Infra is a television made of Infrared pixels

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This television is perfect except for its low resolution and the fact that it can't be seen by the naked eye. [Chris Shen's] art installation, Infra, uses 625 television remotes as pixels for a TV screen. There's a little bit of insight to be gained from the details which [Chris] shared with EMSL. The remote controls were all throw-aways. Even if there are problems with the buttons, battery … [Read more...]

An absurdly clever thermal imaging camera

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Thermal imaging cameras, cameras able to measure the temperature of an object while taking a picture, are amazingly expensive. For the price of a new car, you can pick up one of these infrared cameras and check out where the drafts are in your house. [Max Justicz] thought he could do better than even professional-level thermal imaging cameras and came up with an absurdly clever DIY infrared … [Read more...]

Autonomous helicopter works like a Wii remote

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[Jack Crossfire] took one of those inexpensive indoor helicopters and made it autonomous. He didn't replace the hardware used for the helicopter, but augmented it and patched into the remote control to make a base station. The position feedback is provided in much the same way that the Wii remote is used as a pointing device. On the gaming console there is a bar that goes under the TV with two … [Read more...]

Beefing up a smoke alarm system with video, temperature, and connectivity

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Here's a little smoke detector hack which [Ivan] has been working on. He wanted to extend the functionality of a standard detector and we're happy to see that he's doing it with as little alteration to the original equipment as possible (this is a life-saving device after all). He sent all the build images for the project to our tips line. You'll find the assembly photos and schematic in the … [Read more...]

Dimming the living room lights using your TV remote

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As part of a complete home theater setup [Andy] wanted to be able to control the lights from his couch. He started thinking about the best way to do this when he realized that his TV remote has buttons on it which he never uses. Those controls are meant for other components made by the same manufacturer as the TV. Since he doesn't have that equipment on hand, he built his own IR receiver to switch … [Read more...]

Scary Putin guards your stash

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If anyone tries to take anything from this coin bank they're going to have to brave the creepy looks that [Vladimir Putin] gives them. That's because [Overflo] rigged up the wall hanging to react when you approach it. It's all in the eyes, which open and turn red based on your proximity to the picture frame. The frame itself is the ugliest thing [Overflo] could find at Ikea. He spray painted it … [Read more...]

Arduino Tachometer tutorial

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This tutorial will guide you through the process of building a tachometer around an Arduino. Tachometers are used to measure rotation rate in Revolutions Per Minute (RPM). You don't need much in the way of hardware, this version uses an Infrared beam to measure fan speed. As with last year's PIC-based tutorial, [Chris] is using a character LCD to output the reading. Wiring and driving the LCD ends … [Read more...]