Hack N Mod - Amazingly Cool Hacks, Mods, and DIY Projects » Circuitry

Fantastic Liquor Bottle Illumination using El Wire

dean — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:59:48 +0000

This is a cool mod we found whereby liquor bottles are illuminated by electroluminescent wire (El wire). As you can see from the picture above, the whisky and liquor bottles look absolutely stunning. Below is a video of a bottle of Smirnoff demonstrating how it looks in real life and you can view more demonstrations too.

Since this was done by a private company, they don’t have a how-to tutorial for it. However, El Wire is fairly easy to master by checking out some of our tutorials below:

El Wire Illumination Projects

Build a DIY 3-Axis CNC Mill

Saikat — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 10:05:40 +0000

A precision plotting and cutting instrument like a CNC machine is a dream for any DIYer. It’s perfect for any fabrication jobs – For example, you can etch a plaque or make a PCB by cuting along the traces of a schematic. While a store bought CNC mill will set you back by a few thousand dollars, you can build a simple CNC mill for as low as $100, but the one above is $700.

The DIY ‘LIL’ CNC project is a heavy duty piece of hardware. This is a 3-axis CNC mill that has a gantry-mounted cutting tool movible in 3 planes. The brain is in the CAD/CAM software in the computer that controls the movement of the cutting tool.

How Easy is it to Build?

You need basic shop skills and tools, but it definitely can be done. The cost indicated covers the raw materials like sheet metal and component hardware. The difficult part of the plans and the software files has been covered by the DIY LIL CNC website. The assembly instructions and the source files are provided free for use under a creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike license. The gallery illustrates the working of the machine. See a plot test video here.

More DIY CNC Projects:

DIY Real Time GPS Receiver with Incredible Accuracy

Saikat — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 07:59:51 +0000

We’ve all heard of commercial GPS devices like the Garmin or Tom Tom and even handheld devices used for Geo-Caching. But…Did you know you can build your own? A Kinematic GPS Receiver is a specialized GPS device used by engineers, topographers and land surveyors. Why? Because it’s a super precise instrument which is accurate to within 1 cm.

Traditional GPS receivers have a significant delay when they receive signals from a satellite. This delay in signal transmission decreases the precision to serveral meters. Real Time Kinematic GPS receivers, however, use multiple receiving stations (and a base station) for pinpoint measurements. Good for field work but impractical when you are moving around in a speeding vehicle.

Build a DIY Kinematic GPS:

Researchers at Tokyo University think so. They created a completely open source design for precise GPS calculations. The whole GPS console using a off the shelf GPS receiver sits on a low cost Beagle board. Awesome stuff! If you want to build your own, the working plans are all available on their site.

More GPS and Geo-location Projects:

Geo-Location Game “Urban Defender” using Arduino

Joe L — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 23:41:54 +0000

By using an Arduino, GPS, and an accelerometer, this group put together the “Urban Defender” – A hyper-local geolocation based game which allows users to “claim” various districts of a city by throwing the ball against a wall to claim the territory. The ball tells you whether you’re in friendly or enemy territory through it’s built in speakers and LEDs. The concept video below does a great job of demonstrating the project.

The map above is how the users can track which geo-locations are owned by different groups. It’s just a concept for now, but it would make for a great iPhone app to use to monitor which territories are owned by each team.

The Concept:

The superb concept video above demonstrates the goal of the game, mapping out your “territory” by claiming and taking over blocks of a city. Awesome stuff!

The Execution:

The Plan: The entire project is incredibly well documented, full of flow charts, diagrams, concept photos and videos so you can learn how to recreate the build.

The Code: Full details including flow charts, initial sketches, and source code can be obtained under their coding section.

The Build: Pictured above is their first prototype with all the electronics stuffed inside the ball, comfortably protected by foam. You can view a walk through of the entire project build if you’d like to learn more.

Final Results:

The final result reminds us a lot of Foursquare, a popular location based game. Full project details can be found at the links above at the project build site. Be sure to subscribe to HacknMod for free to stay in the loop on future projects.

Secret Knock Detecting Door Lock

Joe L — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 04:52:13 +0000

Here’s a fantastic project using an arduino, a motor, and a piezo sensor which allows you to both record and detect knocking patterns to unlock a door. The video below does a fantastic job of demonstrating how it works: It’s completely mobile and can be suction cupped to any dead bolt. Press a button to record a new sequence. Upon detecting the correct sequence of knocks, the motor turns the lock open. Brilliant!

Don’t miss: Top 40 Arduino Projects of the Web

For more details on the project including detailed photos and code, check out the project build. We have hundreds of the best Arduino projects for your inspiration:

DIY Halloween: When Pumpkins meet Circuitry

Joe L — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 08:27:02 +0000

No honorable hacker or modder can be satisfied with a simple candle inside of a pumpkin. How boring! Us proud nerds step up and create unique, appealing, and downright stunning pumpkins complete with lasers, LEDs, robotics, motion sensors, whatever it takes! Here are some of our DIY Halloween favorites:

If all else fails, just build a gigantic pumpkin cannon and launch them.

