for on/off button (and later the sensors).

4. Using a long jumper wire connect the power (+5V) from the Arduino to the strip you just identified.

5. Connect two jumper wires to the momentary switch and plug one end into the (+5V) power

6. Plug the other end of the momentary switch into a smaller strip in the middle of the solderless breadboard.

7. From that same strip connect a 10K ohm resistor to the strip and the other end into ground

8. Finally, connect a wire from the strip with the switch and the resistor on one end and place the other end in digital input 7 on the Arduino.

9. Now, with the code you should be able to use the button to turn on and off the robot. If you use the code with the LED (digital output 13) you will see the on-board LED turn on and off with the robot. This is a great way to test the Arduino code if you have the power to the motors disconnected.

Step 6Testing the On/Off Button

This new code includes the information for using the On/Off button and making the onboard LED blink.

https://github.com/chrisgilmerproj/Mothbot/blob/master/motor_test2.pde

Step 7Integrating the Light Sensors

What would an Arduino Mothbot be if it didn't have light sensors? The point of this simple project is to make a robot that is attracted to the brightest light. For this we'll need to integrate some light sensors, also known as photo-resistors.

1. Again, disconnect the power from the servo motors before doing this step

2. The setup for the light sensors will be done twice. It is almost the exact same setup as the momentary switch. Actually, it is the same setup, but this time you will use the light sensor (photo-resistor) instead of a momentary switch.

3. Because this robot will use the two light sensors to pick a direction to drive it is recommended that you set up each light sensor on opposite sides of the solderless breadboard or as far apart as possible.

4. Connect one end of a light sensor to the (+5V) power line and the other end into a small strip in the center of the board.

5. Connect a 10k ohm resistor to that same strip and the other end to ground

6. Now connect a jumper wire from the small strip (where the photo resistor and regular resistor are connected) and plug the other end into an analog input.

7. Connect the left sensor to analog input 0 on the Arduino and the right sensor to analog input 1.

8. You should now be able to use the light sensors to move the servos.

Step 8The Final Code

Here is the final code used to run the Arduino Mothbot. In the code I've included print statements to the Arduino serial port. If you have the Arduino connected through the USB port of your computer you should be able to see the print statements that tell you which way the robot is planning to go. You may want to adjust the light sensor threshold value to fine tune the behavior of the robot. The threshold depends mainly on your sensors and the ambient light of the location you are in.

https://github.com/chrisgilmerproj/Mothbot/blob/master/mothbot.pde

Step 9Build the Mothbot Body

The robot you're building is really no good unless it can hold itself together. For this reason it needs a body. I tried my best to make this as simple a construction project as possible. You are, however, going to have to do a little work on your own to figure out the right measurements. I suggest the age old "measure twice, cut once" method.

1. The body of the robot is made out of a small sheet of poplar wood I bought at the hardware store precut to 6" x 24". I cut mine down to 6" x 8" using the saw provided in the hardware store.

2. Next I drilled holes towards the front of the board to attach the servo brackets for each servo. For this I used an 5/32" size drill bit.

3. I also drilled in a hole at the rear of the board for the caster wheel that balances the robot. For this I used an 7/32" size drill bit. I chose to use a slightly smaller drill bit so I could get a tight friction fit with my caster wheel since I wasn't using a nut and bolt combination to attach it.

4. Then I attached the brackets to the board with the nuts and bolts. This was done using the flat head screw driver and the adjustable wrench.

5. After attaching the brackets I attached each servo to the brackets with the nuts and bolts.

6. Finally, I pushed the caster wheel into the whole.

Step 10Making the Wheels

The wheels were a tricky problem for me. I had actually bot some certified robot wheels but realized they were a) too heavy and b) I had no way to attach them to my chosen servos. That's when I remembered using jar lids in high school for a similar project. So it was off to the store in search of a suitable robot wheel alternative.

Each wheel is made from the lid from a Ziploc Twist 'n Loc container. Other good lids are those on peanut butter jars or other food goods. I don't advocate wasting food but save up your lids and you might find one is the right size for your robot project. I used the leftover containers to hold parts I've collected.

1. The first thing I did was pick the servo horn I wanted for the wheels. I picked the ones that had four horns and that were included with my servos when I bought them.

2. Before you do anything, drill a hole in the center of the wheel. I recommend doing this with your 5/32" drill bit. You'll need this so you can get to the screw that connects the horn to the servo.

4. Now screw the lid to the horn. I used four included screws with each servo to connect the lids to the horns. It might be easier if you pre-drill tiny holes through the lid like I did. I used a 1/16" drill bit for this. But be careful, drilling through this plastic with a heavy drill and a tiny bit can be difficult.

5. Now connect the horns to the servos using the small Phillips (4-sided) screw driver.

6. Finally, wrap rubber bands around each wheel to give you more traction. I got my rubber bands from produce I bought at the grocery store. Hopefully you have a few lying around.

7. At this point the entire body and wheels should be assembled.

Step 11Completing the Arduino Mothbot

With the body and wheels assembled it's easy to place the Arduino and solderless breadboard just atop the robot body. Make sure you can still reach the USB input on the Arduino in case you need to change the programming. I used some black electrical tape underneath each to stick them to the body. Electrical tape is easy to remove and holds quite well.

1. Tape the Arduino and solderless breadboard to the top of the robot body that you've built.

2. Using tape again it's a good idea to connect the 4AA battery holder and the 9V battery to the body. Make sure the wires reach.

3. Connect the servo wires to the solderless breadboard if you had removed them previously.

4. Connect the Arduino power

5. Connect the servo motor power

6. Now place your robot on the ground and press the on/off switch! It should now come to life and chase the light around the room:)

As a future add-on project I would include a simple bumper or wall sensor. This would be a switch, much like the On/Off button used in this project. However, when the button was pushed it would tell the robot to reverse direction, turn left or right, and continue with the program. Once that is completed this robot would be a great little testing platform for other sensors and devices.

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2012-07-03T17:05:00.000-07:00

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How to Make a Static Electricity Generator - Shock Anything & Fry Electronics with a Touch!

2012-07-03T16:47:00.000-07:00

video How to Make a Static Electricity Generator - Shock Anything & Fry Electronics with a Touch!

In this video I show how to make a device that allows the user to gain the power of electricity. This high voltage generator can electrify a persons entire body with a static charge more powerful than rubbing even the softest footie pajamas on a carpet could ever muster. The electrical buildup can then be discharged with a touch to shock anything in reach.

Parts that may need to be ordered online:
Negative Ion Generator (Ionizer) (I bought mine here: http://www.allelectronics.com/ Search for SW-750)

Automotive Power Converter (Cheapest here: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004I1LF7O/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00 Or find one at an auto parts store)

Parts that can be purchased in a hardware or electronics store (Such as Radio Shack):
Flux Core Solder
2" of Copper Wire
Heat Shrink Insulating Tubing (Optional)
9 Volt Battery (DO NOT USE A LARGER POWER SOURCE! Doing so may be DANGEROUS!)
9 Volt Battery Harness
On/Off Switch (Any type will work, even a light switch if that is all that is available)
Sticky Back Velcro
Dual Sided Velcro (Usually found in the form of cable ties)
Glasses Case
1 Gallon Bottle (Such as a windshield washer fluid bottle)
Hot Glue
Aluminum Soda Can
Duct or Electrical Tape

Tools:
Soldering Iron
Screwdriver
Scissors
Wire Strippers
Hot Glue Gun
Sand Paper
Drill & Bits
File (Optional)

I was inspired to create this video when I read the article posted here: http://fear-of-lightning.wonderhowto.com/how-to/master-power-shock-people-with-your-fingertips-0133360/
That article is based off of the information provided in this even older article: http://afrotechmods.com/cheap/negativeiongenerator/pikashoe7.htm

Both of the above use a design that contains the generator within a pair of shoes, but I decided that it would be better modified into something that could easily be strapped on and off over anything the user happens to be wearing. The design used in the article also has a nasty habit of shocking the bottom of your foot quite frequently.

How To Create Iphone Apps With No Programming Experience !!

