Actually Cool, Innovative Uses for Dead, Obsolete Laptops @DIYPerks
I’ve always been intrigued by ideas for reusing/upcycling old or dead computers. Sadly, the videos and articles online tend to focus on the same reuse of parts, or obvious things, like creating a media center, or a raid array.
This video, on DIY Perks, contains some of the most clever reuses I’ve seen, everything from turning the mic into a headset mic, to turning the speakers into wall-mounted speakers, to turning a damaged hard drive into a wall-projecting laser VU meter. Wall lights, illuminated picture frames, a fan-cooled LED work light, a light table, USB battery chargers — so many cool ideas.
Eink, E-paper, Think Ink – Collin shares six segments pondering the unusual low-power display technology that somehow still seems a bit sci-fi – http://adafruit.com/thinkink
Stop breadboarding and soldering – start making immediately! Adafruit’s Circuit Playground is jam-packed with LEDs, sensors, buttons, alligator clip pads and more. Build projects with Circuit Playground in a few minutes with the drag-and-drop MakeCode programming site, learn computer science using the CS Discoveries class on code.org, jump into CircuitPython to learn Python and hardware together, TinyGO, or even use the Arduino IDE. Circuit Playground Express is the newest and best Circuit Playground board, with support for CircuitPython, MakeCode, and Arduino. It has a powerful processor, 10 NeoPixels, mini speaker, InfraRed receive and transmit, two buttons, a switch, 14 alligator clip pads, and lots of sensors: capacitive touch, IR proximity, temperature, light, motion and sound. A whole wide world of electronics and coding is waiting for you, and it fits in the palm of your hand.
Have an amazing project to share? The Electronics Show and Tell is every Wednesday at 7pm ET! To join, head over to YouTube and check out the show’s live chat – we’ll post the link there.
