PocketMagic

Cheap AVR USB Programmer

A good source for cheap AVR USB Programmers. USBasp modules.

Simple Switched power Supplies

Several simple SMPS designs, constructed by Daniel, @danyk.wz.cz . A great resource to learn about various SMPS topologies.

Programmatically Injecting Events on Android

Three possible solutions for injecting events (both keys or touch events) in Android.

Canon S2 IS CCD Repair and IR Mod

A quick CCD replacement for my Canon S2 IS camera. CCD IR filter removed to enable IR photography options.

Capacitor Discharge Microspot Welder / Cutter

A DIY microspot soldering/welding/cutting device using energy stored in a very large capacitor delivered as precisely calculated pulses to working electrodes.

AVR Studio 5 snprintf / vsnprintf problem with Floats

How to fix the problem with Float variables in AVR Studio

The device consists of a hot cathode (filaments), anodes (phosphor) and grids encased in a glass envelope under a high vacuum condition. The cathode is made up of fine tungsten wires, coated by alkaline earth metal oxides, which emit electrons when heated by an electric current.

Tube: SBT-10A (CБT-10A)

SBT-10A, a rare geiger muller tube for professional equipment.

AVR Studio 5 C++ Support

Build C++ projects with AVR Studio 5

BlackBerry Splash Screen

A tutorial with code that presents an easy way to show a splash screen in your Blackberry application. Show the first Splash-Screen, wait a few miliseconds, than load the rest of your application.

Developing for Blackberry -part 2-

An updated article on some very basic first steps with Blackberry programming. Tools, sample app, and how to get it running.

DIY/Homemade Geiger Counter -3-

A simple DIY Geiger counter circuit, that can be used with several tubes.

Digital Counter using CD4026

A digital counter using CD4026 for fast event counting as those from Geiger Muller tubes or scintillation probes.

Melting lead

Melting lead at 327.46 °C for a compact lead-brick result.

Tube: MR-04

MR-04 is a ionization tube.

Longitudinal Excitation Nitrogen Laser

A Longitudinal Excitation Nitrogen Laser design, using a fridge pump for vacuum and N2 from air as lasing medium.

Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) Emulator How-to

A quick guide on how to configure an Android 4.0 Emulator image.

Tube: VA-Z320

VA-Z320 mica window geiger muller tube

Tube: MCT-17/SI-3B (си-3Б)

MCT-17 Mica Window Geiger Muller Tube

Tube: SBM-19 (СБМ-19 )

SBM-19 Geiger Muller Tube

Android BluetoothClass Major Service Classes, Minor and Major Device Classes

Learn how to get over some limitations in Android Bluetooth SDK to read the Bluetooth COD (Major, minor classes) for a given Bluetooth device.

Android getSharedPreferences NullPointerException

Avoid the NullPointerException error when using the getSharedPreferences on Android.

Auto Start Android Service on Boot

Learn how to make an autostartable service on Android OS, using the BOOT_COMPLETED notification.

Building a socket for a power tube – TGI2 400/16

How to build a socket for a big Russian hydrogen Thyratron tube using copper connectors made out of a pipe.

Thyratron Switched Tesla coil (THYTC)

Using a hydrogen Thyratron tube to switch a Tesla Coil. The Thyratron tube replaces the noisy spark gap.

Relaxation oscillator using a Hydrogen Thyratron

Some details on the relaxation oscillators and my implementation using a hydrogen thyratron.

Pulse generator (Variable duration, frequency and amplitude)

A very customizable pulse generator built using three 555 timers, to control a relaxation oscillator hydrogen thyratron.

Pulse forming network

My DIY PFN for a relaxation oscillator using a hydrogen thyratron.

Twin Marx Generator

Some pictures with my marx generator throwing high voltage discharges!

