Homemade Induction Generator

July 13, 2010 by Mike Szczys 33 Comments

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

[Tyler LaVite] tipped us off about the generator he built. He combined a 5.5 horsepower Honda motor with a 10 horsepower electric bandsaw motor. To get an induction generator to produce alternating current you must feed electricity into the system to start the magnetic flux. [Tyler’s] solution was to include a bank of capacitors totaling 230mF which charge from the motor, then release back into the system. It’s not as green as the syngas generators we’ve seen since it still uses fossil fuel, but it reuses old parts sending less to the landfill.

A Pair Of Rube Goldberg Builds

July 13, 2010 by Mike Szczys 19 Comments

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJfhgrNQnq4]

Here’s a couple of videos of Rube Goldberg machines that [Austin] built. The one above was completed in 2008 as a commercial contest entry for something-or-other. After the break you can see his build from 2007 which was just for fun. Both are quite nice additions to our collection of the complicated devices. We especially like the use of a sub-woofer to move a ping-pong ball and a vibrating cell phone for some wireless integration.

Continue reading “A Pair Of Rube Goldberg Builds” →

Whole House Current Monitoring

July 7, 2010 by Mike Szczys 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 Caleb Kraft 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 Mike Szczys 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 Mike Szczys 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 Jakob Griffith 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