myprojectrocks.com http://www.myprojectrocks.com/ Share your cool, fun, electronic, mechanical, and hydraulic projects. Water, sound, and light projects especially welcome! <form action="http://www.myprojectrocks.com/yacs/search.php" method="GET"> <input type="text" name="search" size="10" maxlength="128" />ยป </form> en webmaster@myprojectrocks.com webmaster@myprojectrocks.com Tue, 07 Feb 2012 18:04:41 GMT Yet Another Community System http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss 70 Free classified Ads http://www.myprojectrocks.com/yacs/articles/view.php?id=27&action=free-classified-ads http://www.myprojectrocks.com/yacs/articles/view.php?id=27&action=free-classified-ads Sell your old electronic equipment!
Sell your old electronic equipment!
We've launched a new site! It's primarily for people buying or selling parts to repair old equipment. But if you've got some old, surplus, or cool widget lying around in your garage, sell it to someone who can make a rockin' project out of it!

www.dcrparts.com beech nut Other Parts Sources and Resources Mon, 03 Nov 2008 04:51:04 GMT http://www.myprojectrocks.com/yacs/articles/view.php?id=27&action=free-classified-ads#comments 0 http://www.myprojectrocks.com/yacs/comments/post.php?anchor=article%3A27 http://www.myprojectrocks.com/yacs/comments/feed.php?anchor=article%3A27 http://www.myprojectrocks.com/yacs/links/trackback.php?anchor=article:27 Slug Buster Project http://www.myprojectrocks.com/yacs/articles/view.php?id=25&action=slug-buster-project http://www.myprojectrocks.com/yacs/articles/view.php?id=25&action=slug-buster-project Disgusting Project Alert - Read at your own risk!
Disgusting Project Alert - Read at your own risk!
A few years ago, we planted a nice organic vegetable garden. Soon we noticed that some of the shoots were getting eaten up almost as fast as they were growing. We didn't see any bugs but we did see a lot of mucus trails. So at night we went out with flashlights and found nearly one hundred snails. Yecch! By the way, during the day they hide under things in the garden and in the compost bin. We got rid of all the snails. Problem solved, we were so smart! Wrong! So we went out at night and looked closer... there were slugs... lots of them, up to 4 cm long. So we used long nose pliers and miscellaneous tools to pick them off the plants. It was really difficult to pick them up or squash them. If you squash them in one part, they just get bigger in another. Double yecch! What to do ! There was no way we were going to use snail bait (arsenic) and contaminate the soil forever, along with risking our dog's health. So I made a little slug zapper. It's no more disgusting than putting salt on a slug, and a lot easier to use on the baby slugs (4 mm) that occur in the spring around here. We also tried the another supposedly "humane" method, to sink a small saucer of beer in the garden. The slugs sniff it out and drown. It works...sort of... if you're willing to clean out the bloated slugs and snails every day. If you're easily grossed out, stop here. Oops, probably should have stopped earlier. On the other hand, if there's a bit of a 5 year old boy in you, well, maybe this will fascinate you. The slug buster generates a small current which passes through the slug. I thought that would kill the slug. I was wrong . It instantly extracts fluid out of the slug! So sometimes the now much smaller slug slithers off covered by a big glob of mucus. Sometimes the slug will die, and after a couple days in the sun, the carcass will be hard like a little stick. But, get this, here's the gross part... usually other slugs will swarm the dead one and eat it. The slug buster I will present has a larger capacitor to help kill the slug. But it's not really the whole solution, as what I found is that once the slug mucus comes out it covers the electrodes and shorts them out. The output voltage of the slug buster goes down to near zero, because the inverter has a high output impedance. Even changing to a more powerful inverter is not a good solution... the coductive mucus will just cause most of the energy to be dissipated in the inverter, and your batteries will die quickly. I think a second generation slug buster would be a constant power output device. After the initial high voltage pulse, it wuld produce a low voltage at higher current capability. In DC-DC converter terms I think that would be a buck-boost converter, or maybe a dual output supply would work too. I did notice that if you hold the button down. and poke the slug two or three times, the electrodes don't get covered in mucus and the slug always dies. Sometimes some guts come squirting out of the slug. Yuuuuck!