Russian hydrogen thyratron , TGI2 400/16 (ТГИ2-400/16)

A hydrogen thyratron is a device capable of switching big amounts of energy. De major advantage over other thyratrons is that the deionization time is reduced by using the hydrogen gas, generated in a small reservoir inside the tube, from a metallic Hydride.

Battery powered high voltage multiplier for gas igniter or stun gun

Learn how to build a compact gas igniter or stun gun, powered by a 9V battery.

Electric Fence – 20KV pulses for perimeter defense

Protect your tent’s perimeter from bears, when in the wild. A 20KV pulse generator will inflict painful shocks to anyone touching the perimeter electric fence wire. Not lethal, but very painful, enough to put unwanted visitors on the run.

Small Spark Gap Tesla coil (SGTC) #4

A small spark gap tesla coil, a good example for an relaxation oscillator.

Rewound Microwave Oven Transformer

How to rewound a MOT transformer for a high current low voltage power supply.

How to list symbols in a .so file

A simple way to extract the symbols in .so files.

Android “Unable to open sync connection” error

How to fix the Unable to open sync connection, displayed in Eclipse Console by Android SDK tools.

Wireless Power Transmitter

A wireless power transmitter used to send electrical energy without wires. It uses induction, an emitter and a receiver working on the 63.1KHz frequency.

NaI Scintillator with Atmega8 counter and Bluetooth for dosimetry/spectroscopy

A DIY counter for a NaI Scintillation probe. AtMega8 and a bluetooth module for wireless data output. A cheap and easy to build homemade dosimeter with applications in spectroscopy.

Electronic Ballast for fluorescent lamps

A simple electronic ballast running on 220V designed to work with up to four small power fluorescent lamps

Vacuum tube tesla coil (VTTC) using Russian GI-30

A vacuum tube tesla coil built around the Russian tetrode GI-30. My first VTTC and my first vacuum tube circuit, and some very rewarding results.

Removing a stuck filter from a lens

An easy way to remove a stuck filter from a lens. All you need is a piece of flexible PVC insulated wire.

Fukushima plant time lapse video March

A timelapse video of the Geothermal power plant in Yanaizu-Nishiyama, Fukushima . Daylight time in 4 minutes.

How to give an image an old photo look

A simple way to give to an image an old photo look using actions in Photoshop

How to make a curvy selection in Photoshop

Create a proper selection using a pen tool in Photoshop

High Voltage Power supply – 140KV

A CW High voltage supply that produces up to 140000 volts (140KV) . Simple, clean design, without oil, but with high quality multipliers.

Homemade Flyback secondary -3-

Build a disc shaped flyback secondary. A robust new design, that will do a great job in your High Voltage projects.

Simple DIY/Homemade Geiger counter -2-

An article presenting a simple DIY Geiger Muller counter using the Russian tube SI-22G and a single transistor regulated inverter that puts out 400V, as required by the tube. A very basic detector assembled in 5 minutes. See an operation comparison to the Radex RD1706.

Android overriding Menu key to disable keyboard popup

The standard functionality on Android devices makes the software keyboard popup every time the Menu is long pressed. This may be annoying or unwanted. Here’s how to disable it.

Android 9 Patch images for custom controls

Design custom shaped corners Edittexts or TextViews, or any other kind of Android interface controls, using 9 patch images that keep their aspect when stretched.

Android Contacts – a simple Contact Selector

The Android Contacts tutorial part 5, here I show a robust solution for selecting a contact from a list. A filter/search mechanism is also implemented using the SimpleCursorAdapter.

Android Contacts – Searching for contacts

Part 4 of Android Contacts tutorial presents an easy way to programatically search and retrieve a contact and all the fields we are interested in such as Phone, Email, Web, Company, Address, etc.

Android Contacts – Invoke the Edit Contact Intent

In Android Contacts tutorial part 3, I present a simple way of opening a contact in the System contact form using the ACTION_EDIT Intent .