2012-07-02T04:35:00.000-07:00

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Iphone And Ipad Tutorials And Starter Kits

2012-07-02T04:23:00.000-07:00

Professional Tutorials And Starter Kits To Help Iphone/ipad Developers Make Their Own Apps And Games. Includes Space Game Starter Kit - Full Source Code And Tutorials That Show You How To Create A Cool Space Shooter Game From Scratch!

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How To Convert Fluorescent starter to Thermal Switch

2012-07-02T04:09:00.000-07:00

Fluorescent starter is essentially two bimetallic strips in a sealed glass capsule, with a small gap between them.

The principle of this experiment is Metal expansion and contraction .

Materials:
1- 12 volt CPU Fan.
2- 12 Volt supply.
3- Fluorescent starter.
4- Candle.

Steps:
1- Break the starter glass and try to not damage the metal inside (Take all safety precaution when you do that to avoid any injury).
2- Make sure that there is a small gap between two metal as shown in attached picture.
3- Connect the circuit as attached in the first circuit diagram and fix the starter about 2 cm above the candle.

When the candle lighted up ,the starter metal will expand and attached together , the fan will turn on and turn off the candle ,the two metal will de-attach and turn off the fan.

Note that CPU fan is a brush less dc motor and it will not cause spark in starting ,the spark can damage the metal and it will not work for long time ,so if you connect a load that take more current and cause a spark in the starter you can use transistor showed in the last diagram to avoid this issue .

if you find this tutorial useful to you , please vote for it in the Electronics Tips & Tricks contest.

Fastest way to Hack RC Car H-Bridge

2012-07-02T04:07:00.000-07:00

I have some broken small RC car without remote control and I was interesting to hack the H-bridge of these car and connect them to micro controller circuit in order to make for example a line follower robot or obstacle avoidance robot.

The common circuit of RC car consist of :
1-Receiver circuit which is define the frequency that the car will work on( for example 40Mhz or 27 Mhz).
2-Controller chip (De-Multiplexer circuit).
3-Dual H-bridge circuit for driving two DC motor (one for backward ,forward and the other for the steering).

you can see that from the above picture, it's a little complicated to find the base of transistors that will make the motor work ,also it will take a lot of time, so instead of that I download datasheet of the controller and from chip pins diagram we can trace the H-bridge pins directly.

RX-2 Controller Chip:
RX-2 is a five function receiver chip work as a De-multiplexer and the multiplexer of this chip called TX-2 which is located in the remote control of the RC car .it's a very interesting IC and compatible with RF and infrared (check attached datasheet ).

Now from the pin diagram shown in the next picture you can locate the pins of H-Bride (PIN 6 ,7 for right and left ) and (PIN 10,11 for backward and forward).
By connecting +5 volt to these pins you will be able to control the motors but be careful don't connect 5 volt to right and left or backward and forward on the same time ,you might burn your circuit (depend on circuit design) .

Now you can remove RX-2 chip and connect the H-bridge pins to a micro controller but it's better to connect a 330 ohm resistor between them for current limitation.

if you like or find this tutorial useful to you , please vote for it in the Electronics Tips & Tricks contest.

The Ultimate Guide To Password Recovery And Management

2012-06-30T06:24:00.000-07:00

After years of consulting on the matter of password recovery, I’ve decided to make an ebook that concentrates all the experience I’ve gathered on this topic, that have helped hundreds of people around the globe the last 2 years.

The ultimate guide to password recovery and management provides many methods to recover passwords from windows accounts and also windows programs, such as microsoft office and instant messengers, and also websites.

Now, recovering a password is one thing, but the best is for you to not even lose it, so I’m also going to show you how to manage them effectively.

Fix Windows Errors & Optimize Your System

2012-06-30T06:12:00.000-07:00

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CCleaner - the number-one tool for cleaning your Windows PC

2012-06-30T05:49:00.000-07:00

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How to Accelerate Internet Speed

2012-06-29T19:09:00.000-07:00

Data transmission rates, or internet speeds, vary depending on the type of Internet connection you use. Dial-up internet offers the slowest speed, with transmission of data ranging from 2400 bps (bits per second) to 56 Kbps. Digital Subscriber Line, known as DSL, and cable internet provide faster download speeds, up to 7.1 Mbps for DSL and 16 Mbps for cable. The performance and capabilities of your hardware affect the speed and may contribute to less than optimal internet performance. There are several simple steps you can take to improve your network connection.

Instructions

Delete temporary internet files and uninstall any unused programs to free up space on the hard drive.

Close out any programs that are not currently being used. Too many tasks running at once may slow your computer's responsiveness, especially images, videos and downloads.

Open Tools menu from your Internet Explorer toolbar and select Internet Options. Go to the Advanced tab and uncheck the boxes next to "Play animation in webpages" and "Play sounds in webpages". This will prevent large files from loading automatically when opening a new webpage.

Perform basic system maintenance by running a disk clean-up and a disk defragmentation, and set Internet Explorer to operate with no add-ons. You can access these utilities by opening the Start menu and selecting All Programs, then Accessories.

Open the Control Panel and select System, then Performance from the task menu. A rating of your system's performance is provided on the main page. Choose Adjust Visual Effects from the task menu and select "adjust for best performance" under the Visual Effects tab.

Improve your wireless signal by moving the router closer to your computer. Avoid placement near walls and metal surfaces, which may prevent the signal from reaching your computer.

Go to www.speedtest.net to perform an internet speed test, which measures the download and upload speeds of your current internet connection. The test should be repeated several times to acquire an overall average result.

Compare the results of the speed test to the expected speed of your modem and Internet service. If you are not achieving the expected Internet speed, you may want to consider upgrading the bandwidth of your service or opting for a different type of connection.

Run a diagnostic test to ensure your network devices are working properly. Open the Control Panel, select Network and Sharing Center and click "Diagnose and Repair" from menu. Devices may require repair, replacement or driver updates.

iPhone desk stand

2012-06-27T19:18:00.001-07:00

Don’t know what to do with your iPhone box after you have opened it? Re-use your iPhone box and Makedo's reusable pins and clips available at mymakedo.com to make this simple iphone stand for your desk. If not an iPhone be creative and find any unwanted phone box.

If you’re a real techie, create other stands and give everything else it’s place too - never lose any of your gadgets again. Try one for your iPad, tablet, remote controls or Wii console.

Step 1Find

Find the lid of your iPhone box, alternative boxes of a similar size can be used for this project.

Step 2Cut

Begin by cutting down the corners of the box.

Step 3Cut

Cut along the lines as shown in the image.

Step 4Score

Using the Makedo safe-saw score as shown in the image. Fold the scored lines and bring the side flaps of the box together.

Step 5Punch

Use the Makedo safe-saw and punch 3 holes on the center of either side of the side flaps. Punch a hole on the two triangular folds on the bottom.

Step 6Connect

Connect the side of the box using a Makedo hinge and Makedo pins and clips shown in the image.

Step 7Complete

Trim off the excess cardboard on the bottom to follow the direction of the triangle.

Potato Battery Driven LED

2012-06-25T14:09:00.000-07:00

So, if you looked at my profile you would see that I like physics. When the challenge for “Potatoes” I just knew that I need to do a project that highlighted the lowly “Potato Battery”. So here is how to make a Potato Battery and have it light an LED light.

Step 1

Supplies:
Potatoes
Galvanized nails
Shinny copper pennies
Wires with alligator clips on each end (2+ per battery)
LED bulb
Multi meter
Knife
Cutting board

Step 2

A battery is a way to store electrical energy. For a battery to work it needs to have 3 things, two electrodes (metals, one + and one -) and electrolytes (minerals). The batteries we are going to make today uses the electrodes of copper (pennies, anodes, +) and zinc (galvanized nails, cathode, -) and the electrolyte of K (Potassium) that is found in potatoes.

Step 3

Take a potato

Step 4

and cut it in half. This will make 2 batteries. Potatoes are juicy, which is part of the reason they can be made into batteries.

