How To: Make an Electric Firebolt
A lot of my hacks use salvaged parts from an old microwave, with the microwave oven transformer (MOT) being the most useful component.
A lot of my hacks use salvaged parts from an old microwave, with the microwave oven transformer (MOT) being the most useful component.
The fill tool will allow you to alter the appearance of objects in your web design document and can be very useful for marketing purposes. The fill tool can be used to give objects one solid color for simple designs.
Antique car collecting and restoration is a very popular hobby practiced by many around the world. A quick drive through my town turns up with a handful of classic cars parked in their respective driveways, some in pristine condition, and others not-so-much. While some people end up eventually fixing up their classics, many also do not. Some cars end up rotting away, left to be either salvaged or sold off in pieces—mostly due to time consumption and excessive costs.
For this project, I sacrificed some of my kids' clothes and a can of tuna to make some high-quality fire starter! Here's how to make a great batch of char cloth to add to your emergency survival kit.
If you can think of a piece of junk, someone has probably found a way to turn it into a lamp. Granted, sometimes the result is more functional than beautiful, but DIY lighting is probably one of the most versatile projects you can take on.
As our society and population grows, more developments such as housing and restaurants are built. While this is beneficial for us, it's not so great for the environment and the animals that occupy it. Some of the victims of our prosperity have been the birds, forced from their natural habitats.
Polaroid photographs have a charming old-fashioned feel to them, evoking nostalgic memories of past days. My younger sister used to carry her Polaroid camera everywhere she went, transforming even the most trite moments into something wonderful.
If you've got old game consoles lying around and aren't sure what to do with them, there's no shortage of projects you can undertake. From turning a Game Boy and Wii Remote into an Android phone gamepad to combining a GameCube and N64 to make a hybrid console, there's something for everyone.
Sharing screens is a great way to showcase projects, photos, or videos without having to download and upload those files on the other devices. This is made easy with AllSharePlus. You can download the AllSharePlay application for your Samsung Galaxy S III or Tab 2 right here. If you would like to download it for sharing on your laptop, you can visit the Samsung website. For now, the desktop app is only compatible with Windows XP or Windows 7 and the devices shown above. Nevertheless, it is gr...
These three videos will show you how to build a rustic, distressed kitchen table. I'll be walking you through the process of selecting some recycled timber from a junk pile, and with a little care and some simple joinery techniques, transform that waste timber into a distressed timber kitchen or dining table. In fact, you could use the table for whatever you wanted really.
Doorbells are useful and all, but most of them are boring as hell. They use the same old generic sounds to let you know when guests have arrived, as demonstrated below.
Unless you've been living under a rock for the past five months, you're more than likely acquainted with PSY and his insanely popular mega hit "Gangnam Style."
It's tough out there on the battlefield, especially when your stuck in the trenches and your comrades are dropping like flies. There's no hope. At least, until the next airsoft battle.
There are plenty of tank robots out there, but how many of them can recognize 3D objects and map their environment? Tanky, the tracked mobile robot, can do all that and more while rolling around on his bicycle chain treads. Created as a Master's thesis project, Tanky is made almost entirely of parts you can find at your local hardware store. It was built in two "layers" with the motors, electronics, and batteries on bottom and the processing unit, a laptop, on top. The motors came from cordle...
You can do a lot with water guns. Have trouble waking up? Make a water gun alarm clock that (almost) no one could sleep through. Prefer real ammo? Turn your water gun into an airsoft BB gun. And if you don't have one, you can even make your own.
Here's a way you can turn a mousetrap into a fun little handgun that shoots up to 40 feet! This is a great project because it can be made with simple materials, very basic tools, and in just a few minutes!
Believe it or not, an ammo box can still be of use to you once its rounds are gone. You can use it for storage, as a toolbox, or possibly even as a Faraday cage. But if you want to use it as more than just a container, why not turn it into a portable set of speakers that you can take with you anywhere? The ammo can speaker pictured above was made by Instructables user Dustin White. He started with an empty .50 cal box, though you could probably even use thinner 5.56 or 7.62 mm cans. He remove...
For this project, I decided to rip apart a microwave I found in my neighbor's garbage can to see what was inside. With permission, of course! True story!
Dried out markers are the worst. They take up space, and for some reason, even though they're totally useless, most of us have at least a few lying around just for the sake of not throwing them out. Luckily, Julie Finn over at Crafting a Green World has come up with a way to repurpose them into alcohol ink, a versatile type of ink that can be used on non-porous materials like plastic, glass, and metal. This is truly a tutorial for the pack rat in all of us. First, a little primer on what you ...
Looking to transmit some super-secret audio communications to your other spy buddies? A laser is the perfect tool for getting your sounds heard from a small distance—without anyone intercepting them— even if it's just a cover of your favorite pop song. A laser audio transmitter uses light rather than radio waves to transmit sound. This is a much more secure way to send audio communications because the laser is a focused beam of light, whereas radio waves are not controlled, so they can be pic...
You can take some absolutely gorgeous photos using the natural reflection that appears in people's and animals' eyes. With the right angle and lighting, you can even see a detailed picture of what the subject was looking at when the photo was taken. Photo by Martin Cathrae
For his thesis at Design Academy Eindhoven, artist/designer Tuomas Markunpoika Tolvanen created this incredible chair using tubular steel cut into thin rings. How did he get them to stay that way? He burned them. His project is called Engineering Temporality, and the inspiration came from his grandmother whose Alzheimer's disease is deteriorating her health and memories. Once he cut the rings, he laid them over an existing chair, only partially covering it. The fire acted as a varnish, creati...