Android Contacts – Custom Contact column to get the LOOKUPKEY

Part 2 of the Android Contacts tutorial, showing how to add a custom column to a contact, and how to use that to identify a newly added contact and read its LOOKUPKEY.

Android Contacts – Add a new Contact using ContentProvider

Part 1 of a tutorial on working with Android Contacts: add a new contact programatically, including name, email, company, phone but also a thumbnail contact image .

How to fix wash out photos from airplane

A simple way to fix the wash out photos from airplane using Photoshop.

Android WebBrowser using WebView

A few easy steps for an Internet Web Browser for Android. Learn how to use a Webview, load pages, inject Javascript, read the HTML source code and more.

Android GUI with Header+Scrollable Content+Footer

Create an Android GUI with Header, middle scrollable content, and a footer.

Thyratrons

An article on Thyratrons and a film showing three energized tubes : the 714, the 309/FG17 and the ELC1B.

Simple DIY Induction heater

A Royer oscillator with 2 IRF540 N-Channel mosfets, a 0.47uF Capacitor and a 1500uH inductor used for an induction heater. The mosfets remain cool, even with such small heatsinks.

Android PhotoPicker using Intents and Gallery

Learn how to Invoke the Android Gallery Intent to pick a photo and get the path in your application. This photo picker returns the image path directly in your application.

Android Custom Complex Listview with Header (no XML)

Create a dynamic (no XML) listview with header with all the bells and whistles. Learn how to use the item position to change its background and content for a complex result.

Android Unique Device ID

Learn to read an unique device ID from your Android phone or tablet. Use the ID to generate software security keys or for cryptography applications.

Developing for Android – the SDK – update 2011

Get started with Android Java development – a tutorial with detailed steps and lots of pictures to help you make your first android application. Use Eclipse and the Android SDK.

A Farnsworth–Hirsch Fusor failed attempt

My first attempt in building an inertial electrostatic confinement device . It didn’t work.

Android Vertical TextView / Custom Angle Text

Learn how to create a Custom TextView class that can draw vertical text or rotate the text to any given angle. Easy!

Multitester using ATMega8 and HD44780 LCD

An Atmega8 multimeter that can measure Transistors: Bipolar/Mosfet , Diodes and Double Diodes , Resistors, Capacitors: between 0.2nF to 7300μF, Triacs and Thyristors.

Ion thruster using 50KV Supply

Build a Ion Thruster using light materials and power it using a 50KV supply to see another kind of propulsion.

Homemade/DIY High voltage probe

Using a high voltage 1GOhm resistor to built a DIY high voltage probe, to measure voltages up to 55KV with a normal multimeter, by scaling the voltage down by 1/1000.

X-ray intensifying screen

Get X-ray intensifying/fluorescent screens from X-ray cassettes used for radiography.

Scintillation Probe with Photomultiplier and NaI Crystal

A scintillation probe enclosing the regulated high voltage supply, the signal amplifier, the photomultiplier and the scintillation crystal (NaI).

High Current Invertor using ZVS

Use a ZVS Driver as an invertor for a high current supply.

We’ve got a new design!

The new PocketMagic.net logo and layout

Marx Generator 200KV discharge – artificial lightning

See a 200.000 Marx generator in action. 20cm discharges!

Android on HD2 (HTC Leo) INSTALL_FAILED_INSUFFICIENT_STORAGE

You can boot an Android image, from the SDCard of an Windows Mobile HTC HD2 Pocket PC, using Haret. Be careful to use a 2GB max SDCard!

High Voltage Power supply – 50KV

My homemade high voltage power supply that can provide aprox. 50KV for 12V in.

Android NDK Cygwin make error 127

Android NDK Cygwin make error 127, but only on some computers. I suspect there’s a conflict with other development tools (based on PATH, etc).

Android Native Play Sound using /dev/msm_pcm_out

Directly interface the PCM device, using low level native C programming. Play sounds by sending data to /dev/msm_pcm_out

Android Native Screen capture application using the Framebuffer

Learn how to do a programmatic screen capture on Android, using the framebuffer and some native C code. See how to correctly save a BMP file.

