DIY Electronic Projects

1. DIY Electronic Projects By Alan Parekh C.Tech, B. Sc.

2. Overview • What is Hacked Gadgets? • Computer Parts Projects • Hard Drive Creations • Others… • LED Projects • Fun Projects • Large Projects • Education and Career Path • Questions

3. Hacked Gadgets • Goal • Encourage out of the box thinking • Promote the DIY electronic movement • Features interesting DIY projects • Almost 2 years old • 500,000 Page views per month • 180,000 RSS Views per month

4. Hacked Gadgets Forum • The forum allows for new project discussions • Electronic troubleshooting help • Sharing of knowledge

5. Computer Parts Projects • Hard Drive Creations Computer Hard Drives are a marvel of technology yet they are often tossed in the trash when they are replaced. Instead of throwing them out why not use the drive as the beginning of a new project!

6. Hard Drive Clocks • Spin the drive platters and use POV to display clock hands • LEDs are used to shine through a slot in the top platter • Microcontroller keep time and tracks the real time position of the spinning slot.

7. Alan Parekh’s Clock Cornell University Clock Hard Drive Clock Videos Web Link

8. Mechanical Hard Drive Clocks • Stepper motor read head drive • Custom clock controller Web Link

9. Hard Drive Parts Clock • Uses a standard clock mechanism • All shown parts are from hard drives Web Link

10. Hard Drive Oscilloscope • Hard Drive read write arms move using a voice coil • Voice Coils are also used in audio speakers • Use the voice coil, mirrors and a laser to make a Hard Drive Oscilloscope!

11. Hard Drive Oscilloscope Videos Web Link

12. Hard Drive Speakers • Vibrate the hard drive read head by applying audio to the voice coil • Smaller mechanisms provide a higher pitch (tweeter) • Larger mechanisms provide a lower pitch (midrange)

13. Hard Drive Speaker Video Web Link

14. LED Fan Clock • Uses a standard 3 wire case fan • RGB LED • Microcontroller

15. LED Fan Clock Video Web Link

16. Computer Mouse Flashlight • Creator was 7 years old • Requires • Old computer mouse • White LED • Resistor • Battery Snap • 9 Volt Battery • Wire Web Link

17. Injkjet Cartridge Projects • Create a circuit to control a Inkjet Cartridge • Print on water • Shoot words on paper • Make a draw-bot Web Link

18. Injkjet Cartridge Videos

19. LED Projects • Why use LEDs? • Low power use • Cool to touch • Long life • Good vibration insensitivity • Inexpensive Web Link

20. LED Hat • ATmega8515-8PC microcontroller • 512 LEDs • Over 8 hours of soldering just LEDs Web Link

21. LED Hat Video

22. LED Coffee Table • Light sensing devices sense movement • Microcontroller translates movement into an LED display Web Link

23. LED Coffee Table Video

24. Hotdog LEDs • Voltage is applied at each end of the hotdog • Hotdog acts as a large resistor dropping the voltage proportionately across its length • Since some LEDs only need 2 volts to light it’s easy to simply stick in the LED to light it • Note that polarity matters… Web Link

25. Huge LED Clock • Remove the guts from a cheap alarm clock • Rewire the original LEDs to external high power LEDs Web Link

26. LED Stair Lights • Prototype uses laser beams to detect stairwell entry • Kit uses infrared beams • Ten separate outputs for individual light operation • Simple construction and test procedure Store Link Project Link

27. LED Stair Lights • Boards are created using a photo etch procedure in a dark room • Resist is exposed to UV light to cure it • Board is then developed in various chemical baths • Eventually the board is etched as usual Board Construction Web Link

28. LED Stair Light Installs

29. LED Stair Light Video

30. UV LED Scanner Hack • 40 UV LEDs • Existing stepper motor drives LED array • Custom microcontroller drives motor Web Link

31. Potato vs Defibrillator Capacitor • 54uF capacitor from a defibrillator machine • 4200V capacitor charged to 3000 Volts DC • Instant mashed potatoes Web Link

32. Scope Clock • AVR Microcontroller keeps track of time • Scope is put into XY mode • Circuit outputs analog data to draw the clock hands and text on the display

33. Computer Controlled Water Spray System • Vision system • Computer program, coded in C# • Solenoid controlled water spray system

34. Computer Controlled Water Spray System Videos Web Link

35. Weave Mirror • 768 motorized cylinders • Central camera looks out • Cylinders rotate to mimic what the camera sees Web Link

36. Weave Mirror Video

37. Pick and Place Machine • Installing surface mount components is time consuming, this machine does it automatically Industrial Version Web Link

38. DIY CNC Machine • Members of the Hacked Gadgets Forum got together and built a CNC machine from scratch

39. Education and Career Path • Industrial Electronics – Red River College (1993) • Digital Electronics - Red River College (1996) • Information System Programmer Analyst - Red River College (2000) • Computer Science Degree – University of Manitoba (2007)

40. Education and Career Path • Fire Alarm Industry • Companies • Pyrene Fire • SimplexGrinnell • Technology • Hard Wired Conventional Systems • Networked Intelligent Systems

41. Education and Career Path • Microcontroller Development • Recognized developer by Microchip Inc. (Creators of the PIC line of microcontrollers) • Prototype / Proof of Concept work • Specialize in 16F628 and 16F88 controllers • Online LED and Project Sales • Sell LEDs to the electronic hobby market

42. Education and Career Path • Intelligent Hospital Systems • Robotic Hospital Equipment • First product called RIVA (Robotic IV Automation) is currently in R&D • Availability of RIVA will be mid next year (2008)

43. Comments or Questions? To download this presentation please go here: http://hackedgadgets.com/cttam