Gadget Factory

DIY

  • How To Build Your Own USB Blaster Compatible Programmer

    This post brings you a nice alternative if you need a usb programmer and don´t want to spend the huge amount brands charge nor buy a cheap one from China and wait for the long shipping. Or, in other words, if you just want to build it yourself and have fun. It´s a very simple…

  • DIY 8-Bit Computer Using An FPGA and Classic Computer CPUs In VHDL

    We found a pretty unique project that was covered recently over at Hackaday, involving a hacked-together 8-bit retro-styled computer.  The kicker here is that it was made using an FPGA combined with  VHDL inplementations of classic CPUs such as the 6502, 6809, and Z80. In its full configuration, the Multicomp, as [Grant] calls his project, includes…

  • DIY IR Object-Detection Module On The Cheap

    If you’ve ever needed some kind of infrared (IR) object detection sensor for one of your projects, here’s a simple and cheap way to make one. These IR sensor modules can be useful for small DIY robotics projects, or really whatever you can dream up! The main concept is simple , the IR LED keeps…

  • Make Your Own Metal Solder Stencils – Here’s How

    Felix Rusu’s home-made solder paste stencils are so good you’d be forgiven for thinking they were laser-cut. He’s actually using a sheet of aluminum cut from a Dr. Pepper can and cleaning it with acetone and heat. After he sets up the stencil in a PDF file, he is using vinyl shelving paper to transfer…

  • DIY Screen-Printed PCB Manufacturing Is Slightly Crazy

    If MacGyver were to manufacture his own PCBs, this is definitely how he would do it.  We’re talking hairdryers, ovens, a garden hose, a pile of bricks, a couple of UV bulbs, a piece of glass, a makeshift hazmat suit and some chemicals.  The DIY spirit is alive and well in this vid! The printed circuit boards made…

  • DIY “Via Press” An Elegant Solution To An Irritating Problem

    When designing double-sided PCBs, Retromaster kept running into the same annoying problem:  how in the world do I set my vias without them sticking out too much?  A via must protrude from the board only very little, otherwise it cannot be placed under an IC.  So placing copper wire in the via hole and soldering both ends is…