Android C native development using the NDK under Windows

Learn how to compile your C code to native Android executables, using Windows, Cygwin and the Android NDK in just 3 easy steps.

Lenovo ReadyCom5 and WLAN AP Issues

Lenovo ReadyCom 5 can cause a wireless router to self-reboot, remotely.

Reinstalling Vending.apk (Market) on Android

Learn how to reinstall the Market application on your Android, using the Vending.apk installer.

Android controlled robot (via Bluetooth) – Part 1

Learn to connect a bluetooth module to an ATMega micro controller via the UART serial interface and even further, discover it using a bluetooth enabled Android phone. The 9600bps serial link established, can than be used to exchange data: read sensors or control the robot.

High Voltage Multiplier (Half Wave Villard Cascade) 28 STAGES!

Build a Half Wave Villard Cascade of 28 Stages. That means for 10KV in you get (in theory) 280KV out! An incredible voltage, perfect for physics experiments.

EM-11 (6U5G) Magic Eye tube (tunning tube)

EM-11 is a magic eye tube, used in old radios for tunning. See some schematics on how to use this tube, for some green, fluorescent effects!

Android Dynamic (no xml) Custom Adapter Listview

A tutorial on how to build a custom adapter for an Android Listview control, and how to catch the onClick event correctly.
Includes source code.

Android NDK for Windows setup guide

See how to configure Android NDK with Windows and build your JNI project in a few easy steps.

Webcam Surveillance with motion detection algorithm

A homemade/DIY security system using a webcam, a low power server and a surveillance software.

WinCE Broadcom stack FindAttribute SDP_DISC_ATTTR_VAL 256Bytes limit

See the real limit for receiving a SDP bluetooth device attribute in the SDP_DISC_ATTTR_VAL structure for the Broadcom Bluetooth Stack.

Kvarts DRSB-01 Dosimeter

The DRSB-01 is a simple Geiger Counter device that can be used to detect normal vs. dangerous levels of ionizing radiation (gamma and beta).

Apache won’t start – Skype to blame!

Skype opens the TCP port 80 for unknown purposes. It doesn’t ask for user’s permission. This “feature” however creates problems when running legitimate software like an apache server. Think twice when installing “bells and whistles” software like Skype, Messengers, and others.

Homemade mini-itx server

See how to build a case for a mini-itx computer board. A lot of processing power in a tiny box.

Peltier thermo-electric cooler

Use a Peltier cooler and electricity of pump heat and freeze water.

WinCE Bluetooth Broadcom stack ‘Not a valid Pocket PC application’ Error

Some details on the ‘Not a valid Pocket PC application’ error resulting from calling the IsStackServerUp API in Windows Mobile Bluetooth Broadcom stack applications.

Victoreen CDV700 6B Dosimeter Mod (Audio/BNC Connector)

The CDV700 dosimeter variant 6B (newer) and a few mods to improve functionality: audio connector and bnc connector.

Pancake Geiger Muller Counter (russian CI14B/SI14B) -1-

Build a DIY homemade Geiger Muller Counter using the Pancake Russian tube CI14B/SI14B . Schematics included.

Radex RD1706 dosimeter

A short review on the Radex RD1706 dosimeter, how good it is, and how can it be compared to other dosimeters, eg. the Terra-P MKS-05.

Homemade Flyback secondary -2-

Build your own indestructible flyback secondary

Resizing Linux partition results in GRUB Error 17 fix

See how to fix Grub Error 17 on Ubuntu.

Variable 0..30V 20A Regulated Power supply using LM317

A variable 0..30V power supply for max 20ampers! See how to handle all the power and build your own reliable lab power supply.

Marx generator

My first marx generator that gives 5cm sparks.
EDIT: >20cm sparks!!!

