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10 of the best homemade gadgets

25th October 2015 Print
Solar Cells

Some of the best gadgets and gizmos are the ones that are created in the home, the ones that come from a need to experiment and test the limits of creativity. We have rounded up some of the most popular homemade gadgets of the last few years, from incredible DIY home hacks to emergency gadgets designed to provide light and power.

1. First up is the battery created using small change, this project involved using 13 pennies to create a battery powerful enough to power a small calculator or LED bulb. By combining the pennies with zinc washers, sand paper and an electrolyte the inventor managed to create a working battery. Next time you complain about your spare change, how about putting it to the test?

2. Our next addition is the emergency light made out of fire and water. This green energy project used a handful of parts including food tins, tea lights and a few electronic components to create a working list. This was one of the many fantastic entries for the Instructables Green Design Contest.

Laptop

3. Got an old laptop? How about turning the screen into a working stand alone monitor? If the LCD is still working within your device, you can repurpose it to create a new screen for your device, they do say that 2 screens increase productivity, take a look at the full tutorial on YouTube

4. Camping enthusiasts will appreciate this fantastic trick to create a fire powered smart phone charger. Using the heart from the camp stove or other heat source, you can transfer the energy to one of your devices, this can also be used to light up LEDs to brighten up a campsite. This relies on a thermo-electric module that employs one hot and one cold side, the temperature difference is what starts producing electricity.

Solar Panels

5. Here's one for you to test out with the family; a plane that runs on solar power. Using solar panels, the creators were able to power a small unmanned model plane, although this one does get a little tricky, it's definitely worth it to see the power of green energy.

6. The next addition to our list is a DIY microbial fuel cell, used to harvest the electrons from bacteria that can then be used to produce electricity in the home. This a really fascinating use of renewable energy technology using bacteria that decompose fish excrement.

7. If you have an old radio lying around, why not turn it into your new Bluetooth speaker? This project took an old antique radio and restored it so that it could be paired with a smartphone or iPod. The result is a stylish, vintage looking radio that is ready to enter the modern age.

8. Using copper sulphate, zinc sulphate, water and a small selection of other equipment, you can create a battery made from water. This project is a great introduction to battery chemistry and the result can be used to power a smartphone.

9. When it comes to the best modern gadgets we could not overlook the genius who created a home brewer using his Raspberry Pi. As one of the must have gadgets of the moment, it is great to see the full potential of this single board device. By creating a digital tap list he was able to connect his Raspberry Pi to a monitor so it was easy to keep track of anything that was being brewed at the time.

Bicycle power

10. Finally,  one of the best DIY projects of the last few years was the creation of a bicycle powered generator that could power electronics. The generator produces clean energy than can be used as an emergency power supply or even as a day to day charger.

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Solar Cells Solar Panels Laptop Bicycle power