If your old outlet has become so loose that a cord barely stays in place, it's time to change it. It's not just an annoyance—it's a hazard. Learn how to replace an electrical outlet with this instructional video from Howcast.
In this article, I'll be explaining the basics of how microcontrollers work, physically and virtually. First off, microcontrollers are no simple thing, so don't be discouraged if you find it mind-boggling! The world of microcontrollers is fascinating, engaging, and an awesome hobby; it never gets boring. I'll be focusing more on I/O and analog based microcontrollers, such as those running Arduino, and using Atmel chips as examples (these are most commonly available, and easy to program).
If you're an Android fan, you're probably familiar with Qualcomm's Quick Charge technology or, at the very least, what it can do. Quick Charge 3.0, the third generation of Qualcomm's fast-charging technology, is built into most Snapdragon SoCs and it's what lets you charge your phone's battery up to 70% power in just 30 minutes. What's not to like?
If you're ever lost or hurt out in the middle of nowhere with a dead cell phone, you might be able to "flag" down help as long as you're near some railroad tracks.
"Ahoy-hoy." If telephone titan Alexander Graham Bell had his way, we'd all be answering phones like Mr. Burns. Thankfully, frienemy Thomas Edison had enough sense to realize we weren't always on the briny. He preferred "hello" as our standard telephone greeting, which he is credited with coining in 1877. Fellow American pioneer Davy Crockett actually used it as a greeting first in 1833 (as compared to an exclamation)—but in print, not over the phone.
What's the first thing you would do once you realized you were lost in, say, a desert? If you're like me, you would immediately pull out your cell phone and start dialing every number. But what if you have no service? What if your battery is dead?
One day, your car may break down and you won't be able to afford to hire a mechanic, so what do you do... you look on the web for some how-to vehicle repair videos and become your own car mechanic, that's what. You don't need any advanced training to perform repairs and simple maintenance on your automobile, but you may need a few tools. Invest in the basic tools and you'll be prepared for just about any car malfunction you can think of. These tutorials will help get you on your way, as long ...
Scott Brown teaches us how to make a wind turbine using a ceiling fan in this video. First, place steel banding around the middle of the ceiling fan base. Now, cross all the combinations of the wires and keep them close together so you don't confuse them. Hook these up to DC terminals so you get around 50 volts on both of them. Hook them parallel so you keep the voltage down to around 50 volts together. Then place the wires into a connector that has a pipe connected to the bottom. This will c...
Checking your circuit breaker is so easy, a cave man could do it! (I smell a lawsuit) With this easy to follow video, you'll learn how to check the voltage with a multimeter to determine if there is a problem regarding your circuit breaker.
Bud Brown explains how to know when to use a voltage adapter in the Philippines. The United States and the Philippines have different voltage systems. In the United States 110 volts are used, and in the Philippines 220 volts are used. If you plug something from one system into the other system, it will not work correctly and may ruin your equipment. Consider that computers and phone chargers are equipped to handle both systems. Check the labels on your electrical equipment to determine if it ...
Watch this science video tutorial from Nurd Rage on how to make a lithium thionyl chloride battery, which is capable of generating 2.8v with enough current to power a LED.
A presenter from The Home Depot gives you several tips and professional secrets on how to hang your indoor Christmas lights making this tricky process a little bit easier. She takes you through the selection of lights, planning and the installation of lights.
Repetition, repetition, repetition. Brainwashing, is it real? Watch these absolutely stunning segments of hidden camera containing both Bill Clinton, and Barbara Bush. Probably one of the most debatable segments is the one featuring Clinton talking to Larry King behind the scenes. If you turn your volume up it is hard to disregard, that they both in fact knew, Clinton would be elected, and the corruption in media is also clearly demonstrated. There is a segment with Barbara, staring eerily fo...
I love robots. They have the potential to evolve into Asimovian destroyers of the human species, but have only just mastered the art of cleaning my rug. They have an ever increasing cool factor and a growing number of cheap and simple components that let the hobby roboticist reach for the burning miasmas of plasma. But to get to the stars, we need to start with the basics.
One formula that you will run into in Calculus is calculating the percentage growth rate using a logarithmic derivative, elasticity of demand, relation among elasticity of demand and also revenue. In this video you will learn the different formulas that are used, methods of solving each formula, and also the full solutions.
Most use wireless computer mice these days for their computers, but there are still people stuck on wired optical mice, especially in an office environment. Those people are our targets. As pranking someone's computer may be frowned on, peripherals are fair game, and this prank from Kipkay takes their wired optical computer mouse and turns it into a foul-smelling smoke machine.
One day, your car may break down and you won't be able to afford to hire a mechanic, so what do you do... you look on the web for some how-to vehicle repair videos and become your own car mechanic, that's what. You don't need any advanced training to perform repairs and simple maintenance on your automobile, but you may need a few tools. Invest in the basic tools and you'll be prepared for just about any car malfunction you can think of. These tutorials will help get you on your way, as long ...
In the first video, it introduces the principles and terminology of mechanical electrical switches. It covers terms such as contacts, normally open, normally closed, poles, and throws.
In this tutorial, we learn how to get Games on Demand on Xbox LIVE (Xbox 101). You will find all the newest games as well as classics and downloading is easy. It's the same process as downloading the demos. Just head to the marketplace and select from the title choice. You have the option to charge the title to your credit card or using points to purchase it. Each game is several gigabytes in size, so give it lots of time to download. To familiarize yourself with games, go to the website for ...
