"I'm Rey." That's what a lot of people will be saying again this Halloween, as Rey costumes are sure to be another favorite of trick-or-treaters and cosplayers. Yes, on Oct. 31 we all have a chance to be the scavenger of Jakku who just so happens to be the "new hope" for a Jed ...more
Sometimes the best place to hide something is where people least expect it, so in this project, we're making a super secret safe that only you'll know about. You'll need either a single- or double-gang plastic, old-work, electrical box made for existing walls, depending on ho ...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 alternator in your car is a vital part of your electrical system. If your battery is draining quickly or your battery light comes on for no reason, you probably have a bad alternator. Watch this video to learn how to assess problems with the alternator and fix them yourself.
Facial recognition software is being more widely used with every passing day. Your local law enforcement is probably already using it, and it will be even easier for them now that the FBI handed out its own facial recognition software to state authorities. Even the fine folks ...more
If you are a photographer and are handy with a screwdriver and electrical tape, this is a really cool project to do. Basically, you "Frankenstein" a camera, taking a camera apart and rebuilding it with different lenses and the like, which makes for really cool photo effects.
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
Last time, I showed how to start putting together an AC arc welder from scavenged microwave parts, focusing on the transformer modifications. Now, I'll show you how to finish up your DIY stick welding machine by fixing up the electrical system and performing the finishing touc ...more
Every electrician knows you have to cut a screw every now and then to make it fit. But do they do it properly? Most will probably just use their linesman's or dikes, but using your wire strippers equipped with screw cutting is the proper way. Watch this video tutorial to see h ...more
Welcome back, my hacker novitiates! Now, and more so in the future, wars will be fought hacker v. hacker. The number of soldiers, guns, tanks, and ships will be less important in your success in warfare than the number of well-trained hackers you have. Every nation and every ...more
Learn how to make a cheap burglar alarm/trip wire alarm with step by step instructions. This is pretty basic but effective. Cardboard, fishing line, batteries, soldering wire, soldering iron, hot melt glue gun, an empty soft drink can, electrical tape, buzzer are some of the n ...more
If things are getting a bit stuffy at your desk, don’t fret. A cool breeze is just a USB slot away. Watch this video to learn how to make a USB fan. Step 1. Retrieve computer fan Look online or at your local computer-repair shop for a plastic computer-cooling fan. Or, disman ...more
I don't like paying for repairs, and I don't like purchasing extended warranties. When one of my gadgets break, I perform emergency surgery and try and fix it myself. It doesn't always go well, but I've managed to resuscitate a few iPhones, an HDTV, an Android tablet, multiple ...more
Michael Faraday was an English chemist and physicist - a bona fide electromagnetism and electrochemistry genius. Without him, men couldn't walk on live electrical wires. Wait, what? In the Smithsonian IMAX documentary Straight Up: Helicopters in Action, helicopter pilots perf ...more
How do you salvage a clogged caulk tube? In this Quick Tips with Chuck Miller video, you will see there is an ingenious and simple way to salvage a clogged caulk tube. Take a utility knife and simply make a slice on the side of the caulk tube nozzle. Probably the entire length ...more
Here is a technical tutorial from a technical communication class. An oscilloscope is for viewing oscillations, like electrical voltage and current, with cathode-ray tube display. See all about it in this great introduction to the device. Simply, this video tutorial will show ...more
Getting a new phone is like getting a pair of new socks—you can't wait to try them on and when you do, they feel totally awesome. Maybe that's just me, but for many customers that have already received their highly anticipated iPhone 5 in the mail, awesome is definitely not th ...more
Watch to learn how to replace knobs and buttons on a Neff oven. You'll remove and replace the knobs and buttons on a Neff oven. Lost oven knobs or worn oven buttons detract from the ovens appearance. eSpares videos show you how to fit common spare parts and accessories into y ...more
One day, your car may break down and you won't be able to afford to hire a mechanic, so what do you do... you look on the web for some how-to vehicle repair videos and become your own car mechanic, that's what. You don't need any advanced training to perform repairs and simple ...more
