Tweak the Tech
Lights ,Leds & Lasers
DIY Tron-Themed Bag using EL Wire
Jan 2nd
EL Wire (aka electroluminescent wire) is THE ideal material to use for making anything Tron-Themed. As shown in the tutorial video below, it’s slightly tricky to solder, but has a superb end result.
Apart from El wires, you will need some stitching and soldering skills. The detailed instructions take you through the materials needed to stitch your shoulder bag with glowing El wires.
Build a Burning Red Laser from an Old PC
Nov 14th
Here’s another neat way to make use of that old computer that has been lying around your house: Turn it into a red burning laser using parts salvaged from the dead computer. The burning laser is powerful enough for you to wear safety goggles.
The components you need to salvage are: the power supply, DVD Burner (16x speed or more), and the heatsink. The DVD Burner provides the laser diode which is housed in the heatsink proofing. The PSU and the right wires are connected to the heatsink and the laser module. That’s it! The heatsink helps to run the laser long enough to burn through things like plastic and ignite matches.
Simple LED Project: Illuminated Plexiglass Sign
Apr 17th
Simple LED Project: Illuminated Plexiglass Sign
This a great, minimalistic, LED name sign created using a simple setup of plexiglass, LEDs and some cool extra features. Â The author makes the project more complex by throwing in a microcontroller to the mix to change the colors, but you could easily wire up a simple LED circuit without the microcontroller.
Basically, he took a sheet of Plexiglass and mounted it on a rail of LEDs. The LEDs would normally shine straight through the Plexiglas and not create the glowing effect shown above but because the outer edges are scratched, the light is visible and the sign becomes illuminated the light was trapped in the engravings and thus illuminated.
Although he used a homemade CNC Machine to engrave his name, you can use a Dremel and a steady hand to accomplish the same thing. Â Or, send the plexiglass to be engraved professionally if you have extra cash. Â A simple, fun weekend project with beautiful results.
