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Free Professional Grade Webcam Security Software

Joe L — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 08:58:45 +0000

The problem with most motion detection software for personal or business use it that they’re triggered by a leaf, animal, or other insignificant events. Vitamin D, on the other hand, can detect movements of people, doors opening and closing, email alerts, and more. The diy security software works on PC and Mac

Impressive Features:

“People Detection” instead of motion detection.
Daily Highlight Reel – Summarizes the events of the day.
Highly Customizable – Pinpoint when a certain door is opened.

It’s in beta and free until February 2010, so grab it while you still can. We’ve covered some similar software on motion sensing security for more ways to protect your home or gadgets.

DIY Security 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:

TokyoFlash’s Rogue LED Digital Watch Review

Joe L — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 02:00:28 +0000

TokyoFlash sent in their new Rogue LED watch which definitely has a unique way of telling time. The futuristic interface is actually easy to navigate but creates a sense of mystery for the uninformed. It’s by far the most unique looking watch I’ve ever owned and it does have that Mission Impossible feel. Check out some photos below:

“The outer ring of small dots represents minutes, every fifth dot being slightly smaller to distinguish five minute groups. The ring of large blocks represents rough minutes, the position of the gap indicating approximate minutes. The inner ring of blocks represents hours, the position of the gap in the ring showing the current hour as on a clock face.”

Above we can see what the watch appears like when illuminated vs. non-illuminated. Either way, anyone who sees it will be intrigued by the unique design. At first, you wonder, “Why would I want to make reading the time more complicated?” If you want to blend in, get a normal watch but if you want to stand out, pick out one of the unique (and sometimes bizarre watches) from Tokyo Flash.

Fantastic, Unique Clocks:

Top 30 Incredible DIY Halloween Props

Saikat — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 07:50:31 +0000

We’ve scoured the web to find the spooky, errie, most detailed Halloween props out there. Are you ready for Halloween yet? If not, here’s a loads of inspiration to get your projec started. For the remaining few days leading up to Halloween, we will be bringing some of the best DIY Halloween projects out there. In the first installment of our series, we’ll look at the top DIY Halloween props – some of them easy, some may require a touch of workmanship. But all are super spooky!

Dont Miss: Exceptional Halloween Decor to Inspire your Haunted Projects

Super Creepy:

Pictured at the top of the page, these are the most gruesome of them all. Check out that intricate detail! Fantastic work!

Animatronics:

Who doesn’t love a werewolf or witch popping out of the bushes? Learn how to master the art of animatronics. Subscribe for free so you don’t miss out on our comprehensive Halloween animatronics post coming up!

Static Displays:

While animatronics are awesome, they do require quite a bit of time to setup. Learn how to build custom static displays like the ones pictured above.

Pneumatics and Electricity:

No Halloween display is complete without some serious lighting and pneumatic effects. Learn some oustanding techniuqes to improve your display:

Simple DIY Props:

Say you might have procrastinated and don’t have time for some of the more time intensive projects above. That’s alright, we have some of the more simple DIY Halloween Props below:

During the next few days, we’ll look at some of the best costumes and some animatronics hacks for spicing up any bland DIY Halloween display. Do not miss out – Subscribe to HacknMod to stay updated.

Wireless DIY Halloween Surveillance Pumpkin

Joe L — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 07:08:16 +0000

We have dozens of DIY home security projects and here’s another outstanding project to add to the collection. Learn to build your own DIY Halloween pumpkin with a built in wireless surveillance camera so you can watch for vandals or have advanced notice of unsuspecting trick-or-treaters. The full tutorials are in step by step instructions as shown below:

Basic Materials:

Basically, this project just combines a consumer product with a pumpkin, making it rather bland. We suggest you can spice up your version with some inspiration (see our popular security projects at the bottom of the page).

Gut, Install, Finished.

The project tutorial shows you how to do this with two different types of wireless cameras. Since little hacking is involved, the project is a little bland so check out our far more exciting tutorials below:

Popular DIY Security Projects:

7 Magnificent Jet Powered Machines

Saikat — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 07:31:04 +0000

Let’s meet seven outstanding DIYers and their rocket propelled speeding machines. Two things have always fascinated man – flying and speed. The first has been achieved while with the second, man just wants more. While some call it crazy, we call it daredevilry and ingenuity.