The katana (also known as the samurai sword) originated in Japan's Muromachi period (1392–1573). These curved blades are known worldwide for their elegance and craftsmanship. But if you can't afford your own antique model you can create your own reproduction using junk you've ...more
Rain can make for an amazing photograph, but it can do disastrous things to your equipment. This super simple DIY cover from Purple Summit Photography will keep out the rain so you can capture beautiful shots no matter the weather, and it's made using things you probably have ...more
In this article, I'll show you how to create a simple yet accurate demonstration of the "rising ionized gas" principle. In other words, a transformer, two metal prongs and lots of evil laughter. Remember those large "towers" in the background of Frankenstein movies with a "lig ...more
What's the first thing you would do once you realized you were lost in, say, a desert? If you're like me, you would immediately pull out your cell phone and start dialing every number. But what if you have no service? What if your battery is dead? If you make this survival so ...more
The Galaxy S10 has finally been revealed to the masses, and it certainly doesn't disappoint. As the flagship to herald the tenth anniversary of the venerable Galaxy S line, the S10 has kept popular and familiar design elements like the immersive Infinity Display while employin ...more
Nikola Tesla. He was the man behind some of the greatest inventions of all time, including radio and alternating current. But perhaps his most visually fascinating invention is the Tesla coil. While maintaining a low current, it can produce dangerous high frequencies and volta ...more
I spend practically all day surfing the web and writing on my laptop, and just as much time texting and checking emails on my smartphone. So, it's only natural for me to charge my iPhone using the USB port on my MacBook Pro. Since that USB port is located on the left side of ...more
How to find a stud in the wall. How would you like to be able to find a stud in a plaster wall / drywall wall, easily and every time without an expensive stud finder? Let's look at how to find a wall stud using three conventional methods then l'll explain my foolproof method o ...more
Static electrical shock your worst nightmare? The clothes you choose, the shoes you wear, and even the things you touch might encourage this natural phenomenon. If static shock is ruining your day, then take some action. Reduce your chances of getting a nasty shock that's not ...more
Hackers and makers are often grouped under the same label. While hackers draw on computer science skills to write programs and find bugs, makers use electrical engineering to create hardware prototypes from microprocessor boards like the Arduino. We'll exercise both sets of sk ...more
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
When it comes to busted smartphones, liquid damage ranks right up there with shattered screens as one of the most common issues owners have to deal with—as well as the most embarrassing. Thankfully, though, with the rise of waterproof phones such as the Samsung Galaxy S7 and e ...more
In photography, bokeh refers to the blurry or out-of-focus parts of a shot. Bokeh can be good or bad—it all depends on how you use it. There are tons of ways to create a bokeh effect, whether you go the traditional route with lens filters, digital with Photoshop, or even from ...more
This video demonstrates how to replace the windshield washer pump in a Saturn S series car. Remove the reservoir by unscrewing the bolt and lift the reservoir and slide it back to take it off the mount. Disconnect the electrical connector by squeezing the clips and pull the co ...more
I've come across a few very stubborn Xbox consoles in my day. A previous Null Byte demonstrated how to fix the Xbox with just eight pennies and some electrical tape. But if you've got one of those hell-born boxes that just refuses to be fixed in any way, shape, or form, there ...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 we were to assign a theme for the 2019 edition of the Next Reality 30 (NR30), it might be something along the lines of, "What have you done for me lately?" Many of the top names in the industry from the 2018 edition remain the same, but their positions have shuffled. The p ...more
Faulty switches are easy to fix; you just have to exercise caution. You will need a screwdriver, a new switch, and a circuit tester. Electrical repairs don't need to be dangerous, just be careful. Watch this video home repair tutorial and learn how to replace a light switch.