Back in 2008, media artist Kyle McDonald created a 3D interface that could track movement, which he turned into a virtual Tic-tac-toe game.
If you're a steampunk enthusiast looking to give your bathroom an extra kick, this just might be the project for you. This stylish and functional "vintage" toothbrush timer knows when you've grabbed your toothbrush, and will visually count down two minutes before alerting you when you've brushed long enough. All you'll need to put one together yourself is a microcontroller (the designer used a ATmega328p), a weight sensor, light bulbs, brass cups and a tray, an alarm clock's chime, and some w...
I've never really liked to type on a flat or low keyboard. Even the small flip-up stands underneath most keyboards were not good enough for me, as those little legs aren't usually more than 2 or 3 centimeters high. I'd like a minimum of 5 cm, so I decided to make this keyboard base for myself. Aside from giving me the right height and angle, this DIY keyboard base also features LEDs that light up my monitor, the table, and gives a nice background to my desktop. It's even got a built-in stand ...
Playing Angry Birds on a computer just got a lot more interesting. Design students Andrew Spitz and Hideaki Matsui made this awesome slingshot controller for one of their classes at the Copenhagen Institute of Interaction Design.
Do you have two dollars and a water bottle? Then you can put together this simple but awesome solar-powered lantern that will provide more than enough light to read by at night.
A baby cocoon is a snug swaddling blanket that can be used to easily keep a new baby warm. This tutorial shows you a few techniques that you can use to crochet a baby cocoon for yourself or as a gift. This technique uses a crochet loom, so you'll want access to one of those in order to complete this project. You will also need to use a few basic hand sewing techniques to join the different pieces together when you're done.
Wow! It's a dress! It's a trash bag! It's a trash bag dress! This dress is similar to the one Ke$ha wore this year to the MVA show, turning the fashion world on its head and showing everyone that you don't have to spend a million dollars to turn heads. In fact, you can create something cool for less than $2 in you check out this video. You probably already have all the supplies needed. For this project you'll need a trash bag, some scissors, some tape and a stapler. For your own flair, grab s...
Given that megastar internet search engine Google became its own verb a few years ago, we've all come to acknowledge that the wide and ever-expanding engine is becoming more powerful than ever before. You can take a look at your own house from outer space via Google Earth, you can look at famous paintings - down to the very last grizzly brushstroke - via Google Art Project, and you can look at what's hot and what's not in Spain - or anywhere in the world - with Google Trends.
This do it yourself robot can be made out of many materials you can find around your house. You'll need a few special non household items, such as an arduino and a class 3 laser. However, once you assemble everything correctly, you can make a sentry robot inspired by the robots in the game PORTAL. Even if you've never built a robot before, as long as you have a basic knowledge of electronics, you can start with this simple and fun project.
Quilling is one crafting skill you probably picked up in fourth grade and then never touched again. But it's time to bring out those long paper strips once again. Quilling is one of the easiest ways to add complex and beautiful decorations to greeting cards and other paper projects.
When it comes to quirky homemade DIY, cords - made from rope, twine, or other materials - aren't usually used in many projects. Other than tying nautical knots, it seems they're quite defunct.
And you thought real earthworms were scary. This origami earthworm, which has segments that can bend and twist, is just as if not more icky than their living and breathing cousins.
Master knitter Judy shows you how to knit a picot cast on in this knitting video. If you haven't figured out how to cast on yet, you should probably watch her video on that first. This is a sweet edging for the bottom of a baby sweater or blanket. There are many other instances where you would want to use a picot cast on, as well. Learn it with this up close demonstration by Judy Graham, Knitter to the Stars.
In this video, we learn how to recycle cans and make decorative candle votives. First, you will use a straight edge to remove any paper from the top of the can. Then, use the straight edge to cut parallel holes in the bottom of the can. Grab sharp scissors and continue to cut the holes from the bottom all the way up to the top of the can. After this, use scissors to help pry the folds up and into the air for a cute design. Make sure not to use your hands to pry these up, as the edges will be ...
In this video, we learn how to recycle plastic bottles to make hanging art. First, cut the bottom off of the bottle and then cut it in half. Then, cut the other end off of the bottle as well. After this, you can grab the bottle and start to paint your choice of color all over it. Use different colors and transition and blend with them. Lay these on one side to dry when you are finished. When you're done with these and they are completely dry, you can use them to decorate around your house. Th...
In this video, we learn how to digitally print on uncommon surfaces. First, you will want to apply the gloss evenly with a sponge brush. Use clear so that when it's printed you will almost be able to see through it. This will come out really crystal clear and look amazing. Take the top sheet off and set it aside to dry. Grab the underneath part and then cover this with the gloss as well. Doing this step beforehand will help the pre-coat look even better for when you are printing. Once you are...
This video tutorial is in the Electronics category which will show you how to make a Beetlebot from your parts bin. The Beetlebot project can be found in Make Volume 12. You will need a couple of small motors, 2 momentary switches, 2 AA battery holders, a piece of metal, a small bead, 2 paper clips, heat ring tubing and a couple of connectors. Cut off two pieces of the tubing and using a soldering iron melt them over the ends of the motors. Hot glue the 2 momentary switches at an angle with t...
This tutorial shows you how you can turn a single animation (like a bouncing ball) into a symbol. Once it is a symbol, you'll be able to reuse the animation in other projects and add it to other movies or animations you make using Adobe Flash CS4.