Gadget Hacks How-Tos
How To: Light a light bulb with a potato battery
Following on from Edison's first lightblub moment back in 1879, the OU's Stephen Serjeant experiments with an alternative power source - the humble potato. Create a potato batter with a couple of screws and a light bulb.
How To: Cheat at Rubik's cube with CubeCheater iPhone app
The CubeCheater iPhone app takes pictures of Rubik's cubes and shows you how to solve them. This is a brand new iPhone application that takes a picture of your Rubik's cube and then solves it for you, step by step. Solve your cube in 0.01 seconds, easy.
How To: DIY a portable handheld Nintendo 64
Nintendo 64. It's the classic video game console and probably houses a bunch of your fond childhood memories. Well, now you can relive those tender moments AND play Super Mario Brothers on the go by hacking your Nintendo 64 just a wee bit.
How To: Repair a cracked or broken circuit board
Step by step guide to repairing circuit boards Yes, I know, my hands are shaky.
How To: Circuit hack and mod
In this video, we explain some techniques for getting electronic circuits to do things they weren't designed for. As an example, use a speaker phone as a speaker. Hacking items into better or different devices is way cool DIY circuitry. These are ideas of electronics that are cool to splice, rip apart and use recycled electronics for new projects.
How To: Open a power supply without destroying a transformer
First of all, please DO NOT attempt to open any power supply and tweak what's inside unless you know what you're doing and/or are a professional. With that said, this circuitry video will teach you how to crack open a wall transformer power supply without destroying the transformer.
How To: Cut a circuit board
Sometimes there is a part of a circuit that you need but it's on a huge circuit board. This is one technique to cut it out. Take out the PCB part that is necessary. This is a great DIY electronics technique.
How To: Make an annoying strobe flash from an old camera
This shows you how to modify an old camera so it flashes at the push of a button. Annoy your friends. It's a perfect practical joke by modifying an old camera flash to create a strobe effect. This will make it so you don't have to wind it, just push the button
How To: Make a camera spotlight for cheap with a head lamp
This is a cheap little hack from a $5 discount store headlamp. Check it out. Quick and easy. You need a bolt to secure to your camera. This is great if you are shooting long shots and need different brightnesses. Otherwise kind of ghetto.
How To: Remove scratches from any DVD
In this Household Hacker experiment, we'll demonstrate how to completely remove scratches from your CD or DVD media.
How To: Make a mood light decorative lamp
Here is the Weekend Project: The Bytelight, a mood light from Kipkay and Make Magazine. Build a cool mood light out of obsolete sim memory chips from recycled old computers.
How To: Avoid spam email
Make it harder for spammers to clog your inbox with ads and scams. Learn how to avoid spam email with this Howcast video. You will need a secondary email address, a keen eye, and an anti-spam program. Tip: Never click on links in spam email - including "unsubscribe" links, and never, ever reply!
How To: Get Halo on iPod Touch or iPhone
Finally Halo comes out on the iPod Touch and iPhone!! You must have a jailbroken iPod Touch or iPhone and have Cydia! Also upgrade to firmware 2.0 or higher through iTunes!
How To: Hack together a pink eraser casing for your USB drive
Use erasers to make a crafty casing that'll hide and protect your thumb drive. You will need two beveled pink erasers, a cutting board, a large chef's knife, a 1 gig USB flash drive, a pencil, a rotary tool, and a utility knife. This pink eraser USB drive is cute & useful.
How To: Build a fume extractor for soldering in an Altoids tin
Using the instructions on the MAKE blog (04/2008) We made this portable fume extractor for soldering. Works great at close proximity (2 inches). Note: We didn't screw down the voltage regulator, just stuffed it in the side. This will keep the fumes from seeping into your lungs by trapping them with an Altoids tin.
How To: Use a motor to create a fan or speaker
Use a motor to make a fan and a speaker. People often take for granted the common items and devices they use in everyday life. Looks can be deceiving. It's not what things appear to be, it's what they can become.
How To: Make a cone record player
If you're record player doesn't work anymore, but it still turns, then this is the perfect solution for you. The video show you how to make a cone record player. It's also a neat trick for playing your records with out a record player, instead of a regular phonograph needle.
How To: Code an iPhone App with XCode
This is a tutorial on coding an iPhone App in XCode.
How To: Make a sneaky USB battery
This Weekend Project is the USBattery from MAKE Magazine Volume 16. Conceal a flash drive in a AA battery! This is a way cool USB battery mod or hack project. It makes a cool secret storage space for your spy projects. Wear gloves, safety goggles and a non alkaline battery.
How To: Send secret messages with a laser
Secretly shoot your voice across the room in stealth mode on a laser beam in this fun and easy project! Make Magazine and Kipkay present this cool spy trick. Build a simple laser communicator that transmits your voice across a room. You need an amplifier, radio, laser pointer, battery pack and a solar cell.
How To: Get on a site that's been blocked by your employer
Don’t you just hate it when you try to go on a website while you’re at work—and find out your boss has blocked it? Here’s how to thwart The Man. With these tips, you'll be able to check your facebook or myspace at work (or whatever sites your employer may be blocked). All you need is access to google. Did you know? According to one survey, 78% of employers block employee access to pornography, 47% block gambling sites, 20% block shopping and auction sites, and 4% block news sites.
How To: Zap and revive old NiCad batteries with a mig welder
Nicad batteries often die in such a way that they won't take a charge and have zero voltage. This usually means they're shorted out by crystal dendrite growth. Here's a method of bringing them back to life by zapping those shorted crystal dendrites away with too much current and/or voltage. We'll use a welder as a power source. You could also use a car battery, a DC powersupply, or almost anything with some voltage. Charged-up capacitors are popular for this because you can get a very fast pu...
