About This Talk
Using wikis and digital fabrication tools, TED Fellow Marcin Jakubowski is open-sourcing the blueprints for 50 farm machines, allowing anyone to build their own tractor or harvester from scratch. And that’s only the first step in a project to write an instruction set for an entire self-sustaining village (starting cost: $10,000).

About Marcin Jakubowski
Marcin Jakubowski is open-sourcing a set of blueprints for 50 farming tools that can be built cheaply from scratch. Call it a “civilization starter kit.” Full bio and more links.

H/T to Brad Spangler for the link:

Another useful DIY from instructables could help you resurrect your old iPod without having to shell out FRN’s for a new one.

Via member bryceronie

If you have a broken ipod , with a business card and five minutes it will be fixed!

I enjoy instructionables that are easy to do , short to complete, and will work for anyone!

(!!Please VOTE for me so I can win a prize!!)

This is a common problem among many, many people that have a warranty that has expired.

Now you could just send it back to apple to get a new one, but if your warranty expired, like mine did, they won’t give you a new one. You need to fix this pretty $350 piece of apple!!

Instead of having a nice paperweight (hopefully you didnt throw yours out) , you will need these with three things before starting:

1. a flathead screwdriver
2. a broken ipod and 5 minutes
3. a new and or old, but crisp, business card

p.s. No memory loss either, all songs, data, ect will still be on the iPod.

Step 1. Easy does it

The first thing is to take the iPod apart.

This is not a big deal, there are little plastic holds around the iPod, and the flat head screwdriver will allow you to pry it open at the plastic parts. (see pic)
Once completed, you can just snap the ipod back together so it looks exactly the same, just dont get too frustrated if it takes a few minutes to get the first clip.

Use a MICRO flat head screw driver. Go in from the side as shown in the demo, but to get it started angle the screwdriver down so that it slides in between the plastic and metal, then take a bigger sized micro screw driver to open it the rest of the way.

Step 2. Careful

When all the plastic parts are un-snapped ,  you can pull the ipod apart an inch or so , you only need to do one more step.

Here is where this gets neat:

Fold the business card twice. So it is still springy.

Put the folder business card in the iPod on top of the blue sponge that is inside.

shut and snap the iPod back together.

So now it your iPod is back to normal, and all you needed was a folded business card!!

The blue sponge needed a little more pressure over time.

Many people living in Bangladesh’s impoverished villages haven’t yet been reached by technology. But a determined band of InfoLadies—young women equipped with netbooks, phones, and medical equipment—are delivering technology’s benefits to those people, one village at a time.

These villages—and the Bangladeshis who live in them—are held back in many ways merely by a scarcity of information. The InfoLadies are the bearers of that information. Their netbooks come preloaded with relevant content that can be easily translated to local languages, and their messenger bags carry items like blood pressure monitors and pregnancy kits. Says one InfoLady:

Ask me about the pest that’s infecting your crop, common skin diseases, how to seek help if your husband beats you or even how to stop having children, and I may have a solution.

It seems that they often do have solutions—while the young, modern InfoLadies were initially regarded as something of a “scandal,” they’re now welcomed enthusiastically by individuals looking to check their blood pressure or increase the yield of their crops. One man, hoping to find work in technology, used an InfoLady’s netbook to get a crash course on Microsoft Office. Before the InfoLadies arrived, he said, “I had only seen computers in books.” [Guardian via BoingBoing]

In this award-winning, feature length, two-hour broadcast-quality documentary you will learn about the latest developments in the field of Free and Zero Point Energy from Tesla to Dennis Lee.

Hosted by Bill Jenkins, formerly of ABC Radio, this comprehensive documentary features physicists and inventors who are challenging orthodox science to bring this non-polluting technology forward despite ridicule and suppression.

See actual working prototypes that defy classical physics including phenomenal experiments in anti-gravity and the transmutation of metals.

From Nicola Tesla to cold fusion, magnetic motors to anti-gravity propulsion ­, this program presents powerful information!

Visionary Inventors and Scientists Reveal Non-Polluting Technologies That Will Change Our World

A groundbreaking and inspiring look at the leading theories and practical devices that tap into “zero point energy” – now acknowledged by physicists to exist in all space as a “running river” of infinite and accessible electromagnetic energy.