I was in college, and my 15-inch Sony Vaio laptop was my prized possession. It was my first PC and probably the most important thing I brought with me to my dorm — it was both how I completed my assignments and my primary source of entertainment. How could it turn its back on me in my time of need?
What would it be like to have clothing that killed microbes? Or paper that repelled pathogens? A research team from Rutgers University has developed a prototype out of metalized paper to zap the bad guys without being super expensive. Sound good? Read on.
With clients like Hilary Duff, Penelope Cruz, and Sarah Michele Geller walking the red carpet, Rachel Goodwin is in demand. We were lucky to hang with Rachel for the day, we begged her to share the secret to her signature smoky eye. Rachel generously gave us a very detailed tutorial to create the look. You won’t be disappointed.
Need an electric outlet and don't have one? No batteries on hand, either? Well, then you should use the next best thing - potatoes! In this tutorial, learn how to make that old science fair staple - the potato powered calculator! Check it out, it really works!
There are two types of bad USBs out there. One lets you trick the computer into thinking it's a keyboard or other USB device, and the other goes straight over malicious into computer killing territory.
Chinese tech company OPPO has been on the cutting edge of smartphone battery charging since it released its VOOC Flash Charge in 2014. Using VOOC, you can charge your battery from 0-75% in 30 minutes.
Video: . I made this Tesla Coil using the myRIO and LabVIEW. It uses electricity to play the music, which can be Star Wars, Harry Potter or even Hunger Games! The music is played by the spark heating the surrounding air (causing it to expand) then the spark turning off (causing the air to cool and contract). This expanding and contracting cause's longitudinal waves - or sound waves.
Your Galaxy S5 is jammed to the brim with all sorts of electronic sensors. These are capable of reading humidity levels, ambient temperature, air pressure, and much more. Yet, while this data is constantly being collected by your phone, there aren't any built-in apps that are capable of displaying much of it.
I've had this idea in my head for almost a year now. I knew what I wanted to do, but wasn't sure if it would work. After a long time of armchair-engineering, I decided that the best way to test my idea was with a soldering iron and a screwdriver.
There are plenty of ways to create time-lapse photos and videos, but most of them are taken over the course of several hours. If you want to do a longer term shoot over several weeks or months, you'll need a battery that can last that long, and you probably don't want to leave your DSLR sitting somewhere for that amount of time anyway.
If you've ever been on your way to a party and felt that your outfit just wasn't flashy enough, engineering student 'Rambo' has got just the thing for you. His homemade LED suit lights up and dances to the beat of the music, and can even be controlled via Bluetooth.
How do you make a 1950 Studebaker even cooler? By installing an iPod Nano in the dashboard, of course! The folks over at MAYA Design hacked their way to a touch-controlled sound system with this project they've dubbed the "Nano-Baker" (or "Stude-iPod") using a pair of Apple ear buds, a USB cable, a voltage regulator and a set of speakers. Here's how they pulled it off.
In 1958, Patrick Flanagan invented the Neurophone, a device patented in 1962 that allows radio signals to be picked up by the human nervous system. The skin is the organ that receives the signal, converting it into a modulated molecular vibration, which the brain interprets into sound. Basically, it gives one the ability to 'hear' through the skin, making it sound like the audio you're hearing is actually in your head. It's kind of like having headphones in your brain. The only problem was th...
Helping to prove that science is way awesome, an 18-year old electrical engineering student has successfully made a light bulb float. His name is Chris Rieger, and he's been working on his "LevLight" project for about six months now, with pretty amazing results. This feat of ingenuity was accomplished by using magnetic levitation, although that over-simplification masks how considerably difficult this undertaking was.
Microsoft's "Fall Update" to Windows 10, code named Threshold 2, has a lot of new tricks up its sleeve. It's the biggest update we've seen since Windows 10 was released this summer, and it's rolling out to all users right now.
In an article published in early-2015 by Peninsula Press, it was reported that the demand and the salaries for cyber security professionals are exploding! They cite that 209,000 cyber security jobs were unfilled last year, and that job postings have increased over 74% in the last 5 years. Job opening are expected to grow by another 53% over the next 3 years. You are definitely in the right field, my tenderfoot hackers! Some researchers are expecting information security jobs to continue to gr...
What is an oscilloscope? Well, it's an electronic instrument that produces traces of color on a cathode-ray tube that corresponds to oscillations of voltage and current. Check out this video to learn how to make the world's simplest scilloscope. The best part? You can do it in five minutes.
A truly mesmerizing trick if performed right, the "This 'N That" magic trick is a demanding trick that requires a great amount of technique. This video will go into great deal explaining each step of the trick and also breaks apart the way you'll be approaching the spectators and where to go with each step.
Recently, loosely curled, bohemian-inspired hair as seen on star examples like Kate Hudson and Nicole Richie have been in high demand on YouTube and at salons. But sometimes a girl just wants to have fun.
The catcher is the player on the baseball field on whom the most difficult mental and physical demands are placed. They have to squat for long periods of time, defend the plate from slides and, most importantly, call the game for the pitchers. This video teaches you, as a youth baseball coach, how to train your catcher's mind to make them better at calling games and improve the performance of your whole pitching staff.
In a letter dated February 16th, Apple CEO Tim Cook responded to the FBI's demand that Apple create a "backdoor" to bypass the encryption on an iPhone used by one of the perpetrators of last year's terrorist attack in San Bernardino, CA. Cook began the letter by stating that Apple has "no sympathy for terrorists" and has cooperated in giving the FBI all of the information that it has available.