How To: Build a cereal box spectrometer
The Five Minute Project crew is back, and bringing you six fresh projects sponsored by Craftsman. Break out the tools and protective eyewear and brace yourself for the best how-to videos a DIY-er could ask for. Learn to make Geek-Chic Cuff Links, a Cereal Box Spectrometer and more, all in Five Minutes Time!
How To: Make integrated Arduino cuff links
Project 5 from Popular Science's 5 minute Projects with Craftsmen Tool is 'Integrated Circuit Cufflinks'.
How To: Hack a CCTV camera for your computer and television
See how to hack a wireless CCTV (closed circuit television) camera to show your Windows or Linux PC desktop on your 42-inch plasma television. This is a homemade hack that's easy with good quality picture. Doing this mod can save you money, unless you don't have a CCTV camera laying around.
How To: Avoid computer viruses
At least with a stomach virus you may drop a few pounds; a virtual virus just screws up your computer. Take these precautions to avoid problems. You will need anti-virus software, spyware, a firewall, and a healthy dose of skepticism. You can find free safety software on the internet.
How To: Build a burning blue/violet laser
There's probably a reason that laser pointers are banned from most schools: They're just to fun to put down! Whether you're using them as a pointer, to distract your classmates, or to very wickedly point them in people's eyes, they are toys that are quite addicting.
How To: Make and upload widescreen videos to YouTube
Make the most of your YouTube videos! Watch this video tutorial to see how to make the most out of the YouTube player by uploading widescreen video. Here's how to prepare your videos for widescreen viewing:
How To: Obtain a cartoon avatar of yourself for online sites
Want a cartoon avatar of yourself to load onto all of those websites you belong to? Well, in this video, see how to obtain a cartoon avatar of yourself to display on Twitter, FriendFeed, your blog, and your corporate logo (if you want to go that far). The process is fairly simple. The first step is to take a good picture of yourself with decent lighting (try to do this alone as it will help). The next step is to visit cartoonme.com and submit the photo to the site. Pay them via PayPal (3.50 E...
How To: Upload, embed and watch 720p HD video on YouTube
You know YouTube is able to host high-defintion video content online now, right? Well, how do you watch it, or make it, or embed it? Well, this video tutorial will show you how to upload, embed and watch 720p HD video on YouTube. This YouTube hack will let you watch and embed videos in true 1280x720 high definition.
How To: Make a 200mw burning laser
Don't use a perfectly good DVD burner to get your laser that will pop balloons, light matches, and burn stuff. Just buy a laser diode at mfgcn.com and also a laser housing, and you won't be tearing a computer DVD player apart. This is the easy way to make a 200mW burning DVD laser. Use a Mini Maglite and some rechargeable batteries so you don't burn out the laser.
How To: SSH file share on your Apple iPhone or iPod Touch
This video tutorial will show you how to SSH file share on your Apple iPhone or iPod Touch, SSH meaning Secure Socket Shell. This is how you going to access your files on your iPhone or iPod, like videos and pictures. You will want to install the application OpenSSH in the system category on your device, and then download...
How To: QuickPwn Jailbreak your Apple iPhone 3G and iPod Touch
Get out your iPhone or iPod and get ready for some jailbreaking! Watch this video to see how to QuickPwn Jailbreak your Apple iPhone 3G and iPod Touch. This jailbreak will work with the 2.0, 2.0.1 and 2.0.2 Apple firmware.
How To: Record video on your Apple iPhone 3G for free
This video will show you how to record video on your Apple iPhone 3G for free! This is a complete guide to installing the iPhone Video Recorder on your iPhone 3G, which also works on the First Generation iPhone.
How To: Jailbreak an iPhone or iPod and know the benefits
What are the benefits of jailbreaking an Apple iPhone or Apple iPod Touch? Well, here you will learn all about the jailbreak... what jailbreaking actually is, what it does, what it's about and what the pros and cons of it are. The first video will answer all of these questions about getting third party applications onto your iPod or iPhone.
How To: Put your Apple iPod or iPhone into DFU mode
If you own an Apple iPod or iPhone, and you want to unbrick it, you'll need to prepare the device first. This video will show you how to put your Apple iPod or iPhone into DFU mode, which means Device Firmware Update. You'll need to attach the Apple device to your computer for iTunes. If you're looking to jailbreak the iPod, this will help you get to that step.
How To: Insert a SIM Card in an iPhone
Learn how to insert a SIM card in an iPhone along with the other great features that come with it in this free computers and modern electronics video clip. This is important if you're trying to unlock it for other carriers or international plans. The SIM card also hold all of your information and can help to restore your phonebook if the iPhone is damaged.
How To: Put your iPhone or iPod Touch into DFU Mode
Restore your iphone from disaster with this handy tip. If your phone is acting strange, and you need to restore it, you should place it into DFU mode. DFU will help you restore your phone from any malware or hiccups in downloads you've experienced.
How To: Sync contacts from computer (Outlook, etc) to iPhone
The best way to transfer contacts from a computer to an iPhone is to use Mobile Me, formerly known as Dot Mac, which automatically synchronizes Outlook or Entourage with the iPhone. Keep track of contact information, on both the computer and the iPhone, with tips from a digital technology specialist in this free video on the iPhone.
How To: Record video for free on iPhone 3G
This is a great tutorial on cracking the iphone to record more than 30 seconds on the iPhone 3G's video camera. This is a hack of the previously still camera that comes stock with all of Apple's phones. Enable your iPhone to shoot video instantly and free!