Step 5

Take a knife and put a slit in the potato and slip the penny into the slit. Push as much of the penny into the slit as possible, you want just a little bit sticking out of the potato. Push the nail most of the way into the potato,(at this point I cut the nails in half, so that they weren't so tall). Do not let the electrodes touch, keeping them about 1 inch apart.

Step 6

Turn on the Multimeter and put it at the lowest voltage reading. Make sure the red probe is in the + slot and the black probe is in the – slot.

Step 7

Use the red line to touch the penny in the potato and the black line to touch the nail. You can read how much voltage you have available in this potato battery. It reads .85 volts, not bad but not enough to do anything fun.

Step 8

To increase the voltage, you will need to create more potato batteries and wire them in a series (that means to connect the + electrode of one battery to the – electrode of the next battery). So I created 3 more batteries from 3 more potato halves.

Step 9

Then I used the alligator clips connected to wires and wired first 2 potatoes together,

Step 10

this time the voltage read 1.69 volts.

Step 11

Let's take a minute and look at the LED light. It has one long leg and one shorter leg. The longer leg is the anode (+) and the shorter leg is the cathode (-). I clipped the batteries to the LED light (+ to+ and - to-), no light, therefore, not enough voltage.

Step 12

I wired all four batteries together in series, and found what the total voltage is of the 4 batteries was 2.38 volts and I again wired in the LED light, again no light.

Step 13

Finally I wired six batteries in series and it had a 4.08 volt reading.

Step 14

This time the light lit up! Hurray! Potatoes can be used as batteries.

Step 15

Have fun playing with your new batteries, maybe you would like to experiment with increasing current by wiring the potato batteries in parallel as well as series. Good luck and Enjoy!

How to See in The Dark

2012-06-25T14:04:00.002-07:00

If you want to be able to see in the dark you can pick up a maglite and shine it every where you want. But if you don't want other people to know you are there you have to figure out an other way to be able to see using a lightbeam others can't see. in otherwords build your own night vision scope.

what do you need:
- a viewfinder from an old camera.
- an old 380 line black and white camera
- six Infrared LED's
- three 15 ohm resistors

Step 1The viewfinder

The viewfinder I used for this night vision scope. Was taken from a CANON UC4000 V8 Camcorder. The Camera was broke but the viewfinder is stil very usefull.

The viewfinder used to be connected to the camera with 5 cables.
When I started measuring them I noticed that I just needed the first three cables those where.
- +5 volt
- Ground
- video-in

ATTENTION:
The viewfinder contains a 0.7 inch picture tube, a high voltage power supply and some calibration pots. The size of this module is only 2,5 x 5 cm.
Therefore the high voltage power supply could for the picture tube could cause serious injury if you touched it.

This is why in attached new cables to those connection points en put the viewfinder back together.

Now our output device is ready.

Step 2The camera

After some searching I found a 380 line black/white camera in my garage which was solderd on a piece of stripboard and used a 5 volt power supply (thats nice the same votage as my view finder). This camera cannot see in the dark but it can see IR light (which is invisible for the human’s eye). So fore the record this night vision scope is not an image intensifier this scope needs an Infrared light source.

(Sometimes manufactors put a filter in the lens which blocks the infrared light when you work carefull jou can remove it as described in my Instructable Turning an old webcam into a Night vision cam

Step 3The illuminator

For the illuminator I used 6 High Power Infrared Emitter, type SFH4550.

Some specifics on these IR LED's:
- Current: 100 mA
- Wavelength: 860 nm
- Radiant Intensity: 700 mW/sr
- viewing angle: 3 degrees
- voltage: 1,5 Volt
- Diode Case t-1 3/4 (5 mm)

I used the stripboard that was attached to the camera as a base for my illuminator which i made by connecting 2 times 3 LED's in series (3 * 1.5 volts = 4,5 volts) to make it work in my system that has to run on 5 volts becaus of the viewfinder and the camera, I had to place a 5 ohm resistor before the LED's to make the powerdrop I placed 3 resistors of 15 omh in parallel.

Step 4Connect and enjoy

After connecting the viewfinder to the camera en connected all the power and ground cables I could see in the dark using the light of the Infrared LED's.

I am stil searching for a case to put it in and when i do I will deside what kind of battery i will use en design a circuit for battery power to the 5 volt working power of the electronics in my scope.

Images of the completed Night vision scope will be added after i have found a nice case to put it in.

Unforunatly i can't let you see what the image looks like when you look trough the night vision scope, But i can gaurantee that it works great.

Happy spying.

Panelizing PCBs for Seeed Using Eagle Free / Light

2012-06-23T07:48:00.000-07:00

Some PCB fab houses (like SeeedStudio, with their Fusion PCB service) will allow you to panelize smaller PCBs. For example, if you have a 2.5cm x 5cm board, you could panelize two of them on to a single 5mm x 5mm PCB. Or, put a 7cm x 7cm board and a bunch of 3cm x 3cm boards onto a 10cm x 10cm panel. Seeed will allow up to 5 sub-boards on a panel.

The freeware and light versions of Cadsoft Eagle limit the design area of the PCB to 10cm x 8cm. This is enough to do many projects, but when you want to try and panelize to fill a 10cm x 10 cm board, it won't work. Plus, maintaining separate projects and updating them on the panel, and maintaining consistency of labels and reference designators can be a pain.

In this Instructable, I will show you an easy way to merge Gerber files generated from Eagle (or any other EDA tool) in a way that Seeed Studio will accept them for panelizing with their Fusion PCB service. I will be using the SARduino644 v1.0 board shown below as an example.

Step 1Design Board and Render Gerbers

This has been covered elsewhere. Sparkfun has a set of particularly good tutorials. Note that Seeed requests that you put your order number on the silkscreen layer somewhere, so you might want to consider placing your order before going through the render/check cycle.

When you're happy with your board, and it passes Seeed's design rules, use the Seeed CAM processor to generate the Gerbers for your PCB.

When you're done, you should end up with the following files:
<board>.GTO - top silkscreen
<board>.GTS - top soldermask
<board>.GTL - top copper
<board>.GBO - bottom silkscreen
<board>.GBS - bottom soldermask
<board>.GBL - bottom copper
<board>.TXT - Excellon drill file.

Before you proceed, you should check the Gerbers carefully to make sure everything looks right *before* combining them into a panel, this will save time later if you find a problem. I like to use the online gerber viewer provided by CircuitPeople. You can make a zip of all the files and upload them in one go, and they will all be rendered to image files.

Step 2Install Gerbmerge and Patch for Seeed

Rugged Circuits has created an excellent program for merging gerber files, called, not unexpectedly, gerbmerge. This program will merge gerber files onto a panel with a layout you can specify.

Go download the latest version (currently 1.8) and install it.

In order to accept panelized PCBs, Seeed requires an outline for the entire panel to be present on all layers, otherwise, they will offer to change your order for multiple, separate boards, which defeats the entire purpose. Out of the box, v1.8 of gerbmerge does not support rendering the outline of the entire panel to all layers. However, I have successfully patched it to include this support. I have submitted this patch to the folks at Rugged Circuits, and they are considering including it in the next release. Until then, you'll have to apply it manually. But it isn't hard...

The latest patched version is in this gerberge-patched github repo. To patch your installation, find the installed files (for example, look for a gerbmerge folder in C:\Python<version>\Lib\site-packages\ on Windows, or in /usr/lib/python<version>/site-packages on Linux). Then apply these patches: https://github.com/space-age-robotics/gerbmerge-patched/commit/5078c7b33439912c465fb33fc0082b82cfac3687#diff-0 to the config.py and gerbmerge.py files.

If you're worried about messing up your installation, feel free to make a backup copy of the gerbmerge folder before you proceed. You might also consider setting up your merge configuration and layout first, and then adding the patch once you have it producing the output you want, so you have more confidence in the output.

