DIY Electronic Projects
DIY Projects for the Home
Do It Yourself Projects for the Home
Do-it-yourself projects aren’t just for geeks. While there are plenty of DIY projects for kids using electronic parts, there are also plenty for adults. These projects are ideal for use in and around the home. Some of these are DIY iPhone projects to put an old or out-of-date iPhone to use. When these projects are complete, you will feel like a mad scientist that has invented the next great convenience item.
DIY LED Refrigerator Lights
DIY Iphone Solar Charger
DIY iPhone Amp
Fun and Useful DIY Projects
DIY Security System
You can make your own home security system for far less than what you pay with an actual company. Depending on your level of comfort, there are a few options here. You can create something that is as simple as showing a laser beam across a doorway or window, or something complex like hooking up a surveillance system for a specific area.
To create a laser beam effect, all you will need is an LED light, fishing line and a battery pack. Of course this is something that would need to be taken down each morning but all you need to do is attach an LED light to a watch battery, then wrap fishing line around the LED base and string it across the doorway. This will create the illusion of a laser going across a doorway. To make this more effective, attach a buzzer or siren to the other side and if the “laser” is compromised, a sound will be heard that can be amplified by connecting the buzzer to a speaker.
Homemade Metal Detector
Looking for treasure or just help finding something you’ve lost, the homemade metal detector is a great DIY project. This is more for those with an expert level of electronics and capacitor boards. You can, however, purchase components that are already built and wire them together. You will need an LED indicator lighting system, so two different colors are preferred. One will be for recognizing that the power is working and the other will be for indicating that metal is present under the device.
Materials needed:
· 2 different sized wire coils
· 9V batteries
· Circuit board
· Transistors
· Capacitors
· Hollow Pole
· Metal plate
· Handle
· Wood board to create a control panel
· Simple switch
· Sensory components
This requires some instruction from a tech savvy person and an electrician. Essentially you are running capacitor wires with electricity running through them up a pole; it is a good idea to ensure that the wiring is coated to prevent shock. From here you are connecting to a control panel and switch using a power source. The bottom end of the pole connects to a metal plate which houses a circuit board, transistors and sensory components.
Automatic Button Pusher
Better than having an easy button, as seen in television commercials, is an automatic button pusher. This is a little complicated since it requires the use of a circuit board, but it is fun to concoct.
Materials for this project:
· Circuit board
· 10uf capacitor
· 1N4001 diode
· 2 1k resistors
· A metal arm
· Housing material
· PC to use to program the device
The instructions for completion are going to vary depending on the device that you wish to use the button pusher for. This is a great idea for turning on a stereo in the car, changing the radio station while driving, hitting the snooze button or starting the coffee pot.
iPhone Doorbell
One of the fun DIY iPhone projects for adults is making a doorbell. You’ll want to use an older iPhone that is no longer used for cell phone service though. This one is a bit of a semi-homemade type of project. You will purchase a cheap doorbell assembly but will disable and take apart the actual doorbell function. Next, you will remove the back of an iPhone and solder the wiring to the sound board or use a USB connection that can be soldered to the doorbell mechanism. Select a few different ringbones to play when the button is pressed. You will need to charge the phone when the doorbell is not in use.Homemade Taser
This is fun and is a very easy way to play a practical joke on someone. A few simple items are needed with one being a disposable camera with a built-in flash. You will also need 2 colored paper clips and an AA battery.
Steps in this process:
1. Open the camera and locate the flash
2. Locate the capacitor and attach the paper clips
3. Strip a small part of the rubber off of the ends of the paper clips that aren’t touching the capacitor
4. Place the battery next to the capacitor in the designated spot
5. Press the button on the bottom of the capacitor
6. Hold it for 2 seconds
7. Touch the paper clips to an object or person and it will provide a shock
This will not be a dangerous shock; it will just be enough to get someone’s attention. It is a fun party favor too. Get creative with where you choose to place it.
DIY USB Charger
Creating a USB charging station that can go anywhere with you is a practical idea. All you really need is a small box or tin, a USB hub and an external power supply. Select the housing material based upon the size of the USB hub and external power supply sizes purchased.
Connect the power supply to the USB hub and create an outlet hole to plug devices in. You can create a multiple charging station by stacking components or by laying them side-by-side. This is practical because you can use it on an airplane, public transportation, and a train, on a boat or anywhere that an electrical outlet is not readily available. The outside of the housing can easily be painted or decorated to camouflage what it is.
LED Decorations
LED decorations are fun to make. All you need is LED lights, watch batteries, hot glue or tape and some containers to put the concoctions into. This is ideal for paper lanterns, hanging votive cups, centerpieces and outdoor party lighting. Simply attach the LED light to the watch battery and secure it into place. Plastic balls that are hung on a string are a great option for creating outdoor lighting for an evening party without raising the electric bill any. Consider using plastic cups turned upside down on a table with these taped to the bottom of the inside to make colored lighting.
Home Automation and Lighting Control Panel
With this DIY project you’re going to need a little help from your tech-savvy friends. You will need an Xbox Kinect system, a computer and an automation program. All of these components need to be connected together via programming in order for the system to work properly.
Once you have these programs working in sync together, you can begin using the home automation process to control the lighting in your home and conserve energy.
You will use the automation program via Kinect camera to control when lights turn on and off in a room. You can also set them to dim. The Kinect camera is equipped as a motion sensor and when it is programmed to work with the lighting system in a room, those too are motion detected. When you enter a room, the lights will come on and when you move, you can have it set to turn off only certain lights as you exit the space. You can also sit at the computer and tell the program to turn off all of the lights at a specific time or turn them on at a specific time. This is ideal for energy conservation as lights are only on when you are in the space.
DIY Solar Powered Radio
In the event of a power outage, natural disaster or other type of emergency, a solar powered radio that is portable is practical. This is something that you can make at home, just using an Altoids tin and a few electronics components. You should not spend more than $5USD on this project total.
Materials for this project:
· 1 cheap FM radio
· 1 diode
· 2 dollar store solar garden lights
· Power drill
· Goggles
· Tape
· Solder
· Soldering iron
· Wire strippers
· Wire
· Altoids tin
· Mini speakers from a dollar store
· Hot glue
To put this together you simply need to drill and cut holes for the speakers to be placed so that they are facing outward. Tape or glue them into place. Next, solder the FM radio to the bottom portion of the tin. Create the power source by connecting the diode with the solar garden lights; you are only using the interior portion of the solar lights. Solder these down so that they don’t move. Ensure that the tin can still open for solar charging. Connect the wiring, and you’re all done. It’s just that simple to complete. You’ll also need to ensure that the tin opens so that you can tune the FM portion of the radio, since you just need the interior pieces for tuning and grabbing signal.
The idea here is to have fun, educate yourself and include the family. By simply completing one of these projects with the family, it will lead to many more projects. Each will get a little more complex and will serve a different purpose. Eventually, with your expert status in capacitors and resistors, you will be able to go at it alone and create items of your own creativity and thinking process that may just end up becoming a popular trend.