Archive for the ‘Electronics’ Category
Chumby hacker boards
September 2nd, 2010 | 
Author: 
For hackers who missed out on the Chumby craze, Adafruit has a pile of Chumby PCBs for sale.
The Chumby Hacker Board is a cool single board Linux computer that has much of the same hardware as the famous Chumby One. It's great for people who are experienced with Linux and want to have the power of a microcomputer with audio and video output while at the same time getting all the peripherals of a microcontroller such as analog-to-digital conversion, PWM outputs, sensors, bit twiddling, and broken-out GPIOs!
Here's what you get for $89:
• Freescale iMX.233 processor running at 454 MHZ and 64 MB onboard RAM.
• Comes with 512MB uSD card with 100 MB Linux installation all ready to go.
• 3.3V I/O pins can talk to most sensors, motor drivers, etc. No struggling with 1.8V levels.
• Low power, fanless design draws only (200?) mA at 5V.
• Built-in Lithium Ion/Polymer battery charger and 5V boost converter for portable projects.
• Three USB ports!
• 1W mono speaker amplifier (0.1" JST onboard connector.)
• Microphone input (0.05" JST onboard connector.)
• LCD controller with 2mm output port.
• 3.5mm A/V output jack with stereo audio and NTSC/PAL composite video.
• Back of board has GPIO outputs on 0.1" header spacing, plug in an Arduino proto shield!
• 5-way joystick and 3-axis accelerometer on-board.
• 3.3V TTL serial port for easy shell access.
Looks pretty sweet!
Read the Full Story » | More on MAKE » | Comments » | Read more articles in Electronics | Digg this!
Posted in 
DIY Van de Graaff generator
Mark Rehorst has an excellent set of instructions on how to build your own Van de Graaff generator. What's that, you say? Well, a Van de Graaff generator is a device capable of producing high voltages by collecting electrostatic charges on a large metal sphere. Basically, its a fun and relatively safe way of creating high voltages, which can then be used to do things like make peoples hair stand up, or power particle accelerators.
More:
- HOW TO - Make a 120,000 Volt Van De Graaff generator
- Van de Graaff generators and CD/DVD drives -videos!
- Magic wand levitates objects for fun, profit?
Ten Commandments of soldering
We tweeted a link to these on our Make_Tips channel, but I thought they were worth reposting here. Strung here are most of the pearls of wisdom needed to be successful in ye ol' art of soldering:
I. Thou shall not remove tip from soldering iron when power is "On." Causes heating element to rise in temperature to approximately 1300 F resulting in thermal shock and reduced heater life.
II. Thou shall maintain a damp (NOT drenched) iron sponge (preferably with de-ionized water). A drenched sponge will bring the temperature of the tip down too drastically, causing thermal shock and reduced tip life.
III. Thou shall not disconnect soldering iron from base unit when power is turned "On." Disconnecting or reconnecting the soldering tool from the base unit with power applied may cause a short between non-compatible pins resulting in damage to the base unit or pencil.
IV. Thou shall maintain a coating of solder on working area of soldering iron tip. Protects the tip from oxidation.
V. Thou shall never drop soldering iron while heated. Dropping the soldering tool while heated may cause thermal/mechanical shock to the heater, sensor, or tip (fractured plating).
Image by soldering superstar Randy Sarafan.
More:
All of our soldering coverage on MAKE
2000V washer launcher
Bob Davis, whom some of you may remember for his high-voltage can crusher, is back at it with this 2KV, 1600A, 1500 μF 10-capacitor discharge bank that can be used to crush cans and, most amusingly IMHO, launch washers high into the air with a sound that really has to be heard to be appreciated. Bob's video might benefit from a bit of editing; clicking the embedded player above should take you right to the money shot around 4:35. There's also a good can-crushing right around 5:50. [via Hacked Gadgets]
Read the Full Story » | More on MAKE » | Comments » | Read more articles in Electronics | Digg this!