Step 3Define your panel configuration

The panel configuration file defines the source gerber files for each PCB, and specifies the details of the merged gerber output. Here is an explanation of some values you may want, from the SARduino644 panel configuration, which you can find in full here: https://github.com/space-age-robotics/SARduino/blob/master/panel.cfg

# I always use the local directory to contain all input gerbers, config files, and output files
projdir = .
# MergeOut is the prefix of the output files.
MergeOut = merge2

# CutlineLayers will determine where the subboard markings are, which will help in separating them. These are the accentuated lines between the two instances of the board in the image below.
CutLineLayers = *topsilkscreen,*bottomsilkscreen

# OutlineLayers is used by the patched gerbmerge, it defines which layers the entire panel outline will be drawn on. Seeed requires this on all layers.
OutlineLayers = *toplayer,*bottomlayer,*topsilkscreen,*bottomsilkscreen,*topsoldermask,*bottomsoldermask

# here you can specify the maximum dimensions allowed by the Seeed PCB service you ordered (in inches).
# gerbmerge will warn you if your final panel (based on your layout) exceeds these dimensions.
PanelWidth = 3.93
PanelHeight = 3.93

# comment out the margins or set them to zero if you want the maximum amount of useable area on your panel.
#LeftMargin = 0.1
#RightMargin = 0.1
#TopMargin = 0.1
#BottomMargin = 0.1

# spacing determines how much space between the panels. I found 0.0625 to be plenty of space for a band-saw blade, I may reduce it a hair in the next run.
XSpacing = 0.0625
YSpacing = 0.0625

# if you define the merge output files to be in the filename scheme that Seeed requires, you won't have to rename them by hand later.
[MergeOutputFiles]
Prefix = %(mergeout)s
*TopLayer=%(prefix)s.GTL
*BottomLayer=%(prefix)s.GBL
*TopSilkscreen=%(prefix)s.GTO
*BottomSilkscreen=%(prefix)s.GBO
*TopSoldermask=%(prefix)s.GTS
*BottomSoldermask=%(prefix)s.GBS
Drills=%(prefix)s.TXT
BoardOutline=%(prefix)s.bor
ToolList = toollist.%(prefix)s.drl
Placement = placement.%(prefix)s.txt

# Job configuration - for each different sub-board, define a section like follows with the subboard name (used in the layout file) and the gerbers comprising that job.
[SARduino_644]

Prefix=%(projdir)s/SARduino_644

# List all the layers that participate in this job. Required layers are Drills
# and BoardOutline and have no '*' at the beginning. Optional layers have
# names chosen by you and begin with '*'. You should choose consistent layer
# names across all jobs.
*TopLayer=%(prefix)s.GTL
*BottomLayer=%(prefix)s.GBL
*TopSilkscreen=%(prefix)s.GTO
*BottomSilkscreen=%(prefix)s.GBO
*TopSoldermask=%(prefix)s.GTS
*BottomSoldermask=%(prefix)s.GBS
Drills=%(prefix)s.TXT
BoardOutline=%(prefix)s.BOR

Step 4Define your panel layout

This is a layout file that defines a panel of one row, one column, with two SARduino_644 jobs (matching the job name in the config file). The result is that there are two instances of the board in the panel, one above the other.

Here is the file in the repo: https://github.com/space-age-robotics/SARduino/blob/master/panel.layout

Row {
Col {
SARduino_644
SARduino_644
}
}

Defining layouts is very simple, and the instructions are excellent. Gerbmerge also has basic auto-layout capability, see the fine documentation for more details.

panel.layout52 bytes

Step 5Generate Panel Gerbers and Check

To generate the panel, invoke gerbmerge as follows, with the panel configuration file first, and the layout file second, for example:

path/to/python path/to/gerbmerge.py panel.cfg panel.layout

You will first be presented with a warning about the lack of warranty, as in the first image below. Enter 'Y' to continue.
You should then shortly see output like in the second image below.

Have a look at the output in your favorite gerber viewer, to make sure the results are as you expected.

Repeat from step 1 until you are happy with the results.

Step 6Order PCBs

Follow all of Seeed's instructions for faster processing. As mentioned earlier, you may want to place your order before you go through the panelizing process, so that you can add your order number to the silk layer as required.

Step 7Separate PCBs from Panel

Once you have your boards, you need to cut them apart. I found that a bandsaw worked well, there was plenty of room for the blade between the boards, and I had a good guide that made a perfect edge. After cutting them, I cleaned up the cut edges by running them by hand over a (powered off!) belt sander.

How I built a Solar iPhone Charger for under $50.

2012-06-22T18:51:00.000-07:00

To see my personal site with these tutorials and news, please visit http://www.BrennanZelener.com

**DISCLAIMER**

I am not responsible for any damage that you may cause to your iPhone or any device that you use with this charger. I can not stress the importance of checking your circuits with a multimeter enough, and I can assure you that I've done so at every step in this build process. Your phone is a very expensive device. Treat it like one!

Intro and Design:

Over the past month or so, I've been working on designs for a stationary solar iPhone charger. By stationary I mean a charger that will be kept in a fairly permanent place. I bring mine with me if I'm going to be camping or staying somewhere for a while, but it's really not meant to be portable.

This isn't only a solar iPhone charger. You can use it with any device that will charge via USB. I just happen to use it to charge my iPhone. Also, this design doesn't include a battery in the circuit - which means that you'll have to charge your iPhone when the sun is out and shining. I know it's a serious inconvenience, but adding a battery makes the circuit much more complex - and is a bit more costly. I'll be following up this design with an update on how to add a battery conveniently into this circuit.

The idea behind this panel is that it's simple (and cheap!). You don't have to have any prior circuit knowledge,or familiarity with electronics. I'm really just stepping out of the novice stage as far as soldering is concerned, so this is a great beginner project for just about anyone!

Step 1Tools and Materials

As I say in the title, I built this charger for just a bit less than $50. That doesn't include the cost for tools and a few of the materials that were salvaged, but if you spend enough time on eBay you should be able to build yours for the same amount, if not less.

Let's take a look at what was used to build the panel.

Tools:

Soldering Iron w/ Solder and Flux
Needle Nose Pliers
Wire Cutters/Stripper
MultiMeter (IMPORTANT)
Materials and Prices:

Part/Material ------------------------------------- Source ----------------- Cost

10 Watt Solar Panel ----------------------------- eBay -------------------$41.45 w/ shipping
7805 5Volt Regulator ---------------------- RadioShack ------------- $1.59
iPhone/iPod Cable ------------------------------ eBay ------------------ $1.20
USB Extension Cable -------------------------- eBay ------------------ $3.00 w/ shipping
Red/Black small-guage wire --------------- On Hand --------------- Free
Electrical Tape --------------------------------- On Hand --------------- Free
Small Zip Tie ----------------------------------- On Hand --------------- Free

Step 2The Panel

This Solar Panel is a 10W panel made by LaVie Solar. You can check out their website, but your cheapest bet is to use eBay. Their eBay user ID is lavie-inc. I snagged a pretty great deal at $41.45. The panel has a really sturdy build quality. It has an aluminum frame, and seems to be entirely weatherized. I wouldn't have too much of a problem leaving it in the rain. Also, All of the wiring has been done for us which saves a LOT of time. They even put a blocking diode into the connection on the back, so we don't have to worry about that in our circuit.

The panel has an output rating of 21.6 Volts (Open Circuit) and .62Amps (Short Circuit). These are optimal ratings, but when I tested my panel in direct sunlight, that's almost exactly what I got.

As far as efficiency goes, this is not the ideal panel to be using as a direct USB charger. We'll be loosing a lot of energy as heat when we regulate the 20V output down to 5V to match USB standard. However, using a larger panel means that there will be more current flowing even when there's not a lot of sun. I've even seen my iPhone charging when the solar panel is in the shade!

Step 3The Simple Circuit

After gathering all of the materials, I sat down and got to work.

I cut 2 pieces of Black wire and 2 pieces of Red Wire. The lengths were around 5-6 inches. Then, I cut a little bit less than an inch off both ends of each wire.

With my black and red wires ready, I cut my USB extension cable in half and stripped the cut half of the female end to expose all of the individual wires. There are 4 wires in all USB cables- Green, White, Red, and Black. The Green and White wires are for data, so those are not needed. I snipped the Green and White wires, along with all of shielding and fiber - leaving only the Red and Black wires coming out about an inch and a half from the USB cable. I stripped a little bit less than an inch off the Red and Black wires on my USB extension.

