Wednesday, February 28, 2007

GlowBricks

GlowBricks
I don't remember where I found these but they are cool.

Thursday, February 15, 2007

SunJar

Made with a traditional Mason jar and high tech energy efficient lighting! Captured inside the jar are a highly efficient solar cell, rechargeable battery and low energy LED lamps. When the jar is placed in sunlight the solar cell creates an electrical current that charges the battery over a few hours. This energy is then used at night to power the three LED lamps inside the jar. The light is diffused by the frosted jar and give the appearance of sunlight emitting from the (warm coloured LED lights are used to give a more natural and warm light). You may have noticed that there is no switch on the sun jar - in fact there are no visible controls at all - there is a clever light sensor inside that automatically activates the lights when it gets dark or lights are turned out!* Mason Jars are not only beautiful but by their very nature they are completely water tight - so the Sun Jar can happily be left outside in any weather conditions. A perfect garden light or night light for a kids bedroom. *there is an override switch inside the lid to turn off the light at night and conserve battery life.

SunJar
http://www.suck.uk.com/product.php?rangeID=50#

Wednesday, February 14, 2007

LED Throwie

As found at Instructables: step-by-step collaboration

Developed by the Graffiti Research Lab a division of the Eyebeam R&D OpenLab, LED Throwies are an inexpensive way to add color to any ferromagnetic surface in your neighborhood. A Throwie consists of a lithium battery, a 10mm diffused LED and a rare-earth magnet taped together. Throw it up high and in quantity to impress your friends and city officials.LED throwies consist of only a few inexpensive parts and can be made for ~$1.00 per Throwie. You can reference the parts list below or download the attached spreadsheet for more info on parts, part's numbers, vendors and application notes.

Part: 10mm Diffused LED
Vendor: HB Electronic Components
Average cost: $0.20 avg per LED
Notes: Cost reductions for larger quantities. Comes in red, blue, amber, white in both diffused and clear. Diffused works better than water clear for the Throwie application. HB has even created a Throwies packs page with deals on 10mm LEDs and lithium batteries!


Part: CR2032 3V Lithium Batteries
Vendor: CheapBatteries.com
Cost: $0.25 per battery
Notes: Cost reductions for larger quantities. With the 2032 Lithium batter, depending on the weather and the LED color, your Throwie should last around 1 -2 weeks.

Part: 1-inch wide Strapping Tape
Vendor: Your local hardware store
Cost: $2.00 for one roll
Notes: One roll will make many throwies

Part: 1/2" Dia x 1/8" Thick NdFeB Disc Magnet, Ni-Cu-Ni plated
Amazing MagnetsVendor:
Cost: $13.00 per 25 magnets
Notes: Cost reductions for larger quantities

Part: Conductive Epoxy
Vendor: Newark In One
Cost: $32.00
Notes: The epoxy is optional.


Instructions and further information can be found at:
http://www.instructables.com/id/E9D2ZJ3FG0EP286JEJ?ALLSTEPS