Hacks – Page 19 – NerdBeach

All Transistor Digital Clock Project, No ICs Allowed

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I am sure a lot of the Nerd Beach readers can remember what electronic projects were like before the integrated circuit became commonplace for the hobbyist (much less the microchip). Well, if you need a reminder, or if you never had the pleasure of real discreet components, then this project might be of interest to you.

The digital clock (yes,just a clock) sports 194 transistors, 566 diodes, 400 resistors, 87 capacitors, all on a 10″ x 11.3″ printed circuit board. Wow, not even a 555 timer was used.

If you want more info on the project, or want to build one yourself just to prove your nerd worthiness, you can find it at the Transistor clock website. Is this the technological equivalent of the ship in a bottle model?

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R2D2 Server Monitoring System Project

Greg Chaffins

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Have a rather expensive R2D2 Projector handy and a server you want to monitor? Then this tongue in cheek tech project might be of interest to you.

The project R2D2 unit alerts users when there is a problem with the server, and it will even, in true "Help Me Obi Wan Kenobi" style, project a status screen for you. Project Video Follows. [more]

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Simple Magnetic Ring Easily Bypasses Electronic Door Locks

Greg Chaffins

RingOfDevil_061808 The electronic door lock has become popular as a high-tech means of securing property and possessions. Nerd Beach presents this article as a service to those of you who use such locks and do not have knowledge of the simple magnetic ring, known as the "Ring of the Devil"

The application is simple – the ring is placed near the door lock and spun. The magnetic field interaction can either activate an electric motor or charge a dynamo coil in a electromechanical lock. Watch the video below, and then perhaps reconsider any electronic locks you now have in place. [more]

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Put 3D Photos On Your iPod

Greg Chaffins

Instructables has details on a project that is actually pretty cool. Basically it is a way to view panorama and 3d pictures on your iPod. The ideal is simple:

1. With a digital camera, take pictures of the intended target from different angles. Keep the angles and camera height steady and smooth. You can take pictures of a favorite location by simply holding the camera at a height and rotating on a pivot, snapping pictures every x degrees of turn. Or you can walk around an object, holding the camera at the same height and pointed at the target, again snapping pictures every x degrees.

2. Download the pictures to your computer, and rename the pictures to something logical. Add a frame number to the picture in order to keep them in order during an alphanumeric sort (for example, Car1,Car2,Car3, etc.).

3. Upload them to a picture capable iPod of choice (or other viewer).

4. Now, for the cool part – when viewing the pictures on the device, you spin around the iPod touch pad with your finger, creating a nice maneuverable image that you can easily fit in a pocket and show when you are out.

Imagine a grandparent whipping out pictures of their grandchildren, and with a spin of the finger the image spins around, showing a 3d view of their loved ones. Same for car enthusiast, you can pull out a picture and easy spin the car around for showing how you frenched the tail lights or chopped the top. Yes, in the 21st century flat pictures just don't cut it anymore.

via and photo source