Slideshow: More Best of Gadget Freak
Gadget Freak 3/9/2012 11 comments Here's a slideshow with links to our best homebrew engineering projects, drawn from the Design News Gadget Freak section.
Gadget Freak Case #207: Android Breathalyzer in an Altoids Box
Gadget Freak 3/2/2012 28 comments Al Linke's tiny breathalyzer is stored in an Altoid's box and the results can be sent to his Android phone. The key component is the IOIO board, which enables the Android to receive data from eternal sensors.
Gadget Freak Case #205: Colorado Smart Bike Shifts Itself
Gadget Freak 2/14/2012 40 comments A group of Colorado State University engineering students created a bike that shifts gears by itself based on several inputs: rear wheel speed, pedaling direction, and initial chain position.
Gadget Freak Case #204: Self-Starting, Solar-Powered Stirling Engine
Gadget Freak 2/7/2012 28 comments Doug Conner's self-starting, solar-powered Stirling engine runs all year when the sun is visible from the sculpture’s location. The engine can shut down when the sun isn’t visible, and it can restart by itself when the sun comes back up.
Gadget Freak Case #203: Smart Recycle Can
Gadget Freak 1/17/2012 19 comments This recycler determines the type of material being entered, by scanning it in or entering it via a touchscreen; and an RC servomotor opens the trash flap, dropping the material in the can.
Gadget Freak Case #201: Plug & Play Sprout Board
Gadget Freak 12/22/2011 23 comments Jared Bouck found that off-the-shelf monitor systems were lacking the features he needed and were cost-prohibitive, so he created the sprout board, which is 100 percent open-source and totally customizable to the needs of implementations.
Gadget Freak Case #198: Build a Remote Fan Control
Gadget Freak 11/9/2011 11 comments Andy Morris has devised a propeller fan remote control that doesn’t require line-of-sight, which makes it easier to use in the dark. The gadget comes with off/on, three fan speeds, and multicolored LEDs to indicate the fan’s speed.
Gadget Freak Jr.: Homebrew Jet Engines
Gadget Freak 10/27/2011 17 comments In an aerospace and mechanical technology trilogy, we bring you videos of homebrew jet engine projects including one made via 3D printing.
Gadget Freak Case #197: Controlling Solar Water Flow
Gadget Freak 10/25/2011 19 comments To make his solar water heater more efficient, Paul Westaway put together a differential controller that turns on the pump when the temperature of the solar panel or woodstove coils is higher than the temperature in the storage tanks and turns off when the temperature is lower.
Gadget Freak Case #193: The Gadget Let the Dog Out
Gadget Freak 9/1/2011 9 comments Les Kelly first showed off his gadget skills in Gadget Freak Case #178, where he created a device that let his dog out of a crate remotely. Now Les has taken the show outdoors with his Easy/Out! remote trigger.
Gadget Freak Case #192: The Ultimate Wireless Volume Control
Gadget Freak 8/17/2011 17 comments Andrew Morris decided the usual wireless volume controls don’t offer enough functionality, so he created the ultimate volume control that connects between a computer or MP3 player and an amplified speaker system.
SparkFun Inventors Kit Is 'Clever'
Gadget Freak 8/12/2011 7 comments Gadget Freak blogger Steve Ravet recently picked up a SparkFun inventors kit for Arduino. Though his preferred development hardware is mbed, he was impressed.
What's Your Opinion on Patents?
Gadget Freak 8/9/2011 11 comments IV is one of the many companies that have come into existence solely to purchase patents and litigate on the basis of them. What is your take on patents?
Convert Garbage to Electricity at Home
Gadget Freak 7/22/2011 8 comments Trevor Nestor built a gasifier out of some steel cans and camping pans. The basic idea of a gasifier is that you burn wood, trash, or other unwanted organic items in an environment low on oxygen.
By experimenting with the photovoltaic reaction in solar cells, researchers at MIT have made a breakthrough in energy efficiency that significantly pushes the boundaries of current commercial cells on the market.
In a world that's going green, industrial operations have a problem: Their processes involve materials that are potentially toxic, flammable, corrosive, or reactive. If improperly managed, this can precipitate dangerous health and environmental consequences.
With LEDs dropping in price virtually every year, automakers have begun employing them, not only on luxury vehicles, but on entry-level models, as well.
From Dell / Intel® New Paradigms in Design Work Scott Hamilton, vertical market strategist for Dell Precision workstations, 5/2/2013 3
Early in my career, I worked as a draftsman and remember the days of drawing on vellum with numbered pencils and Mylar with plastic lead. This was a fun experience in the sense that I ...
I've been using workstations for more than 10 years and love finding ways to get more performance from my system. With demanding professional applications that require more power each ...
A lasting memory from my first job as an engineer in an auto assembly plant is standing on hard concrete at six in the morning, vending-machine coffee clutched in hand, listening to ...
A quick look into the merger of two powerhouse 3D printing OEMs and the new leader in rapid prototyping solutions, Stratasys. The industrial revolution is now led by 3D printing and engineers are given the opportunity to fully maximize their design capabilities, reduce their time-to-market and functionally test prototypes cheaper, faster and easier. Bruce Bradshaw, Director of Marketing in North America, will explore the large product offering and variety of materials that will help CAD designers articulate their product design with actual, physical prototypes. This broadcast will dive deep into technical information including application specific stories from real world customers and their experiences with 3D printing. 3D Printing is
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