A HACK A DAY: Season 10
We bring you hacks and tricks to make life easier with technology around you
Season 10 features the following hacks:
- How to generate electricity using an old washing machine
- How to make a simple laser tachometer
- How to make a low-budget Bluetooth music system
- How to prevent credit card theft
- How to make a simple speaker from a dead hard drive
- Tip to repair a hard drive, recover data
- How to perfectly clean your filthy keyboard
- DIY magnetic decorations from old keyboard keys
- How to turn an old PC or laptop into a wireless router
- How to create an unhackable password
- How to make an LED illusion mirror
- How to make an anti-photography kit, keep paparazzi away
- How to make a secret monitor
- Three simple DIY tips for your weekend
- 15 Android tips, tweaks, mods and hacks
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A HACK A DAY: Present running season
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Your old washing machine can be put to great use after it has past its life cycle. Here is a cool hack, using which, you can generate electricity and power some appliances at home and save money. If you live in an outhouse or have a home is a farm side, this hack is definitely for you. All you need is to convert some energy from flowing water into mechanical energy and then convert it into electricity. All this can be done by simply using the motor from the old, unused washing machine. The motor will be used as a dynamo and will be spun using flowing water. Watch the video on how you can make one at home, in under Rs 1,000.
Each day we also bring you videos from around the Internet to show you how they make stuff. Check out ‘How do they make it’
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Measuring speed is done by a tachometer, which beams out a ray of light and bounces against the spinning wheel or object. The reflected light is then received by a light sensitive receiver, which captures a series of light and dark fields to measure the speed. The speed is monitored by the breaks in the light beam, converted into a frequency and then measured accordingly. This requires precision, which can be done by expensive measuring gadgets. But for those who want to make their own, basic tachometers, the video below demonstrates how you can make it at home, using a simple laser diode, an LED and your oscilloscope. In the method below, you can use a simple red LED as a light sensor. Check out how you can make one in a few minutes.
Each day we also bring you videos from around the Internet to show you how they make stuff. Check out ‘How do they make it’
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Even though you own an expensive and high-quality Bluetooth speaker, there are places in the house you don’t want to carry it to, for example, your bathing room. There are always chances of the speakers getting spoilt.
However, making a low-budget Bluetooth music system seems like a great alternative. You can fix it in a wall and operate it via Bluetooth from your smartphone. It isn’t a big task to create it too. Here’s how to go about it, watch and learn:
Each day we also bring you videos from around the Internet to show you how they make stuff. Check out ‘How do they make it’
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When you go to a restaurant, you blindly handover your credit or debit card to the steward for your final bill. He then takes it away to his billing desk / cashier and gets it swiped to generate a bill. He then comes to you for a signature and then hands over the card back to you. In case you have a chip-based card, you will be asked for a pin number. But are you 100 per cent sure that your credit card details are not copied while being billed? All one needs are the 16-digit number, date of expiry and the CVV number to be written down or simply snapped by his cellphone. This can be prevented. Check how:
Each day we also bring you videos from around the Internet to show you how they make stuff. Check out ‘How do they make it’
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Though you may find it bizarre, it is surprisingly true. You can make a simple speaker using an old dead hard drive. The main parts of a speaker are a magnet and a coil and a diaphragm to vibrate and create sound. A hard drive also has similar parts, except the diaphragm. The actuator arm has a coil which is suspended between two strong neodymium magnet. This coil can be used as a voice coil and the actuator arm as the vibrating source. Add a diaphragm to the actuator arm and you have a simple speaker. Check out the videos below on how you can make one at home.
Each day we also bring you videos from around the Internet to show you how they make stuff. Check out ‘How do they make it’
Since solid state drives are still too expensive, most computers are still using hard drives. Since the conventional hard drive uses spinning motors and moving parts inside it, they are vulnerable to dust, vibrations and shocks. This causes your drive to fail, and you could lose your entire data. However, hard drives actually speak to you when they are healthy, failing or bad—you just need to know the language. Many-a-times, a failed hard drive is due to bad circuit boards and stuck heads. If the drive is causing such issues, it produces a different type of sound for each problem type. To know this, an experienced ear can tell you the problem by just hearing the hard drive’s sounds. If you have a hard drive that has a stuck head (actuator arm), you could be able to repair it and recover the data within a few minutes. Take a look at the video below and learn how you can do it right at home and avoid those huge data recovery bills.
Each day we also bring you videos from around the Internet to show you how they make stuff. Check out ‘How do they make it’
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When using a keyboard at home or office, you will definitely find it getting dirty, dusty and a lot of filth entering between the keys. At times, especially on a kid’s PC, you would also notice that the keyboard keys are sticky or dirty with food or sweat marks. Accidental spills on the keyboard, such as water, coffee or sodas, can also make your keyboard a breeding ground for germs. Cleaning your keyboard daily with a regular brush is nice, but not good enough. If you notice that your keyboard is filthy (look now), check out the video below on how you can clean and disinfect it, once a week/month.
Each day we also bring you videos from around the Internet to show you how they make stuff. Check out ‘How do they make it’
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DIY magnetic decorations from old keyboard keys:
If you have old or dead keyboards lying around your house or office, don’t junk them. Old keyboards can make great décor for your home and office. All you need is to extract the keys, clean them and place magnets on the rear to turn them into informative décor for your room. Check out the video below which will guide you on how you can make these yourself.
