Before working on any circuit in your house, make sure you turn the light off at the circuit breaker and then test it at the switch. Use 14-2 wire which has two insulated wires, a white and a black, and a bare copper wire which is used for grounding. First you run a 14-2 wire ...more
Light switch wiring can be a do-it-yourself project with this instruction from Tim Carter. You'll have no trouble wiring a light switch with his simple tips and doing light switch wiring yourself will save you lots of money.
In this video, Mark Donovan teaches us how to wire a light with a 3 way switch. Before starting, make sure the power is turned off from the main circuit panel first, and you test to make sure it's off. You will have two switches for the same light fixture. For a 15 amp circuit ...more
Before undertaking any electrical project, it is imperative that you know precisely what it is you're doing and to keep in mind that electricity can kill. With that said, this electrical tutorial presents a guide to identifying the switched live wire on a lighting circuit and ...more
In this video, we learn how to repair a defective ceiling fan light switch with Richard Wright. There are two types of switches: two wire and three wire, grab the one you need and tools to help you replace your light switch. Now, disconnect the power at the breaker panel and g ...more
You don't need to buy an expensive ring light, you can make your own at home. You'll need a sheet of sturdy plywood, a pencil, some string, a dimmer switch, the light bulb sockets, some electrical wire, a drill and some hardware.
This video is from the Dummies video series. The video will describe the process of replacing a standard light switch with a dimmer switch. First you must pick a dimmer switch that has the capacity to control the light fixture you would like to dim. Add up the wattages of all ...more
Gary Clark shows you what it takes to hang a beautiful new chandelier in your home, and believe it or not, the installation is simple! No matter what kind of hanging light fixture you're installing in your ceiling, the process is generally the same, where you first need to cut ...more
Have a few light bulbs and a blowtorch? Then join the folks over at Harvard in a cool science experiment on the conductivity of glass. As you well know, glass is an insulator with low conductivity and high resistivity. In the video below, they flip the switch, demonstrating ho ...more
A presenter from The Home Depot gives you several tips and professional secrets on how to hang your indoor Christmas lights making this tricky process a little bit easier. She takes you through the selection of lights, planning and the installation of lights. -It's easier to ...more
In this article, I'll show you how to built a Wireless Transfer of Energy Transmitter. Simply put, this device will send electricity to a florescent light bulb and light it up, from up to three feet. The idea originally (at least, prominently) came from Nikola Tesla (read more ...more
Remember the arcades? Were you saddened when they closed up one by one, leaving no outlet to actually go out and socialize while you played video games? With all the home consoles and internet connectivity, gaming has evolved, but the social factor has been eliminated. Sure we ...more
I like to grow vegetables all year round, and I couldn't afford the big gas bulbs, or the power to run them. The big gas bulbs: can explode can burn you and your plants cost upwards of $50 a month to operate raise the temperature in your home, causing the air conditioning to ...more
Christmas is the time to splurge— not just with presents and food— we're talking decorations. It's that time of year when verdurous fir trees take up half of your living room, when waving elf figurines silhouette your front windows, when Rudolph flies from the rooftops, Santa ...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
Garden of Imagination demonstrates how to make a real working miniature chandelier light for a doll house. We need some cord wires, beads, an electric bulb of 12 volt and plugs. Take the cord connected to a plug and remove the metal tips and remove the plugs. There will be tw ...more
You can create a really beautiful set up on your home using C9 bulbs. Line your roof line or accentuate your gables, and you can customize the lights as you wish. Use multicolored bulbs, and always be careful when splicing your wire. Set up outdoor Christmas lights on your roo ...more
Tim Carter, of Ask the Builder, demonstrates how to wire up a 3-way switch in your house, into an electrical circuit, for your lighting needs.
This is a video tutorial that is showing its audience how to make a super cannon arm. The first thing you need is a plastic jug, a switch, a wire, a wooden dowel, spray paint, a tap light, nick nacks, foam lining, and a pin light. The plastic jug will be the casing, cut out a ...more
All you've got to do is a some simple wiring and a little digging in the garden. Among the simplest creative reuse projects I've done, this landscape uplight is also one of my favorites. I mean, who knew that you could use an old chimney pot to cast a warm, 50-watt glow on th ...more
Warning: this video does not demonstrate the actual instructions for making this spooky Halloween LED light up pumpkin that blasts a truck horn. Check out http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2008/10/howto_tuesday_scariest_pu.html for more information and a complete build process. ...more
Watch this video from This Old House to learn how to put in a ceiling fan. Steps: 1 Turn off the electricity to the ceiling light at the main panel. 2 Remove existing ceiling light fixture and fixture strap from the ceiling. 3 Unscrew the old electrical box and pull it down f ...more
Ask the Builder host, Tim Carter, demonstrates how to wire up a 4-way switch, and where to place a 4-way switch in an electrical circuit in your home.
