The studio lights I use to make my videos waste a lot of light so I made some cheap reflectors using bowls from the dollar store and foil tape (Amazon link). The new reflectors direct more light forward toward whatever I am filming. The reflector gives me about an extra 1 1/3 stops of light which is pretty good. Here’s how I did it.
In this video, I open up an LED yard light (aka “garden light”) and show you what’s inside. Read on…
In this video, I open up a compact fluorescent light bulb (CFL) and salvage the electrical components inside. Read on…
My grandfather taught me how to replace light switches and power outlets when I was a young kid. It is very easy to do. In this video, I show you just how easy it is. Read on…
I recently got into pinhole photography and needed a light meter to calculate exposure times. Light meter are ridiculously expensive and I figured there had to be a way to make one myself and it turns out, I was right. I will walk you through how to make a light meter from a cheap battery tester and a solar cell ripped from a calculator. You should be able to make one yourself for significantly less than $10. Read on…
I acquired a large, odd shaped, glass jar that I thought would make a cool aquarium. Due to the strange shape, a traditional aquarium hood/light combo would not work on this aquarium. I decided that a cheap aluminum 8.5″ clamp light would work well but I needed a way to hang it over the tank so I designed and build this simple wooden stand. This lamp stand can be completed easily and cheaply. Read on…
In this project I am going to show you how to make a joule thief and put it in a jar. This joule thief is a simple circuit that will take an old “dead” AA or AAA battery and up the voltage enough to power an LED. I use these as decorations and to completely drain batteries that are too “dead” to work in other devices. Note: The only unique idea here is to stick one of these circuits into a plastic jar. The circuit is not mine. Read on…
