Build a Lightsaber NO NEW LIGHTSABERS FOR ME RIGHT NOW becuase - UPDATE: I've been super busy taking part in Dallas Red Bull Flugtag. I am part of Team Dworks. So you have decided to take the final step to embracing the force. Does your path follow the Light or the Dark side? What ever side you are on, what follows is how to make a Duel-Worthy Lightsabre. Total cost of this project is $60 to $1,000 USD. The Video: NOTE 1: This Instructable is very TEXT intensive. NOTE 2: Most of the parts used in this tutorial came from The Custom Saber Shop (TCSS). * The author of this instructable is not responsible for property damage, personal injury, amputation of limbs, decapitation, and/or death resulting from the building and use of the lightsaber prop.
How to Pick the Right Electronics Board for Your DIY Project How to Make a Christmas Cracker If you have a bunch of spare toilet paper tubes lying around, you're in luck this holiday season. With wrapping paper, a couple trinkets, and a pack of cracker snaps, you can make your very own Christmas crackers. Traditionally used in holiday celebrations in the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth countries, Christmas crackers are party favors that when pulled apart, produce a snapping sound and contain small trinkets such as candy, a deck of cards, toys, slips of paper with jokes written on them, paper Christmas crowns, and other small knickknacks. Usually, two people pull on opposite ends of the cracker. If you're in a big holiday gathering, you can simultaneously pull your Christmas crackers apart in a big circle, with everyone crossing their arms and holding his or her own cracker in the left hand and the adjacent person's cracker in the right hand. Click on image to enlarge.
DIY Sriracha a.k.a. Rooster Sauce Impress your Chili Head friends by busting out a bottle of this DIY Sriracha Chile Sauce! Sriracha as we know it today has been popularized by Huy Fong Foods and their big red "rooster" bottle (complete with a giant rooster logo and bright green cap, making it easy to identify in your fridge). But the sauce has a rich history and is named after a coastal city in central Thailand's Chonburi Province "Si Racha". Here is a version you can make in your own kitchen. It's not as spicy as the Huy Fong version, but it gives you major street cred -- especially if you bust out these swing-top stopper bottles with hand-carved chili-pepper stamp. This sauce has a great, addicting flavor -- hot, sweet and garlicky -- and just like the real "Rooster Sauce", it tastes awesome on just about anything. (recipe adapted from The Sriracha Cookbook by Randy Clemens) Ingredients: **Gloves** 1 3/4 pounds Fresno Chili Peppers, Red Jalapenos or Red Serrano ( I used Fresno) 3 Thai Chili Peppers 1 tbsp light brown sugar
5 ways to help our disappearing bees In the spring and summer, thoughts naturally turn to the birds and the bees. Except, the bee seems to be in trouble. You've probably heard about colony collapse disorder (CCD) or vanishing bee syndrome, the mysterious and rather dramatic die-off of domesticated honeybees in Europe and North America. Scientists aren't really sure what's going on yet. All that's known for sure is our bee colonies are suddenly disappearing. Affected bees simply leave the hive and don't come back, making diagnosis of the problem even more difficult. In some areas, losses of honeybees are reported to be as high as 75 percent. So what could be happening here? Few of us are research scientists capable of chipping in some lab time to help out, but there are some things we can all do to assist honeybee and natural bee populations close to home. Plant things that bees like Bees particularly like clover. Bees are all about pollen. The good news here is that bee-friendly plants are easy to grow. Provide bee habitat
Turn Any Wall Portrait into Your Own Personal Scooby Dooish "Eye" Spy Surveillance System Remember how the bad guys in Scooby Doo would always use cut-out portraits to spy on people through walls? Well, unless your landlord is super cool, you probably shouldn't start cutting holes in your wall just yet, but you can make a higher tech version, thanks to NASA employee Mark Rober. Mark used a cheap picture frame and a portrait with the eyes cut out to make the "Scoob Cam," which also doubles as a surveillance device. He used an iPhone and an iPad to start a FaceTime chat, then taped the iPhone to the back of the picture frame (where the eyes in the portrait are). The iPad is used as the surveillance aspect, so when you watch the feed, it records your eyes and displays them on the iPhone in the portrait, so wherever you look is where the portrait seems to be looking. Check out the video for details on the setup. For a similar, but cheaper prank, try this creepy motion-sensing portrait with glowing red eyes that light up when someone gets close.
