Hi, Its fantastic to be able to read peoples source code on an instructable. However if its long, its a bit difficult to read. Can you please give the option when making an instructable, to display certain text as syntax, like in forums etc.

I know that there have been posts all over the place that list sources for electronics components, but I was having trouble finding them, and then I figured it would be helpful for everyone if we had one place for them. So, please post links to your favorite electronics components sources. I know I could use them! Thanks Rick

I want to build my own small "boom box". I want to be able to use it play CD's, usb thumb drives, mini plug aux in etc. Can anyone suggest a source for the components for such a project?

I have something I would like to release open source to assure it will not be patented. How do i go about doing this? Thanks, C.A.

Hello all, i'm thinking on a very easy way to support more than 1 power source for my electronic circuits.Below you can see the schematic. It's very basic. Each source have a rectifier diode to disallow inverse currents for each one.When both sources have the same output, both diodes will work and the output is Vin - 0.7When one of them is bigger than the other (the case on the schematic), diode on smaller source will open circuit, and the bigger is the one to be used. The output will be 7-0.7 = 6.3V.The problem i found is when there is little difference, this is less than 0.7V.This way both diodes will work but there is a difference on voltage between the two sources.Do you think that having a small resistance like 10Ohm and high dissipation in one line will solve this?Do you think this design is valid?thanks for the help in advance.

Member Mikolynn suggested a new link to a site that will be of interest for most of our community: Open Source Ecology

Open-Source Warfare is an IEEE Spectrum article discussing how information technology and the internet play a pivotal role in accelerating the adaptation of individuals against organizations through asymmetric warfare.Robb calls this new type of conflict "open-source warfare," because the manner in which insurgent groups are organizing themselves, sharing information, and adapting their strategies bears a strong resemblance to the open-source movement in software development. Insurgent groups, like open-source software hackers, tend to form loose and nonhierarchical networks to pursue a common vision, Robb says. United by that vision, they exchange information and work collaboratively on tasks of mutual interest. The reliance on IT also enables open-source groups to identify and respond to problems much more rapidly than a more structured, top-down entity can--be it the Pentagon or a large software company such as Microsoft. According to some estimates, it now takes Iraqi insurgents less than a month to adapt their methods of attack, much faster than coalition troops can respond. "For every move we make, the enemy makes three," U.S. Brigadier General Joe E. Ramirez Jr. told attendees at a May conference on IEDs. "The enemy changes techniques, tactics, and procedures every two to three weeks. Our biggest task is staying current and relevant."

Anyone know of a good electronics parts source that takes PayPal?

Anyone have a source for near-infrared LED's? I want to build a night light for my video surveillance system. Maybe NIR wouldn't alert "strangers" until they are captured on camera. Thanks.

I was planning to make LED jewelery, but would need a very small power source. In the best case it could be powered by the body's movement. Is there anything small enough to bit on a wrist, yet can power about 10 LEDs?

I'm planning to use laminated plastic bags to skin a boat but I need a few hundred or thousand bags.  Where does one get that many bags?

First post, while everything's feeling all shiny and new. I was wondering if anyone knows the best place for sourcing electronic components (basic stuff like resistors, capacitors, relays, basic counting chips, motors all that good stuff to instructable with) in Canada (Ontario preferably). I used to use Rapid Electronics in England (www.rapidelectronics.co.uk) and have never found anything to match (in price or quality). All / Any suggestions welcome. Look out for a couple of instructables coming later in the month!

I am trying to convert an electric string of LED lights to 12 V battery power. (I am using them on my golf cart, which has a 12 V battery and would like to run the lights using a switch that is attached to the battery.). How do I do this? I have attached a photo of what I have.

So, I'm doing a project that needs to boil maybe 8-10 drops of water very quickly. I was thinking of using NiChrome wire to do this as in the included diagram (sorry low quality, MS Paint). However, I can't seem to find an appropriate power source. So, I need some easy to obtain powersource that is also relatively small. Something like batteries, a capacitor bank, or anything similar. Remember, it has to be able to boil of those 8 drops pretty fast, lest they condense in another part of the pipe before the desired pressure is reached. 

