We’ve posted about homemade flux before, but Tom has taken it to a whole new level. He used pine gum straight from the tree for his Flux recipe. He dissolved the rosin in some 99% isopropyl alcohol, and filtered it using coffee filters. I tried making flux from an even more raw material, pine gum […]
Tag Archives: DIY
DIY foot operated switch
This clear foot operated switch is made with a bent piece of acrylic, and a PCB with a tactile switch and mounting holes: This time,i made a lighter version, very simple to make, still with a nice operating feel. I don’t really remember where i saw this design, i think from ebay.
40pin IDE cable to 40pin breakout board
Chris designed this simple 40pin IDE to 40pin ”0.1 header to easily breadboard with his DE0-Nano FPGA development system. While it was designed for the DE0-Nano, any board that uses the 40 pin IDE header can be broken out in this way. He provided in-depth instructions on how to build your own, including the design […]
Power a microcontroller with frickin laser beams
A cheap laser pointer shining into an LED can create small voltages, the photovoltaic effect. Wardy uses it to power an ultra low power ATTiny5 microcontroller: I may have raised an eyebrow slightly to see 2.50V appear on the screen. Hmmmmmm. I had been expecting something like 0.25V or something in that region, based on […]
ExpeditInvaders: IKEA Expedit shelf modified with RGB LEDs
Michu shared his IKEA Expedit shelf RGB LED mod ExpeditInvaders. He connected 40 RGB LED modules and a keyboard to an Arduino to make a color changing Ikea bookcase: I just finished my project “ExpeditInvaders”, a spiced up Ikea shelf! I added 40 LED modules to it and glued a keyboard on the bottom of […]
DIY Neurophone: Hear music in your brain
The Neurophone is an invention that allows you to transfer sound directly into the brain using either radio signals, or ultrasound. A DIY version of the latter was developed by Andreas using a simple PWM modulator IC TL494 and piezoelectric speakers. The second version of the “Neurophone” used ultrasound instead. By modulating an ultrasonic signal […]
Using tape as a solder paste stencil
Sjaak shared his experiment using two L-shaped pieces of tape as a solder paste stencil. After he applied the solder paste he separated some of it using a knife. as expected to much paste was applied as the opening was the size of the chip. I expect better result if the opening was the same […]
DIY programming pogo pins
Menno posted a bunch of links with various ideas for building DIY programming pogo-pins. This tool is handy for programming a batch of boards without attaching a header.We especially liked the idea above, it seems simple and very robust. Check out other ideas below the fold.
Aligning sides on DIY two-sided circuit boards
How to get good alignment results when etching two sided boards at home. This method uses marks placed outside of the PCB design to help with aliment. Via Gadget Factory.
Replace a dead surface mount regulator with a through-hole part
Flavor accidentally shorted the power on his Open Bench Logic Sniffer 3.3volt regulator and blew it out. With some quick thinking and a TO-220 through-hole voltage regulator his Logic Sniffer was back in business. Via the forum.
WORKSHOP VIDEO #26: How to make a simple soldering flux
Flux is a wonderful goo that makes soldering faster and easier. In previous videos we compared different types of commercial flux (Flux off 1, Flux off 2), but did you know it’s possible to make a simple and effective flux at home? We’ll get you started, and don’t miss the giveaway at the end of […]
DIY electronic derailleur for the back-wheel bicycle transmission
Here is an instructable on how to add a servo motor to your back-wheel derailleur with electronic control. This is one part of a much larger fully automatic bicycle project to make gears change automatically based on parameters such as heart rate, cadence, incline, speed, gps, etc…
DIY tiny Bus Pirate clone
Johannes made a small Bus Pirate clone: Goal was to have the backside clear of anything (hence pure SMT) and make it as small as possible (the place I got the PIC from unfortunately just had the “freakingly” huge SOIC). Plus mess around with negative silk screen :).
Coil gun version of the “High Striker” carnival strength test
Want to test your strength at home, instead of only at carnivals? Well Bertho is designing a updated version of the popular carnival strength test using electro-magnets to propel the ball. You can easily rig the game so you are the only one that can ring the ball. I have been working on a game-idea […]
DIY Bus Pirate v3.5a built
Asarli shared his Bus Pirate v3.5a SOIC PCB build. These boards were designed with the larger SOIC PIC microcontrollers, making them easier to solder for beginners. Get an assembled Bus Pirate for $30, including world-wide shipping. Also available from our friendly distributors. Via the forum.
Salvaging a touch-pad form an old laptop
Instead of trowing away an old useless laptop, Viktor decided to open it up and salvage what he can. One thing that caught his eye was the touch-pad. The control circuitry was on a separate PCB making his life easier, and to top it off the PCB had test points with PS/2 connections. All that […]
Soldering Iron Driver v1.5 built with a DIY PCB
Download the source files from our SVN, mask the copper layer with toner-transfer, or UV exposure method, and etch the board with some acid. Once complete you’ll have your very own home-built Soldering Iron Driver v1.5. This is what Alex has done, and so far he seems happy with it. Ok, here is a pic […]
DIY sous-vide cooker
Here is a tutorial on how to build a sous-vide cooker. Sous-Vide cookers cook food placed inside a plastic bag, which is inserted into temperature controlled bath. NerdKits describes all the theory, along with plenty of instruction on how to build your own. Via Hacked Gadgets.
Pinguino32-DIY PIC32 development board with the Pinguino bootloader
Pinguino design team released the design for the Pinguino32 PIC32 development board using their Pinguino bootloader. It supports PIC32MX250F128, and PIC32MX220F032B microcontrollers. The design is open source, and made with KICAD software. Download it from their Google code area.
Replacing resistor arrays with single 0603 resistors
If a project calls for resistor arrays, but all you have are singles and mad soldering skills, you can try this hack. Yoganerdnl used a bunch of 0603 resistors on their side to replace the resistor arrays on his Bus Pirate SOIC DIY edition board. It takes patience and a steady hand, but it’s a […]