How To Build A Fireball You Can Hold Video Jon Lech Johansen's blog MagicPlay is an open cross-platform audio streaming standard (think “HTTP for music”) that supports synchronized streaming to multiple speakers (like Sonos). For more details, see this Verge story. In the near future you’ll be able to buy WiFi speakers, TVs and other products that come with MagicPlay support out of the box. If you want to try MagicPlay right now, you can turn an existing device such as the Raspberry Pi into a MagicPlay device and stream music to it using doubleTwist Music Player for Android. Prerequisites: Raspberry Pi ($43) running Raspbian LinuxOptional: USB sound card for better quality (the integrated sound card on the Raspberry Pi has an annoying crackle bug)SpeakersAndroid phone or tablet running Android 4.1 or higher If you would like to skip building the source code, you can download a binary package instead. 1. 4. The MagicPlay service (/etc/init.d/magicplayd) has now been installed and will automatically start on boot.
Wireless light switch or bust I stumbled upon the website lightobject.com while looking for an affordable thermocouple for the immersion circulator I’m planning on building. I found the part I was looking for and I also came across a “Mult-function 1CH RF Remote Control Tx/Rx Set ” which is a small remote controlled relay switch that runs on a 12v power supply and will switch 120v 10A. This is one of those things that I knew I had to have but had no idea for what reason, it just seemed handy to have around. Then inspiration struck. Batman, a constant source of inspiration. In the original Batman TV show Bruce Wayne used a switch hidden within a bust of Shakespeare to open a hidden entrance to the Batcave. Parts list: * Momentary push button * Multi-function 1CH RF Remote Control Tx/Rx Set * Various hinges/bits of metal * An impressive bust (I went with Beethoven) * 6 outlet plug strip * 12v power supply * Various lengths of wire * Small piece for wood for switch mount * Glue * Wood stain
Soda Machine Hack Most modern vending machines have little computers inside. A tiny screen usually displays some information. Although relatively little known, pressing a certain combinations of buttons can control the settings. For instance, you can check the internal temperature, view the amount of money inside, empty change, or dump certain beverages. It will generally only work on new machines which is pictured on the right side. Press the buttons [4] [2] [3] [1] one after another. Once inside the buttons become controls for navigating the menu system. Button [1] – Back/ExitButton [2] – DownButton [3] – UpButton [4] – Select You should now be able to scroll through the available settings. Here are the descriptions of some of the settings you may run into: Pressing the coin return or back button also exits out of the setting menus. Although access to those settings is usually enabled, it is sometimes locked down by the owner or maintenance. CPO – Coin payment mode dumps coins out of the machine.
How To: Hide Pesky Electronics Wires In Your Home Electronics are inevitable in today’s homes. And while some things are moving more towards wireless and bluetooth connections– you’re still going to have to accommodate electrical cords somewhere. Wires can be messy, make a space look unfinished and less than design worthy– and unless an organized routing of cables on display for a tech space is a part of your design; there shouldn’t be any visible. See our 5 easy tips and tricks for successfully masking the view of cords, wires and electronic cables in your home below. 1. Add cable management. 2. 3. 4. 5. Get Drunk LOTR Style: How to Make Your Own Medieval Gimli Beer Helmet « Beer Not a sports fan, but still want to get your hands-free drink on? Instructables user DucttapeNinja has just the thing for you—a beer helmet inspired by Gimli from Lord of the Rings. So, now you can double the time between trips to the fridge during your next LOTR marathon. One helmet to intoxicate them all! You'll need a cheap drink helmet (with straws already attached), two matching tankards or steins, some craft foam, and acrylic paint. The "metal" components are cut out of craft foam and glued onto the helmet. All the pieces are painted to match Gimli's helmet, and zip ties hold the whole thing together. You can find all the patterns, step-by-step instructions, and tons more photos over on DucttapeNinja's project page.
How to Build a Go-Kart in One Day - DIY Go Cart Plans Builder: Larry Erd, Pompano Beach, Fla.Plans: spidercarts.com "Black Widow" Cost: $689.15 1.) Plans and Parts Erd and his 7-year-old son, Harrison, used $14.99 plans for the "Black Widow" go-kart from spidercarts.com. Plans like these, whether they are free or require a fee, often give frame dimensions but leave steering, axle, throttle and cable connections up to the builder. Browse parts suppliers' websites to find additional advice on materials and methods. 2.) Use a hacksaw or chop saw to cut metal stock to length. 3.) Weld an upper steering block to the top of the kart's steering post. Weld spindle brackets to the front corners of the frame. 4.) Weld bearing hangers to the bottom face of the frame's 10-inch rear legs. 5.) Buy accessories together with the engine to ensure compatibility. Loop chain around both sprockets. 6.) Attach brake and throttle cables to the left and right foot pedals. Start the engine with the kart on blocks to test the pedal connections.