I'm trying to add a swf file in a step-by-step that was uploaded to instructables.com (https://www.instructables.com/id/Free-professional-wind-turbine-blade/step7/Spinning): src="https://www.instructables.com/files/orig/FGQ/1M2V/HH11S2TK/FGQ1M2VHH11S2TK.swf" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" height="637" width="529"> It's visible in preview but removed when saved. I understand for external domains but for the same domain? Is it a bug? Thanks

Could we send something to mars to strip mine the surface and gather all of the iron oxide, then using a solar mirror array direct sunlight onto the days collections and melt them into iron.  Then ship it to earth in a giant iron blob which would be transported by some kind of ship. I assume this either hasn't been proposed or is not practical because I haven't seen anything like it before.

Hey everybody, I've been looking for a good source for cheap LEDs for a project I'm working on. I want to replace 14 different 60W halogen bulbs with home-built LED lights. The reason for home-built is that the halogens burn out like crazy, but the light fixture looks nice, and isn't going to be replaced. The halogens put out an estimated 500-700 lumens (from the google research I did)So.... I'm looking for the best deal for white leds per lumen. the best deal I've found so far is:http://www.phenoptix.co.uk/Ultra_Bright_White_SUPERFLUX_LEDs_3000mcd_p/whi-flux-3000.htmat .021cents/lumen from the brightness calculator http://led.linear1.org/lumen.wizbut considering the quantity I want.... there's not even enough room to fit those LEDs on the fixture (due to the large case size)or if I buy 1000 of them (about the quantity I'm looking for) I'd be getting a slightly better deal, but still coming in at $120, not to mention they still don't fit. The physical space for the leds is a cylinder with a diameter of about 30mm and a height of about 70mm. Any Ideas/suggestions for cheap white LEDs?Thanks!-Zaen

Hi all, im working on an open souce robot design and thought you might like to follow along, Once its finished ill post plans and instructions to the site, but if you want a head start had over toXBR-ONLINE to check it out.The idea is to build a low cost chassis with out a brain or other expensive upgrades , so users can add "read hack" their own systems to the body. This is intended to be a multi purpose body shell with construction options ranging from wood and foam to plastic and aluminium.

I started investigating the insides of a cheap forward facing camera thinking it might be possible to mount the camera module on some old glasses frames and connect it back to the recorder / playback unit with a cable. I was happy to discover the camera module was concted to the main board by a multi pin socket and a couple of dabs of glue. Unfortunatley I have no idea of how to identify and find a matching plug and socket to make a cable. the main body of the plug is 13mm long 3mm wide and about 3mm deep and has 15 pins on each side these pins are a little under 1mm appart. I hope someone is able to offer some help with how to identify and find another.

I have built 2 coilguns already using a camera circuit for charging the capacitor bank, but because it is a disposable camera, the quality of the circuit wasnt very good so it stopped working like in a week or so,, so i was wondering if i could build a circuit for charging a capacitor bank (so i wont need to buy any more cameras), but i've already looked in a lot of pages for a schematic but i've got no luck anyone knows how to build a circuit for this purpose? i do not have a lot of experience in building circuits, thats why i dont figure it out myself thnks

Ok, so I'm having some trouble finding solvents in quantities of under 5 gallons (5 is too much, and  for this project 1 gallon is too) that arent acetone, MEK, or xylene (home depot and lowes carry those). Specifically I need Perchloroethylene because thats the solvent that E6000 glue is made with and is the glue I want to thin out. The datasheet indicates that  1,1,1-Trichloroethane, Cyclohexane, Methylene chloride, Chlorothane NU, Chevron solvent 1100, gasoline, Propyl acetate, or Toluene will also dissolve it, but I'd really like to stick with its manufactured solvent.  I presume it would have some sort of pricey hazmat shipping charges or the necessity of some sort of licence and I would rather pick it up, so where (or who) can I order some from in the Detroit area?

