Get started with the LilyPad Arduino! It's a sewable microcontroller that lets you embed lights, sounds, sensors, and much more into your wearables, perfect for clothing and accessories. In this Make Magazine video tutorial, you'll see how to attach the LilyPad and power suppl ...more
Uh-mazing...London based designer team Francesca Rosella and Ryan Genz have created a dress embroidered with 24,000 LEDs. From Wired, "'We used the smallest full-color LEDs, flat like paper, andmeasuring only 2 by 2 mm,' said the designers. 'The circuits are extra-thin, flex ...more
If you ride your bike at night frequently, you've probably had at least one close call with a car, pedestrian, or some other moving obstacle because of reduced visibility. Not only is it dangerous to ride at night without lights, it's illegal in a lot of places. Make sure no o ...more
If you want an electrical circuit to send power to an object, like a light, you're going to need resistors. This video, part of an excellent series on basic electronics by Scotty, will teach you how to make a circuit with resistors and an LED light, a real function piece of el ...more
The Arduino Ethernet Shield is a wonderful device for DIY electronics projects, and this project is really creative and awesome. In this video you will learn how to use an Arduino, a promixity sensor, and some LED lights to make a proximity-sensing, LED-lit, evil Jack-o'-Lante ...more
Why not make the best of an icy cold winter day and make something even cooler? In this tutorial, you will learn how to make a natural ice sculpture in your yard and light it up with LED lights for a cool, nighttime effect. You will definitely have the best house on the block ...more
Installing colored LED lights in the cases of various electronic devices is nothing new. People have been doing it to PC cases for years. THe XBox 360's massive size and power make it a particularly tempting target. This two-part video will teach you how to put some LED lights ...more
Tired of getting speeding tickets? Not prepared to start driving by the letter of the law? Well, this instructional video shows a way to con the speeding radar. Regular LED lights can be modified with infrared LED bulbs and will avoid speed detection by the police. Learn how t ...more
Want to put some electronics into your terrain piece or diorama? LED lights are great. You can use tiny watch batteries, which are small and efficient. LED lights are cheap, they come in colours, and you can find them in all kinds of broken gadgets. Watch this instructional vi ...more
Your XBox 360 is a big part of you life. Probably about as big as your significant other. Make it your own by giving it some sweet case mods! This video will show you how to cut a window into the side of your console, install blue LED lights in it, and paint it. If you are one ...more
Action figures may be on the way out as mainstream toys, but all your old ones are awesome, we swear. If you don't mind modifying your precious toys a little bit, check out this video to learn how to insert LED lights into plastic action figures and make them light up awesomely.
Here's a fun weekend project you can use to add to a common toy. Get a yo-yo with concave sides, a few pieces of thin plastic (like from a CD case) and a few lithium-powered LEDs. Then follow this tutorial and get a yo yo that lights up when you play with it!
This video is on how to install the LED light kit onto your Axon Racing anti-gravity razorback racer hover. This video is on how to setup the axon racing anti gravity razorback racer. it involves receiver installation, zeroing your servo with the trims and lifting the horn, p ...more
In this video clip series our expert, Kyle Saylors, will walk you through all the aspects, parts and options for LED lights and how to use them. He will offer tips on how to work around damaged lights and how to fix them as well as how to set up preset patterns for a light sho ...more
Check out this video to learn how to make a light out of a straw and two LED lights.
Update your Ford Mustang to a more appropriate custom look! With dome lights! If you're looking for a new feel for your Mustang, then US Muscle Mods can help. 'Stang LED lights are the way to go for dome lights. See how to install Mustang LED dome lights.
This video compilation shows you how to create various LED and fiber optic hacks and projects the average Joe can assemble to create one hell of an awesome, wild party.