Since the 5V regulator only has one Ground pin, I used the two black wires that I cut initially- to make the soldering a little bit easier. I took both of my black wires, along with the black wire coming from my USB extension, and twisted them all together carefully and securely. I put some solder on that connection to make sure that all of the wires stayed together. Then, to keep things safe, I covered the 3-way connection with electrical tape.

Once all of the wiring was prepped, it was time to put the 5V regulator into the equation. Soldering wires onto the tiny pins from the 5V regulator can be a task. I used a small Zip Tie to hold my wires to the 5V regulator to make things much easier. It really helped - I was able to do pretty clean solder jobs on each of the pins. Since neither of the red wires were connected to anything, it didn't matter which ones I soldered to which pins. Just make sure you know that if your 5V regulator is laying flat, the input pin is on the bottom, and the output pin is on the top!. I also bent the pins in opposite directions to keep everything separate.

The fantastic part about this charger is that we're already done with our circuit. Once I was done soldering to my 5V regulator, I connected the Red wire from the Output pin on the regulator - to the Red wire coming from my USB extension cable. Now, I only had 2 wire ends left. A Red wire connecting to the input pin on my 5V regulator, and a Black wire connecting to the regulator's Ground Pin and my USB extension cable.

Step 4Connect the Circuit to the Panel

Since the LaVie Solar Panel has a pretty simple connection panel, pinching the Black and Red wires to the right screws on the panel was easy!

Step 5Test the Charger!

I used my MultiMeter to measure my Input voltage that was going into my 5.00V regulator. about 20V @ 0.50A Good!. Then, I measured the output voltage coming from my Regulator. The reading was 5.00V @ 0.50A Perfect!. Those readings meant that everything was working correctly. Watch out, that 5V regulator gets hot when electrons are flowing through it!

Fully convinced that everything was working as it should be, I covered all of my open wires with electrical tape, took a deep breath, and plugged my iPhone in.

IT'S CHARGING!

Step 6Conclusion

In future designs, I'll definitely be adding a battery so that you can charge your devices at a more convenient time. I'd also like to make a more portable version of this charger. With all of the new solar technology, flexible panels are bound to cheapen up sometime!

USB Iphone Ipod Dynamo Charger

2012-06-22T18:44:00.000-07:00

No outlet in sight? Do not worry pull out your very own USB Dynamo (wind up) Charger! Going Green could not have been so easy! This is a step by step guide on how to Build, Test, and Perfect your Green USB Dynamo! Please don't forget to Rate and Vote on the Pocket-size Contest.

Step 1Planning:

Looking around online there is no small Dynano USB Charger on the market. The smallest one available is made in Australia and measures 112(W) x 47(W) x 23(D)mm and can fit in a big pocket. My quest is to build a truly pocket size Low cost USB Windup Charger. Where to begin?

Step 2The Options:

Options are good. Looking online there are many ways to build a dynamo charger. Some good and some bad. (very very bad) Here are some of the best options:

1) Dynamo charger plus an Any volt micro step up step down voltage regulator (picture below). On Ebay there are many windup chargers for prices as low as $2.50 shipped.
Advantage:Low cost and easy to buy. Micro Any volt is a great little circuit that can take 2.6-14 volts and step up/down to 2.6-14 volt output.
Disadvantage:Some are poorly made and have bad electronics.

2)Dynamo Charger plus 7805 voltage regulator.
Advantage: Cheap and easy to build.
Disadvantage: Excess electricity is made into heat and has to be dissipated with heat sink. (hot hands?) Have to build a 7805 regulating circuit. (Google 7805 voltage regulator for more information)

3)Dynamo Charger plus USB Car Charger
Advantage: Very easy to build, All parts can be bought locally. Two wire connection
Disadvantage: Cases have to be modified to accept each other

Option one is the best in my option, But due to back orders I was not able to build this model. In this instructable I will guild you to building the easiest of the options, Number 3 and hopefully post the others in a later edition.

For more information about the any volt Micro please visit: http://www.dimensionengineering.com/AnyVoltMicro.htm

Step 3The Right Stuff:

The muscle:
Searching on ebay I can across a dynamo charger made for black berry cellphone. The Dynamo chargers cost 5 dollars shipping included (Ebay's seller info :Elec.expert)

The brains:
On a local trip to TJ max I ran across a Griffin USB charger and bought it for this project. This item has great body lines and is very small, that is what sold me on this item . The Griffin Charger can also take a range of power input, so cranking does not have to be at a constant rate. You can use a 7805 Voltage regulator to do the same, but why reinvent the wheel if somebody has already built it for you?

Step 4The doctor says "Open up"

To open the USB charger, use a small Phillips head screw driver and unscrew all 4 screws. Two flat head screw drivers can the be used to carefully pop open the case. Now look closely, there are two small connection point about 1/3 down the circuit board (from the 12V plug side). Griffin Might have put these two hole on the board for another project, But in our case they work great as a connection point for the generator. Get a knife and cut right shy of this point. After cutting the board. Measure and cut the black case as well. do not screw the case back together yet.

Step 5Cutting the Dynamo Case

Now to accept the USB Car charger cut the Dynamo Charger case. Where the electronics used to fit is now going to be removed for the USB car charger. Look at the picture below for a better understanding. I used an old soldering iron to cut the case. If you do not have an old soldering iron, use a sharp knife and/or a dremel.

Step 6Soldering the Wire and Fusing the Cases

Now with the cases cut down to shape, solder wires from the motor to the USB Car Charger and test if the unit works. Screw the Black case together. If working, Use you Soldering iron to fuse the cases together. This step is very important and will made your USB wind up charger strong and professional.

Hint: Use the extra cut plastic as binder to strengthen the bonds between the two cases.

Step 7Sanding & Painting:

After welding the cases together, sand them down to make a seamless professional product. Cover USB plug and light. Paint the charger your favorite color. I choose a light green to give my product a more earth tone.

Step 8Size Matters:

Here is a couple of pictures of the Dynamo Charger Compared to Orbits Gum.

Step 9The final product & future plans:

Over all I would give this project fro a scale 1 to 5 (1 easy-5 hard) a 2. Over all this is the easiest Dynamo project that I have done. Build this project in a week end and save the world! Maybe not the world, but when you are in a pinch and need some power this product will come to your aid.

Testing:
-About 2 minutes of winding increases the power level on my iphone about 1%.

-If you iphone is dead, about 5 minutes of cranking will bring it back to life

Future plans:

Building a wind-up&solar charger to put in the window at work/home to charge my iphone off the grid. How novel! Having the phone that makes you the most connected but charges with no wire attached.
Please contact me if you have any question comment or fun Ideas!

A clever way to access the USB ports on your iMac (+ video)

2012-06-22T18:37:00.000-07:00

This is an evolution on our last Instructable where we tried to solve the problem of accessing the USB ports on an iMac.

People raised some interesting points about how "ugly" the solution was and then criggie suggested using magnets and we thought, hey, that's an awesome idea, so we tested it and loved it :)

Here is a simple Instructable on how you can make this too.

This is a smart idea that is a total pleasure to use, I imagine that you can have loads of quick access ports dotted around the back of your machine now, the possibilities are endless.

WHAT YOU NEED:
1. sugru - one mini pack is enough to make 3 of these
2. Neodymium magnets (we got these ones from ebay but you could probably use slightly smaller ones)
3. USB extension cable (male to female)
4. scissors
5. tissue paper

Step 1 OPPOSITES ATTRACT - label your magnets

I think everyone knows how magnets work, but it's pretty easy to mount these incorrectly and for this project not to work for you, so, here comes some obvious but useful tips.

With magnets, OPPOSITES ATTRACT, this is the key thing to remember so we recommend that you label your magnets.

Allow your magnets to attract, (if you are using Neodymium then be careful, they are powerful)

Label the sides, we marked ours with plus and minus signs.

Step 2 Prepare the magnets

One mini pack is enough to do about 3 sets of these or you could do this with some spare sugru form another project...

