No.8Hacks

A public holiday could be spent doing something constructive. Instead I took to the streets of Auckland city and took a number of photos of the Sky Tower. Here is the result, both as high res YouTube video and low res gif:

Once again I delve into the science of LEDs, this time to make a really nifty clock.

Borrowing ideas off others, the Word Clock idea is not new. In fact, here are a few examples.

Wanting to give this a try myself, and perhaps improve on the concept, element14 (Farnell) offered to supply me with the parts needed as part of their Blogger Outreach program. And who doesn't love free stuff!?

If you've ever talked to me for more than 5 minutes, you'll know I love LEDs and I'm always thinking of projects to include LEDs. Thinking it was about time my garden fountain got a lighting upgrade, some RGB lighting solutions were explored. Most waterproof RGB lighting setups are fairly pricy, so when I came across this Waterproof RGB LED Strip on eBay, I thought I'd hit the jackpot.

The Wellington Sevens, New Zealand's biggest, annual party in our capital city. An excuse to dress up, drink excessively and perhaps even watch a game or two.

Thinking this would be a superb time to crank out my Tron Costume once again. I found this recent article showing an amazing pair of light up, el wire, equalizer glasses, which respond to the beat of surrounding music. A perfect addition to my Tron costume.

ch00f kindly uploaded his schematics and parts list to his article allowing anyone to easily replicate his circuit.

After a few tweaks of his design, I had my own pair of light up, sound reactive Shutter Shades.