Make: Online : Mini coilgun

I now know what to add on the arm for my Biped  - a Mini Rail Gun
We can have battling MechWarriors now :)
Those 5 farad Caps would come in use now, way better than the camera flash lamp caps

Make: Online : Mini coilgun: "Mini coilgun

UK maker Nick Thatcher's pistol-sized coilgun is a mere 15cm (5.9') long and uses 5 caps taken from disposable cameras. I think the brass bars are just to make it look like a raygun.

On my last coilgun the charging unit was built in, this resulted in a rather hefty box slung underneath the main gun, on this mini coilgun however in order to save space and improve looks I decided that this wasn't necessary. instead when the gun needs to be charged the gun can be plugged into the holster (under construction) which will charge it up and then be removed when ready to fire. Alternately a charging cable can be continuously attached to the gun, perhaps with the help of a backpack this may even facilitate rapid fire."

Make: Online : Tron light show made with Arduino-controlled stepper motors

Make: Online : Tron light show made with Arduino-controlled stepper motors: "Tron light show made with Arduino-controlled stepper motors. Kim Pimmel's amazing effects created with a record turntable and some Arduino-controlled stepper motors."

Light Drive from Kim Pimmel on Vimeo.

Computer Graphics : Free Download & Streaming : Internet Archive

This is great to watch - alot of memories

Computer Graphics : Free Download & Streaming : Internet Archive:

"A review of computer art, graphics capabilities of computers and professional computer graphics systems.

Guests: Herb Lechner, SRI International; Don McKinney, Silicon Graphics; Michael Arent, Freelance Artist; Kevin Prince, MCI/Quantel; Ann Chase, Freelance Artist

Products/Demos: MCI Quantel PaintBox, Silicon Graphics 3D Animation, Apple IIe"

YouTube - Rocket Science - Joe Genius

Now this is a cool show

Time to Revive my Recycled Rockets



YouTube - Rocket Science - Joe Genius

Now I know what to do with those extra caps !!
But I probably would need some more....

Test-Firing of 2000 Volt Washer Launcher a Success

Bob's updated his washer launcher. It's now got 10 capacitors in it, capable of generating enough force to partially crush up to three beer cans or throw a CD way up into the sky above his house.

If you're not good at paying attention and don't appreciate a nice, lengthy build up, skip to around the 3:15 mark to see Bob's machine smashing cans, or to 4:30 to see a CD reach near orbital velocity while making a particularly pleasing noise...

And remember your washer launcher safety protocols, kids—always activate extremely dangerous equipment with the handle of a mop from a very small distance away. [2KV Washer Launcher via Make]

checkout the video(trying to figure out how to embed youtube in gmail still)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i87EuYIQO9c&feature=player_embedded

LED Matrix using an AVR ATTINY2313 and 74LS374

LED Matrix using an AVR ATTINY2313 and 74LS374

This is a little circuit to drive a 5x7 jumbo LED matrix module that I picked up at a local hamfest. All it takes is a ATTINY2313 and a 74LS373 octal latch to create a row/column mux to access the individual Leds in the module. Attached is the schematic. the 6pin ISP programmer is not shown, this is a given , if you're using one of the available programmers, such as the AVRISP mkII from Atmel. I will post a pic of the module shortly with the pins labled.

This schematic can be expanded to include several LED matrix modules. I'm currently wiring up 6 of these into a 15x14 LED matrix. You can alos use a larger AVR such as the ATMega32 or similar which have more I/O's to handle larger displays.

I really want to wire up a RGB LED matrix very soon.

NOTE: Atmel released a newer version of this microcontroller, it's now the ATTINY2313A

MAKE A HIGH VOLTAGE SUPPLY IN 5 MINUTES

I love HIGH VOLTAGE !!


MAKE A HIGH VOLTAGE SUPPLY IN 5 MINUTES:
"In this Instructable you will learn how to make a High Voltage High Frequency power supply in 5 minutes and for less than $20.

All you need is a compact fluorescent light (CFL) and a flyback transformer.

Flyback transformers are found in TVs and CRT monitors. They make the high voltage, high frequency current necessary to trace the electron beam across the screen. They are small and compact, and you can take them out from an old computer monitor or TV.

CFLs are very popular high efficiency fluorescent lights. They are similar to their ancestor the fluorescent light tubes but use electronic ballasts instead of the big and heavy ballasts in the old technology.

The electronic ballast works by generating high frequency currents that are fed to a tiny high frequency transformer that boost the voltage and run the fluorescent tube. It is the high frequency that makes the assembly compact.

The electronic ballast generates less than 1000 volts. But by replacing the fluorescent bulb of the CFL with a flyback transformer, spectacular voltages can be achieved."