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DIY 4-Watt Fluorescent light power supply

This is an interesting hack that uses a disposable camera to make a 4-Watt Fluorescent light power supply. The light is powered using a 1.5 volt battery and the flash circuit from the camera. I wonder how long the light will last? Read all about making your own 4-Watt fluorescent light.

Posted by Marc de Vinck | Mar 27, 2008 01:00 AM
DIY Projects, Electronics | Permalink | Comments (1) | Suggest a Site

Bicycle rim antenna

Keep an eye out for good salvagable parts, especially around spring cleaning time -

Several months ago I was walking home from the post office, nearing my place I saw it was "clean-up week", the curb dotted with various piles of junk people had put out to be disposed off by the council pickup. The pile outside my block of units had mostly busted furniture, but one item caught my eye, an Aluminium bicycle rim. I dug it out and took a closer look. The spokes and hub were all rust-pitted chromed steel, and physically it was for a child's bike, only around 580 mm in diameter, but the Aluminium itself looked to be in good shape. Antenna was the immediate thought, so I carried it back to the shack.

Head over to Alan's lab for detailed info - Bicycle Rim Antenna for 20 Metres [via]

Posted by Collin Cunningham | Mar 26, 2008 01:00 PM
Bicycles, Wireless | Permalink | Comments (0) | Suggest a Site

Time for spring cleaning! Recycling event at ACCRC

Attention Bay Area Makers! Is your house is filled with old, abandoned electronics? Do you have failed or unsatisfying projects in your garage? Maybe it's time for some spring cleaning. You recycle your unused, household electronics this Saturday, March 29 from 10 am to 4pm at ACCRC in Berkeley.
No fees are charged for this collection.

ACCRC (Alameda County Computer Resource Center)
1501 East Shore Highway, Berkeley, CA

ACCRC is a 14-year old award winning electronics recycler. Their primary focus is computers and the charitable placement of F/OSS computers in the hands of those who do not have access. A secondary focus is on finding a re-use for everything else that comes in and they get a lot of stuff. We'll be working with ACCRC to sort through things, looking for materials that are appropriate for Make Play Day. If you'd like to volunteer for Make Play Day, or through the sort-through this Sunday, let Dale know.

Here are some great photos from last year!

Posted by Phillip Torrone | Mar 26, 2008 11:15 AM
Computers, Electronics, Events, Green | Permalink | Comments (0) | Suggest a Site

HOW TO - Make a pocket plant

Brian writes with a "pocket plant" he made... -

Not much of a green thumb? Not a really responsible? Tried to grow plants but they died cause you forgot to water them? A new, easy way to grow little plants that efficiently use the water you give them. I personally gave up on this project about a week ago. Then I saw they were growing, I havn't watered them for a week and they're growing! Using a tiny vial not only doesn't let the water evaporte and escape like normal pots, it also creates a convinent carrying case.

Posted by Phillip Torrone | Mar 22, 2008 09:32 PM
DIY Projects, Green, Instructables | Permalink | Comments (0) | Suggest a Site

Really "green" beer

Happy St. Patrick's day! I was looking around for green beer recipes today (it's 4-5 drops of green food coloring) but also found this "green" approach to brewing beer @ Wired...

A time-honored tradition on St. Patrick's Day is to drink green beer. But Brooklyn Brewery won't partake in the ritual. Instead, the brew pub serves up beer that's honey-colored or amber gold. In terms of environmental impact, however, its beers are as green as they come.

Brooklyn Brewery, located on Brewer's Row in Brooklyn, New York, is one of a handful of breweries around the country that uses sustainable energy when producing its beer.

This Green Beer's the Real Deal


Related:

HOW TO - Fold a Shamrock from a Dollar Bill.

Posted by Phillip Torrone | Mar 17, 2008 02:32 PM
Green, Holiday projects | Permalink | Comments (2) | Suggest a Site

drinkpeedrinkpeedrinkpee

drinkpeedrinkpeedrinkpee is a new eco-exhibit at Eyebeam...

