When you start building lots of something, you’ll know the value of accurate fixturing. [Chris Borge] learned this the hard way on a recent mass-production project, and decided to solve the problem. How? With a custom fixturing tool! A 3D printed one, of course. Chris’s build is simple enough. He created 3D-printed workplates covered in […]
[Agatha] sent us this stunning multimeter she built as a gift for her mom. Dubbed the Mohmmeter — a playful nod to its ohmmeter function and her mom — this project combines technical ingenuity with heartfelt craftsmanship. At its core, a Raspberry Pi Pico microcontroller reads the selector knob, controls relays, and lights up LEDs […]
If you’ve ever fumbled through circuit simulation and ended up with a flatline instead of a sine wave, this video from [saisri] might just be the fix. In this walkthrough she demonstrates simulating a Colpitts oscillator using NI Multisim 14.3 – a deceptively simple analog circuit known for generating stable sine waves. Her video not […]
As computers have gotten smaller and less expensive over the years, so have their components. While many of us got our start in the age of through-hole PCBs, this size reduction has led to more and more projects that need the use of surface-mount components and their unique set of tools. These tools tend to […]
Entry-level oscilloscopes are a great way to get some low-cost instrumentation on a test bench, whether it’s for a garage lab or a schoolroom. But the cheapest ones are often cheap for a reason, and even though they work well for the price they won’t stand up to more advanced equipment. But missing features don’t […]
The user interface of things we deal with often makes or breaks our enjoyment of using a device. [Janne] from Fraktal thinks so, he has an espresso machine he enjoys but the default controls were not what he was looking for and so in true hacker fashion he took what was and made it his […]
No doubt many readers have at times wished to try their hand at blacksmithing, but it’s fair to say that acquiring an anvil represents quite the hurdle. For anyone not knowing where to turn there’s a video from [Black Bear Forge], in which he takes us through a range of budget options. He starts with […]
If your shop comes complete with a MIG welder, an acetylene torch, and an air hammer, then you have more options than most when it comes to removing broken bolts. In this short video [Jim’s Automotive Machine Shop, Inc] takes us through the process of removing a broken manifold bolt: use a MIG welder to […]
This short video from [ProShorts 101] shows us how to build a variable speed disc sander from not much more than an old hard drive. We feel that as far as hacks go this one ticks all the boxes. It is clever, useful, and minimal yet comprehensive; it even has a speed control! Certainly this […]
With vector network analyzers, the commercial offerings seem to come in two flavors: relatively inexpensive but limited capabilities, and full-featured but scary expensive. There doesn’t seem to be much middle ground, especially if you want something that performs well in the microwave bands. Unless, of course, you build your own vector network analyzer (VNA). That’s […]