When I got a new can of propane, for my torch, it was $9. At wally world, it was $4. Then, when I went to get a can of cooking stove propane from the camping department (at wal-mart), I notice that the tank was $3. After getting home, I noticed that the threads were exactly the same, and that the torch head would screw onto the neck of the "camp propane" bottle. So, as anyone would do, I fired it up, and it worked! Of course, it would shut off it you tilted it too far, but what the heck! $3 for a can of propane. But then I thought "Why is this so cheap, and why haven't I heard of this before? Is ther something wrong with this? Will I blow myself up?!?!?! Anyway, I'm all for saving $2, or $6 (depending on where I go), so is this actually a reasonable way of saving money?So what I'm asking:-Is this way safe? I haven't fired it up since, in case it did something bad.-Why is it so cheap to but it that way, and so expensive to buy regular tanks?-Has anyone else done this?If anyone can help, it'd be appreciated.

Is there a mod that removes blood from CounterStrike Source?

I have an idea for an open-source electronics project, that would involve some fairly simple hardware and some initially not-too-complicated software. I think it's an idea that could have a significant impact on a lot of people's lives, if it works, and it's a project that would work a lot better if I could attract some collaborative help. Now if this were a software-only project, I'd look at creating a public repository on github, but since there's a hardware aspect, I'm not so sure that'd work. Does anyone know of a free project hosting site that's oriented towards electronics hardware, that includes blogging and forum functionality?

Since a servo motor operating voltage is about 6v.Is it safe for motor to use 12V 2A adapter?Power for all 4 servo motors are is supplied from ardunio board.All 4 servo motors are connected in parallel. 

I need your help I'm going to create an Inventory System.any source code or any help you can give I'm very thankful..God Bless everyone.. :) 

Hello guys, I have this idea I want to make a "power source" using this battery(pic) I want to use 3 to 4 batteries in series to power up some of my ideas. can someone tell me hat I need in order to make this happened? I will really appreciate the help thanks...

Windows Vista Is Terrible! But Linux can as cool/cooler than XP if you know how to use it! Share the knowledge!

Hi, I am wanting to provide 96 volts of DC power for a project,  however it cost so much money to buy a power source that big.. can I add other DC power sources to add up to what I want?   or is there an inexpensive way to get it with out all the hassle? Bryan  

Hi everyone, I need to buy four good casters for a project I am working on. I will mount them on a wood plank using screws. I need them to have decently large wheels, perhaps 4-5", and to function well even when the load per caster is around 15lbs. Can you recommend me a place to get these? I have never bought casters before, and don't know enough about them to choose from all the suppliers that Google shows me. Thank you in advance for any help : ) James

I am working on incorporating the bike trailer hitch from moaibob into a project of my own. Unfortunately, I have not been able to find one critical component, the "antenna pole cross bracket" (at left in the image below). I've searched Google, Google Images, Amazon, Radio Shack, my local Ace Hardware... Are there any hams out there who might know what this thing is called in the U.S., and where I might buy it? Alternatively, if you can suggest a different way to attach the caster to a bicycle seat post (see the full I'ble), that would be equally useful :-).

The manufacturer of a hydrogen car unveiled in London on Tuesday will make its designs available online so the cars can be built and improved locally.The Riversimple car can go 80km/hr (50mph) and travels 322km (200mi) per re-fuelling, with an efficiency equivalent to 300 miles to the gallon....The company will distribute the engineering designs to the 40 Fires foundation, a not-for-profit organisation that will make the designs "open source".The idea, they say, is to allow local manufacturing in small plants. This stands in contrast to the "economies of scale" that drive current plants to huge sizes and workforces.In addition, designs can be adjusted for local markets, using locally sourced parts or materials.The agreement will be such that if the designs are improved by a local manufacturer, those improvements will be sent back, so that what the company refers to as its "network of manufacturers" can contribute to the overall development of the product line.