1: Break the sugru into 3 equal pieces.

2: break one of these pieces in half.

3: shape these pieces into small cones.

4: Press the pointed end onto the sides of each magnet;
One piece onto the plus side of one magnet.
The other piece onto the minus side of the second magnet.

Step 3 Apply magnet to computer

Press the pointed end of the sugru pyramid into the place where you want your cable to sit.

Press the sugru that spreads out around the magnet to help ensure a strong bond.

Step 4 Apply magnet to USB

Press the remaining magnet into the base of the USB extension lead.

Again press the sugru that spreads out in around the magnet.

Leave to cure overnight.

Step 5 Enjoy the good life

Once cured, plug in the cable and connect the two magnets.

Now you have an easy to find USB extension that is kept out the way.

Enjoy :)

How to make a custom laser etched wine bottle

2012-06-21T16:27:00.002-07:00

This instructable describes how to make a laser etched wine bottle that can be used to bottle your own home made libation, as a flower vase or whatever application you find for wine bottles. I make my own wine at home and decided it would be nice to use a laser etching machine to create an artistic etched label to make the presentation more attractive than printed stick on labels. I dp not have a laser etcher at home therefor I made it at TechShop (www.techshop.ws.) The following items are needed for this instructable.

Tools:
1) Laser engraver (all TechShop locations)
2) A rotary attachment for the laser engraver
3) Software for designing the bottle "label"
4) A non-scratch scrubber for cleaing the final product
5) Wine bottle opener
6) Measureing tape

Associated TechShop Classes:
1) LAS101: Laser Cutting and Etching SBU
2) LAS201: Laser Engraver Rotary Attachment SBU

Materials:
1) Bottle of wine

Step 1Empty a bottle of wine

You do not want to use a laser engraver on a full bottle of wine--the results could be disasterous. First empty a bottle of wine using your preferred method. I like to drink mine. Wait at least 24 until your hang over is gone (not necessary if you poured it down the drain--fool.) Once emptied be sure to rinse the bottle and remove the label so the laser only meets the surface of the glass and not paper or glue.

Step 2Preparing your label

You will first need to measure the diameter of your wine bottle. Do this using any measuring tape wrapping it around the bottle until it overlaps itself. Take note of this measurement. You will also need to measure the total height of the bottle as well as the distance from the bottom of the bottle to where it begins to taper off into the neck of the bottle. This distance is necessary to know because the laser engraver requires a fixed distance to work properly. As the laser moves towards the neck it becomes out of focus and will not engrave the glass, distorting your design. Using these measurements open a drawing with the canvas size dimensions equal to the diameter of the bottle as the width and the total height of the bottle as the height. Mark off the top region of the drawing where the tapered neck begins as a "no-draw-zone" and keep it blank.

Step 3Designing the label

Once you have setup the proper dimensions of your drawing you will need to place a marker to bisect the canvas along the vertical axis. This marker will define the front and back regions of the bottle. Use the left side to disign the front label and the right side as the smaller secondary label if you want one. Remember that the edges of the canvas at the left and right sides will touch each other when etched onto the bottle. This allows you create a continuous design that will wrap around the entire bottle. I recommend placing a repeating patter about 1/2" from the bottom of the bottle as it adds a nice touch to the design.

When designing the front label keep the design centered with respect the left segmented region of the canvas. Follow the same practice with designing the back label. This will place the labels on the exact opposite side of the bottle. I also like to place the back label near the bottom of the bottle which give it a well designed appearance.

Step 4

Once you have completed you label design you may send the file to the laser etcher to etch the bottle. Make sure that you setup the laser engraver properly with the rotary attachement and preform the alignment and calibration of the tool as needed. You will most likely need to place the neck of the bottle away from the large side of the laser engraver so that the riser mechanism can be raised to fit the tapered neck of the bottle. Once everything is lined up print the image to the bottle and watch the magic happen.

Step 5Cleaning up the bottle

The laser etcher creates tiny fragments of glass that need to be removed before you are finished. Use a non-scratch scrubbing pad and while running water over the bottle lightly scrub to remove these particals washing them down the drain. Once you are satisfied with the state of the bottle you may refill with the beverage of your choice and either cork it up or enjoy it immediately. I found that dark glass creates more contrast and makes the label more visible, but clear glass with dark liquid will likely have the same effect.

Android Tablet as Car PC

2012-06-20T04:37:00.001-07:00

An android tablet ia a logical choice for a car PC. The device offers additional features beyond regular car stereos. While many car stereos have GPS, the android device offers a more intelligent GPS. It has all of your google contacts addresses already in the GPS, it has your calendar with events and their locations, Chrome to phone can automatically send directions from your computer to your car. The device can store music, use internet radio, or play music using a cloud player such as Amazon cloud. These are features not available on even the most high end luxury cars.

I recommend choosing a tablet that already has a car dock. This dock can be easily modified to be permanently installed where a double din CD player would normally go. Also, with a car dock, the device will be easily removable so you can prevent theft and use the tablet elsewhere.

Tools:
Wire Strippers/Crimpers
Soldering Iron (Recommended)
Screw Drivers
Drill
Dremel with Cutting Blades

Equipment:
Tablet with Car Dock ( I chose Samsung Galaxy Tab 7+)
1/4" Sheet Lexan (Approx 10"x6")
Paint
1-1/4" Hole Saw
3/8" Drill Bit
Amplifier
Car Audio Adapter
Spade Plugs
Wire - Heavy Gauge to Power Amp
Wire - Medium Gauge for Speaker Signals
Grommets
Electrical Tape
Scotch Tape

Step 1The Audio

Replacing the stock stereo unit with a android tablet requires an external amplifier for the sound to play through the speakers. I choose a 4 channel amplifier. Four channel because my car has four speakers. I have the amplifier mounted under my passengers side seat, but the amp could be mounted just about anywhere. I chose just about the cheapest amp I could find. I don't listen to much music, mostly audio books and podcasts, so I was not too concerned with sound quality. I do listen to music using this amp and it sounds good enough for my ears.

Step 2Wiring the Amplifier

The amplifier will be powered directly by the battery. This will involve running heavy gauge wires from you car battery to the amplifier. Read the instruction manual of the amplifier to determine the necessary wire gauge for powering the amplifier. There are kits online that have pre-packaged wire for amplifiers or you can save yourself some money and go to the local hardware store and get them to cut a few feet of wire for you.

Step 3Amplifier Location

The amplifier is out of the way in the truck of a car, but it is also a long way away from the battery. I chose to mount the amplifier underneath the passengers seat to limit my cable run lengths. The seat had to be removed but this is actually quite easy. Only four bolts hold the seat in along with the wires for the occupancy detector for the airbags which has to be unclipped.

Step 4Amplifier Tools and Accessories

You will need a crimper to crimp spade plugs onto the end of each wire. I have some spade plugs that have heat shrink around them which I think is really cool and looks very professional. You will also want loom to cover the wire inside the engine compartment. High temperature loom is highly recommended. The loom may be hard to find at local stores but is available at McMaster Carr. You can tell the difference because high temperature loom will have a gray stripe on it. This loom is specifically designed for high temperatures locations like that of an engine compartment.

Step 5Amplifier Power Warning

Also, you have to put a fuse in the power cable of the amplifier. Radio shack sells small waterproof inline fuse holders that can be used for this. Very Important: Remember to put a fuse into the power cable for the amp as close to the battery as possible. Without this fuse, a short can set your car on fire. Yes really.

Step 6Running Wire Through Holes in Metal

Also, to get the power from your battery to the amplifier you will probably have to drill a hole in your firewall of your car. You may be able to poke the wire through a hole already there, but it is quite easy to drill a hole in the firewall. Here or anywhere you run wire through a hole in metal use a rubber grommet. This will prevent the jacket of the wire from being worn down from rubbing on the metal. I have a small hole in the passengers side footwell. The power cable for the amplifier runs through the hole, directly under the carpet, up through a hole in the carpet underneath the seat to the amplifier.

