Diy Definition and 229 Threads

OK, so paraffin is a hydrocarbon, and is a solid form of kerosene or mineral oil... I wanted to try making my own wax logs for starting our wood stove. Could I take dried out sawdust, mix it with a small amount of mineral oil, suck the moisture out of the "shape", allow for it to dry, then...

Not asking for a schematic, more a notion of roughly how challenging this will be.

Hi everyone, I have an unusual question: Do any of you have any ideas on a DIY method for improving mobile phone reception? (my phone does not have an external antenna/antenna connector) I figured that asking physicist would be the best way of getting reliable information! I know that...

G'day If you've ever wanted a large whiteboard for your home but found the professional-quality ones too expensive, there is a relatively cheap alternative. A bit of googling turns up home-built glass, melamine bathroom siding, plastic, and plexiglass as some potential materials. I can't...

It Works! I went out and bought a Nintendo Wii Remote, a golf glove, an Infra Red LED and a small battery and set it up. My Computer screen is now a touch screen! Since my computer does not have blue tooth, I had to buy a USB Dongle. The total cost was $91.09 The cool factor is...

It seems to me a typical gasoline car has wastes about 95% of the gasoline energy before any rotating energy gets to the wheels. Here's my reasoning. I once measured my cars efficiency (an old Renault 5). I drove 100 km/h (28m/s) on a flat and level freeway, with no wind, and set the gears...

I just bought this squirrel cage fan off ebay. My idea is to use it for a fume hood. According to seller it runs very well; I will clean, oil, and throw a coat of a paint on it. Got it for 20 bucks. The motor is completely separated from the cage as I wanted. However, it gives no CMF? It is a...

I've found some resources online about building your own solar panels. The basic premise I've found is this: solar cells -> diode -> battery -> inverter -> mocha machine First off, if anyone has done this before, any general advice would be appreciated. More specifically, I need someone to...

I'm currently playing with an idea to convert my living room and family room to LED lighting, however nothing on the market fits my needs so I'm thinking of a homebrew solution. I want to use a computer power supply or other stable 12volt source and then build a current regulator/dimmer...

Ok, I am not sure if this is the right category to post this in but I am a mechanical engineering "sophomore" student and I want to try my own project, so here goes: I want to build a Go-Kart/Electric Car, I don't need everything to be perfect yet but I just want to make sure the calculations...

I tried to make a double-slit experiment, but I got some difficult-to-explain results. I cut a piece of opaque plastic in two and then stuck it back together with a human hair (mine) stretched in between, thus forming a double slit. I then mounted the "double slit" 1m from a sheet of white...

This is my first post here so hello to anybody who reads this! I just finished calculus based physics II this semester and there are a few things I want to design and make for myself to help better my understanding of what I learned in physics. One is device I have seen that generates an...

I'm going to try to replace the IC in my stereo like this. Here it is in my stereo. I've got a small but cheap soldering iron. But I suspect I'll need a solder-puller and some sort of heat sink to prevent the chip from frying? I've never used a solder-wick and don't own one. What should...

Hello! I'm very interested in solar cell tehnology. I know that the main material used is crystalline silicon. Is it possible to buy all the materials that are necessary and to make the solar cell at home conditions? I hope that this process is not very complicated and laboratory isn't needed...

:confused: hi there, I am building a hovercraft in my garage, so far it has gone perfect... until i get to the thrust part! for some reason i can't get the darn thing to move! for lift i have a kawasaki back pack blower pushing air down into an air mattress with holes punched in it and it...

Well we have a food thread, a gardening thread, a wildlife photos thread, a best music/tunes thread, . . . sooooo :biggrin: Why not a practical DIY = do it yourself thread for sharing tips and info on home repairs and renovation. My home has a drainage problem. In a relatively dry area...

how to make a pinhole camera for my school project.any suggestions?

I know there is a certain lady that is ace at car diy on this forum, but how many know their lives from neutral ?

i have a XBOX lying around.. want to mod it into a PC or something but can't find a guide to do it. is there any forums that deals with DIY and hacking electronic gadgets?

If you had the time and money what would you want to build for home project?

Are there many experiments you can do that are like, 'famous' that you can do at home without spending hundreds or thousands of dollars for equipment? Mainly, I am thinken about experiments done say, a hundred years ago or more, that don't require high-tech stuff.

I tried to do this myself, but I was unsuccessful. Thank you.

DIY heater with resistors??! help please Hi physics gurus, I have some questions I'm hoping someone with a kind enough heart can answer for me! I am trying to build a small circular heater (similar to a dew heater for a telescope) with resistors. Basically I have 22 gauge rated 300volts...

I'd like to put a valve (like the ones on tire tubes) that will connect to a bicycle pump onto a PVC tube (on the side, or at the end). Anyone know how I can do this? What fittings will I need? Thanks.

Hello, I want to make a DC to DC voltage converter so that I can "step up" the output voltage from what it is to something a little more useable. Right now it outputs about .5 volts, I was thinking that is I could step that up to around 1 or 2 (or higher, higher is no problem) volts, I could...

What is the easiest way to convert 24v to 12v without buying a store bought do-hicky. I am running into a problem trying to power things like cd players and lights on my truck. I would be greatful for any advice

My car has a knob on the radio to control the volume. How would I make another volume control sp that I could put by the steering wheel so I don't have to reach for the knob on the radio?

I am going to build a small portable 300V capacitor charger. I have a 9<->230V transformer and as a powersource i will use a 9v battery. The thing i do not know is how to convert DC-AC that is needed. I found a circuit where they used a 2N3055 transistor and a resistor but i do not remember...

I plan to spend about US$1200 to buy a complete new computer, I want to DIY. Where can i get guidelines to do it? The best price for the best values! The PC must be good for gaming, internet, programming, multimedia etc...