It turns out that the popularity of soft circuit electronics has leaked out of the interwebs and into the hands of the U.S. military. Soft circuit electronics allow you to literally sew electronics circuits into fabric using flexible conductive thread instead of wire. Soft cir ...more
Get started with the LilyPad Arduino! It's a sewable microcontroller that lets you embed lights, sounds, sensors, and much more into your wearables, perfect for clothing and accessories. In this Make Magazine intermediate, soft circuit, video tutorial, you'll see how to sew up ...more
Rodarte is an L.A. based fashion brand, headed by the Mulleavy sisters. Their pieces are known for their amazing materiality, gothic deconstruction, and beautifully ombréd fabric. The sisters have collaborated with Target, the Gap, outfitted many celebrities, and have been fea ...more
Fans of Doctor Who know that the sonic screwdriver is the ultimate tool. It can unlock doors, turn on lights, detect life forms, solder wires, and sabotage weapons. Presumably, the sonic screwdriver creates sonic vibrations to achieve whatever the doctor wants by vibrating th ...more
Are you unsatisfied with the dim green light that emanates from the big X on your XBox 360 controller out of the box? Don't live with it, fix it. This video will show you how to install new colored LED lights in your controller, making the big X a resplendent blue in this exam ...more
Learn how to install safe, dimmable LED lights underneath cabinets in a kitchen or workshop. Step-by-step video instructions of the entire process. Install undercabinet LED lighting. Click through to watch this video on ronhazelton.com
This is a complex process, but the guys at Graffiti Research Lab have armed you with detailed written instructions and this video on how to create a night writer. This is a more complicated version of their LED throwies that allows you to catch a tag in lights. You'll never ne ...more
In this tutorial, we learn how to make light using a stepper motor generator. First, take the motor out of an old printer that you don't use anymore. After this, find a few LED lights. You will need to solder the LED lights, then connect them with a soldering iron to the print ...more
Make sure this year’s live holiday Christmas tree is not only pretty, but safe, too. Here's how to safely put up a real, live Christmas tree. You will need: a fresh tree a tree stand water a ceiling hook a piece of wire tree lights blue masking tape LED tree lights heavy-gaug ...more
Usually our 5-Minute Projects involve soldering and LED lights and other such electronic accoutrements, but this week we decided to skip the fancy stuff in favor of an old-school science project: making rheopectic slime from Borax and glue. This is a pretty safe experiment eve ...more
Many types of circuits are useless and less useful if you cannot control the amount of power going through them. For that, you need a PWN (pulse with modulation) switch. This electronic component will let your control the power going through the circuit, enabling you to dim LE ...more
Did you know you can stimulate yourself to have a lucid dream? Well, it may take a little bit of practice first, but this sleep mask can certainly help you have the most interesting and realistic dreams of your life (yes, kinda like "Inception.") Just check out this video to l ...more
Continuing on with budget lighting, we explore using Fluorescent and LED lights, along with using available light, bouncing it with a reflector. These setups will work great for interviews, video casting, vlogging, and the likes. These lights use less power and also generate m ...more
The ring of lights on the front of the XBox 360 console is one of its most distinctive features, but almost everyone has the same old green LED's. I say almost because it is possible to install a custom RoL board in your console that can have any color of lights you want! This ...more
General Electric isn't known for their Christmas lights, but maybe they should be, because their GE Color Effects are pretty awesome. Especially the LED Color Effects G-35 String sets. And especially when someone named Darco hacks them. Darco, whose real name is Robert Sun Qu ...more
The first day of Hanukkah is here, the day you start lighting the candles of the menorah. So, why not ditch the wax and light the "lights" this year? (Skip ahead to see the LED menorah) Hanukkah is a Jewish festival that lasts eight days from the 25th day of Kislev, which th ...more
Toyota USA shows you how to operate the headlights of the 2010 Prius. Follow this guide to operate the headlights on the 2010 Prius: To turn on the headlights, use the switch on the end of the left hand stalk. Rotate it once to turn on the parking lights, twice to turn on the ...more
Lighting a fire in the wilderness can be tricky, but having a piece of charcloth can make the task easier. Charcloth is carbonized cotton fiber, which lights easily when exposed to a spark, making your task of lighting a fire in the wild, much, much easier. You'll need a fire, ...more
This video tutorial will show you how easy it can be to switch your old fluorescent lights with an led light. This video focuses on the t-top of your boat or watercraft and shows you how to save energy even on a boat. It's a definite upgrade over what standard boats have and g ...more
This video shows you how to make a simple, DIY ring light for your point and shoot Canon G10 or G11 camera. By using either cool white or warm white LED lights, you can set your white balance presets to daylight or tungsten. Ring lights are incredibly useful in fashion photogr ...more
Want to mix and scratch like a professional DJ? To be a good DJ you need to understand the concepts of mixing tracks, adding cool effects, and of course you need a good sense of rhythm to line up the beats. This how to video explains how you can use the KAM LED Swingfire sound ...more
This is my homemade led light system. The main unit has a total of 228 LED's, the corners are using super wide angle LED's to maximize visibility. There are also 48 LED mini lightbar, 5x 16 LED mini modules. The main controller is controlling the light bar as well as the indiv ...more
Take a tour through the world of the light-emitting diode. Learn - who invented it, how to use it, and how to make your own. A light-emitting-diode (LED) (pronounced /??li?'di?/),[1] is a semiconductor diode that emits light when an electric current is applied in the forward ...more
The XBox 360 is one boring-looking piece of machinery. Miles of beige slab sides and an utter lack of logos or design features make it maybe the most boring-looking video game console ever made. End the boredom! This video will help you alleviate the problem by teaching you ho ...more
Putting lights on the Christmas tree may not be the most glamorous part of tree decorating, but the glittering results are worth the effort. Tip: When choosing lights for your Christmas tree this year, consider buying LED lights. They cost a bit more, but they stay cool to th ...more
Don't waste your money on a normal nightlight when you can build your own multifunctional nightlight that doubles as a pen holder. With a few junk CDs or DVDs, some LED lights, super glue and a dowel rod, you can make a nifty pencil and pen holder that masquerades as a night l ...more
Allows a WYSIWIG approach to shooting with strobe LED lights, interesting concept, I guess the advantage is battery life vs using the light continuous.
