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
Make your very own hydrogen (and oxygen) generator with a 9V battery, copper wire, and baking soda (or salt). Why? Who knows. Make sure to check your connections. For more information on this hack, including detailed, step-by-step instructions on assembling your own HHO genera ...more
Simple Caddis Larva using copper wire ribbing, Wee Wool, and Peacock Herl. A simple first fly for the beginner learning fly fishing.
This video demonstrates the relationship between electricity and magnetism and shows how to construct an electromagnet using a 4 inch iron nail, 5 meters of copper wire and a 1.5 volt AA battery. Electromagnetism was discovered by the Danish scientist Oersted. Electromagnetism ...more
In this how-to video, you will learn how to perform basic circuit bending. You will need a screw driver, alligator clips, solder, a soldering iron, wires, a wire stripper, a button or switch, and a drill. Open up the device you want to circuit bend. Once the side of the board ...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 create cheap W ...more
Simple yet effective, capacitors come in a dizzying array of forms and materials, vital to so many circuits for storage, timing, and filtration - the mighty capacitor! In this installment of the MAKE presents series, Collin Cunningham explains - how to build a Leyden jar, how ...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
When you think of flower brooches, you probably imagine those dusty, ancient things your grandmother used to wear on her wool cardigan. But brooches can be uber cool - and even street chic - when done in a vintage/Steampunk style. Check out this video to learn how to craft a ...more
Watch this video to check out how to make a home made rabbit snare. If you can't find stainless steel wire, brass or copper will work just as well. Make sure your string is very strong. Consider using a braided twine that is treated with a non-slip coating to prevent knot slip ...more
Watch this video from This Old House to learn how to vent a bathroom fan. Steps:1. Screw the humidifier to a wall near the furnace. 2. Cut away insulation from the duct using a utility knife. 3. Position the hole-cutting template onto side of duct. 4. Drill pilot hole through ...more
Watch as Novastar and Gundamaniac demonstrate detailed wiring for a crystal focus board for Star Wars Lightsabers! Making your very own Jedi Light Saber may be a daunting task if you don't know what you're doing, but this four-part video tutorial will save the day from evil fo ...more
If you're fond of remote-controlled vehicles, you might appreciate this video tutorial on how to assemble a Traxxas high-current connector. To add a high-current connector to your Traxxas R/C model vehicle, you're going to need some pliers, wire strippers, flathead screwdriver ...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
After taking a beginner’s art class at my local community college I realized two things: one, art supplies are extremely expensive, and two, I am not talented at painting. Although my painting skills are comparable to those of a five year old, I still enjoy art and being creat ...more
Materials needed: Altoid mint tin, 9 volt batter and connector, switch, 7812 voltage regulator, 12 volt computer fan, carbon filter and 2 pieces of screen. Wire the battery connectors. Solder all of the following: Negative connector to the switch, wire to the switch, ground wi ...more
Are you addicted to Google Reader? If so, you may be looking for an even faster way to scroll through all of your favorite RSS feeds. Well, Matt Richardson has the solution… It's called the Google Reader Pedal and it makes it easier to read the hottest news without ever touch ...more
Watch as Kipkay from MAKE Magazine shows you how to make something really cool for the office, with parts from RadioShack. One of the original practical jokes is the gravity activated subwoofer simulator, or better known as the Whoopee Cushion. See how to make a high tech pran ...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
Watch this video from This Old House to learn how to install a utility sink. Steps: 1. Turn off water 2. Cut section from existing drain pipe and install a new Wye-fitting 3. Assemble PVC pipe and fittings for new drain/vent system 4. Glue drain/vent system to existing vent s ...more
Making a PCB is very simple; it does not consume a lot of time and the results look professional. After watching this step-by-step how-to video, you will be able to make your own PCB in your workshop using just a few inexpensive materials. Many people use protoboard and point ...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
