Have you the time?

A fun project to do when you need a clock to run backwards.

This is a travel clock that you can set an alarm. In my experience with 3 or 4 different clocks with similar mechanisms the plate can be reversed to make the clock run counter-clockwise.





I use the scissors to place the clock shaft in the middle so it doesn't press on the gears while I work. The first thing is to get the back off of the clock to expose the gears. A small standard screwdriver is a good choice. Don't forget to take the small black knobs off the time adjustment wheel. If you don't they will shoot off as you pry the back cover of the clock.



Study the way this looks and remove parts slowly as you learn. The left most gear is minutes, the middle is seconds and the right and smallest gear below work together to calculate the second hand movement. The smallest gear turn approximately 180 degrees each second. Unfortunately, it is complicated to watch the clock with the cover removed as it requires an alignment hole to be in place on the cover side.



The gears simply pull straight up and out and you can set them down in order as you go. The focus is on the orientation of the plate inside the copper wound electromagnet. As you work the plate up and off of the pins that hold it in place, take care not to pull at the copper wound mechanism. The plate should slide out of a plastic rectangle slot, the copper is not wrapped around the plate itself.





This is the original orientation of the plate.



Some plates can be pulled out, flipped 180 degrees and be replaced, done. When it doesn't work like that, I nip off about 3/32 at a 45 degree angle as shown.



As you can see the plate is restored and it fits over the guide pins.



Take care when replacing the cover that the smallest gear is pointing straight up as much as possible to align it for the cover. When the cover is replaced it won't smash the shaft. If the shaft gets smashed they might weaken too much to be straightened again. During this mod one of the wires came off underneath the copper winding and the clock wouldn't work, so I soldered and reassembled.

Car amp

A friend of mine gave me an old stereo...after ripping the cd player apart to get his cds out... that he claimed ate some of his cds... Since the stereo in my car died and with no money at the moment I decided to make this temporary car amp...

This is what the stereo looks like out side of the case with the cd player removed:


SInce the cd player no longer works there is no need to leave the motors still attached. I tried unhooking this daughter board completely, but the stereo will not stay on without it attached.


This is what the board will look like after the motors have been detached: I used a dremel witha cutting wheel to cut the board.


The problem of power arises, so I break out the voltage meeter and discover that the internal transformer was producing 12 volts, the same as a car. I decide to dissconnect the transformer and splice in a cigarette lighter power cord because the output in a car is also 12 volts. I could have eliminated this board all together, but I figured that it was a good idea to leave the fuses for protection.


I wasn't completely sure wich was negative and wich was posotive so I looked it up and then made the proper connections.
Below is a pinout of a cigarett lighter plug:


I discovered the input for audio from the cd player, I tried using the tape player input, but it was very distorted. With a little force the audio cord from the back of an old cd drive will fit the socket. I cut off the other end of the cord and sodder on two rca female connectors (right and left). A minni jack would have been more practicle, but I already had this cord made so I didn't moddify it. The two far left pins on this connector should be soddered together.


To make sure everything worked I drove around with it contained in this yellow case.

Closed:

I tapped the controlls on the outside temporaily for easy access...


After testing the prototype I realized that it was a pain in the ass tohave to reach in the back of the car to turn the volume up on power off. I thought of all of the buttons that I thought I might need to use while driving... I decided I would need the Power button, power led, the two volume buttions, bass boost led, and the bass boost button. After mapping out all the components and the paths of the 4 buttons I then came up with this diagram:


I made the board using a cheap pcb I bought at radio shack. Then I rolled out 8, 8 foot sections of insulated wire and twisted it together. Next I soldered the ends to the appropriate connections and here is the semi-finished product:

Close up:


Afther all that was finished I trimmed off the extra board and attacherd it to a floppy hole cover.


While dumpster diving at my school I found an old mac and scavenged the case from it, after a few modifications to the case everything fit inside perfectly...


I dremeled a hole for the speaker connections and attached the rca inputs


I made a bracket to hold the wires inplace and keep them from pulling out.


I put the top of the case on and vala... after marking the apple logo out with a sharpy it is ready to go.


back:



I installed it in the back window of my car on the passengers side so it didn't interfere with my view... It fit perfectly... I ran the green cords from the back on the passenger side, tucking them under panels when possible.


Back:

I use this along with an old 48x cd-rom drive to listen to music.