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
If you haven't made the switch to compact fluorescent bulbs, what are you waiting for? These bulbs produce the same amount of light as the old bulbs, but produce less heat and zap less energy away from your home. That can lead to you saving money and doing more for the environ ...more
In this video tutorial, viewers learn how to change a car's headlight and taillights. There are 3 types of headlights for a car. The 3 types are: sealed beam, halogen bulb and HID lights. This video shows viewers how to change halogen bulbs. Begin by opening the hood of the ca ...more
Wall studs are both critical for maintaining the structure of your home and supporting items of weight and function on the interior walls (e.g. cabinets, shelves, plasma TVs, etc.). With wall studs playing such a critical role, consistently being able to find them is important ...more
This video teaches the secrets of installing a light bulb in your own home. First turn on the light switch to check whether your old bulb still works, but its not working. Now turn off the light switch to start the replacement and remove the light cover. Remove the bulb by twi ...more
In this video, Richpin demonstrates how to install a trunk override light switch in a Saturn car. When you open the trunk in a Saturn, the light turns on and there's no way to turn it off. Thus you must have a switch in the circuit so you can turn the trunk light off. Select a ...more
In this video we learn how to replace an electrical light switch. First, turn the power off in your home. Then, remove the screws around the switch exposing the wires. Confirm that they are dead with a tester, then you can get started removing. Wrap electrical tape around the ...more
In this video tutorial, you'll find out how to wire a 3 way basic switch. It's a good way to control one set of lights or light at two different locations. After watching this tutorial, if you still aren't sure of what you're doing, please don't hesitate to call a specialist. ...more
It can be very difficult to see underneath wall cabinets. The cabinets and your body can cause a lot of shadows and make it very hard to see. Getting light under the cabinets is very easy. The answer is to install thin profile fluorescent lights that are made to go under the c ...more
This clip shows you how to replace a regular toggle switch with a dimmer switch on a light. It is easier than you think according to the presenter. There is a box with a green ground wire and two black wires. In dimmer switches, it doesn't matter which way you connect the two ...more
Having a three way switch can be useful for those interested in controlling one set of lights or a light in two different locations. But there are other ways to use a three way switch and that's by using it as a killswitch. It's fairly easy to do, but to those who don't know w ...more
In this tutorial, we learn how to fit a dry lining back box. This is very easy to install, and the sides will grip the wires on your light. First, determine where you want your switch, then mark a quick line using a sturdy level. Next, you will cut out a hole in the wall the s ...more
I'm sure most everyone has some kind of fluorescent light source in their home; those long white tubes that emit a bright white light when turned on, or maybe a few of the CFL power-saver bulbs. These bulbs actually require very little "power" (i.e. a high voltage:almost no cu ...more
Switching to compact fluorescent light bulbs doesn't just benefit the planet. It will also benefit you personally. Compact fluorescent light bulbs last a lot longer than regular bulbs, and they burn much less power. That adds up to save you a lot of money in the long run. In t ...more
Halloween is just around the corner! Check out this instructional decorating video that demonstrates how to use Christmas tree light bulbs to illuminate a jack-o-lantern pumpkin. This tutorial explains how to prepare typical Christmas lights for elucidating a pumpkin. Follow t ...more
Tim Carter demonstrates how to wire a light fixture or ceiling light. This is a great video to learn how to wire up a light quickly and safely. As a precaution, don’t touch any bare copper wire except for the ground wire. Most new light fixtures come with insulation to keep th ...more
In this video by Simon Leach, we learn how to fit a lamp base into pottery with Simon Leach. First, you will take the lamp base that has all the wires inside of it. From here, you will wire the cables through the proper fittings for the light. Then, you need to put a hole in t ...more
In this tutorial, we learn how to convert a halogen lamp into a makeshift ring light. Instead of pointing this light straight at the person you are photographing, you can use a ring light to make the halogen light less harsh. The prices for ring lights are very expensive, so m ...more
When I was attending college, my friends had a phantom thief in their dormitory. Almost every night, a different item of food would go missing, never to be seen again. There was constant speculation as to whom the thief was and how to catch them. Security cameras were deemed t ...more
