9 Kick-Ass DIY Projects to Get Your Hack On article on maximumpc.com web site starts with instructions how to alter a non-USB gadget so that it can be run off of USB power from your computer. The article shows you how to use USB to power a desk fan and book-light lamp. →
Video isolation transformers are primarily used in CCTV application in fields of security, manufacturing, avionics and display. The video isolation transformer is an extremely broad bandpass 1:1 isolation transformer. Its hum isolation is very good and it can sustain very high noise voltages without degradation. Isolation decreases with increasing noise frequency. Video signals can transformer →
Petabytes on a budget: How to build cheap cloud storage tells how to store hundreds of petabytes of customer data in a reliable, scalable way—and keep costs low. Backblaze decided to build their own custom Backblaze Storage Pods: 67 terabyte 4U servers for $7,867. Petabytes on a budget: How to build cheap cloud storage article →
Why pay somebody to do it for you when you can build it yourself! Build Your Own Server web page gives you instructions how to build your own file server. This server is based on normal PC hardware runs using Ubuntu Linux operating system. →
Ground loop elimination in video systems does not always ask for a complete isolation of the grounds. There are passive hum suppressor transformers that will very effectively remove the hum from the video signal, but do not affect the video signal otherwise. Those special transformers act like a common mode coils, which stop the annoying →
More than a year ago I was approached by an independent filmmaker about light dimmers. The problem fo them was how to get affordable light dimmers to control the film lighting. I was told that many independent non-commmercial filmmakers use a HarborFreight router speed control to dim the lights used for moviemaking. The reason is →
Resistance soldering is a soldering method that sometimes useful for hobby work. In this soldering methid an electrical current is flowed through one work piece, the joint and then the other work piece. Current through a resistances on the way generates heat. Most heat is normally generated on the joint because the resistance there is →
Coldheat is an American company that develops and markets special soldering iron called ColdHeat. ColdHeat iron product was review at ePanorama.net eariler. The secret of that product is a proprietary graphite-like compound called Athalite. The tip of this apparatus is split into two sections that completes an electrical circuit when something of low resistance is →
Assembly TV broadcasts TV program from Assembly computer festival starting Thursday 6. August 2009 in many channels (Internet, cable TV, DVB-H mobile television, 3G mobile video etc.). The broadcast has for many years contained Scene Quiz Show (the name has varied somewhat over years). It involves three contestants answering questions related to the event, demoscene →
Design News has published an interesitng on-line article Gadget Freak Case #128: Syncing Music and Fireworks on how Deane Williams fixed up his PC to synchronize fireworks with music. He used his PC’s parallel printer port to connect the circuit controlling the fireworks. The software was written in Agilent VEE 8.0 but Williams says it →