LED Choker Is A Diamond In The Junk Pile

Isn’t it great when you find a use for something that didn’t work out for the project it was supposed to? That’s the story behind the LED strips in this lovely blinkenlights choke…

Back To Basics With A 555 Deep Dive

Many of us could sit down at the bench and whip up a 555 circuit from memory. It’s really not that hard, which is a bit strange considering how flexible the ubiquitous chip is, and how many w…

Your Home Mainframe

We miss the days when computers looked like computers. You know, blinking lights, rows of switches, and cryptic displays. [Phil Tipping] must miss those days too since he built PlasMa, a “min…

Agate Light Twinkles Just Right

Mother Nature is often a cruel mistress, but what can you do? You’ve got to make the best of what she gives you. This lovely little light was born from death — the death of a pine tree,…

A More Conspicuous Computer Assistant

Back in the last century, especially in the ’40s to the ’60s, one of the major home decor trends was to install various home appliances, like the television or stereo, into its own piec…

Woodworking, Blinkenlites, And FFT’s Dance To The Music

We all have that one project on our minds that we’d love to build if we could just find the right combination of time, energy, and knowledge to dive right in. For [Jonathan], that project was…

Need A Small, Cheap Ammeter? Blinkenlights To The Rescue!

You know how it is. You’ve got that new project running, and while it doesn’t consume much power, it also doesn’t give much indication of whether it’s functioning or just si…

The Most Important Device In The Universe Is Powered By A 555 Timer

The Hackaday comments section has become infamous for a recurring theme that goes something like “I don’t know why they used an Arduino, they could have done it with a 555 timer!”…

Retro Shield Replaces Springs With Jumpers, Includes Blinkenlights!

Is it an AM radio? Yes. It is a 555 LED flashing circuit? Yep. How about a hex counter with a 7 segment display? That too. Five different colored LED’s to satisfy your need for blinkenlights?…