Follow the fascinating stories of dedicated inventors and scientists engaged in the struggle for revolutionary innovations that will change our collective future forever.

This program will transform the way you think about science and the natural laws of the universe by illuminating the historical contributions of the visionaries pioneering this field.

Nominated for the UN Sasakawa Environmental Award

Explore the latest Free Energy breakthroughs, including:

• Technologies based on working with nature instead of against it.
• Radical inventions that emit hydrogen and oxygen as by-products.
• Transmutation processes that neutralize radioactive waste.
• Electric vehicles with magnetic motors that recharge their own batteries.

Featuring:

• The Patterson cold fusion power cell
• Troy Reed’s Magnetic “Surge” motors
• Paul Pantone’s GEET processor for increasing fuel efficiency in cars
• Joseph Newman’s rotating magnet “over unity” motor
• Dennis Lee’s Low temperature phase-change technologies
• John Hutchison’s amazing anti-gravity experiments

Along with internationally recognized scientists and authors:

Tom Bearden, Hal Fox , Shiuji Inomita, Moray King, Eugene Mallove, Jeanne Manning, Brian O’Leary, Tom Valone

Run Time: 109 minutes

Via Psychedelic Adventure Blog

For a good overview of the concept, visit the Seasteading entry on Wikipedia.

“Featuring Patri Friedman, Executive Director, Seasteading Institute; with comments by Doug Bandow, Senior Fellow, Cato Institute; and Arnold Kling Adjunct Scholar, Cato Institute.”

A great post on instructables.com by the user Honus, provides step-by-step instructions how to make a USB solar charger with a lithium polymer battery for your iPhone/iPod. For about $70 and a few hours of work, this fun project will give you confidence to make other DIY gadgets for yourself and others.

How-to-make-a-solar-iPodiPhone-charger-aka-Might.pdf

How to make a solar iPod/iPhone charger

Step 1. Tools and materials

Here’s what you’ll need to build your own MightyMintyBoost:

Tools:
Soldering iron
Scissors
Wire cutters
Pliers (or muiltitool)
Multimeter
Metal shears
Clear packing tape

Materials:
MintyBoost kit
Lithium Polymer battery charger
3.7v 2000mAh Lithium Polymer battery
JST connector/wire
Small solar cell
2″ x 3″ adhesive backed Velcro
Small double sided adhesive squares
Altoids tin

Some notes:

The single cell Lithium Polymer charger can accept input power that ranges from 3.7 to 7v maximum. When the cell reaches full charge the charger will automatically switch to trickle charging. When charging using the mini USB port, the charging current is limited to 100mA. When charging using the barrel plug jack, the charging current is limited to 280mA.

The solar cell maxes out at approximately 5v @ 100mA in bright sunlight. If you need faster charging simply use a larger solar cell- a 6v cell @ 250mA would work very well and they are easily obtainable and inexpensive. I used the size of solar cell that I did because I wanted it to be super compact.

I could not find out from the manufacturer if the solar cell I used has a blocking diode. A blocking diode is used in many solar charging systems to prevent the solar cell from draining the battery during low light conditions. Instructables member RBecho pointed out that the charging circuit used negates the need for a blocking diode in this application. You can tell when the solar cell is producing enough power because the little red LED on the charger will come on during charging.

Step 2. Build the Minty Boost kit

First build the MIntyBoost kit according to its instructions. It’s really easy to assemble- even a complete novice can do it.

Instead of connecting the battery holder in the kit, we’re going to solder a JST connector to the MintyBoost PCB. This tiny connector will then allow the MintyBoost circuit to connect to the Lithium Polymer battery charger circuit. Make sure you get the polarity correct!

Test the MintyBoost by connecting the battery pack (make sure the battery pack has a charge) and charger circuit. The MintyBoost connects to the connector marked SYS on the charger board and the lithium polymer battery connects to the connector marked GND.

Now cut a notch in the Altoids tin for the USB port and use some double sided adhesive to mount the PCB to the Altoids tin.

Step 3. Add the battery and charger

Step 4. Add the solar cell

Step 5. FAQ and additional info

Here’s a list of frequently asked questions:

Q: Is it possible to overcharge the Lithium Polymer battery?
A: No- the charger will automatically switch to trickle charging and then shut off.