A lot of my tools like screwdrivers, combination wrenches etc lack a nice organized spot. I'd like to make tool rolls, but those I've made in the past don't really get used.  What I'd like to make is transparent tool rolls. Sometimes craftsman screwdrivers etc come in clear flexible packs. But I don't have those. I think I could fuse plastic to make my own, but need a source for that plastic. Ziplock bags? Transparent, yes, but Too flimsy.  So where to get somethin tougher?

People, I need your help! I'm a student at college and my primer subject is physics. Let's just say I know enough about electricity and power. But my major obstacle towards constructing stuff is electronics. I have only just scratched the surface of it. I want to make a power source out of a coil and a magnet inside (electrical induction). Can anyone point out how exactly to build the thing? My desired output voltage is about 5V, or sth. I'll use it for electronics, so the amperage doesn't really matter. I would also like to see a circuit that converts AC to DC, cause the coil will give out only AC and that's not good. Thanks in advance!

I remember that it was possible to see the traffic sources in the stats of an instructable. Did this feature disappear with the site update?Thanks!

Is it possible to design an open source smartphone, which everyone can build himself? Please tell what you think about it and what ideas you have.

Hello everyone, I'm trying to find a way to detect a IR source -a LED- from 100m. I only need to detect the source, I do not need to transmit data.  When I turn the camera towards a IR source the software would put an icon on the source BUT without seeing the beam. Namely, the led should look like it is off but the icon on the image should indicate that it is a IR source when it is on. Thank you all!

I had some questions: What is a constant current source? How does a constant current source work? Do i need a cc supply for an led or would a cv supply work? Thanks :)

I am adding a 12v DC motor into an arduino circuit. The motor will be switched on and off controlled by a transistor controlled by arduino. Should the arduino be powered by the same ~10v power source, or should the motor power source and arduino power source be separate (but have a common ground). (The reason I am using ~10v is because I have 8 NiMH AA batteries as my power source for the motor and it runs just fine at that voltage.)

Hello Instructables forum, I'm wondering if anyone knows of some nice open source design software? I'm in the process of creating my next instructable (a dining table) and would like to design some legs on the computer before making them. Cheers, Chris

I am developing a browser, i want to show source code(not html code) if user wants and also store it as txt file, help using any language is appreciated, i am using c#, but any language is fine. thank you

I want something to power LEDs from (I want to stop fussing about the polarity), preferably cheap and compact (I've no intention of buying a lab power source to play with it once in a fortnight, and I don't have the money). I thought about mobile phone chargers, laptop chargers and model railway power sources (I own one of these), but they are all DC. Can you think of something? PS Is it true that a motor connected to an AC source would stay still?

I remember reading about an open-source how-to framework that was being created by people with previous(?) ties to Instructables. Does anybody know what it's called? Basically it was a global, unified structure for how-to's should be written. 

Although this forum gets very technical at times, it can still be a great source of ideas and specs. Here is the link to the FTF (Freescale Tech Forum).With a very long video located here: Video Link for those that wish to listen to a lecture :-)

I have a project running for a open source laser cutter progress has been quite slow but it seems I can bump it up. The idea is to develop a laser cutter you can actually trust for large format cutting. Check out the project blog:  http://protonet.web-tec.co.za/development/co2lasercutter.php

I'm doing a science fair project about algae biofuels, and was looking for a small, tabletop, less then 70 lb diesel engine. Oh, and cheap would be nice too :D.

Not sure where to post this, but it's something that will be of interest to others and use one often comes here for ideas and to get help for this guys project as it has massive potential as its Open Source Tech. http://go.farmbot.it if anyone has any ideas or wants to see about forking some stuff back and forth suspect that the Designer will be happy to chat. One was thinking that he hydroponic groups, lighting groups, ardeno enthusiasts, raspberry geeks, hardware hackers etc. However, its getting word out and getting the right people to hear about it... It has potential one feels to help change how we approach Open Source.