slugbuster.pngSlugbuster.png beech nut Electronic Tue, 30 May 2006 05:33:07 GMT http://www.myprojectrocks.com/yacs/articles/view.php?id=25&action=slug-buster-project#comments 1 http://www.myprojectrocks.com/yacs/comments/post.php?anchor=article%3A25 http://www.myprojectrocks.com/yacs/comments/feed.php?anchor=article%3A25 http://www.myprojectrocks.com/yacs/links/trackback.php?anchor=article:25 RGB LED Driver IC - Dialog DA9026 http://www.myprojectrocks.com/yacs/articles/view.php?id=24&action=rgb-led-driver-ic-dialog-da9026 http://www.myprojectrocks.com/yacs/articles/view.php?id=24&action=rgb-led-driver-ic-dialog-da9026 Programmable 6 color LED lightshow
Programmable 6 color LED lightshow
Hey Y'all, I think I found a smackin' awesome color LED controller. 6 RGB LEDs x 4K colors! But y'all better watch out, there may be no good way to sync multiple chips, and the package is 24 lead 4mm x 4mm QFN. What the hell is QFN beef jerky Electronic Mon, 29 May 2006 05:18:48 GMT http://www.myprojectrocks.com/yacs/articles/view.php?id=24&action=rgb-led-driver-ic-dialog-da9026#comments 0 http://www.myprojectrocks.com/yacs/comments/post.php?anchor=article%3A24 http://www.myprojectrocks.com/yacs/comments/feed.php?anchor=article%3A24 http://www.myprojectrocks.com/yacs/links/trackback.php?anchor=article:24 LED Driver IC - Supertex HV9910 http://www.myprojectrocks.com/yacs/articles/view.php?id=23&action=led-driver-ic-supertex-hv9910 http://www.myprojectrocks.com/yacs/articles/view.php?id=23&action=led-driver-ic-supertex-hv9910 Voltage converting, variable current LED driver, available in 8 pin DIP
Voltage converting, variable current LED driver, available in 8 pin DIP.
HV9910 Typical ApplicationHV9910 Typical Application

Howdy Y'all! Did someone say they were going to build a high power high efficieny LED driver? Y'all better check out this chip! It's easier than puttin' a horse back in the barn, that's fer sur'! Did I mention it is available in a DIP. Y'all know what I mean?