Q: Is it possible to drain the Lithium Polymer battery completely and damage it?
A: No- the battery has its own low voltage cut off circuitry that will prevent it from completely discharging- the low voltage cut off is around 2.8v

Q: Does the solar cell have a blocking diode to prevent it from draining the Lithium Polymer battery?
A: No blocking diode is necessary- the Lithium Polymer charger prevents the battery from leaking current.

Q: How long will it take to fully charge the Lithium Polymer battery and how long will it take to charge my iPod/iPhone?
A: How long it will take to fully charge depends on the amount of sunlight available but as a rough guesstimate it would take around 20hrs using the small solar cell in direct sunlight. Using a larger solar cell could easily take half if not one third the amount of time. Those same figures would apply if you were charging it over USB or using a wall wart power supply.

Charging your iPod is much faster. How fast it does it depends on your device’s battery capacity. An iPod Touch has a 1000mAh battery so it should fully charge it in around 2hrs. A 3G iPhone has a 1150mAh battery so it will take slightly longer and a 2G iPhone has a 1400mAh battery, so it will take around 3 hrs.

Q: The Lithium Polymer charger has an input voltage range of 3.7v minimum to 7v maximum- what if I want to use a higher output solar cell for faster charging?
A: To use a solar cell with a voltage output greater than 7v, you need a voltage regulator to drop the voltage to a level that the charger can handle. You could use a 7805 voltage regulator to limit the output to +5v -they only cost about $1.50 and are very simple to wire up. The 7805 will give you as fixed +5v and is usually good up to 1A current. You could also use a LM317T which is an adjustable regulator, but it would involve a bit more circuitry to use. Some people also use diodes to drop voltage, since many diodes have a voltage drop of .7v

There’s a lot more info here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linear_regulator

The other option would be to use a 6v/250mA solar panel. This will stay within the current input range and voltage input range of the Lithium Polymer charger. Remember that you can also connect smaller solar cells in parallel to increase the available current- two 5v/100mA solar cells connected together in parallel will give an output of 5v @200mA

Q: What if I want to use a charger with a higher input current limit?
A: Sparkfun does have a Lithium Polymer charger that maxes out at 1A:
http://www.sparkfun.com/commerce/product_info.php?products_id=8293

Q: How would I connect the more powerful charger- there doesn’t appear to be a clear way to do this?
A: To use the more powerful 1A charger you would need to wire a two way switch to the battery so that in one position the battery would be connected to the charger and in the other position the battery would be connected to the MintyBoost circuit.

Q: Will this work with USB devices other than iPods and iPhones?
A: You bet! There’s a list here: http://www.ladyada.net/make/mintyboost/

Q: Won’t the inside of the Altoids tin short out the circuit?
A: No- using double sided foam tape to mount the circuit boards keeps the bottom of the board from coming into contact with the inside bottom of the tin. If you’re really worried you can cover the inside bottom of the tin with clear packing tape.

Q: How much does this cost? Can I build it for less? Is it cost effective?
A: If you buy everything as listed it would cost $70.75 (not including the Altoids tin or shipping.) If you wanted to scratchbuild it using the MintyBoost PCB from Adafruit, building your own charging circuit and supplying your own parts from various sources you can save quite a bit. Both the charging circuit and the MintyBoost circuit are available online- just go to the web pages listed in the tools and materials section- they’re also listed at the bottom of this page.

Both Maxim and Linear Technology supply free samples (according to their websites) of their ICs so you just need to provide all the other bits (available from places like Mouser and Digikey.) Using a slightly smaller solar cell and a 2200mAh battery it is possible to build it for a lot less:

2200mAh battery
solar cell
MintyBoost PCB

After adding up the small parts for the MintyBoost circuit, a small blank PCB for the charging circuit (you would have to etch the board yourself) and a mini USB connector, you could conceivably build this for around $21.00 (not including shipping or an Altoids tin.) It wouldn’t be exactly the same of course, but it would be functionally the same. I don’t know if the 2200mAh battery would fit into an Altoids tin either. It would be a LOT more work of course, and there could be a fair bit of troubleshooting if you’re not experienced in building these types of circuits or soldering surface mount components.