Step 7Amplifier Sound - Vehicle Harness Adapter

For attaching the amplifier to the speakers, I recommend you buy the adapter for connecting an aftermarket stereo to you stock system. This will prevent you from needing to cut any of the wires in the car. If you go to Crutchfield's website and look to buy an aftermarket stereo there will be two adapters. One for you car and one for the stereo. These adapters are labeled and have short stripped wires on each end. Simply order the one that is for the car and attach it to the plug that was originally in the back of your stock stereo system.

Step 8Amplifier to Car Adapter

You will need to run 2 cables per channel and a signal cable from the amplifier to the car adapter. This connection can be either butt-connected with crimp style connectors or (better) use soldered connections with heat-shrink. I recommend a piece of scotch tape wrapped around a sheet of paper to label the ends of the wires. The other option instead of scotch tape is clear heat shrink. This really leaves a really nice looking label.

To connect the source, in this case the android tablet, a stereo mini to rca (red and white) is needed. If you plan on having the device charge while it is being used, a ground loop isolator will needed to be added to this audio circuit. If powering the device and also using it as an audio source without this isolator you will hear a lot of static.

Step 9Charging the Tablet - Adding a Circuit

Using the GPS in the tablet will eat the battery pretty quickly. So it is nice to have the battery of the tablet charging as you drive down the road. Probably the best way to do this is to create a separate fused circuit in your car. If you look in the fuse box under the hood there will be some auxiliary fuse holders that are empty. The labeling of the fuse box is usually on the bottom of the lid for the fuse box which will reference your car's manual. To add you own circuit you can buy an add-a-fuse. This is a device that has a fuse and a short power wire. To this power wire you will want to add a female 12 VDC power socket (a cigarette lighter style socket). These can be found in auto parts stores or online. The red wire goes to power this socket and the other end must be ground. I found plenty of room where the CD player used to be to install the power socket.

Step 10Charging the Tablet

Some of these auxiliary fuses draw current if the car is on or off and some only draw current when the vehicle is turned on. The quickest way to tell which is which is just to plug the add-a-fuse in to different fuse spots with something connected. Important - By connected I mean with a power socket and the unmodified car power adapter for your tablet. Turn the car on and off and see what happens. I chose a fuse that did not draw any current when the car is off as to not drain the battery.

Step 11Taking Out the Old CD Player

I first had to remove the portion of my dashboard that contained the stock CD player. If you are unfamiliar with doing this for you particular car, I recommend a Haynes manual. This manual will help you find every screw and clip holding that dash in place. With the dash out, I measured and cut a piece of 1/4" lexan slightly larger than the hole where the stock radio was. Lexan can be found in your local hardware store in the glass cutting section. Just about anything can cut it although I still have problems getting a really clean edge. Luckily in the application all of the edges will be behind the dash so it won't matter. The dash is probably curved and you may notice small gaps in the side because the lexan is flat. You can ignore these because when the tablet is in place, they won't be visible.

Step 12Mounting the Lexan

To keep the lexan in place, I attached it along the back using one of my favorite inventions. A two part epoxy putty. This stuff is great for attaching weirdly shaped items. Just mix it together and stick it on. When it dries it will be rock hard and solid.

Step 13Installing the Mount

I used a 1.25" hole saw to drill a hole in the middle of this piece of lexan. After cutting off the suction cup portion of the mount for the tab, I epoxied it into the hole in the lexan. I also drilled a 3/8" hole next to the mount to run the power and audio cables through.

Step 14Paint

The lexan is fairly easy to paint. I roughed up the surface with 220 grit sandpaper. I then applied a layer of spray primer and then a layer of flat black. The paint does not have to be perfect as the mount will cover most of the paint job.

Step 15The Finished Product

The final product has a clean and professional looks but not quite stock. The only thing left is to upload some apps to enhance the experience. I recommend Google Navigation, Pandora, Amazon Cloud Player, tuneFM, Audible, doggCatcher, ChromeToPhone.

Remember to always drive safely and obey all traffic laws. This is not a device to watch movies or read emails when you are driving. It should be used in a safe and intelligent manner.

Step 16Mistakes I Made for You to Learn From

I did not like the idea of having to plug the headphone cord into the top of the tablet. I knew that the dock connector had pin outs for analog audio. I bought a cable that allowed me to charge the tablet as well as to play audio through the same cord. However when testing this in the car, I was unable to get rid of the noise when charging the dock and powering the amplifier at the same time. There may be an electrical hobbyist on here who could tell me why or help figure out a solution, but I was unable to figure out a solution.

After this didn't work I bought a bluetooth audio receiver that I plugged into the amplifier. This device worked and I was able to use the audio without attaching a second cable. However, I the sound isn't as clear as with an audio cable. I also run it to issues where the bluetooth has trouble connecting. For the time and effort, I would highly reccomend just using the headphone cable. It is the best option I was able to come up with at this time.

Switchbox for digital audio

2012-06-20T04:35:00.002-07:00

Check out the author’s website, Neat Information.com, for lots of interesting articles.

Most current home electronics have SPDIF digital coax (RCA jack) or optical (TOSLink) outputs or both. Digital coax jacks are far more common, even appearing in bargain basement DVD players. Most home theater systems have both digital coax and optical inputs.

Digital coax and TOSLink use the same protocols – the only difference is whether the signal is transmitted through a wire or by light. TOSLink has the advantage of no electrical interference, but more limited distance and more expensive connectors and cables. This tutorial describes how to manually select different digital coax (RCA) sources.

Technically you should use 75 ohm shielded cable, but in my experience standard RCA-RCA cables work fine for at least 4 meters (the distance from my computer to my home theater system box).

Step 1Switch it!

The good news is you can also use an inexpensive manual video switchbox to select digital audio inputs.

Just hook up an RCA-RCA cable from the switch box’s output to the home theater system’s input. Then hook up each of your electronics with digital outputs to the switchbox’s inputs. Use the same color jack for each jack on the switch box (i.e. all yellow).

I use my switch box to select digital audio from my cable television box, primary computer’s built-in audio and Blu-Ray player. Any digital audio source with a RCA SPDIF output can be used.

The added dimensions for 5.1 sound from the home theater system really make a difference for action movies and concerts.

My cable provider has a couple of dozen digital audio channels. By sending the digital audio directly to the home theater I don't have to waste electricity by powering on the television set just to listen to audio.

Step 2Hook up cables

While it’s desirable to use orange color-coded cables to avoid confusion it’s not absolutely necessary. I’ve used colored-plastic tape and colored loose leaf labels to help identify cables.

Step 3Add a digital sound port if necessary

If your computer doesn’t already have a digital output jack there may already be an existing circuit on your motherboard that just needs a connector, or you can add a sound card which does have digital audio out.

Disable Touchpad on Sony Vaio Laptop after Clean Windows 7 Install

2012-06-20T04:32:00.000-07:00

Laptop touchpads are the cause of "jumping cursor" syndrome. You can accidentally brush the touchpad with your palm while typing, causing cursor to jump around the screen. Sometimes you don't even need to brush the touchpad and the cursor still jumps because of driver/hardware issues, and believe me, it is very annoying. There is a software solution for that - a free program called TouchFreeze, but it doesn't always work. So the ultimate solution would be to disable the touchpad and use the external mouse.

This looks like a trivial issue but in fact it is not. Sony Vaio, in particular, will not let you disable the touchpad in BIOS or in Device Manager. Most instructions on the web will tell you to "Open Vaio Control Center, expand Mouse and Pointing Device, find checkbox that says Enable and uncheck it..." Well, guess what? It works only when laptop is fresh from the store with all factory default software installed. As soon as you made a clean install of Windows 7, all Vaio software is gone or stops working properly.

This instruction will tell you how to restore Sony Vaio software and bring this "Enable Pointing Device" checkbox back from abyss.

Step 1Locate Factory Software for Your Sony Vaio Model

First you need to install most of factory software components from Sony. Installing just a "Vaio Control Center" will not work.
Locate your model number (mine is VGN-FW449J/B, I will use it for example since it is a very typical model) and go to Sony eSupport site.