Here we see adventurous bravehearts strapping on jet propulsion to their pick of wheels and trying to crash through the sound barrier. Crashing through any other barrier is unplanned . So let’s meet these intrepid sous:

The Jet Powered Portapotty

Paul Sender is in a tearing hurry because he strapped a Boeing jet engine on a portable toilet. The portapotty reaches a speed of 70mph and has a tail of fire that extends up to 30 feet long. Does the driver have to drive and answer the call at the same time?
Andy Tyler and His Shopping Cart

Some of us would have careened down the shopping aisle on one. But not with a jet engine on the back hurtling us at 50mph. Andy Tyler fished out a shopping cart from the river, followed the net to build a jet engine, put in a steering system and brakes (thankfully) and more fortunately took it to the open tracks for his run.
Nick Haddock and His Lawnmower

What do you do with a jet powered lawnmower? Use the jet exhaust to burn the grass? Nope…you race it. Check out how Nick Haddock built his Terbitrac tractor by marrying a gas turbine engine to a lawn mower.
Giuseppe Cannella and His Wheelchair

Encouraged by his wife of all people, Giuseppe Cannella used a spare jet engine and his mother-in-law’s discarded wheelchair to make a jet powered wheelchair. But this was all for a good cause as Giuseppe used it to raise awareness and money for Parkinson’s disease research. His mother-in-law is afflicted with it. She is not using her old wheelchair around the house by the way.
Bill Decambre and His Recliner

This jet propelled armchair is one for the couch potatoes. Those with a death wish perhaps? But Bill Decambre put his mind on his love and took it too far. The TV+remote alas, is not part of the package.
Joel King and His Racing Sled

Maneuvering a normal luge is difficult in itself. One with a small jet engine and going at 112mph requires Joel King. He did it and broke a street luge world record in the process.
Bob Maddox and His Jet Powered Bike

Nope they aren’t because they have a jet pulse engines melded to a street bike. 0 to 50mph before you can yell ‘human missile coming through’. Bob Maddox likes jet pulse engines so much that he has skydived with one strapped to his chest (seen above). He has also sold a few of his bicycle-jet engine combos on eBay. Guess that’s a normal day’s work for a guy who is actually an artist/cabinet maker from Oregon.

Awesome stuff! Did we miss any? Let us know. Check out other brave men and their jet machines:

DIY Batman-Style Secret Bookcase Passageway

Joe L — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 05:40:40 +0000

Getting his inspiration directly from the Wayne Manor, this DIYer created his own secret “William Shakespeare sculpture” button to access a hidden passageway. It’s a dirt simple circuit, basically the button activates a motor and presto, we have access. Personally, I’d use a giant red button, but that’s just me. For more details on the build, check out the build website.

Do Not Miss: DIY Rotating Bookshelves, Staircases and Trap Doors

More Batman Projects:

Make your own UAV Spy Plane

Joe L — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 04:37:07 +0000

We just received word on our tip line about this outstanding UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) project. You can learn to build your own completely autonomous aircraft to run recon missions or spy on the neighbors. You could even rig it to drop water bombs if you’d like. At the flip of a switch, you can even take control of the plane too.

For another UAV project, check out previous DIY UAV build featuring a 22 page instruction manual.

Full build details can be found on the author’s website with plenty of detailed information regarding circuitry and software information. MIT has a similar Autonomous UAV project (pictured at the top of the page) which you can find more info about on their build page.

Man Creates his own Steampunk-Themed Lair

Saikat — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 22:53:20 +0000

This steampunk enthusiast created his own retro-submarine themed steampunk house. While the look of steampunk is pretty neat, this house might have gone too far by recreating a shipwrecked submarine. The engineer from Canterbury, New Zealand themed his playroom with his submarine shipwrecked on a deserted island.

Built at an absurd cost of $100,000, the 12-metre by 5.5m personal den definately resembles a rusting interior of a submarine (it better for that price). Complete with a working periscope and touches of ‘plutonium-leaking’ torpedoes. Custom wood MDF was sprayed with concrete and touched up to appear like rusting steel beams. Melted plastic sheets gave the look of bent steel torn apart when the submarine ran aground. Sound effects come from hidden speakers playing sonar and ocean sounds in the background.

But beyond the effects, the room also houses reclining chairs, a three-meter big-screen TV and a top-notch surround-sound system. A stocked bar made from materials likely to be found on an island completes the high living frills.

Related Theater Posts:

Build your own AutoGyro Flying Machine

Joe L — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 20:14:34 +0000

An Autogyro is an odd, yet fascinating flying machine which uses a helicopter rotor for lift while a standard plane rotor provides thrust. You can learn to build a DIY autogyro yourself and even build autogyro models using miniature servos. Heck, even a remote Chinese farmer built his own autogyro.

AutoGyro Tutorials:

Early version of an autogyro: