The first alarm clock in recorded history can be traced back to ancient Greek philosopher Plato, known for laying the foundations of Western philosophy and science. Plato was said to possess a very large water clock with an alarm signal similar to that of a water organ. Water ...more
Most new stereos come with an auxiliary port built in, but if you drive an older car, you're usually stuck with the radio or CD player, and we all know both of those options suck. So, rather than paying the $95 fee the dealership wanted to charge, or replacing the stereo alto ...more
The new Xbox One has yet to implement compatibility with third-party headsets, meaning for now, you're stuck using one of the official Xbox One headsets available. However, many have run into problems with the included wired headsets, and would much rather use the expensive th ...more
With just a Phillips head screwdriver and this walk-through, you can open and close any bObi robot vacuum. So long as you have a replacement wheel, follow these steps to install it yourself. Video: . Step 1: Unscrew the Appropriate Wheel The left and right wheels are held on ...more
In a previous project, I showed how to build an electrical Jacob's ladder using an old microwave oven transformer (MOT). In this project, I modified the secondary coil on the MOT, which converts it from a high voltage/low current device into a low voltage/high current metal me ...more
What's a penny worth these days? Not much. But could there be some free energy hidden inside your spare pennies? You'd be surprised! See how I hack together stacks of pennies into makeshift batteries that can drive small-current devices like LEDs and calculators. Video: . You' ...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
A typical resistance spot welder can range in price from about $200-$800, but with a little resourcefulness and a bit of free time, you can make one like this for about $10 or less. Before starting on this project, there are a couple of videos you should check out, because yo ...more
Take everyday sprinkler parts and form them into a high pressure rocket launcher that will shoot paper rockets nearly 300 feet!!! It's cheap to make and a lot of fun! Video: . A quick trip to nearly any hardware or sprinkler supply store should get you everything you need for ...more
The guide will walk you through a power switch replacement on a bObsweep Standard or Pethair. It includes: Opening and closing bObsweep Removing and re-installing the battery Removing the main board and power switch Video: . The instructions for this repair are the same for b ...more
As a former repair tech, I've heard the same reasons over and over as to why people opt not to purchase phone insurance. Some cite the cost—why pay extra every month for insurance when you're careful with your phone? Deductibles are expensive, so why not just spend that money ...more
Fireworks are the best part about the Fourth of July and other celebrations, but they can easily cause accidental injuries. It's both safer and more fun to set them off remotely, so we'll hack some standard fireworks with nichrome wire, a relay, and an Arduino to ignite remote ...more
The Solar Schoolhouse presents this video tutorial on how to use the Solar Cell Classroom Set. The purpose of this set is to give students hands on experience making electricity using sunlight. See what's inside the set, and then see how to wire three different types of electr ...more
This video aimed at electricians, is designed to help employers and employees what is required in the standard that is applied for the control of energy during maintenance and servicing of equipment and machinery. Employers are required by law to develop proper lockout safety ...more
Jon Olson shows us how to replace an electrical outlet and how to replace a wall switch as well as some other electrical tips you can use around the home. Part 1 of 15 - How to Maintain your home electrical wiring and fixtures. Maintain your home electrical wiring and fixtures ...more
Lights not working, or appliances not working? Maybe it's the electrical system. This video home improvement tutorial shows how to test the electrical wiring in your home. Just make sure to turn the power off first!
This tutorial shows you how to create wire types in AutoCAD Electrical 2008.
In this series of how-to videos, home improvement expert Amelia Tallman shows you step-by-step instructions on how to install a new power outlet in a wall of your home. She demonstrates how to strip the existing wires, drill holes and properly install a new box for a new outle ...more
This video will show you how to repair and fix a broken wire using different butt connectors and also a wire tie. Video: .
This vide will show you how to fix a broken spark plug wire that has pulled out of the spark plug boot on your lawn mower. Video: .
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
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
bObi has four floor detection sensors on her underside that warn her not to drive over ledges and stop her from falling down stairs. For this replacement, you will need a Phillips head screwdriver and a new set of ground sensors for bObi. Video: . This repair may help if bObi ...more
Will the predicted apocalyptic date—December 21st, 2012—really be the end of the world? In this ongoing five-part series, we examine what would happen if zombies, nuclear weapons, cyber wars, earthquakes, or aliens actually destroyed our planet—and how you might survive. End ...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
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
Believe it or not, you don't need to hire an electrician to add a few electrical outlets in your home. The only thing you really need to worry about is being safe. This Old House walks you through the entire process of adding receptacles, from cutting the hole in the drywall t ...more
Make a lighter with one or two AA batteries and simple tiny wire!!! This is a fantastic homemade electrical lighter for any situation. You'll need two AA batteries, a push switch, a battery holder, wire, solder, soldering iron, electrical tape, crimper, and scissors for this c ...more
In this video tutorial you will learn how to make a pair of high tech night vision sunglasses. You will first need a pair of 100% clear sunglasses with nothing but UV protection. Then two sheets of theatrical photo gels, one congo blue and one primary red. Using the gasses as ...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
Watch this video from This Old House to learn how to fix a leaking system system. Steps: 1 Shut off the water to the sprinkler system. 2 Remove lid from valve box and clean out mud from inside of box with hand trowel. 3 Pack valve box with dry rags to absorb water. 4 Twist ou ...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.
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.