www.supertex.com/feature_hv9910.html beef jerky Electronic Mon, 29 May 2006 17:56:30 GMT http://www.myprojectrocks.com/yacs/articles/view.php?id=23&action=led-driver-ic-supertex-hv9910#comments 0 http://www.myprojectrocks.com/yacs/comments/post.php?anchor=article%3A23 http://www.myprojectrocks.com/yacs/comments/feed.php?anchor=article%3A23 http://www.myprojectrocks.com/yacs/links/trackback.php?anchor=article:23 Support Us http://www.myprojectrocks.com/yacs/articles/view.php?id=20&action=support-us http://www.myprojectrocks.com/yacs/articles/view.php?id=20&action=support-us beech nut Navigation Boxes Sun, 28 May 2006 17:36:16 GMT http://www.myprojectrocks.com/yacs/articles/view.php?id=20&action=support-us#comments 0 http://www.myprojectrocks.com/yacs/comments/post.php?anchor=article%3A20 http://www.myprojectrocks.com/yacs/comments/feed.php?anchor=article%3A20 http://www.myprojectrocks.com/yacs/links/trackback.php?anchor=article:20 Personal Safety http://www.myprojectrocks.com/yacs/articles/view.php?id=19&action=personal-safety http://www.myprojectrocks.com/yacs/articles/view.php?id=19&action=personal-safety Equipment to protect project builders
Equipment to protect project builders
Safety Goggles - drill bits break, electronic components explode, etc. Rubber soled work shoes - help protect against shock hazards and dropped items. beech nut Safety Equipment Sat, 27 May 2006 19:37:18 GMT http://www.myprojectrocks.com/yacs/articles/view.php?id=19&action=personal-safety#comments 0 http://www.myprojectrocks.com/yacs/comments/post.php?anchor=article%3A19 http://www.myprojectrocks.com/yacs/comments/feed.php?anchor=article%3A19 http://www.myprojectrocks.com/yacs/links/trackback.php?anchor=article:19 Capacitor Risks! http://www.myprojectrocks.com/yacs/articles/view.php?id=18&action=capacitor-risks http://www.myprojectrocks.com/yacs/articles/view.php?id=18&action=capacitor-risks Capacitors carry more risks than just shock
Capacitors carry more risks than just shock.
We all know capacitors can hold a charge for many days. Did you know electrolytic capacitors can explode if powered after they have dried out, or hooked up backwards, or too high a voltage is applied? I've seen one capacitors top blow off and bounce off the ceiling. Not something you'd want in your eye. Safety Goggles, don't be too lazy to use them.
Some capacitors are also defective and will explode or leak eventually. I have replaced many motherboards which were built around year 2000. For more info, check out http:/www.badcaps.net beech nut Electrical Hazards Sat, 27 May 2006 19:28:52 GMT http://www.myprojectrocks.com/yacs/articles/view.php?id=18&action=capacitor-risks#comments 0 http://www.myprojectrocks.com/yacs/comments/post.php?anchor=article%3A18 http://www.myprojectrocks.com/yacs/comments/feed.php?anchor=article%3A18 http://www.myprojectrocks.com/yacs/links/trackback.php?anchor=article:18 Water Project Safety Tips http://www.myprojectrocks.com/yacs/articles/view.php?id=17&action=water-project-safety-tips http://www.myprojectrocks.com/yacs/articles/view.php?id=17&action=water-project-safety-tips Water adds a serious risk of electrocution! Here are some ways I can think of to help decrease the risk. Please add or comment!
Water adds a serious risk of electrocution! Here are some ways I can think of to help decrease the risk. Please add or comment!
  • Use only low voltage valves designed for lawn sprinklers and low voltage pumps for garden fountains.
  • Use plastic non-conductive piping. (Be sure piping is rated above the pressure needed and that joints are put together per instructions.)
  • Insulate all connections. 3M makes some inslated crimp connectors which now have heatshrink built in!
  • Keep connections in a dry location.
  • Protect wires from abrasion.
  • Use plastic buttons and a non-conductive housings.
  • Keep positive and negative wiring bundled together.
  • Use battery power whenever possible.
  • For household AC, use a high quality low voltage power supply and keep it indoors. Do not bring household AC outdoors.
  • For household AC, install a GFI (Ground Fault Interrupter), with a functioning earth ground. Test (using test button) every day.
andywang Electrical Hazards Sat, 27 May 2006 18:34:52 GMT http://www.myprojectrocks.com/yacs/articles/view.php?id=17&action=water-project-safety-tips#comments 0 http://www.myprojectrocks.com/yacs/comments/post.php?anchor=article%3A17 http://www.myprojectrocks.com/yacs/comments/feed.php?anchor=article%3A17 http://www.myprojectrocks.com/yacs/links/trackback.php?anchor=article:17 Welcome! http://www.myprojectrocks.com/yacs/articles/view.php?id=1&action=cover http://www.myprojectrocks.com/yacs/articles/view.php?id=1&action=cover We finally fixed the new article editor! Sorry for the delay!
We finally fixed the new article editor! Sorry for the delay!
Remember the "good old days" when almost every one of your projects had an automatic WOW! factor? Like making your 4 kilobyte computer talk with the aid of a modified "Speak and Spell" toy? Like your remote-controlled fart machine, or basically anything you added remote control to? Back then, even flashing neon bulbs made for an excellent hobbyist project.
But technology changed all that, as unique projects became $5 toys from China. A lot of the enthusiast magazines disappeared or went mainstream. I went back to my regular life at my regular job building conventional devices .
It seems things are changing again, thanks to the Internet and technology . The Internet has enabled people to collaborate and share ideas from all over the world. It has brought out generosity in people which allows Web Sites like this one to run on free Open Source software. If two brains working together are better than one, how about one thousand? One million?
Please share your projects, ideas, and tips, at least the ones you're realistically never going to market. How about information about new high efficientcy, simple color LED controller chips? Compact water pumps? Motion detectors to hook up to those pumps so the neighborhood kids can beat the heat? Anyone care to make an auxiliary car horn that will politely remind drivers that it's time to go, maybe with a Road Runner "Meep Meep" sound? I'm sure some of you big-brained people out there can think of a lot more ! Buy and sell cool electro-mechanical parts with a free classified ad here!

High-tech electronics - 3 white LED light clusters from the dollar store!High-tech electronics - 3 white LED light clusters from the dollar store! ArenThomas.jpg andywang Covers Sun, 28 Dec 2008 19:23:25 GMT http://www.myprojectrocks.com/yacs/articles/view.php?id=1&action=cover#comments 0 http://www.myprojectrocks.com/yacs/comments/post.php?anchor=article%3A1 http://www.myprojectrocks.com/yacs/comments/feed.php?anchor=article%3A1 http://www.myprojectrocks.com/yacs/links/trackback.php?anchor=article:1