So is it cost effective? Absolutely- it just depends on the amount of work you want to do. Either way, you get a very useful and versatile solar powered charger.

Q: How did you calculate the power usage and equivalent CO2 values?
A: Here’s the math-
3.7v (LiPo rated voltage) x .1A (solar charge current)= .37W
.37W x 12.5hrs (charge time based on average battery capacity) = 4.625Wh
4.625Wh x 365 days = 1688.125Wh per year
1688.125Wh per year x 30,000,000 units sold = 50,643,750,000Wh total used per year (50.644gWh)
50.644gWh per year x 1.5 lbs CO2 produced per kWh used = 75,965,625 lbs. CO2 produced per year

Granted these are more or less maximum values but they clearly show some potential for some serious energy savings. A 12.5hr solar charge time per day isn’t realistic for the majority of the planet but if you shorten the solar charge time to approximately 4.5hrs at a 280mA current the results still remain the same.

General information about the Lithium Polymer charging circuit as well as a circuit diagram and data sheet can be found here:
http://www.sparkfun.com/commerce/product_info.php?products_id=726

A complete description and documentation of the MintyBoost circuit can be found here:
http://www.ladyada.net/make/mintyboost/

For additional tips in the comment section, view the original post here.

This fanless PC has HD storage of up to 620GB, but also boasts two SSD (solid state drive) options at 8 GB and 40 GB. The SSD option means no moving parts, so less things to fail. For portability, it has a 12V DC input for cars, boats or RV’s. During on-grid situations, the tiny AC adapter resembles a mobile phone plug, which illustrates how energy efficient the PC is.

The size and power consumption, doesn’t detract from the performance of the unit, which has the ability to smoothly play YouTube videos in High Quality mode. It also has the capability of 1080p HD playback with an optional chip. It contains a DVI port, which allows you to connect it to DVI monitors for a clearer picture, and HDMI televisions using a low cost adapter. There is an optional on-board 802.11 a/b/g Wi-Fi card, which includes a 2.5dB antenna for better wireless connectivity.

With a base price of $242, this is a low cost way to achieve off-the-grid computing. On their website they have other PC’s with more processor power and low powered monitors as well.

http://www.aleutia.com/products

T1 Hardware Specs

Size: 200 x 180 x 35 mm (7.9″ x 7.1″ x 1.4″) Width x Depth x Height

Weight: 900g (1 lb., 2 oz.). Hard Drive adds 117g, Solid State Drive adds 80g).

Processor: Passively cooled, single core integrated Intel Atom N270 with 533MHz FSB and 512KB L2 Cache.

Chipset: Passively Cooled, mobile Intel 945GSE Express Chipset.

Memory: 2048MB DDR2 SODIMM 533MHz. Kingston.

Front I/O: Audio In/Out, 2 x USB 2.0 Ports.

Rear I/O: Audio Out (Headphones), Ethernet, 3 x USB 2.0 Ports, DVI-D, VGA, 12V DC Input, Hole for ReSMA Wireless Jack.

Ethernet: Realtek 10/100/1000 Mbps Controller.

Audio: RealtekALC622, Intel HD Audio.

Expansion: Mini PCI Express Slot.

WLAN: Intel 4965AGN 802.11N Mini PCIe Card.

1080p Decoder: Broadcom BCM70012 – AVC/VC-1/MPEG HD Decoder Chipset Mini PCIe Card.

Read more about this amazing option on our blog.

Motherboard: Intel D945GSEJT.
See the complete specifications here on Intel’s website.

SSD Details (all SATA-II): Pretec 8GB, Intel 40GB X25-V with 170MB/s Read, 35MB/s Write.

Hard Drive Details: Fujitsu 40GB 5400RPM 2.5″ SATA-II Drive. 8MB Cache, 160GB 5400RPM 2.5″ (Seagate, Western Digital, or Fujitsu) or WD7500KEVT Western Digital 750GB SATA-II 2.5″ Drive (8MB Cache).

International Warranty: 1 Year Return to Base. Customer Pays Return Shipping to UK. Aleutia fixes or supplies replacement and Aleutia pays shipping to send to customer. 3 Year RTB Warranty Available at Additional Cost. 3 Year Advanced Swap Out (Aleutia immediately sends replacement on next-day basis and arranges collection of faulty unit) also available.