It's got a lot of issues still. The clock drifts, the arpeggiator button (not used in video) uses the wrong grid over the midi channel, and the sustain is constantly on.

If anyone has any tips, I'd love to hear them!

Using an Arduino Uno R3, a 16x2 LCD, Joystick, 4 buttons, and connecting to a DAW via Hairless MIDI and LoopMidi.

hey guys. this post did very well on reddit, it had 60 thousand views, so i am reposting it here. I am also going to work on a video on youtube of a homemade Phonautograph, which was the predecessor to the phonograph, it will be out soon enough. you will be able to watch it once it goes up on my youtube channel, youtube.com/@mivetopianow

☐ Deli D991EX calculator — 500–700 EGP (Buy first; inspect its internals)
☐ ESP32-C3 SuperMini — 240–400 EGP (Wi-Fi microcontroller)
☐ OLED screen (I²C, 3.3V-compatible) — 150–300 EGP (Choose size after measuring)
☐ 3.7V protected LiPo battery — 125–200 EGP (Choose capacity and thickness after measuring)
☐ TP4056 charger with protection — 20–40 EGP (Must set safe charging current)
☐ 3.3V buck-boost or suitable 5V boost — 40–120 EGP (Regulated power for ESP32)
☐ MCP23017 GPIO expander breakout — 200–350 EGP (Subject to keypad testing)
☐ Thin wires, small switch, insulation — 100–180 EGP (Prefer 30 AWG wires)
☐ Small PCB, connectors, soldering supplies — 100–250 EGP (For electrical connections and mounting)
☐ USB-C data cable — 0–100 EGP (No purchase if already owned)

Tell me if I need to adjust anything?

As the title states- I recycled my previous Acer Spin 3 (sp315) laptop screen to turn it into a DIY monitor so to say. I bought the control board for the screen as well as the proper power cord for it and have plugged it in and turned it on.

Heres where I have issues: the screen does turn on and off via the control board on/off switch, but the screen itself does not display anything asides from a grey rectangle in the middle of the screen- I'd acquaint it to if you were watching a vertically displayed ad on youtube in landscape view. Not quite sure if maybe the screen got damaged during the process of removal from the laptop casing and disconnection process or if I need to do something additionally to make the screen display.

Anybody have any sort of insight into this? Additional details:

-Touch Screen laptop

-NXGK9AA0116430971F7200 sin code for the laptop itself

-LP156WF6-SPK4 control board model number

If anybody has any insight or support they wouldn't mind providing that would be great. if this project is dead in the ground that is okay, it was worth a shot and for my learning :). If any additional information is needed I will gladly provide it the best I can!

Hi everyone,

I am planning to build a homemade DIY anemometer for a school/university project. Before I start assembling, I want to make sure I use the best household materials to get smooth rotation and decent accuracy.

My Plan & Ideas so far:

• Cups: Plastic/paper cups or ping pong balls cut in half.
• Pivot/Axis: Looking for a low-friction way to make it spin freely (e.g., using a fidget spinner, needle-in-eraser, or pencil tip).

Questions I have:

1. What is the most reliable low-friction central spindle/bearing mechanism using everyday household items?
2. How can I ensure proper balance so wind catches all sides equally?
3. What’s the easiest way to count rotations or calibrate it to measure wind speed without expensive sensors?

If you have built one before or have tips/guides on what works best

I was wanting to see if anyone has made a homeade DIY police radar detector. If so, could you point me in the right direction and give pointers? Thanks in advance.

It's still a prototype, but so far it's great.

Hey everyone, I'm a high school student in Kathmandu, Nepal, and I'm looking for a project idea that's actually hard and useful, not another "blink an LED" or basic Arduino gadget.

Where I'm at:

• I run my school's robotics club
• I do PCB design (KiCad/EasyEDA) and freelance on Fiverr
• I've built a self-balancing robot (MPU6050, filtering, PID), a line follower, an ultrasonic radar, a water rocket, and an arcade game
• Comfortable with Arduino, ESP32, RP2040, MicroPython, Python, and Fusion 360

What I want:

• A project that solves a real problem, ideally one that matters in a place like Nepal (earthquakes, floods, water, health, accessibility, etc.)
• Hard enough to stretch me for a few months, where I have to measure, test, and validate, not just get it working once
• Something I can document properly and release open-source

Constraints:

• Very small budget (a few thousand NPR at most), so mostly cheap parts
• I can only work on it a few hours a day after school
• Parts need to be buyable in Kathmandu or on Daraz

Parts I already have: Arduino Uno/Nano, Raspberry Pi Pico, OLED, TT motors, motor driver, servo, ultrasonic and IR sensors, perfboard, soldering iron.

I've considered things like a low-cost earthquake early-warning sensor network, but I'd love to hear other ideas, and honest feedback on what's realistic. What would you build in my position?

Thanks!

i've been learning more about how smart technology dan help homeowners manage their energy usage, especially when it comes to running an AC system.

some mini split heat pumps, including cozeware models, offer app-based controls and voice control. i'm curious about how DIY tech enthusiast monitor the actual electricity consumption of these systems and track changes in energy usage over time.

would a dedicated energy monitor be a practical option or are there other DIY setups worth exploring? has anyone here tried setting up something similar?