This video introduces the concept of an electric circuit and how electrons flow through the wire. It describes the difference between an open and closed circuit, and the importance of continuity.
The XBox 360 runs hot. Really hot. And that is never a good thing for a computer. In fact, it is responsible for the infamous Red Ring of Death that has become synonymous with the XBox 360's poor build quality. This video is here to help solve the problem. It will teach you ho ...more
Someone has just smashed the side mirror off your perfect Nissan Altima that you parked on that busy road you know you shouldn't have parked on anyway, so now it's up to you to repair it— unless you want to pay an overpriced mechanic, who will charge you for parts, labor, and ...more
This is a step-by-step instructional on how to make a potato gun, otherwise known as the spud gun, potato launcher, potato cannon, etc. Although this can be a fun activity, it is still dangerous, just like a real weapon. The tools needed for this spud cannon are a drill, saw, ...more
Plug this baby into your FiOS-powered computer and simulate the real-time climate of any location in the country -- rain, lightning, fog, sunshine. Get creative -- got any new weather effects you've figured out how to add to your Personal Weather Machine? We'd love to hear ab ...more
OK, you've done it, you've blasted your DJ set just a little too loud and now your speakers are dust. Well, before you rush out and replace them, why not try repairing them on your own? That's right, with this how to video you can take the necessary steps and breath new life b ...more
This video will show you what you'll need to know to hack a digital electric meter. You'll need 2 magnets, one much bigger than the other, an AC adaptor that you'll cut into pieces, or some speaker wire, distilled water, electrical tape, a knife, some plastic wrap, and a plast ...more
Home repairs might seem foreign to some people, but it's not as hard as dealing with contractors. If you have to patch up some holes in your drywall but don't know how, let this video series be your guide. In these videos, lean how to patch around an electrical box on drywall. ...more
An emergency battery charger for your mobile phone comes in handy, but it's not the ultimate solution; once it's dead it's useless (what a waste). If you want to really get off the metaphorical grid, you can follow the steps in this video to construct a more robust circuit tha ...more
Plaster walls, although popular homebuilding materials, are notoriously easy to damage. Door handles, elbows and moving furniture are all great at putting holes in plasterboard walls, holes which, thankfully, only take an hour or so to patch up. Stumped as to how to do it? Wat ...more
Watch this video from This Old House to learn how to replace a pane of glass in a door. Steps: 1 Measure the broken door pane for a new piece of glass. 2 Use a stiff-blade putty knife to pry the wooden stops from around the broken pane. 3 Carefully remove the broken pane from ...more
Systm is the Do-It-Yourself show designed for the common geek who wants to quickly and easily learn how to dive into the latest and hottest tech projects. They will help you avoid pitfalls and get your project up and running fast. In this DIY episode, see how to safely wire an ...more
Okay, you've got all of your feed wires set up on your model railway track, now what? Ballasting. Check out this video tutorial to see how to ballast your model railroad track. You are going to need some ballast, which is a fine N scale (1:160) ballast. You are going to also ...more
If you're at the point where you need to start ballasting your model railroad track, then you might want to check out this video tutorial on wiring. Learn how to wire your model railroad track. So, see how to run the feeder cables to power up your ballasts to power up your mi ...more
Kim, a staff mechanic of Driverside, demonstrates how to check the fuses in a car. In majority of the cars the main fuse box could be located on the left side of the kick panel situated near the driver seat. Inside the car, he opened a cover stating fuse box (near the driver s ...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
Learn how to eliminate cord clutter with the folks from Martha Stewart's REAL SIMPLE. Nothing is more annoying than a pile of messy cords. Those dozens of wires around your home?in your kitchen, by your computer, behind your TV?can be a tangled nuisance. Control cord clutter w ...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
Changing the rear disc brakes on your 2001 Chrysler Town & Country (henceforth referred to as T&C) can be quite a challenge, but if you can spare a few hours (remember that you need to budget time to get the brake parts from the parts house) and are willing to get a little dir ...more
The video gives a step by step tutorial on how to replace the water pump, all belts and the shaft seals on a Porsche 944 S2. The video has a German soundtrack but English subtitles are available at YouTube. The repair is shown for a S2, but most steps are the same for other mo ...more
In this video tutorial, viewers learn how to properly inspect an electrical panel or circuit breaker in a house. Users should begin by taking off the cover(s) of the individual panels to see the wiring inside. Make sure the wire are connected and that there are no open or brok ...more
This video home improvement tutorial is a basic explanation of the wiring in a plug-in electrical receptacle, so you'll know what to do when replacing one. Learn how to change the plug-in without short-circuiting or hurting yourself by watching this instructional wiring video.
Try these simple fixes to salvage your specs. Learn how to fix your eyeglasses with this helpful guide. You Will Need * Duct tape * Needle-nose pliers * An eyeglass repair kit * Superglue * A wooden toothpick * A paper towel * A miniature safety pin * All-purpose glue * A met ...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
In this tutorial, we learn how to take apart an iPod Nano 3rd generation for repair. First remove the back casing using a guitar pick. Next, use a flat tool to lift up the battery carefully and remove it from the casing. You will see three wires that lead to the launch board, ...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
The video begins with a guy saying that his Ford F-150 is making a weird sound. He turns the truck on and lets us hear the sound. The truck is then taken into a workshop and we find out that the engine has blown the spark plug. He says to get a cylinder head repair kit and so ...more