Each day we also bring you videos from around the Internet to show you how they make stuff. Check out ‘How do they make it’
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How to turn an old PC or laptop into a wireless router:
If you have an old computer or laptop biting the dust at home or your office, you know very well that the computing unit will not fetch you much of an amount. The hardware is pretty old, and the computer is almost useless to even run the Windows operating system with a decent speed. So why not make use of the same for a simple, yet powerful wireless router for your home or office? The computer’s hardware could be slow for Windows, but it can surely be a powerful brain for a router. Check out a few videos that will show you how you can turn your old PC or laptop into a powerful router at home or office.
Each day we also bring you videos from around the Internet to show you how they make stuff. Check out ‘How do they make it’
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Hackers and spammers use some smart ways to hack your account and send spam emails, messages to your contacts. Setting up a strong password will help you keep your email, social media accounts and your computer secure. If you're using a corporate network, it’s very important to create a password that can’t be hacked easily. Creating strong passwords can help you remain super secure in the online world.
This might seem difficult for many. You need not worry! Here are some smart tips to help you create easy, secure and strong passwords.
Each day we also bring you videos from around the Internet to show you how they make stuff. Check out ‘How do they make it’
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How to make an LED illusion mirror
The weekend is here and it’s time for a DIY. Today’s hack is a project you can take up for the weekend to make a really cool LED illusion mirror at home. It’s super interesting to make, and need just a little bit of effort. All you need for the DIY project is a framed mirror with a glass back, a sheet of tinting film, a strip of multicoloured LED, and basic building tools.
Here’s how to go about it, watch and learn:
Each day we also bring you videos from around the Internet to show you how they make stuff. Check out ‘How do they make it’
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How to make an anti-photography kit, keep paparazzi away
There are times when you don’t want people clicking photos of you. You could be in the centre of a huge controversy or simply don’t like being photographed. The only way presently is to either cover your face or simply stay away from the scene. But what if you could still be in the scene and feel safe from being photographed? Well, using infrared lights can help you ruin the images of a photographer.
Though humans cannot see the infrared light, as IR light is outside the human visible spectrum, cameras are very sensitive to infrared light. By focusing a bright infrared light on the camera’s sensor, you can overexpose the photos, indirectly ruining the picture captured by the camera. All you need is a powerful IR light source, and you are covered. You can also use the gadget in broad daylight, and no one can photograph you. The kit can be made for different sizes, helping you covering your face, car, house, or anything you desire. Check out the video below which shows you how to make an anti-photography kit in under Rs 100.
Each day we also bring you videos from around the Internet to show you how they make stuff. Check out ‘How do they make it’
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So you are a developer and are working on a very important or secret assignment. But you cannot have anyone peeping into your work as they could leak out or be sabotaged. Or maybe you are a spy and cannot afford anyone snooping over your shoulder and into your work. Well, there are many such areas where your work on the desktop PC needs to be private and secretive, and you just cannot afford or risk anyone peeping into your screen. One way to avoid all this and get privacy is to move into a room or cabin and shut the door behind you. But what if you simply cannot have that privacy? Or have too many people around? The only option is to make a secret monitor.
Well, you may be thinking what the H*** are we talking about. No, these monitors are not available in the market, but you can make it yourself, right at home, and in under an hour. All you need is an old LCD monitor and a pair of spectacle frames. Apart from these, you would need a sharp knife, some rubbing alcohol and a micro-fiber cloth. Do note, this trick cannot be reversed, and your monitor will be permanently a secret monitor. So if you want to try this experiment, you should either do it on an old LCD monitor or sacrifice your existing one. We assure you the stuff is great, and you won’t be sorry. Yes, unless your monitor came out of your pocket money and your dad has a short temper.
Well, jokes aside, the secret monitor is no myth. It works on the physics of light. The main idea is to remove the front plastic coating from the monitor and use it in a pair of spectacle frames, so only you can see through it. The plastic that will be removed from the LCD display is a simple polarizer film that passes light through it in a particular direction. Only when it is placed over the LCD display, or seen through it, the image on the monitor can be visible. Check out the rest of the video below which will show you how it functions and how you can do it yourself. Note: this works only on LCD monitors and certain television sets. Don’t try this on your smartphone or your CRT monitor—it won’t work.
When you’re done, you will have your computer display ‘for your eyes only’
Each day we also bring you videos from around the Internet to show you how they make stuff. Check out ‘How do they make it’
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As the weekend nears, why not spend some time tweaking stuff around your house? The video below will show you how you can convert a simple portable speaker and MP3 player into a cool boom box. The video also includes a simple DIY trick on how you can hide or camouflage your power cables and how to make a quick smartphone stand, whenever and wherever you need it.
Each day we also bring you videos from around the Internet to show you how they make stuff. Check out ‘How do they make it’
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Are you fed up of your Android smartphone getting sluggish by the week? Are you ready to root your Android handset to speed up that sluggish user interface? If yes, here is a video will tip you about 15 tweaks, mods and hacks on why you should root your Android smartphone.
Rooting an Android gives you access to the operating system with an Administrator-level credentials and allows you to tweak and make changes to better or boost the OS. Rooting also allows you to install third-party apps that can start, stop and kill services in the background that utilize high RAM, CPU and data. Check out the video below to know more.
Each day we also bring you videos from around the Internet to show you how they make stuff. Check out ‘How do they make it’