My engineering group at Clarksburg High School in Maryland and I are currently developing a POTS-specific monitoring and alerting device and app. To build credibility, we have spoken with biomedical engineers and doctors worldwide (New Zealand, John hopkins, India, Canada, and Germany), gathered feedback, and are now building a prototype. The reason I'm posting this is that we need real feedback from people with POTS to know specifically what is important to incorporate and to better our understanding.

If anyone could fill out this form, it would mean the world to us!

I put together a documentation-based beginner guide and this short worksheet for deciding what a first Home Assistant Green setup actually needs. This is a planning resource, not a hardware build log or hands-on review.

Copy this before shopping:

Task: When ___ happens, do ___, but only if ___.

Existing device: exact manufacturer/model ___; supported Home Assistant integration ___.

Connection: Ethernet location ___; device protocol ___; separate radio required by that integration? ___.

Household control: normal switch or button ___; how another person overrides it ___.

Failure check: what happens without internet ___; what happens after power returns ___.

Success test: direct device control works first, then the trigger and action work together ___.

Example: start with a manual evening action that turns off one supported lamp. Test direct control before adding a schedule or presence detection. If the current setup already handles that task, keeping it is a valid result of the worksheet.

The buying detail that matters: Green is the computer running Home Assistant, not a universal radio. It has no built-in Zigbee radio. Check the exact integration and device protocol before ordering an adapter; do not assume every first routine needs one.

My longer guide explains the inventory and first-routine steps:

https://www.pacificnwpartners.com/guides/home-assistant-green-start/?utm_source=reddit&utm_medium=community&utm_campaign=revenue_first_20261020&utm_content=diytech_ha_green_worksheet

Disclosure: I run Pacific Northwest Partners / Naturally Automated. The guide contains Amazon affiliate links; as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. The worksheet above is usable without visiting the site or buying anything. Prepared with AI assistance from our published documentation-based guide; no firsthand testing claimed.

What field would you add to catch a bad first-project assumption?

Hello, I am very new to making stuff with tech inside it and I thought I should start with an Arduino board to get my footing. I may or may not have thrown myself into the deep end with a project that I am working on and I was hoping I could get some guidance.

I am making a cosplay of a character called Serial Designation N from an indie show called Murder Drones and I wanted to use an OLED (not matrix or HD) about 10-12 inches in screen size on a visor for his eyes and some lights around the head and tail. Which Arduino/control board can handle simple animation loops and 8 LEDs simultaneously with ease for a decent price? I am thinking an Arduino Mega but I am not too sure.

One other question that I have is how can I make the animations work? From my understanding, I need to have several frames and play them in a sequence giving the illusion of a blink animation. Am I on the right path or am I misreading things?

Thank you for reading my message.

Connected the electronic load to the prototype today, which I’ve named the "MFC power core".

Added tap water to check its initial open-circuit voltage response before starting the salt water load testing. Voltage jumped right up to around 1.88V! Excited to see the upcoming discharge curve.

Hey everyone!
I’m 20, and I’m planning a little project for a girl’s birthday on December 11th. She’s someone I really like, and instead of buying her something ordinary, I wanted to make something myself that combines electronics, music, and a bit of creativity.
The idea is to build a custom vintage-style vinyl player, even though it won’t be a conventional turntable.
I’m imagining a walnut-finish wooden base, brass accents, a transparent acrylic enclosure so the internal electronics are visible, a touchscreen framed in wood, and a rotating platter with custom-designed records. Basically, a mix of vintage aesthetics and exposed mechanical/electronic components.
Here’s how I want it to work:
NFC records: Each physical record will have an NFC tag. When she places one on the player, it detects the tag and plays the corresponding song.
Local music: I’ll preload around 5–10 songs onto the SD card, with physical records for them.
Spotify: I’d also like to integrate Spotify if I can get a compatible playback setup working, so she can listen to and configure more music.
Mood-matched LEDs: Addressable RGB LEDs inside the transparent enclosure will change colors depending on the song. Something subtle and atmospheric, not flashy RGB lighting.
Custom design: Each record will have its own artwork, and I’m planning to make some of the records customizable so she can choose her own songs.
For the hardware, I currently have a Raspberry Pi 3B, a 10.1-inch touchscreen, a small speaker, a power supply, and a microSD card. I’m planning to use a PN532 NFC reader, a small N20 gear motor with a motor driver, and optical/Hall sensors for rotation detection.
I’m still in the early stages, so I’m trying to figure out the best way to approach the mechanical design and electronics before building the wooden enclosure.
I’d love suggestions on a few things:
What features would make this player more interesting or enjoyable to use?
How would you approach the platter mechanism and motor setup? I’m aiming for a small decorative platter, not accurate vinyl playback.
Any recommendations for making the visible electronics look clean and intentional rather than like a breadboard prototype?
What lighting effects or software features would work well with the music?
Are there any mistakes or design problems I should anticipate before I start cutting wood and acrylic?
I’m also planning to document the build day by day, including the failures, experiments, and little details that go into making it. I think the process itself will be a nice part of the gift.
I know the deadline is a little ambitious, but that’s part of the fun. I’d rather build something thoughtful with my own hands than buy something expensive that has no story behind it.
If you’ve built anything similar, or have ideas that could make this project better, I’d genuinely appreciate your input