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DIY Solar USB Charger - Altoids

DIY Solar USB Charger - Altoids
If we use two rechargeable AAs that put out a total of 2.4Vs we're going to need a solar panel that is at least 3 - 4Vs just to meet basic levels of charging. The higher the voltage of our solar cell (or cells) the less light we need to charge up our batteries. Now we're also trying to fit this into an Altoids Tin, so we're limited in space. I have found some great 4V solar cells that perfectly fit into Altoids Tins. Sure, a bigger and better solar cell would give us added power, but it wouldn't fit into our tin. You could also use a combination of several smaller cells to get your four volts. Just remember that when charging NiMh batteries we don't want to throw more than 10% of their capacity at them at any one time.

How To Make A Million Dollars (Seriously!) Supplies: A Google doc/Excel sheet (What’s come over me?) Song: Million Bucks by Maino on Spotify Pick my income? First we’re going to talk about cash in a “take what’s yours,” attitude. This changes all of the panic mentality around money.None of this is rocket science and I have no idea why people don’t do this. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. “Million dollar ideas are a dime a dozen. Article originally appeared at: Medium Projection clock The first time I saw a projection clock (a friend had shown me his projection clock, which he used to project the time on his bedroom ceiling), I knew I could easily build my own by converting a watch with an LCD display. I bought a very very ugly watch in a dollar store. So ugly that it really is unwatchable ;) At least it's easy to disassemble... Up To remove the pcb, just remove the screws: The LCD is mounted over the PCB. The LCD is not usable as-is. Remove the reflecting background sticker to let the light pass through the LCD: To get a transparent-on-opaque display, reverse the polarizing filter located on the LCD front side: See the difference? For more information on LCD technology, read the Wikipedia LCD page. In order to prevent the PCB from blocking the light, I extended the contacts on the PCB with small pieces of wire: A sufficient pressure must be applied to obtain a good contact between the wires and the conductive rubber band. The clock in darkness:

Minty Boost We like to feature the most innovative and inspirational Do-It-Yourself projects out there. This sharing serves multiple purposes including encouragement for the creator and our beloved function as curator. This particular project exceeds all expectations of usefulness. Nowadays, between phones, tablets and eReaders most people have an item that charges via a wall adapter and USB cord. This thought candy gives you an easy way to take the wall out of the equation and a fantastic cover up. We present to you, a USB charger in an Altoid tin. For less technologically innovative minds, we defer to electricians. Tags:Charge, Charger, charging station, diy, ereader, iPhone, make yourself, phone, portable, tablet, tech, technology

How to build an electric Longboard with phone control Electric longboards are awsome! Update #1: Grip tape installed, some tweaks to the speed controller have meant I have got more speed out of the board but range has stayed the same! video coming soon. Working on nunchuck controller as well. Links: Motor, Esc: hobbyking.co.uk Trucks/motor mount/ drive train: diyelectricskateboard.com So I thought I would stray a bit from multirotors for this post and write a log of how I built my electric longboard. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. WARNINGS: The code and app are not perfect by any means, they are very much still in beta. Disclaimer: I am not responsible if you fall off your board and/or hurt yourself in any way because the acceleration or braking or speed is too aggressive due to my app/code/any part of this “tutorial”. please visit my blog and check out the other stuff that I make! my youtube channel:

Do Nothin’ Biochar: Suburban Scale | One Straw – Be the Change Since I moved to MN and had to leave my sweet TLUD & Retort stoves in Wisconsin, I needed to find a new method of making biochar for my new gardens. Now, I don’t have acreage, and retorts make a LOT of steam/smoke when they are first burning… not a good way to endear myself or permaculture to my new neighbors. So I need a new system. One of our first purchases was a fire pit ring I had welded up at a local welding shop, so that seemed like a good place to start, and I wanted the system to work into our new lives, and new, slower and more reflective life tempo as well. First, slave over your biochar stove… I recommend this step be accompanied by friends, family, perhaps some music or frog song, and either some espresso or a fine craft beer/wine depending on the time of day as it greatly enhances the resulting biochar’s quality. Purist will tsk tsk this as not ‘real’ biochar as its not uniform and most of the char will be ‘under’ or ‘over done’. Look, ma! Biochar Nutrient Soak -Rob

Another Altoids Solar USB Charger I drilled 2 holes in one end for the switch and the LED bezel. I also used some aviation snips to cut a bit out of the lid and side to fit the USB port. I also drilled a hole in the top of the lid near one end for the wires to come in through the solar panel. I insulated the entire interior because I think it looks a little better. I started by wiring a diode to the positive on the solar panel as well as soldering wire to the negative. The battery pack was soldered to the middle points on the dpdt switch and placed in the tin. Lastly, a resistor was wired to the positive lead on the LED and that was placed, along with the USB port, on the last 2 points on the dpdt switch. This wiring lets you either flip the switch in one direction to charge the batteries, put it in the middle to turn it off (to prevent excessive over charging), and in the 3rd position the LED comes on and power flows to the USB port.

Digital DIY Project: Electronic Bookplates One of the problems with iPads, tablets and ebook readers is that, while normal books cost just a few dollars, their electronic counterparts can set you back several hundred. The loss of a book can be irritating, especially if it has sentimental value, but it pales in comparison to the nerve-racking annoyance of losing one’s tablet or phone. In addition to their monetary value, the electronic devices we carry every day are stocked not only with reading material, but also photographs, contact lists, e-mails, notes and ongoing games of Words With Friends. To accidentally leave such a thing on a subway seat or in the back of a taxi can mean hours of agonizing regret and proverbial self-kicking. Fret not, dear readers. In addition to using the fabulous Find-My-iPhone/iPad features that Apple has introduced, it can be incredibly useful to take a page from ye-olde paperbound books in the form of custom bookplates that grace the heretofore unused space of electronic lock screens. Materials 1.

Paintball Minigun HK-1 I have been wanting to build a Paintball Minigun for a while and I decided now that I have the resources to make it happen I should get this thing finished. PLEASE, if you like this Instructable vote for me up in the top right hand corner to show your support so I know you are watching and I will keep the projects coming. Also please ask me if you have any questions, I would be more than happy to help. Thank you, and happy building! To build this Minigun a bunch of the parts that I needed were not available so I had to design them myself and 3D print them. The video above was the first time taking this bad boy out for a spin.

Getting a wig to stay on your head. Sew it to your head. Seriously. Well, to your hair is more like it. I put my hair into 3 braids (from front to back) & throw them into a low ponytail at the back. I've really never stabbed myself while doing this but it does take some patience. Realistically it'll take 20-30 mins to get it on like this BUT it won't come off. Look, I'm the vampire that administers beatings - don't get uppity.

Privacy monitor hacked from an old LCD Monitor Finally you can do something with that old LCD monitor you have in the garage. You can turn it into a privacy monitor! It looks all white to everybody except you, because you are wearing "magic" glasses! All you really have tohave is a pair of old glasses, x-acto knife or a box cutter and some solvent (paint thinner) Here is what I used: an LCD monitor of course single use 3D glasses from the movie theater (old sunglasses are just fine) paint thinner (or some other solvent such as toluene, turpentine, acetone, methyl acetate, ethyl acetate etc) box cutter (and CNC laser cutter :) but that you don't really need, I'm sure x-acto knife and a steady hand would do just fine) screwdriver or a drill paper towels superglue

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