DIY'ers: Ever build anything for a woman?

[Paul Marossy]

Sure, I've built DIY stuff for my wife. Just not stompboxes. Although, I could always build her something and then offer to use it when she tells me "what am I going to do with this?!"  :lol:

If you could build some kind of LED sign that says "I love you" in it, that might go over...  

[bwanasonic]

Who remembers that site that had a whole bunch of crazy DIY projects like a tree made up of LEDs? He also made some dangerous stuff like a tazer and a Jacob's Ladder. It's gotta be in the archives somewhere. Maybe you could make her something from that site?

I've looked for that site in the archives and can't find it. I remember "The Exploding PCB". He dropped a ball-bearing on a 12" square high voltage PCB he designed to self-destruct.

For the original gift idea of this thread, maybe you could find an application for this scrolling LED badge:

http://www.circuitspecialists.com/prod.itml/icOid/8331

Kerry M

[zachary vex]

Leon Termen did.  from this site:

http://www.thereminvox.com/article/articleview/21/2/1/

Moog: What sort of man was Professor Theremin? What things interested him?

Rockmore: First of all, he was a wonderful man. A brilliant man, obviously. He built a television in his studio long before television came out. He was the first one to develop a system for Devils Island to detect escaping prisoners. If a prisoner tried to climb the wall, or if his feet even left the ground, an alarm would sound. He developed an instrument to protect infants in their cradles from intruders. If anyone would even bend over the cradle, an alarm would sound. All this is outside of his work with musical instruments.

He was a marvelous dancer. We used to go out dancing together. The people would put spotlights on us, and stop and applaud. This was a sort of hobby. He was not one of these professors that only sits and buries himself in books. He was a handsome man, an agile man, with a sense of humor, and just a wonderful guy. I feel miserable that I can't get someone to sponsor a visit here for him when I know he's dying to come.

I had a birthday party. As a surprise, he made a birthday cake for me that, as I approached it, the lights went on and the cake began to turn around without my touching anything. This is the kind of frivolous thing that he would take time to do.

[80k]

Here's the basic idea, I can't seem to locate one of the kits...never find em' when I need em! :oops:  
http://www.redcircuits.com/Page75.htm

cool circuit.  couldn't find any kits, but it'd be easy enough to point-to-point wire that thing  might have to consider that one!

thanks for the other suggestions.  i'm still not sure what i'll do, but it's been helpful to hear other siggestions!

[PB Wilson]

Who remembers that site that had a whole bunch of crazy DIY projects like a tree made up of LEDs? He also made some dangerous stuff like a tazer and a Jacob's Ladder. It's gotta be in the archives somewhere. Maybe you could make her something from that site?

I've looked for that site in the archives and can't find it. I remember "The Exploding PCB". He dropped a ball-bearing on a 12" square high voltage PCB he designed to self-destruct.

Kerry M

That's the one! Now I've got to wade through a couple thousand threads before I sleep tonight to find it!

[KMS]

I like Fretwires idea for the sleep tones but that might not take that long to make.

I like the tree with LEDs too.

You could incorporate both together and even make the tree a Christmas tree. Put the sleep sound generator inside the tree with an additional sound generator loaded with Christmas songs.

I think you can buy a cheap three-way strand of lights with all the Christmas tones and different wave functions for a tri color set up and then just regulate the voltage for the LEDs you put on the tree.

Most ceramic/hobby shops have an 18” tree with holes in it ready for any small lights you want to put on it.  The lights glue to the inside of the tree and stick out through the pre-fab holes in the ceramic. My wife has one she made and bought from the hobby store.  You could put a small N scale (very small) train around it too. Hide all the main components inside the tree and extend the pot for the train transformer with a new pot via under the base wiring.  OK there’s a month or two project for you. :wink:

My guess about $100 with the train. If you can stop at that point.  You can set the train up with small magnets glued to the bottom of the train that trigger small glass reed switches under the base to switch polarities on the track and the train (very short train) would then reverse and go part way around and then forward again.  You can put additional relays such that the train would go around 3, 4, x times and then reverse for 1, 2, x times and start the process all over again.  Set it all up with 5 marked clearly controls, one for the sleep tones, one for the lights on/off, one pot for the wave function on the lights, one on/off for the train, and the pot for train voltage. Should all fit on a 24” base and have room for some train scenery too.  Santa’s house and some elves.  Ok, you better get started if you want to get it finished before she comes home. :lol:

[Ge_Whiz]

Australia? Check out this:

http://store.qkits.com/moreinfo.cfm/FK918

She'll love you for it.

[object88]

Not really electronic, but I built a picture box with a back-lit heart for my wife for valentine's day.  I like the chip-recorder ideas, though, maybe I'll make her something like that for her next birthday...

[80k]

Australia? Check out this:

http://store.qkits.com/moreinfo.cfm/FK918

She'll love you for it.

cool!  you ever try those?  does it work well?  thanks for the suggestion

[ninoman123]

Australia? Check out this:

http://store.qkits.com/moreinfo.cfm/FK918

She'll love you for it.

Nothing says I love you like a mosquito repellant circuit

[space_ryerson]

Those things give me the worst headaches. It's like tv noise x10. ack.

[Paul Marossy]

Nothing says I love you like a mosquito repellant circuit

:lol:

[Tubebass]

Who remembers that site that had a whole bunch of crazy DIY projects like a tree made up of LEDs? He also made some dangerous stuff like a tazer and a Jacob's Ladder. It's gotta be in the archives somewhere. Maybe you could make her something from that site?

http://www.emanator.demon.co.uk/bigclive/makendo.htm

[thumposaurus]

How about a color organ?  
They are simple to make and people always seem to be fascinated by them.

I've built one from this link:
http://www.aaroncake.net/circuits/organ.htm
it works great and is something interesting to watch while listening to music.

[Torchy]

DIY'ers: Ever build anything for a woman?

a home, a family, a lifestyle, and a stompbox habit that keeps me up till 2am ...  :wink:

oh, and a spice rack ...

[jrc4558]

I always considered a theremin to be the best gift ot a lady.

[Kilby]

Love the mosquito repellant and the colour organ ideas.

One option if you etch your own PCBs is simply to etch a halftone image of her favourite place, thing person frame it and send it to her.

Of course you could add some leds or the like (surface mount ones look best).

I played about with some of those ideas last year, if your soldering is up to it you could do a v small pcb with a small watch battery, led etc  onboard, as a pendant or the like.

Remember to laquer ot tin the copper though, or better still encase it in resin green copper isn't too attractive.

Kilby...

[object88]

I always considered a theremin to be the best gift ot a lady.

I agree, enough to have done it twice!  First was a PAiA kit, which my wife started to build and I cleaned up a little, but didn't work so well.  Second was a Moog Etherwave, which she loves.

[80k]

thanks again for the ideas!  hmm, theremin is a great idea, although it'd preferably have to be a bit smaller than the full-size ones.  might look around for some small kits for handheld theremins

[PB Wilson]

Who remembers that site that had a whole bunch of crazy DIY projects like a tree made up of LEDs? He also made some dangerous stuff like a tazer and a Jacob's Ladder. It's gotta be in the archives somewhere. Maybe you could make her something from that site?

http://www.emanator.demon.co.uk/bigclive/makendo.htm

Thanks Tubebass!