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
In this video tutorial, viewers learn how to solder speaker lead wires. Soldering is a process in which two or more metal items are joined together by melting and flowing a filler metal into the joint. Viewers are shown how to solder speaker lead wires to the terminals. This v ...more
This is how to solder wires properly and then heat shrink them in order to insulate them. Firstly upkeep of the soldering iron is required to keep it from oxidizing. Portable versions of the iron are also available to make work more convenient. A solder sucker is required to s ...more
Need an electric outlet and don't have one? No batteries on hand, either? Well, then you should use the next best thing - potatoes! In this tutorial, learn how to make that old science fair staple - the potato powered calculator! Check it out, it really works! You Will Need: * ...more
Learn how to solder. Whether you like to tinker with electronics or do your own plumbing repairs, soldering metal is an essential skill. Plus, it's kinda fun. You Will Need * A soldering iron * A soldering tip * Safety glasses * Solder * Flux * Soldering clamps ...more
Check out this kitchen table science experiment on how to make electricity from copper, zinc and water. You can make your own battery to power a small LED light from just nails, copper wire and water. You will need copper wire, zinc (in the form of galvanized nails), a multim ...more
Learn how to build your very own motor, but not just one motor, three motors. These motors you will learn to make a very simple, and the materials needed are minimum. Just watch to see how to make simple homemade battery-driven motors. For the first motor, you'll need a batte ...more
This video shows you how to make a homopolar motor. First of all things you need to make motor are AA battery, couple of magnets and copper wire. Now take magnet and attach it to the negative end of battery, now take a copper wire and bend it to the shape shown in the video an ...more
This video demonstrates the tripod method of setting up a campfire for cooking in the wilderness. In order to set up the tripod, you will need three large branches of hazel, some copper wire, and a hooked branch to be used to hang a pot from the tripod. The copper wire will be ...more
Perfect for a 4th of July craft, this tutorial shows you how to make an easy beaded bracelet with a patriotic touch. You'll need some copper wire (or jewelry wire), red, white and blue beads, a pencil and a pair of safety scissors.
Mark Nelson shows how to make a very simple ring using a squiggle technique in this video tutorial. You will need 6 inches of 16 gauge silver wire (or whatever type of wire you want to use). You will also need 6 inches of copper wire (16 gauge), which will act as the template. ...more
Just about every household gadget we own runs on 1.5 volt batteries of one size or another. Wouldn't it be great if you could reuse all of those dead AA, AAA, and D batteries after they've passed on? It turns out you can make a simple circuit called a "Joule Thief" to reanimat ...more
Frank Sawyer, river keeper on Englands' Wiltshire Avon, designed an elegantly simple nymph that sinks quickly and imitates various Baetis mayfly species. Sawyer's nymph had only two ingredients: pheasant tail fibers and copper wire. The wire was used as an underbody, to attach ...more
Make an antigravity toy with just some magnets, a pyrex bowl, coper wire, a playing card and some aluminium foil. This is really cool! You can even interact with the flying card when the bowl is shut! Put 3 magnets somewhere, making a circle,over them, place a bowl, then wrap ...more
Video showing how a battery-magnet-wire motor creates a rotating electro magnetic field. Watch the hanging bar magnet react to the rotations. You need a battery, magnet & copper wire.
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
Here's another fun summertime craft for your budding engineer - make a spinning paper pinwheel or fan! You'll need a C-battery, a toy motor, two soda caps, a popsicle stick, foil paper, copper wire, a small sheet of foam, a sharp pencil, a hot glue gun and some safety scissors.
In this video tutorial, go into the world of Harry Potter and learn how to make your own Harry Potter magic wand. For this magic wand project, you'll need an LED, copper wire, colored markers, plaster, and a straw. Sure, it's not the best magic wand ever, but it's nice and che ...more
Give people some deadly goosebumps! Also tells you how! Learn how to prank your friends with a secret envelope. All you need is copper wire, a button, an envelope, a card and elastic. This prank is sure to scare your friends.