To power the cd rive I used this:

from an article I found at: http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/71/1
(yes the 7805 is attached to a fairly large heat sink)

8000km/h flight a success

THE dream of two-hour passenger flights between Australia and the UK is a step closer to reality.

Scientists in the state's Far North yesterday dubbed the lift-off and 8000km/h flight of Hyshot IV as a success.

The scramjet engine flew for 10 minutes to an altitude of 300km before crashing into the ground - 400km from the take-off point at the Woomera rocket range.

Data from the flight will be analysed by the University of Queensland researchers over the next two months.

University associate professor Michael Smart said the data would enable researchers to see if scramjet technology could be used for supersonic commercial flights.

Dr Smart said the engine would cut flying times between London and Sydney to between two and three hours.

"In 10 years, we might start to see scramjet-engine flights transporting goods, such as medical supplies," he said.

"I think once people see that, the possibility of using the scramjet for commercial flights will become very real.

"It wouldn't be cheap to start such a service, and it would need someone like Richard Branson to help fund it."

The payload from the flight is expected to be found today.

A team of 10 scientists from the university has been in Woomera for the past three weeks organising two scramjet flights - the first of which was last Saturday.

The flights cost $1.5-$2 million each and were funded by the university, the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency and UK company QinetiQ.

Another four scramjet tests have been planned for Woomera over the next two years. The first were in 2001 and 2002

Apple Introduces iPod Update Enhancing Control Volume

Apple Computer is introducing a software update for its current generation of iPod music players in response to complaints about possible hearing loss caused by high volume levels, reports newsfactor.com.

The free software is available on the company's site. The upgrade offers new volume controls that help users set maximum levels. The software comes with parental locks as well that let parents set limits on their children's iPods.

“As the leading provider of digital music players, Apple continuously brings iPod customers innovative and easy-to-use solutions,” The Associated Press quotes Greg Joswiak, Apple's vice president for iPod marketing, as saying. “With the increased attention in this area, we want to offer customers an easy-to-use option to set their own personal volume limit."

The controversy started in February when an iPod owner filed suit against the company claiming that Apple provided insufficient warnings about volume levels and was producing a faulty product, reports newsfactor.com. Seattle law firm Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro filed a lawsuit as well.

The law firm hails the new volume controls. However, the firm is of the view that Apple's update does not safeguard those who purchased earlier iPod models. They also have expressed displeasure with what they describe as Apple’s reluctance to educate users about the issue.

Apple releases each iPod with a warning that cautions, “permanent hearing loss may occur if earphones or headphones are used at high volume.”

Intel Shows its Rugged Side

Intel Corporation has launched a new rugged PC platform designed to meet the needs of rural villages and communities in India. The Community PC platform is based on Intel technology, and can operate in a community setting while accommodating varying environmental conditions throughout India.

The new platform is part of Intel’s Jagruti (Awakening) initiative, which is designed to bridge the urban-rural divide and provide rural Indian communities with economic and social opportunities. The program supports the spread of rural Internet kiosks based on the Community PC platform, and will be made possible through collaboration with leaders in business, government, education and online services.

The kiosks will accelerate access to information and communications technologies in villages throughout India. The new platform was designed to withstand the varying weather conditions of heat, dust and humidity in India, as well as unreliable power sources that can compromise typical PCs in those environments.

The Community PC platform supports remote diagnostics and control features under low power requirements. Features include a rugged chassis with a removable dust filter and integrated air fan to regulate the temperature of the motherboard. It also features a Customized Power Supply Unit comprised of an integrated power supply and UPS unit, enabling the PC to maintain continuous power in a power outage. Total power consumption of all peripherals is less than 100 watts, and the platform also features certified-based access, enabling banks to verify the validity of installment payments against the purchase of the PCs.

Internet kiosks are already common in Indian villages, and Intel expects many of the Community PC platforms to be deployed in these locations. The new platform creates entrepreneurship opportunities for prospective kiosk owner/operators, and Intel has already initiated several Community PC pilot projects throughout India.

“Intel actively supports efforts to provide computer technology to places where it hasn't previously been available,” said William M. Siu, vice president and general manager of Intel’s Channel Platforms Group. “Our experience shows that ICT adoption in developing nations requires much more than providing a standard PC; the technology often needs to be adapted to the local usage and environment of a particular country or region. In addition to defining the platform and developing the ingredient technologies, Intel also collaborated with local hardware, software and service companies to deliver on the promise of the Community PC platform. Overall, Intel has made substantial investments in technology, ecosystem partnerships, and education initiatives in support of this belief.”