In this article, I'll be showing you how to make a cool visual representation of sound using an old cathode ray tube (CRT) television, a stereo, and a sound source. You'll also need a pair of wire cutters, and a few screwdrivers. To properly understand this project, it's a goo ...more
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
Watch to learn how to change an AEG Electrolux fridge freezer lightbulb and how to fit a replacement door bottle shelf. Changing a blown fridge light bulb is a simple fridge repair. This fridge maintenance video explains the process. eSpares videos show you how to fit common ...more
The latest film addition in the American-produced Millennium series, The Girl in the Spider's Web, was just released on Blu-ray a few days ago. As you could expect, the movie has many hacking scenes throughout, just like the previous English and Swedish language movies centere ...more
To make a glowing ice bulb, like the one in this how-to video, you need LEDs, batteries, wire, a balloon, and electrical tape. First, you connect the led to the wires. Then, you put the LED in the balloon, fill the balloon with water and freeze it. Once frozen, remove the ball ...more
Watch to learn how to replace the filter and lightbulb in a Neff cooker hood. You'll remove and replace a Neff cooker hood filter and a blown cooker hood bulb. Replacement bulbs and replacement filters are common cooker hood spares that need replacing. Banish cooking smells an ...more
Less than two months since unveiling Project North Star, Leap Motion has released the reference design that will allow developers, makers, and even manufacturers to build their own augmented reality headsets based on Leap Motion's work. The version of the Project North Star h ...more
PopSci breaks down how basic functions of R/C work. Once you've mastered it, the sky is the limit. You can remote control anything. Well, almost anything. "The basic R/C setup consists of a transmitter, a receiver, and several actuators on the receiving end—either servos (ele ...more
This article will show you how to make a proportionally correct 1/187 (about) size Hubble Space Telescope. I tried to add as many details as possible, but it was hard at such a small size. It was really easy, but it did take a while to make. Here are some specs for the real H ...more
Infiniti is like no other car, it has emotion, it has soul, it inspires. There's a difference between being physically transported and emotionally moved, and you can tell them apart when you sit inside this magnificent automobile. Although the Infiniti is like a dream car, it ...more
Measuring the voltage of a piece of electrical equipment is a somewhat dangerous and complicated but necessary process if you want to do any sort of DIY electrical projects. This video will show you how to use a multi-meter to read the DC voltage of a power drill battery, with ...more
Ant-Man isn't one of the most famous Marvel superheroes. In fact, with the news of his individual movie came great doubt that the comic book legends could succeed in telling the tiny story of an oddball hero on the big screen. Yet with its humor and unique story, Ant-Man has b ...more
I obviously do a lot of Steampunk projects, but there are a ton of things out there that I haven't tried yet. So, in an effort to broaden my horizons, I recently taught myself how to use Arduinos, which I plan to incorporate into some of my future Steampunk builds. Since ther ...more
As Halloween is creeping closer, it's just about time for the last-ditch, cheap and easy costumes. But cheap and easy doesn't necessarily have to mean shoddy. Jason Lau's Stormtrooper helmet is clever, resourceful and possesses an endearing DIY spirit that store bought costume ...more
Aircraft equipped with ADS-B are constantly shouting their location into the radio void, along with other useful unauthenticated and unencrypted data. In this guide, we will make an ADS-B receiver using a Raspberry Pi with a software-defined radio (SDR) dongle, which we can us ...more
It turns out that the government of Saudi Arabia has managed to do something last month's Game Developers Conference couldn't — give us a few new glimpses of the Magic Leap One being worn by someone other than Shaq. Last month, Magic Leap used GDC to launch its SDK, hold a nu ...more
In an old video posted on YouTube, about how to make a speaker in a tissue box, they got a Kleenex box, foil, motor, and battery. Of course the motor ran off the battery and it made a sound, but there's no way to just plug in the audio jack from your Apple iPhone into the Klee ...more
The year 2020 was a pivotal span of time during which the word "virtual" took on a brand new meaning. Instead of referring to VR or augmented reality, the term was hijacked to describe meeting across long distances through a variety of software tools, most often through video. ...more
Kylo Ren, conflicted villain of the new Star Wars trilogy, will surely be a major presence again this Halloween, with The Last Jedi fast approaching. His costume, all black and layered, complete with dark-side helmet and crossguard lightsaber, seems quite perfect for Oct. 31 — ...more
Reduce the risk of blown fuses, blown sensors, shorted wires, and even possibly increase shift times on an automatic and possibly increase horsepower with a grounding kit! All you need is some wire, terminal ends and electrical tape or heat shrink. To make this work, all you h ...more
Bud Brown explains how to know when to use a voltage adapter in the Philippines. The United States and the Philippines have different voltage systems. In the United States 110 volts are used, and in the Philippines 220 volts are used. If you plug something from one system into ...more
It's September 1st, 1859, and the Earth looks more or less like something out of an apocalyptic movie or Sci-Fi novel. All communications have failed, it's so bright outside at midnight that people are getting up and making breakfast, and people all over the world are seeing a ...more
There is nothing more annoying than a greedy roommate. It's absolutely infuriating to wake up and find the cookies your mother just made for you gone without a trace. Your favorite drink is empty and the homemade meal you worked so hard on the night before is nowhere to be fou ...more