Nixie tubes, beautiful relics of early computing, display their numerals with a quivery orange glow. Peter J. Jensen makes Nixie tube clock kits, and it was a joy to put one of them together, thanks to the clear step-by-step instructions and parts envelopes labeled with corresponding numbers. Jensen designed the clock and circuit board himself, […]
Need to add a clock function to your next Arduino project? This Real Time Clock (RTC) breakout board kit is your answer. Based on a DS1307 RTC and equipped with an onboard battery and crystal, this kit is simple to solder together, works well, and is easy to use thanks to Adafruit’s online documentation. It’s […]
Old-fashioned Nixie tubes are beautiful, but driving them in a circuit can be complicated since they often require voltages as high as 250V DC. The ArduiNIX board for Arduino makes it easy to add standard clock functions to your next project. Just be sure to design an enclosure that will keep those high voltages safe. I […]
Alternative time-telling devices are compelling, but only if they’re easy to read. Building a kit can be satisfying, but only if it leaves room for creativity. The Chronulator clock kit fits the bill on both counts. Solder it together, and you’ve got a microcontroller-based clock that converts time to current, displaying hours and minutes on […]
Liquid Robotics’ Waveglider is an autonomous submersible that explores the ocean using the power of the sun and waves. As Roger Hine explains at Bay Area Maker Faire 2011, the Waveglider can either traverse the waters on its own, converting the up-and-down motion of the waves into forward propulsion, or can be controlled remotely by a user with a GPS satellite link.
Fascinating video from Nyle Steiner, who reports on his experiments with simple homemade memristors made from what are, probably, Al-CuS-Cu and Al-PbS-Pb junctions. He describes the observations that led him to experiment with these systems and the results of his experiments, and then wraps up by drawing out a simple memristor demonstration circuit and demonstrating its operation on-camera.
Terence on Ikea Hacker used “spare parts” from his Utby table legs to make an uber-industrial tape dispenser and paperclip holder. The two hacks here are a tape dispenser and a paper clip dispenser. With the spare parts from the Utby stainless steel legs I made the tape dispenser with nuts, bolts, and a roll […]
