Last week we covered diodes, specifically thermionic and PN junction diodes. But oh, there are more; and they're special! … [Read more...]
A bit about the diode
May 8, 2012 By 27 Comments
![ld421650-powerex-new[1]](http://hackadaycom.files.wordpress.com/2012/05/ld421650-powerex-new1.jpg?w=600&h=250&crop=1)
Most of you already know what a diode is, but how much do you really know about the device? … [Read more...]
Laser so easy to build anyone can burn their eyes out
April 27, 2012 By 61 Comments
The boys over at North Street Labs built a handheld burning laser and made it look super simple. Well it's not. We don't think it's hard either, but the only reason it looks so easy is because they really know what they're doing. The first step was to source the best parts for the application. They're using a handheld flashlight body which is small but still leaves plenty of room for the … [Read more...]
Using diodes and transistors as solar cells
April 13, 2012 By 27 Comments
When you get down to it, solar cells aren't much different from the diodes and transistors in your parts drawers or inside your beloved electronics. They're both made of silicon or some other semiconductor, and surprisingly can produce electricity in the presence of light. Here's two semiconductors-as-solar panel projects that rolled into the tip line over the past few days. [Steven Dufresne] … [Read more...]
Reading diodes to create a thermal imaging system
February 1, 2012 By 35 Comments
[Udo Klein] was working with some 1N4148 transistors and was interested in the specs relating to their performance at different temperatures. The forward voltage actually changes quite a bit depending on temperature and wondered if this could be reliably measured. He hacked his own LED shield for the Arduino to use as a 1x20 thermal imaging system. The screenshot above is mapping the voltage … [Read more...]
Fixing the control scheme for an aftermarket headlight assembly
January 12, 2012 By 18 Comments
The headlight enclosures on [Bill Porter's] 2004 Passat had yellowed with age and were not outputting the kind of light they should. He decided to replace them with some aftermarket modules that also incorporated LED strips. When they arrived he was surprised at how easy there were to drop into place. But when testing he was certainly not satisfied with how they worked. The day-driving mode used … [Read more...]
Experimenting with bridge rectifers for AC to DC power conversion
November 20, 2011 By 28 Comments
The folks over at Toymaker Television have put together another episode. This time they're looking at bridge rectifiers and how they're used in AC to DC converters. This is a simple concept which is worth taking the time to study for those unfamiliar with it. Since Alternating Current is made up of cycles of positive and negative signals it must be converted before use in Direct … [Read more...]
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