The screenshot shows VGN-FW449J/B page, but you can easily change it by clicking on "change model" link.

Also, select your operation system from the list (see screenshot).

Step 2Download and Install Multiple Software Components

Now you need to download several programs from the list and install them all. If you miss installing one of the required software components, you will not see the "Enable" checkbox in Vaio Control Manager. Well, Sony could make it a bit more user friendly for sure.

The number of the components required to see the pesky "Enable" button varies depending on the Sony laptop model, my list was the following (see screenshots):

- Intel Chipset Driver
- Setting Utility Series
- VAIO Launcher Software
- VAIO Control Client Software
- Alps Pointing Device Driver
- Sony Firmware Extension Parser Device Driver
- Sony Shared Library
- Update: Sony Firmware Extension Parser Device Driver
- VAIO Event Service
- ATI Graphics Driver
- UPDATE: Vaio Event Service Update

Well, I am not sure if ATI Graphics update is really needed for our task, but it's good to install it as it enables keyboard hotkeys to change screen brightness. Try changing screen brightness without those hotkeys (Fn-F5 and Fn-F6) on Sony Vaio laptop... and you may start feeling really stressed.

Selected software components can be installed in any order, you just need to make sure you install them all.

Step 3Restart Your Laptop and Observe the Checkbox

At the end of Sony software installation you will definitely be asked to restart your laptop. Worse is - you may be asked to restart it multiple times after each component install. Just stick to what they tell you, you don't have much of the choice.

When all components are installed and laptop was restarted, you can finally open the "Vaio Control Center", expand "Keyboard and Mouse", go to "Pointing Device" and uncheck the "Enable" checkbox. Hooray!

Now think of one more thing: how easy would it be for laptop manufacturers to implement the following feature: "plug external mouse > disable touchpad, unplug external mouse > enable touchpad"... Easy?

How to repair HP dv6 notebook power adapter

2012-06-20T04:18:00.000-07:00

After years of lurking it's time for me to give something to the instructables community. I hope this can help!

By the way,

I WILL NOT TAKE ANY RESPONSABILITY for accidents or injuries occured trying or as a result of this instructables! DO IT AT YOUR OWN RISK!

and, if you want to give a try,

BE CAREFUL! Use glasses, gloves, mask and everything you need for YOUR SAFETY!
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The power adapter of my HP dv6 notebook died a month ago.
Using a multitester I noticed that there was zero volt output. also putting my ear near the box I could ear a strange noise, some kind of syncopated twittering!
So I went to my computer shop and bought a new adapter, a universal one, but I wasn't completely satisfied with this solution:
- the new one has shorter cable, annoying!
- it doesn't connect very well, sometime I have to move the jack in and out until the notebook see it again;
- the new adapter has only 2 pins output while the HP one has 3 pins.. that third pin must be useful someway!

Enough! I've decided to open the black box to see If I can fix it!

Step 1Tools

What I've used (and what maybe you need):

- Scissors
- Japanese sharp blade (x-acto knife should work well too)
- pliers
- tweezers
- tin wire
- insulating tape
- duct tape
- multitester
- soldering iron
- desoldering pump
- dremel with cutting tip

Step 2Opening the adapter

The adapter did'nt work anymore. strange noise. using the multitester I noticed that the ground and Volt pin where short-circuited!
I supposed the problem should be in the cable. Time to open the black box!

Memo: Before going any further, unplug everything!

The box is made of two plastic shells fused together, there are no screws or clips, the only way to open it is cutting the junction line. Using dremel with cutting tip it take just 5 minutes. Luckly the inner circuit is protected by a metallic shell, so don't be too worried to cut something inside, just take your time and be very careful near the input and output cable.
When you can see metal on all the sides, gently open the plastic shell. there is some glue to keep all together, but it will surrender soon.

Step 3Unsoldering the cable

Before desoldering take note of how cable are connected to the pcb.
In my adapter there are 3 pins: GND (ground), ID (identification?) and VOUT (voltage output).

My output cable is coaxial and it is connected this way:
outer layer go to GND,
mid layer go to VOUT,
inner layer to ID.

TRIVIAL NOTE: Seems like the ID pin is used for some kind of communication between adapter and notebook.. It transmit a signal at lower tension so that notebook recognize the adapter as an original HP product!

Unsolder the cable one pin at a time, from outer to inner, using the unsoldering pump and helping yourself with tweezers.
If the industrial soldering doesn't want to melt use this trick: melt some of your toxic and full-of-lead soldering wire on it and heat with your soldering iron. This will mix the two kind of tin lowering the melting temperature.

Control with the multitester if the VOUT and GND pins are still short-circuited. I hope the answer is no :)

OPTIONAL PART:
Maybe now you want to check if the adapter works well before proceding..
This method is dangerous so please skip this part if you don't feel like doing it and be very careful!
Put the metal box back in one of the plastic shell's halves in a way that it is insulated from your desk and everything else. Choose the best side to face you considering that you want to easily reach the pins with the INSULATED tips of your multitester. Without touching any part of the open adapter plug the input cable. All you have to do is touch VOUT and GND pin with multitester tips to check if there is a correct potential difference (of 19 Volt for mine adapter). Checked? Unplug!

Step 4Reparing the cable

So you know there is a short-circuit somewhere in the cable.. but where?
The best way to proceed is to cut away the last part near the black box, right after that kind of black plastic spring that should help to preserve the cable from broking (..and always fail!).
If the problem is in the cable, you can be sure it's somewhere in that critical zone. Check with multitester if now is ok, or cut another few centimeters and test again.
Don't throw away the plastic spring! Try to remove the broken cable from inside the spring and to put back it around the remaining good cable. I've had to cut the spring in three part cause it was soldered to the cable, yet it has been still useful.
Once the spring is back around the cable, strip the wire one layer at time. Looking at pictures you can see that I cut the wire on the long way cause I reuse the plastic coating for insulation and strenght.
Twist together the wires of each layer and insulate with tape. Check to which pin each wire must go. Try to rearrange the three wires so that it'll be easy to solder back it on the adapter, then block everythig with tape.
Resolder the wires to the adapter, from inner to outer pin.

Step 5Closing the box

Put back together the plastic shell and block it with duct tape. Be careful to not leave exposed any metal part.
You're done! Plug everything.. and cross your fingers.

Step 6Happy ending!

It worked!

3 Techno

Digital Camera Flash Memory Adapters

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Card-to-Card

External USB

Internal Desktop Computer

PCMCIA

How to Back Up Data on a Laptop

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The Arduino Mothbot

Step 1Gather your Parts and Tools

Step 2The Planning Stage

Step 3Connecting the Servos to the Arduino

Step 4Testing out the Motors

Step 5Integrating the On/Off Button

Step 6Testing the On/Off Button

Step 7Integrating the Light Sensors

Step 8The Final Code

Step 9Build the Mothbot Body

Step 10Making the Wheels

Step 11Completing the Arduino Mothbot

The Online Guru: All-in-one Online Marketing Software!

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iPhone desk stand

Step 1Find

Step 2Cut

Step 3Cut

Step 4Score

Step 5Punch

Step 6Connect

Step 7Complete

Potato Battery Driven LED

Step 1

Step 2

Step 3

Step 4

Step 5

Step 6

Step 7

Step 8

Step 9

Step 10

Step 11

Step 12

Step 13

Step 14

Step 15

How to See in The Dark

Step 1The viewfinder

Step 2The camera

Step 3The illuminator

Step 4Connect and enjoy

Panelizing PCBs for Seeed Using Eagle Free / Light

Step 1Design Board and Render Gerbers

Step 2Install Gerbmerge and Patch for Seeed

Step 3Define your panel configuration

Step 4Define your panel layout

Step 5Generate Panel Gerbers and Check

Step 6Order PCBs

Step 7Separate PCBs from Panel

How I built a Solar iPhone Charger for under $50.

Step 1Tools and Materials

Step 2The Panel

Step 4Connect the Circuit to the Panel

Step 5Test the Charger!

Step 6Conclusion

USB Iphone Ipod Dynamo Charger

Step 1Planning: