home hacks

1860 Articles

Whole House Current Monitoring

July 7, 2010 by 46 Comments

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HlRBrTTLQFU]

[Debraj Deb] put together a current monitoring device that interfaces with the circuit box at his house. The system is controlled by a PIC 18F4520 and uses an LM358 Op-Amp to rectify the AC signal, as well as an MCP6S21 for range adjustments for detecting both high or low current loads. The data displayed on a character LCD includes average, RMS, and peak current. For now the data is saved to an EEPROM and can be dumped using a serial connection but [Debraj] plans to add a GSM modem so he can send energy use data to his cell phone.

[Thanks Ganesh]

Humble Homes, Simple Shacks

July 7, 2010 by 10 Comments

[Derek] puts the “hack” into the word shack.  We really enjoyed his “little yellow house” videos and shared them with you. After that, we discovered that he has published a book. No, he didn’t have it published, he published it. This guy is DIY through and through. “Humble Homes, Simple Shacks, Cozy Cottages, Ramshackle Retreats, Funky Forts (And Whatever The Heck Else We Could Squeeze In Here)” was hand produced by [Derek] himself.  It includes plans for a number of different shacks, ranging in size from too tiny for an adult to large enough to house a family. Not all of them are completely practical, but there are several that would make perfect workshops.

We got a copy of the book and have been getting lost in the seemingly endless illustrations. We highly recommend that you do so as well, if you have any interest in building from scrap, or unique structures. Even if you aren’t that interested in construction, the eclectic style and humorous rants about waste might just be enough to keep this book around.

Wireless Garage Door Indicator

July 5, 2010 by 13 Comments

[Sixerdoodle’s] garage door indicator tells him if the door is open or closed. He was inspired by the hack from last September but wanted to make it wireless. The setup uses an RF transmitter/receiver pair from Sparkfun, each controlled by an ATtiny13 microcontroller. We found his battle with RF interference from other devices to be interesting. Working out those bugs made for a great learning experience.

Wasp Sucker Clears The Air

July 1, 2010 by 83 Comments

[Matthias Wandel] had something of a wasp problem so he built this trap to catch the pesky fliers. These look like Yellow jackets and they can build some huge nests (check out the picture of a 2-year old dwelling). We’ve experienced a large nest in the walls of an apartment and weren’t as clever at fixing the issue. [Matthias’] solution uses a 1/3 horsepower blower to snatch the wasps out of the air and retain them in the trap above. The trap sits on the blower with some insect netting as a filter, the hose acts as the inlet and is placed at the entrance to their lair. It took nine hours to fill this trap; we wonder where he chose to release them. Enemies of [Mr. Wandel] beware.

[Thanks Trebu]

Holy Robin Trap Batman!

June 30, 2010 by 24 Comments

[Matt Meerian] introduced us to his kludge of cardboard, tape, mirrors, and electronics in the form of a clever non lethal robin trap. Whenever a pesky robin would enter the box, a sensor is triggered, the solenoid drops a lid, and the bird is contained (and we assume taken far away after that).

Of course the plan backfired; we wont spoil what happened, but you can click the link above to find out.

Related: Arduino Mouse Trap

Houses To Go From Leftover Scraps

June 28, 2010 by 22 Comments

[Derek Diedricksen] builds nomadic houses from left over building materials. Some are large enough to haul behind a vehicle or, in the case of the one above, small enough to tote around like a wheelbarrow. We love them because not only do they reuse material that might commonly hit the landfill, but they look good. Check out the first couple of episodes from the Yellow House series after the break. Then take some inspiration from [Derek’s] success and see if you don’t already have enough in your junk pile to get started.

Continue reading “Houses To Go From Leftover Scraps” →

Mushroom Terrarium Automation

June 24, 2010 by 22 Comments

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wexdNx_StRc]

Like many specialty plants, growing mushrooms requires that you keep a fine balance between humidity and temperature. this can be fairly tedious at times, so many opt for automated systems. [Anthony_p1234] has chosen to build his own.  Using an Arduino, he controls power to two heating pads, a sonic humidifier, and an air pump to keep his mushrooms happy. He shares the process of building the system, testing and calibrating the parts and putting it all in use. We didn’t see any schematics, but he does describe everything fairly well. The source code is available for download.