Lasers and LEDs:

Learn to stuff a laser light show inside your pumpkin or stuff it full of LEDs which flash to music. Check out the laser pumpkin featured at the top of the screen.

The SteamPunkin:

Based on the super popular steampunk craze, this pumpkin is fitted with plenty of gadgets including LEDs and motion sensor which shoots steam out of its ears when someone walks by.

Silly String Motion Sensor:

A simple motion sensing circuit using infrared LEDs and a servo motor sprays silly string at unsuspecting trick-or-treaters. A superb, simple project to make your house unique.

Wireless Surveillance Pumpkin:

Although this project barely made the list since it involved little hacking, the concept is still pretty unique and worth a mention.

Super Mario 1-Up:

Instead of using the complex circuit in the pumpkin below, this project keeps it simple by flashing some RGB LEDs to create multicolored mushrooms from Super Mario brothers.

Color Changing Pumpkin:

Instead of buying store bought merchandise like the surveillance pumpkin above, this guy built a completely custom infrared sensing circuit to control the color of his pumpkin via a universal remote.

The Classic Cylon:

The classic “knight rider” circuit is a great edition to any pumpkin and is a simple, straightforward circuit to build.

The SpiderBot Pumpkin:

Even though this is a basic hexapod robot with a pumpkin on top, it’s still guaranteed to freak out trick-or-treaters.

Honorable Mention:

While these don’t involve electronics or circuitry, they’re still incredible and deserve to be part of this list. Be sure to subscribe to HacknMod because you dont want to miss out on future DIY posts!

GhostBusters DIY Halloween Costume (Arduino Powered)

Joe L — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 05:17:53 +0000

For your DIY Halloween costume this year, Learn how to make your own Ghostbusters Proton Pack equipt with red and green lasers (above). There is a full tutorial on how to build your own along with a detailed photogallery of the proton pack. An Arduino is used for basic controls of the various flashing and fading lights on the suit.

The video above walks you through some features of the DIY Halloween costume. Included are some ecto goggles (seen below) and various other non-fuctional, but super cool-looking widgets.

The full tutorial walks you through the costume build and here’s a second tutorial to help you construct your own. More of our favorite DIY costumes are featured below.

DIY Halloween Costumes & Projects:

Inspiration: Rise of the Scrap Metal Robots

Saikat — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 08:42:21 +0000

They say that Michelangelo saw a masterpiece in every block of stone. Some of these creative minds see a robot in a pile of household junk. More precisely – a junk robot, or junkbot as they’re called. Little metal creations made from discarded appliances.

Don’t miss: Inspiration: Robotics and Steampunk Ray Gun Gallery

With sensitivity and imagination, these craftsmen have taken e-waste recycling to an art form. Instead of the trash can these robo figures can be placed on your mantelpiece. It takes a little understanding of electronics and little skill with the soldering iron. Beyond that, it’s all creative inspiration.

Miniature Motorcycles

These may not lap around the circuit but they have been fashioned from one. The sculptor has put together little motorcycle models from transistors and other electronic parts. Capacitors as handlebar mirrors…that’s an example of the careful detailing that has gone into these miniature bikes. These look ready to burn some rubber.

“Batteries not Included” Robots

Made from parts of old kitchen appliances, cell phones, computer parts, video game controllers and other throwaways, some of them can even blink back at you with their little red eyes. You almost wish they could come alive.

Sidewalk Sculptures
Let’s scale up and visit this auto parts shop in Moscow. These life size robots will make you pause just before you step into the shop. All made from old and used car parts, they look like they belong on the sidewalk. For these you might have to drop the soldering iron or the welder torch.

Even More Circuitry Art:

Trash to treasure sounds like a nice name and an eco-age art form. Check out some of the recycle art we have covered before. And do your bit for the environment.

Ben Heck: The Man, The Myth, The Legend.

Joe L — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 03:08:08 +0000

If for some strange reason you don’t know of Benjamin Heckendorn (Ben Heck), he’s the king of hacking and modding, a console modder extraordinaire who turns consoles into laptops, and just about any gaming related hack you could possibly think of. You can view all of his projects around HacknMod and by checking out his site, Gizmodo and Engadget.

Don’t Miss:

Some of his laptops are pictured above and below. A the top of the page is an interview with Ben and a brief walk through of his household lab. We definitely agree that tinkering with electronics is an extraordinary hobby and a fantastic way to make a living too

By the way, Hack N Mod is teaming up with Ben Heck for a super secret project to be announced later this year! More details to come – subscribe for free to stay posted.

DIY Blu-Ray 300mw Laser Raygun

Joe L — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 19:56:27 +0000

We’re plenty familiar with the famous phasers of Star Trek, set to stun or kill and now you can build your own blue laser phaser gun. Taking the shell from a toy laser gun, this modder user two blu-ray laser diodes. Although blu-ray lasers can be expensive, you may be able to salvage them from disc drives or buy them on eBay. Learn how to make one below.

How to Build Your Own:

The video above demonstrates how to make a blu-ray laser for less than $100. The major cost in the project is the blu-ray diode itself. Otherwise, the tutorial is very straightforward and demonstrates step by step how you can recreate the laser gun. Below is video of the first gun in action.