See the electrolysis of water (baking soda dissolved) with copper wire. The negative side has hydrogen bubble, and the positive side has oxygen bubble. Watch the positive side as the water turns blue.
This is a video tutorial in the Electronics category where you are going to learn how to install a three way dimmer switch. Mark Donovan of Home Addition Plus demonstrates how to replace a faulty 3-way dimmer switch in this video. Make sure you buy the right dimmer switch for ...more
EL Wire is a bit tricky if all you want to do is glow. But there's a lot to know about the technology, as well as helpful information to get you addicted to it. EL Wire is a thin copper wire that gives off a beautiful glow when an electric charge is applied. There are 10 color ...more
Hardware hacks are something I feel we don't get enough of at Null Byte, so today I figured I would introduce a fun one. I've always been a curious hardware hacker. Taking things apart and learning how their internals work has always been a part of my nature. Quite some years ...more
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
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
This tutorial demonstrates how to make very cheap Christmas tree decoration using feathers and Christmas silver balls. Here a violet and pint feathers are used. The best way to buy feathers is to buy feather bows in which feathers will be fixed together using some wire or stri ...more
If your old outlet has become so loose that a cord barely stays in place, it's time to change it. It's not just an annoyance—it's a hazard. Learn how to replace an electrical outlet with this instructional video from Howcast. You Will Need: * A flathead screwdriver * A digita ...more
The Stun-Gun In this article, I'll show you how to make a small, weaponized highlighter. Before I get into how to built this device, let me warn you. This device is harmful! When used, it can cause burns and/or serious muscle spasms. The voltage is potentially deadly! DO NOT ...more
Want to make a simple electric motor at home? Andy and Mike show you how in just a few easy steps, using a block of wood, two paperclips, a AA battery, some insulated copper wire, and a magnet. This is a fun and simple science experiment that anyone can do at home. Wrap the wi ...more
Learn how to make a micro terrarium which usually holds 1 small plant in simple steps. You can use any type of container like a light bulb, yogurt container, baby fruit jar, spice container, honey jar, etc. Now select your container and add some soil in it. Place the seeds if ...more
Turn yourself into an electromagnetism maestro with one of the simplest motors known to man—the homopolar motor. It's the "simplest motor" because of its absent polarity change. The magnetic field does not change the direction or strength. It consists of only three parts; copp ...more
Sick of spending massive amounts of cash on jewelry that's not even your style? Express & accesorize yourself exactly the way you'd like by making your own jewelry! In this three-part jewelry-making tutorial, learn how to make a wire wrapped ring base with a crystal beed accen ...more
Watch as a seasoned DIYer demonstrates the steps necessary to sweat (join and solder) copper pipes, including how to prepare them, what tools to use, and how to fix any mistakes you may make, in this free online video about home repair. Part 1 of 16 - How to Sweat copper pipes ...more
Learn how to keep your hair healthy. Having healthy hair is easier than you think. Follow these simple steps for lustrous locks. You Will Need * A brush * Shampoo * Conditioner * Beer Step 1. Brush hair at night Brush your hair gently at night before bedtime. Focus on sect ...more
The days of trundling hoops, hopscotch and painted wooden rocking horses are long since past. The latest trend in toys? Biofeedback. Electroencephalography. A decade into the 21st century, the toy market is awash in products that incorporate functional neural sensors. One suc ...more
In this video, we learn how to make your own solar panel.The amorphous solar glass is the cheapest but it's also the least efficient. You can do anything you want with these and they are durable. The hexagon cells are the most efficient and most expensive as well. The poly cry ...more
Change a normal 9v battery into a life saver. If you have ever run out of juice on your phone and could really use a quick charge then you need a USB battery. list: 1 5.1v zener diode 1 330-ohm resistor 1 9v battery connector 1 9v battery solder and soldering iron (you can ge ...more
This is an instructional video featuring Doug Prime, founder of the Future Engineers Center at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. If you want to make a homemade switch watch this video on using solder to tie the wire. Use sandpaper to clean where you will solder.