Schlagwort: Nano
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A gorgeous escape room puzzle with an Alien theme
Reading Time: 2 minutesAlien is an icon of the sci-fi horror genre and it owes its status to the legendary design work of H. R. Giger. He was responsible for the very original xenomorph and much of the set design throughout franchise. Alien and its sequels have a distinct visual aesthetic that inspired Redditor Wired_Workshop to build this…
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The Treat Trough of Terror spits out Halloween candy
Reading Time: 2 minutesWe’re only a few short weeks away from Halloween and that means we’re starting to see the creative projects that makers come up with to celebrate the holiday. Movement, lights, and sound effects are the name of the game when it comes to Halloween decor and the Treat Trough of Terror is…
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A simple non-contact lap timer for RC car racing
Reading Time: 2 minutesRemote control cars have been popular toys for children and adults alike for decades now. And while there is plenty of fun to be had cruising around, a little bit of healthy competition can add another layer of enjoyment. To race or practice racing, you’ll want some way to time your laps.…
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DIY digital VU meter with analog vibes
Reading Time: 2 minutesA volume unit (VU) meter is a simple gauge that indicates the amplitude of an audio signal, so higher decibels move the needle further. They’re common in the field of audio engineering and music production, with traditional VU meters being analog. But tuning an analog gauge is a challenge, so Mirko Pavleski…
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Building a rodent-friendly catch-and-release mousetrap with Arduino
Reading Time: 2 minutesRodents, including mice, are problematic. They can cause significant damage to your home by chewing up wires, walls, and insulation, while leaving behind unsanitary droppings that present a health hazard. But those of us who love animals are reluctant to utilize traditional mousetraps. Not only are those fatal, but they can also…
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Adding an LCD interface to an old file server
Reading Time: 2 minutesServers don’t usually need monitors, keyboards, or mice. Because the user only interacts with servers through separate devices under normal conditions, a server can just be a box with with a processor, RAM, storage, and network adapter. But that becomes an issue if something is wrong with the server that requires direct…
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A beautiful minimalist rainbow LED lamp
Reading Time: 2 minutesIndividually addressable RGB LEDs like the WS2812B models are popular because they’re so easy to drive and don’t require any complex wiring. Each LED in the chain passes a signal on to its neighbor and you only need to know the position of an LED in the chain to control its brightness…
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Tiny Tesla go-kart gains self-driving autopilot
Reading Time: 2 minutesA few years ago, Austin Blake built an electric go-kart that looked like a Tesla Model S. It had the plastic shell from a kid’s Radio Flyer ride-on vehicle, but on top of a custom go-kart frame with a powerful electric motor. That looked like a Tesla, but it didn’t really act like one…
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This wearable device uses air to provide directions
Reading Time: 2 minutesMost people today rely on technology to navigate through the world. That is practical thanks to the reliability of modern GPS. But receiving directions can be difficult for people with certain disabilities. People who are blind, for instance, cannot look at a map on a smartphone. People with missing limbs may not…
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Arduino-powered pickpocket trap catches thieves red-handed
Reading Time: 2 minutesPeople living in small towns and rural areas may not realize it, but pickpocketing is a genuine issue in big cities. Real-life pickpockets aren’t magic like those in movies, but they can pull an item like a wallet from your pocket without you noticing — it is surprisingly easy to do. The…
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Testing fast charging damage to smartphone batteries
Reading Time: 2 minutesMost people leave their phones on their chargers overnight, but sometimes you end up at 5% halfway through the day and need to top off your battery. Fast charging is very convenient in such circumstances, but it may be damaging your smartphone’s battery and reducing its capacity over time. To find out…
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DIY EMF detector scans for ghosts and appliances
Reading Time: 2 minutesElectromagnetic Field (EMF) detectors are popular pieces of ghost hunting equipment. The idea is that paranormal apparitions emit a noticeable EMF that proves their existence. But in reality, those EMFs come from electric and electronic devices. And an EMF from you microwave may, for example, interfere with your Wi-Fi network and cause…
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Mysoltrk is a low-cost solar panel tracking system
Reading Time: 2 minutesWhile a solar panel installed on the top of a roof, lamp post, or the side of a building will produce power, it is nowhere near optimal for achieving the maximum efficiency possible. To get better results, panels are often mounted to pivots and linear actuators/servo motors that continually move to always…
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Jumperless breadboard makes prototyping a breeze
Reading Time: 2 minutesMost makers start their initial electronics prototypes on a breadboard, which is great for quickly setting up temporary circuits. But forming the connections requires jumper wires and even a basic project quickly becomes a rats’ nest of wiring that is difficult to manage. Tracking down issues within that tangle of wires is…
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Magic office gadget encourages coworkers to solve problems
Reading Time: 2 minutesWhether it’s budget issues, lack of time management, or simply not having any ideas for solving the issue at-hand, dealing with coworkers who bring up these problems is a pet-peeve of element14 Presents host Mark Donners. In response, he built a simple wall-mounted ornament consisting of a series of magic wands that prods coworkers to…
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Small PoV display uses CD drive motor for high-speed rotation
Reading Time: 2 minutesThe human brain and eyes are imperfect, so your visual perception has a limited “frame rate.” That is somewhere between 30 and 60 frames per second (fps). Most films are 24fps, which is part of the reason they don’t quite look like real life. Once you reach the upper limits of the human visual…
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This timer uses a rolling ball to count the seconds
Reading Time: 2 minutesBefore we had fancy digital clocks — or even spring-driven mechanical clocks — most methods for measuring short periods of time relied on gravity moving something in a consistent, repeatable way. Both water clocks and hour glasses work under that principle. But it isn’t very fun to watch grains of sand fall,…
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This electronic compass guides you using LEDs and OLED display
Reading Time: 2 minutesOf all the tools humanity has developed for navigation over our history, the humble compass is arguably the most important. A compass is cheap to produce, reliable, and incredibly useful for every kind of navigation. But standard mechanical compasses aren’t perfect; they can stick, are easy for people to misread, and don’t…
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Add peripheral lighting to improve VR immersion
Reading Time: 2 minutesThe entire purpose of virtual reality (VR) is to improve immersion beyond what can be achieved with a regular TV or monitor. So it can be frustrating to VR users when the darkness in their peripheral vision reminds them that they are, in fact, wearing a headset. To enhance the situation with…
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Watch this mesmerizing machine roll a ball into eternity
Reading Time: 2 minutesIf you’ve ever found yourself in a trance while watching an episode of How It’s Made, then you understand the appeal of seeing a well-designed machine in action. But what if you didn’t have to turn on your TV or venture into a factory to get that buzz? That’s why JBV Creative built…
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DIY marble solitaire board helps you solve the puzzle
Reading Time: 2 minutesSolitaire is any tabletop game that can be played by just one person, and it can take the form of cards, pegs, memory, and in this case, marbles. As Mark Donners discusses in his element14 Presents video, marble solitaire is made of 33 individual divots and a total of 32 marbles that populate each one except…
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This beautiful lamp shows the moon’s phases from your nightstand
Reading Time: 2 minutesEarly astronomers used observations on the moon’s phases to deduce the spherical nature of celestial objects and eventually to develop the heliocentric model that we all know and love today. Astrologers saw deep meaning in the phases of the moon and used that to create an entire mythos. The moon and its…