What happens when we think of our bodies as their own ecosystems? Are they open or closed ecosystems? Where do we draw the boundaries? Before we take medication, do we ask ourselves how it will affect our internal organs, our friendly bacteria? What is our medication's future, beyond our bodies, in the sewage system and out in the waterways we swim in and eventually drink? What are the possible futures of our personal waste? What do sentient ecosystems eat and drink?

In this work we can see our urine become a source of overfeeding, mutation, and disease or a fertilizer in a new lifecycle economy. Waste can spur death or growth.

drinkpeedrinkpeedrinkpee is a project about the role our bodies play in larger ecosystems. The project includes an installation and a diy kit for turning your pee into fertilizer. The installation will be on view and the DIY kits will be available at the exhibition...

Posted by Phillip Torrone | Mar 17, 2008 08:00 AM
Arts, Green | Permalink | Comments (1) | Suggest a Site

9 Volt case as project enclosure

For electronics projects simple and small, consider using an old 9V battery case It provides a built in snap, easily connecting it to a new battery for power.

When using a battery as a case, keep in mind that:
- the inside of the battery should be insulated (with blue masking take in my case)
- it is a good idea keep one or two of the AAAA batteries (that can be found inside the 9V battery) and use them to keep the top and bottom caps in place (make sure they are insulated two).

IR detector on Carlito's Contraptions - [via] Link

Related:

What's inside a 9 Volt Battery? More Batteries! - Link

Posted by Collin Cunningham | Mar 6, 2008 05:00 AM
Electronics, Green | Permalink | Comments (0) | Suggest a Site

Wave powered boat

The Suntory is able to propel itself through the water using only the energy found in waves. It is an interesting concept, lets hope it can be scaled up to make shipping more environmentally friendly and cheaper. There are other means of free energy out at sea, just look for the big white sails. - Link

Posted by Marc de Vinck | Mar 5, 2008 12:00 AM
Green, Transportation | Permalink | Comments (2) | Suggest a Site

Solar and Wind Leaf Photovoltaic Shingles

This takes solar energy to a whole new level. It is simple, beautiful, and functional. Let's just hope it's affordable.

SMIT (Sustainably Minded Interactive Technology) has a compelling new project called GROW that's an innovative and aesthetically arresting solar and wind power solution. Combining the best of green tech and ecology, GROW draws inspiration from ivy growing on the side of a building - resulting in a hybrid energy delivery device of flexible, ivy-like fluttering solar leaves that provide power via both sun and wind.

Solar and Wind Leaf Photovoltaic Shingles - Link

Posted by Marc de Vinck | Mar 4, 2008 03:00 AM
Electronics, Green | Permalink | Comments (2) | Suggest a Site

HOW TO - build an Enerjar

Makers of the Enerjar have posted build instructions to their site. Head on over to start building one of these handy power consumption meters. - Link

Enerjar, Greener Gadgets Design winner on Core77.com - Link

Related:

Greener gadgets design competition results - Link

Posted by Collin Cunningham | Mar 3, 2008 06:00 AM
| Permalink | Comments (1) | Suggest a Site

Low-tech plant watering indicator

Here's a twitter-free version of how to get plants to indicate they need water using about $1.50 in parts, thanks Ben! Link.

Related:

HOW TO - Make plants talk! They'll Twitter you when they need to be watered (and more)... - Link.

Posted by Phillip Torrone | Feb 27, 2008 10:00 AM
DIY Projects, Electronics | Permalink | Comments (9) | Suggest a Site

Make SMT probe Tweezers

Here is how to make some nice little tweezers from recycled circuit boards. You can even wire them up to your multimeter and check the resistance of your components. This would have been a popular tool at the last MAKE:NYC meeting.

Ever since I started salvaging SMT components, I thought it'd be great to have a pair of tweezers wired as meter probes -- grab the component, pick it up to put away, and check its value all at the same time. There actually are such things available, but the ones I've found start at $35 with a custom connector for that manufacturer's meter. Not much to my liking.

Make SMT probe Tweezers - link

Posted by Marc de Vinck | Feb 27, 2008 03:00 AM
| Permalink | Comments (3) | Suggest a Site

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