The Tech Junkies Episode #10 – Alt Energy Pt. 2

In this episode of The Tech Junkies, we follow up with our prior solar installation and show how to add pre-built solar panels to a shed.

The Tech Junkies Episode #9 – Alt Energy Pt. 1

In this episode the Tech Junkies tackle cheap alternative energy systems. Ben and Eric guide you through the process of assembling your own solar panels for around 50 cents per watt and how to construct a low cost wind turbine. This is only the beginning…more to come in part two!

More details here:
Wind Turbine Build
Solar Panel Build

The Tech Junkies Episode #8 – RFID Lock & Spoofing

In this episode of TTJ we show you how to build your very own RFID door lock using our open source plans. We also take it to the next step and show you how RFID tags can be read and duplicated.

Make sure to get all the details and source code in the episode writeups:

RFID Door Lock
RFID Tag Cloning

The Tech Junkies Episode #7.5 – Maker Faire Detroit 2011

In this shorter half-episode, we recap some of the cool things featured at Maker Faire Detroit 2011 and a bit more video of the Mantis robot driving around.

The Tech Junkies Episode #7 – Open Source Robots

In this episode we show how to build your own open source robot control system using IPGamepad and other open source software we’ve written. Make sure to visit the project page at ipgamepad.googlecode.com. We also show off our latest robot called Mantis. By building the controls around a Netduino, the robot is extremely extensible and can receive commands from any WiFi enabled device.

A project write-up is on the way and should be hitting the site in the next few days. Until then, check out the Google Code page for all the details of the control system.

The Tech Junkies Episode #6 – OpenWRT Jukebox

In this episode of The Tech Junkies, Ben and Eric show how to hack an Asus WL-520gu wireless router into a music playback device. By loading the OpenWRT firmware onto the router and adding a USB sound card, it is possible to convert this cheap/powerful router into a streaming box to be placed anywhere your WiFi is in range. Now you can build your own shoutcast/icecast receiver for cheap and get music wirelessly to any room in your home.

The Tech Junkies Episode #5 – Autonomous GPS R/C Car

In episode #5 of The Tech Junkies, Ben and Eric modify a $15 R/C car from Radio Shack into an autonomous, GPS navigated car. At the end of the episode the car must navigate down multiple roads using only the microcontroller and GPS module.

The Tech Junkies Episode #4 – WASP Bot

In this episode of The Tech Junkies, Ben and Eric discover a large wasp nest in Ben’s shed. Rather than taking the risk of taking down the nest themselves, The Tech Junkies build a remotely operated robot armed with cans of RAID that drives into the shed and takes the nest down.

The Tech Junkies Episode #3 – WiFi Boosting

In this episode we take a look at WiFi extension methods and put various methods to the test to see how much of a boost you can get from home-made projects.

The Tech Junkies Episode #2 – Lock Hacks & Control Our Junk

In this episode of The Tech Junkies we show various lock hacks including bump keys, lock raking, lock picking, and the masterlock shim. We also give a tour of Control Our Junk and go behind the scenes to show you how it works.