Android dynamic TAB Control

Learn to create a tab control on Android, without the XML layout. Add an image to the tab control in a few easy steps.

Linear Pseudorandom number generator (PRNG)

Understand what a random number is , how important the chaos is, and how to understand a sequence of numbers that seems to have no meaning.

Terra-P Radiation dosimeter MKS-05

The terra-p Radiation dosimeter can be used to measure Gamma, Beta and X-rays.

High Frequency Solid State Tesla Coil (HF SSTC)

My first SSTC as a high frequency solid state tesla coil.

Mains hum sensor – detect the power lines inside walls

Detect the power lines route inside walls with this simple Mains Hum sensor

CdS Photosensitive Vacuum tubes

A collection of a few NOS photosensitive vacuum tubes.

CreateProcess, GetExitCodeProcess and application crash

When using CreateProcess win32 API make sure the lpCommandLine is not a constant or your application can crash.

ATMega8 LCD Game

Create a simple game board and write a little software game for your ATMega8 LCD board.

First Atmega8 bot – (Arduino board)

An article about a differential Arduino robot by Rodrigo Nascimento Hernandez

ATmega8 and Hall Sensor A1302

Atmega8 and an A1302 Hall Sensor for sensing the magnetic fields in close proximity.

Apple iPhone 3G – introduction

This article shows a few basic things:
- How to connect your iPhone to your desktop PC and how to update the iPhone firmware
- How to downgrade the iPhone 3G from 3.1 to 3.0
- How to activate the iPhone 3G 3.0 (jailbreak)
- View iPhone filesystem in total commander
- Do screen captures of your iPhone 3G

Perseus 3 Advanced Robot (using Windows Mobile)

Perseus 3, a 4×4 advanced robot featuring an Atmega8 for sensor interfacing and motor control, and a I-mate SP5 smartphone (200MHz) running Windows Mobile 6.0 as robot’s brain. Small weight, powerful trust, and lots of features including WLAN, Bluetooth, Camera, Speaker, Phone-interface (GPRS, 3G), Microphone (for voice commands) and more.

Android tricks: Disable “No SIM card” screen

Disable the “No SIM card.” annoying Android message.

GU81M VTTC a different approach

High Voltage Power supplies

An article on various high voltage sources. Includes schematics, construction details, high resolution images and videos.

Homemade Capacitor 19nF/10KV

How to make a high voltage capacitor in a few steps. See a video with my 19nF/10kV capacitor, with under 1$ cost.

ARA – differential robot platform

A new differential robot platform, with strong gear motors and low power consumption.

Aspell word lists / dictionaries for several languages

How to extract huge word lists for most languages, using the Aspell dictionaries.

More on Android’s Bluetooth

See how to get more Bluetooth functionality on your Android device then the interface offers you. Discover nearby bluetooth devices, and see what interaction options you’ve got.

HCI Commands list

List of HCI commands.

Android adb error: “device not found” on Ubuntu

Hunting down some connectivity issues with the ADB command from the Android SDK.

Atmega8 with Bluetooth radio module

Add Bluetooth functionality to your microcontroller project (atmega8).

Write on the Android Read-only file system

Hot news: You can change the android partitions to Read-Write so you can upload new file versions (eg. permissions.xml) .

Handle drawing in Symbian

Learn how to handle drawing on the Symbian platform. A step by step guide on how to draw images and polygonal shapes.

Developing for Symbian

Make the first HelloWorld application for Symbian

Android C native development – take full control!

An useful post on how to use gcc and the android toolchain to produce native C applications for the google android.

Developing for Google Android – the SDK

Get started with Android Java development – a tutorial with detailed steps and lots of pictures to help you make your first android application.

Ultraviolet Light

Powering UV light tubes. A short comparison between UVA and UVC.

Developing for Google Android – update the OS version

A tutorial on how to unlock your Android G1, how to upgrade the ROM version and how to get Root on your embedded linux box.