In order to make a miniature baby doll bottle to be used in a dollhouse, you will need the following: orange paint, white paint, a paintbrush, and a light bulb from a string of white Christmas lights. The light bulb must be a standard light bulb. It can't be a replacement bulb ...more
With the first installment of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" out, don't be surprised if you find yourself more than ever wanting to whip out a twelve inch phoenix feather wand and wrist twirl your way to defeating your own personal Voldemort. While this video won't tea ...more
This is a video tutorial on how to make a USB aquarium powered by a under-gravel LED bulb that is powered by a USB port. With a bit of simple engineering, build a circuit to provide elegant lighting to your aquarium. Connect the wiring to the air pump for a cool lighted bubble ...more
Warning! When dealing with electrical wires, makes sure you always turn off the power before you do anything. There is no room for error since you can become severely injured in the process. Anyways, if you're looking to change an old switch with a new one or a new type of sw ...more
In this tutorial, learn how to make a very cool new lamp for your home. This string pendant lamp is so much fun, people will think you spent a ton of money on it, when in reality you can create it for less than ten bucks. You Will Need: *String *Electricity, a light bulb and ...more
Learn a simple way to create dramatic lighting with a sense of humor! You will need a bird cage, a lamp cord with bulb socket, a lightbulb, silk flowers, fake birds, wire, wire ship, some chain, and white electrical tape. Follow along with the step-by-step instructions of this ...more
In this article, I'll show you how to build a simplistic circuit to generate negative ions. Negative ions have been known to contribute to fresher air, happier mood, and general health benefits. However, they also look amazing in the dark (check out the photos below, purple pl ...more
We're officially seeking Null Byters on a weekly basis who are willing to take the time to educate the community. Contributors will write tutorials, which will be featured on the Null Byte blog, as well as the front page of WonderHowTo (IF up to par, of course). There is no ne ...more
Why does the world work the way it does? Linda Dong takes basic scientific principles and translates them into beautifully simple, explanatory images. The narrower the light source, the more sharp an object's shadow becomes. (Foam core, light). A battery is anything that conv ...more
In this article, I'll show you how to make a glowing orb. The orb is a fun, round flashlight useful for lighting your path in a magical way. Consisting simply of LEDs, a tennis ball, a battery and a switch, it's a great simple project for beginners with electronics. Here's a v ...more
This video tutorial is in the Home & Garden category which will show you how to light up your ceiling without recess lighting. Tamara Maslar shows two easy lighting projects to brighten up your living room. The first project is lanterns. You will need paper lanterns, assorted ...more
Josh Copp and Madeline Donahue show us how to build a light table from pine wood and plywood utilizing two fluorescent light fixtures as the light source inside the box. The frame of the box is fashioned out of two 1X8 planks cut into four pieces so that two sides are 30 inche ...more
This video shows us how to make quick and cheap ematches from Christmas Lights. • First we need to break the top of the Christmas bulb tubes without damaging the filament inside. • You can use a file for this procedure. Rub the tip of the bulb on the edge of the file till it ...more
Looking to take some safety precautions for the exterior of your home? Motion detector lights are a good way to ward off unwanted intruders. Installation of motion detector lights isn’t as difficult as it sounds, since most are pre-wired and preassembled. You Will Need: • A ...more
In this video, we learn how to wire a three way switch. The arrangement should be one turning the light on, one turning it off, and the other turning back on. All of the switches should be wired coming in from the source of the power on a cord. A neutral wire should go through ...more
How many handymen does it take to install a dimmer switch? None, you can do it yourself in a snap. A dimmer switch can make a room more comfortable, by allowing you to adjust the light to just the right brightness at the moment. You will need a screwdriver, a circuit tester, a ...more
Welcome to Minecraft World! Check out our tutorials, post to the community corkboard, and come play on our free server! The workshop last Saturday revolved around creating a working movie screen in Minecraft, and everyone joined in to see how it works. But this tutorial is fo ...more
Building a DIY Alarm System: The Concept So, you want to protect your property, or maybe a room, car, or even your backyard. The concept of an alarm system is to notify the "alarm administrator" that there is an intruder entering the previously designated boundaries. The trig ...more