Fresh hacks every day
[Markus Kayser] built an amazing solar powered SLS printer, but instead of using lasers and powdered plastics his machine uses the power of the sun to heat sand into complex shapes. [Markus]' printer uses the same concept as his earlier solar cutter - burning things with a magnifying glass. Interestingly, the printer isn't controlled with stepper motors and reprap electronics - it's completely … [Read more...]
The sun is a great source of energy, however, efficiently collecting this energy can be hard to do. One thing that can improve the results of solar use is to actually track the sun's movement. [fanman1981] hooked up his own homebrew solar tracker using some pretty clever techniques. For this hack he used two Harbor freight 45 Watt solar kits, some struts on the bottom, and a Dish Network … [Read more...]
Instructables user [flapke] has a Kobo eReader and wanted to add some solar cells to it in order to charge the battery for free. The modification is similar to others we have seen recently, though his work was done so well that it almost looks stock. He started out by sourcing a pair of solar panels from DealExtreme that purported to supply 5.5v @ 80mA. Like most of us are inclined to do, he … [Read more...]
Ham operator [Ken - wa4mnt] wrote us to share a small project that he uses nearly every time he goes out in the field. His portable sealed lead acid battery pack (PDF) always ensures that he has a 12v power source at his fingertips, both for fun as well as in emergency situations. The battery pack is pretty simple, and includes a 12v, 17ah battery strapped into a light aluminum chassis which he … [Read more...]
Instructables user [Andrew] was given a free, but damaged GameBoy color by a friend. The friend's dog had done quite a number on the outside of the handheld, but it was definitely usable. After replacing some of the outer shell, [Andrew] decided that he would try tweaking the GameBoy to utilize a solar cell in order to keep the batteries topped off. He bought a solar garden light for $5 and … [Read more...]
[Valentin] bought a small battery-powered cube speaker with a built-in amp some time ago, but didn't have much patience for replacing or recharging the batteries. It sat on the shelf for awhile until he decided to revive an old MP3 player he had sitting around. He gutted a pair of solar garden lamps, retaining the solar panels, the built-in charging circuits, as well as the included … [Read more...]
Several years ago [Michael Davis] built a charge controller for his wind turbine and published his construction plans online. This build became quite popular, especially among people that live in remote regions. He states that he is flooded with email each day with questions about his charge controller from people trying to troubleshoot its construction or from people who are unable to source the … [Read more...]
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