Category: Fixin’
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e14 Project: A Silent Wireless Laser Tripwire Doorbell
I’ve had a problem since moving into my new place that I can’t hear people knock at my front door. Sure I could get a doorbell at the hardware store, but those things stink. Instead, I thought I’d create a quick and simple Arduino and XBee based system to do it for me: Doorbells are…
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Chevy Keyless Entry Remote Failure & Repair
I currently drive a 2005 Chevrolet Cobalt which is a remarkable automobile in the most fundamental sense: providing reasonable transportation for a reasonable cost. She currently has ~102k miles and going strong. Although this last year I’ve had both of my keyless entry systems fail. Since I’m the only one who usually drives the car,…
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A Raspberry Pi First Project: Dog Kennel Status Webpage
I recently got my hands on a Raspberry Pi with the goal of writing an article on how suitable the platform is for an education program like BlueStamp Engineering. However once I got rolling, I simply had to make something of my own. I’m not very experienced with Linux, Apache, or Python so I thought…
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A Double-Kettle All-Electric Brewing System with MSP-430
For those who know me, beer isn’t just about the drinking. It’s also about the brewing. I’ve casually brewed beer for years, only getting serious with my own setup a year ago. However brewing in front of a stove can be annoying especially when trying to brew 2 different batches at once. To make the experience…
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E14 News: Hackerspace Surplus Sale: Increase Revenue and Members, Decrease Clutter
I love watching how the growth of spaces like my own Denhac develops as people begin casually making things. Recently Denhac held a surplus sale and I think it really pumped up interest and made the space all around better. There were a few things that I noticed made it a success, so I wrote…
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E14 MRO: Maintenance Makes New from Old
I was recently thinking about how little time exists between a design being ‘completed’ and when it needs to be revised. Obsolete parts, bugs, manufacturing equipment changes, manufacturing locations and volumes will all drive changes to a design. Sometimes is makes a mockery of revision control systems. My most recent Element14 article highlights the work…
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E14 News Article: A Fleeting Hope from Lost Potential: Project Kits
I love everything about kits. I build what I use, I know how to fix it, and I can get any part I find broken. It is sad that there aren’t more people that are into this sort of thing because the DIY-ers don’t represent a significant enough portion of any market to drive manufacturers…
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Why not just finish it up, guys?
I recently bought an FM transmitter for my phone to broadcast to my car stereo. The transmitter market is the same as any other market — you get what you pay for. But because I’m not an audiophile, and the FM radio link only gives so much fidelity, I thought a cheap little thing would…
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It’s Not Broken! It’s Just ….. Mislabeled!
Fixing a Bad Start Button on a Sharp R-220HW Microwave “What? Fixing a microwave? Isn’t that like fixing a ball point pen? After all, microwaves go for like $30 new! ” Yes, that is true. They are cheap and very available. But on the other hand shopping, spending money, and throwing things away are not…