Obsolete hardware is all around us, and some of it has some pretty interesting tech buried within. One such device is an old Belgacom TV Box. Instead of using the ubiquitous LCD screen, it uses a VFD display for its user interface, and [Jean] has taken control of it with the ESPTimeCastVFD project. Inside this […]
[Tito] entered a Self-Charging LED Flasher into the Component Abuse Challenge. It’s a simple re-build of a design by the unstoppable [Burkhard Kainka], and while [Tito] doesn’t explain its workings in detail, it’s a clever experiment in minimalism, and a bit of a head-scratcher at the same time. You press a button and an LED […]
Keeping chickens in predator-prone areas demands serious fortifications, but even the most robust coop can become a hassle without automation. That’s where [lcamtuf] steps in with his Chicken Squisher 3000, a clever DIY automatic door mechanism that opens and closes based on ambient light levels. The chicken coop he previously built did not include a […]
Not too long ago, part of using a computer was often finding the correct disk for the application you wanted to run and inserting it into your machine before you could start. With modern storage, this is largely a thing of the past. However, longing for some of that nostalgia, [ItsDanik] has been developing the […]
Over on his YouTube channel the inimitable [Ben Eater] takes a look at an electronic altimeter which replaces an old mechanical altimeter in an airplane. The old altimeter was entirely mechanical, except for a pair of wires which can power a backlight. Both the old and new altimeters have a dial on the front for […]
Hyperspectral cameras aren’t commonplace items; they capture spectral data for each of their pixels. While commercial hyperspectral cameras often start in the tens of thousands of dollars, [anfractuosity] decided to make his own with the Waverider. To capture spectral data from every pixel location in the camera, [anfractuosity] first needed a way to collect that […]
Back in 1966, a suitable toy for a geeky kid was a radio kit. You could find simple crystal radio sets or some more advanced ones. But some lucky kids got the Philips Electronic Engineer EE8 Kit on Christmas morning. [Anthony Francis-Jones] shows us how to build a 2-transistor AM radio from a Philips Electronic […]
CRT monitors: there’s nothing quite like ’em. But did you know that video projectors used to use CRTs? A trio of monochrome CRTs, in fact: one for each color; red, green, and blue. By their powers combined, these monsters were capable of fantastic resolution and image quality. Despite being nowhere near as bright as modern […]
USB power has become ubiquitous — everything from phones to laptops all use it — so why not your lab bench? This is what [EEEngineer4Ever] set out to do with the BenchVolt PD USB adjustable bench power supply. This is more than just a simple breakout for standard USB PD voltages, mind you; with adjustable […]
Our hacker [Piers Finlayson] is at it again, and this time he has added USB support to One ROM. With this new connectivity you can attach your One ROM to your computer with a USB cable and then in a matter of seconds upload new firmware from your Chrome (or Chromium) web browser. This new […]