Questions For The Podcast / Contest Update

The next podcast is coming… In the meantime, if you want to ask a question in the podcast, record it as a mp3 and email it to podcast [at hackaday dot com]. If you’re wondering, I will do the next edition in mp3 – no more m4a stuff.

Now, to answer a few questions about the Design Challenge.
What kind of circuit should it be?
Anything from a personal massage speed controller to a miniature omelet maker. Whatever you can fit on the board, ok.

Will you extend the deadline?
No. If you want to send us something later, we’ll still take it. [but you’ll be a bit late to win any prizes]

How many entries can we submit?

No limit, but don’t go nuts, ok?

How big can it be?

The board will be credit card dimensions, but a standard thickness (think FR-4 or something) No, we don’t care how big the components are.

Do the components need to be available from somewhere like mouser/digikey?

I’d hope so. We don’t want to have to reclaim parts from sunken Russian submarines to build the circuit.

How can I submit it?

Put it online and send in a tip, or ask where to send it via the tips line. Either way, use the tips line.

Homemade Cathode Ray Tubes


[dylan] tipped us to [Nyle Steiner] who’s been making his own cathode ray tubes Not satisified with that, he made an even smaller one[youtube] and he built an oscilloscope[youtube].

Once I noticed that he’s an amateur radio operator, I started digging around his site. His propane lawnmower is a great idea, his diy photocell makes me think of mr. wizard. If you dig tube amps, you’ll definitely be interested in his vaccum tube building experiments.

[Got a cool circuit? Lay it out on a PCB and enter the Design Challenge.]