DIY Techno-hacks
Old hard drive platters make wonderfully good drinks coasters - they look dead smart and expensive and you've stopped people reading your old data into the bargain.
Have you taped all your remotes together, peep-show-style? Have you wired your doorbell to the toilet? What enterprising DIY have you done with technology?
Extra points for using sellotape rather than solder.
( , Thu 20 Aug 2009, 12:30)
Old hard drive platters make wonderfully good drinks coasters - they look dead smart and expensive and you've stopped people reading your old data into the bargain.
Have you taped all your remotes together, peep-show-style? Have you wired your doorbell to the toilet? What enterprising DIY have you done with technology?
Extra points for using sellotape rather than solder.
( , Thu 20 Aug 2009, 12:30)
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Telly power switch
Years ago the power switch on my (already ancient) portable telly died. It was a 1990 model Goldstar, better know as LG these days, and the buggers had used a bizarre power switch that combined a toggle switch that turned on the HT power supply for the tube and a momentary switch that fired up the tuner.
Could I get another switch the same? Of course not, they were custom Goldstar switches I was told by the 'expert' at Maplin, so I pondered it for a moment and decided to buy a chunky metal toggle switch and a push button, and wired them up in its place. I made holes for them on the side of the case using whatever tools I had to hand (shit drill and a kitchen knife I think), and then taped the wires from the old switch into the new ones. And then added more tape. Then a bit more tape. The bastard thing is still working =)
( , Fri 21 Aug 2009, 16:20, 3 replies)
Years ago the power switch on my (already ancient) portable telly died. It was a 1990 model Goldstar, better know as LG these days, and the buggers had used a bizarre power switch that combined a toggle switch that turned on the HT power supply for the tube and a momentary switch that fired up the tuner.
Could I get another switch the same? Of course not, they were custom Goldstar switches I was told by the 'expert' at Maplin, so I pondered it for a moment and decided to buy a chunky metal toggle switch and a push button, and wired them up in its place. I made holes for them on the side of the case using whatever tools I had to hand (shit drill and a kitchen knife I think), and then taped the wires from the old switch into the new ones. And then added more tape. Then a bit more tape. The bastard thing is still working =)
( , Fri 21 Aug 2009, 16:20, 3 replies)
Cricklewood Electronics is your friend
I seem to recall being asked to fix a similar problem years ago. Managed to get a switch from Cricklewood that did the job. Nice work though!
( , Fri 21 Aug 2009, 16:53, closed)
I seem to recall being asked to fix a similar problem years ago. Managed to get a switch from Cricklewood that did the job. Nice work though!
( , Fri 21 Aug 2009, 16:53, closed)
Maplins is shit
Everything I've bought from them has broken or been tat or both.
( , Fri 21 Aug 2009, 22:04, closed)
Everything I've bought from them has broken or been tat or both.
( , Fri 21 Aug 2009, 22:04, closed)
Maplin is expensive for components.
And they didn't even have 74-series logic in stock when I asked ages ago.
( , Fri 21 Aug 2009, 22:58, closed)
And they didn't even have 74-series logic in stock when I asked ages ago.
( , Fri 21 Aug 2009, 22:58, closed)
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