Sometimes it can be annoying to have to put in a cd in the dark. No worries, this tutorial video will help you to illuminate that CD port with a few LED lights. This totally cool hack is easy to do and won't take long and the funky effect is totally worth it.
Here is a great project that teaches you how to make a wireless sensor bar for the Wii with just 2 LED lights and 2 batteries.
This week, Bre Pettis teams up with Mitch Altman and George Shammas to make a little 3x3x3 cube made of little LED lights that you can program with any kind of animation that you like.
Hack a car photo to be a really awesome decorative object for your home or office at a very low cost. It's also really fun to make! All it takes is a few LED lights and a 9V battery.
Going for a Predator outfit for Halloween or as a cameo in your film, you want to try to get as close to the real thing as possible. In this video you will learn how to perfectly align LED lights to create the targeting lights that the predator uses for its canon with a quick ...more
Incredibly bizarre, Mika Satomi and Clemens Pichler have designed a pair of DJ hoodies to theatrically visualize a DJ battle. Unfortunately, for me at least, Human Centipede is evoked (damn, I shouldn't have seen that movie). "DJ Hoodie is a wearable interface that includes 4 ...more
This amazing Star Wars Sand Crawler is built entirely out of legos. Includes lighted eyes of the Jawas and a working crane to life the droids. Youtube User Marshal Banana from Switzerland created it. Here are the details: Minifigscale: 96 cm long, 100.5 cm long (lowered ma ...more
Watch surfer Mark Visser take on a 30-40 foot massive wave off the famous Jaws reef break on Maui in nearly total darkness. Guided only by the LED lights built into his life vest and board, helicopters hovered overhead, filming the event. "It wasn’t until I saw the pictures I ...more
The LED's mounted behind the big X button on the XBox 360 are not very bright and kind of a bland vomit-like color. Why not replace them with a royal blue or perhaps fire-engine red set? This video will show you how to mount whatever new LED lights you wish on the control boar ...more
This is probably the least "Mathy" thing I will ever post. In my opinion, it's impossible to have architecture that isn't mathematical in some sense, so I am posting it anyway. Two years ago, I made a papercraft version of a cathedral in Christchurch New Zealand (It was severe ...more
Turkey's been consumed, you've awakened from the food coma, and you've escaped the madness of Black Friday. Isn't it about time you tackle a new project? We've got some great new projects for you to help illuminate the darkness of winter. Make your own electroluminescent (EL) ...more
This holiday season, don't go the old-fashioned route when decorating for Christmas, stay in the present. To see how to joyfully adorn in the present, and no I did not say "presents," just check out this video on how to decorate a Christmas tree in a contemporary style. Timot ...more
Rockets are lots of fun when you are launching them. However, finding them can be an arduous if not maddening task. Fancy space rockets have lots of tracking equipment to make touchdowns as simple as pie. Today, we look at embedding LEDs into your hobby rocket for easy night f ...more
Halloween just isn't Halloween without Jack O'Lanterns. Below, anything and everything you need to know on the art of pumpkin carving. 1. Prepare a Pumpkin for Carving Serious Eats' video demonstration is for true novices: "This video is for you unlucky souls who never got t ...more
Valentine's Day is almost here, and if you're like me, you're scurrying to do something special for your mate. The standard chocolates and flowers just isn't cutting it anymore, and you can only make so many homemade cards before it becomes banal and meaningless. So, what can ...more
Graffiti is a great way of getting your message out to the masses. The earliest known graffiti dates back to 30,000 years ago and used the traditional apply-paint-to-wall technique. Though our paint now comes in cans and not from scavenged berries, the actual graffiti process ...more