Developing for Google Android – introduction

Learn:
- how to connect the Android to your Windows PC
- how to take screen captures from your Android
- how to install new software on your mobile device

Homemade Flyback secondary

An easy way to built a high performance flyback transformer. Custom and perfect to fit your needs.

Tesla Coil #3

ZVS Powered tesla coil with a nice setup on two decks

Robo Evolution – how to build a better robot

A not-so-short article on various robot platforms I’ve experimented with. See my latest designs, and learn about my findings on robotics.

A simple H-Bridge design

How to build a microcontroller to control a motor in both ways.

Win Mobile Tech Seminar in Lisbon, 11-12 March, 2009

A few words on the Windows Mobile Seminar held in Lisbon, Portugal, during 11-12 March 2009.
As a speaker at this seminar, I’ve presented a Voice Command Recognition system for Windows Mobile, in my topic named “Extending your Smartphone’s functionality”.

ATMega8 and DS18B20 (digital temperature sensor)

How to use a digital temperature sensor (DS18B20) with a microcontroller (ATMega 8). Source code included.

Developing for BlackBerry – introduction

My first contact with BlackBerry development. Yucks. However here’s an article on what you need to get started.

ATmega8 and 2×16 HD44780 LCD

A tutorial including source code on how to use a 2×16 LCD (HD44780) with the ATMega8 micro controller. LCD Interface as C++ Class.

Zeemote’s JS1, an innovative wireless controller

Zeemote has released mobile controller for games, this article shows how you can use it for remote desktop control!

First steps with micro controllers (ATMega8)

My first microcontroller (Atmega8) experiments, tools, software, tips and photos.

Tesla Coil #2

Tesla Coild powered by a ZVS driven flyback

My first TEA Nitrogen laser

An attempt on building a TEA N2 Laser and an innovative idea for positioning the high voltage electrodes.

Tesla Coil #1

Here’s how I’ve built my first Tesla Coil for a few tens of thousands of volts.

ZVS Flyback Driver

My first ZVS high voltage driver. A lot of current, and a lot of hot plasma. Includes YouTube video.

Glass and… Uranium?!

UV fluorescence of uranium doped glass marbles.

My 500GB (!) Storage PDA

A short review on the new possibilities a CF2USB card for Pocket PC can offer, including attaching an external USB Harddisk to the Mobile device.

ITON Bluetooth Keyboard and Mouse

A review on two bluetooth HID (Human input device) devices, manufactured by ITON.
The PA-BK02 bluetooth keyboard and the PA-BTM02 bluetooth mouse are some nice wireless alternatives to your current input hardware.

Laser photography

A few interesting laser photos showing their intense beams.

100mW Burning Red Laser

This is about lasers, a short article where I speak about a 100mW red laser that I’ve recently built. Lots of interesting photos included.

FingerTouch PRO custom layout guide

An article showing a quick way to create your personalized software keyboard for Pocket PC. Do you need a specific key? Would you like your keys to be bigger / arranged in a different order? Read this article for more.

Bluetooth BlueJacking

A short article on BlueJacking, which is sending unsolicited messages remotely to Bluetooth enabled devices.

Changing the Pocket PC screen resolution

A simple way of changing the resolution of your pocket pc. You only need a registry editor!

FingerTouch Pro – 5 keyoards in 1

This article is about an innovative keyboard for PocketPC’s that can help you type faster on that tiny screen.

Voice command recognition

A video presentation of a voice command recognition software.

Controlling the speakerphone

This article shows an efficient way of controlling the speakerphone status on WM4.0/5.0/6.0. It also includes a C++ code snippet for better understanding.

Controlling the Radio Devices

Introduction The number of mobile devices manufacturers is quite big at the moment, so for the developers there are many platforms out on the market and their software must function properly on each of them. Most of the programming aspects are covered by the available APIs. General things like drawing a fancy interface or having [...]