25 | May | 2020 | Hackaday

If you head out into the real world and start twiddling knobs on random safes, you might find yourself being hauled away by uniformed police. A safer pastime might be playing with your own puzzlebox at home, which is precisely what [thediylife] has done with this build.

The design implements a basic safe-cracking game, in which players try to guess the combination to the safe in a series of rounds. Input is via a rotary encoder, hooked up to the Arduino Uno inside. This project really wins because the finish looks so amazing. The safe is constructed out of 3mm MDF, which is lasercut to shape — an easy one to whip up in the average makerspace. The interface is fleshed out with a small OLED screen and some LEDs, while a servo acts as the lock which holds the door shut. When you see the underside of the face plate with components hot glued into holes you’ll really pale at how clean the business side ended up.

It’s a simple build, and one that would make a great party game with a prize hidden inside. We’ve seen other puzzle-box builds before, too — like the GPS-based reverse geocache build. Video after the break.

Continue reading “Lasercut Puzzlebox Is Safe-Cracking Fun” →

It’s hardly a secret that getting into a serious electronics habit can be detrimental to your bank account. A professional grade lab is simply unobtainable for many a tinkerer, and even mid-range hardware can set you back considerably. Which is why many folks just starting out will attempt to salvage or build as much of their equipment as possible. It might not always be pretty, but it’ll get the job done.

But this project by [Chrismettal] could end up completely reinventing the home electronic workspace. Using 3D printed frames, low-cost components, and a sprinkling of custom PCBs, this modular electronics workbench has all the bells and whistles an aspiring hardware hacker could need. As an added bonus, it looks like something that came off the International Space Station.

Inside the resistor substitution module.

This is one of those projects that simply can’t be done justice in a few paragraphs. If you’ve ever wanted to put together a dedicated electronics workbench but were put off by the cost of individual components, read though the fantastic documentation [Chrismettal] has prepared for the EleLab_v2. Is it all top-of-the-line hardware? No, of course not. But it’s more than suitable for the kind of work people in this community usually find themselves involved in on a weekend.

So what’s included? Naturally [Chrismettal] has created a power supply module, in both variable and fixed flavors. But there’s also a module for a resistor substitution, a component tester, and even a digital storage oscilloscope. You can mix and match the modules suit your needs, and if you want to create entirely new ones, the FreeCAD sources are available to get you started.

We’ve seen low-cost power supply modules before, and naturally we’re no strangers to cheap DSO kits. But this project wraps those devices and gadgets up into a form factor that anyone would be happy to have on their bench. We’re exceptionally interested in seeing new modules developed for the EleLab_v2, and doubt this is the last time you’ll see this impressive project grace these pages.

[Thanks to BrunoC for the tip.]