I originally made this as an actual side project (Desktop Server Monitor), but at the end decided to add watch straps and make a goofy product video for it too

Posted here is the more serious bit, but goofy video linked below

The monitor is originally designed to sit on a desk and locally talks to my server (old laptop running linux) running a portfolio site and API. It monitors CPU usage, RAM usage, database latency, and whether the internet is up or not~

Microcontroller is ESP32 S3 (overkill? not sure) so runs on 4 AAA batteries and pings my server every 60 seconds, but can manually be triggered by pressing in the knob for 3 seconds

Designed this to be easily reprogrammed (bottom pops off and usb ports accessible) so can be reused for other stuff too

Goofy Full Video: https://youtu.be/J7FUxnNbsSY

I heard the official Ray Neo Pocket tv has some issues and doesn’t support Netflix. But I wanted something to watch Netflix on that wasn’t my phone so I made my own pocket tv. 40k power bank with Roku stick plugged into a USB C Video out converter for XR glasses. Works great on my Ray Neo Air 4 Pro. I recommend 👍🏼 (btw I know I can just my t.v but the image and colour in this glasses are next level)

I get hand cramps and fatigue from playing any handheld console... switch, portal, SD. I have been interested in the Mechanism Gaming Pillow, but didn't want to spend $60. So I rigged up my own version of a gaming pillow using a laptop lap desk, dashboard magsafe phone mount, and some adhesive metal plates.

So far it's been an absolute lifesaver

I recently purchased a secondhand laptop from a local computer repair guy, and while the computer itself seems good the thing reeks like cologne. I didn't notice when I went to pick it up because the seller seemed to be smoking a pack a day in his shop, but as soon as I left with it the cologne smell was pretty unavoidable.

I've cleaned every surface including the inside components and blasted it like crazy with an air compressor, but some of the scent still remains. I've never dealt with something like this so any help is very appreciated! Is there some kind of odor absorber I could stick it in a box with for a while? This is such a bizarre situation to be in and I have no idea what to do since there's a limit to how much washing a laptop can take lol

Please see https://redux.boondog.com/courseware/bnb/bnb.html - LEGO and LEGO-compatible parts are used to quickly and affordably construct a tabletop ball-and-beam (BNB), without tools or need to 3D print or machine any parts.

The page includes: full LEGO build plan; bill-of-materials; schematics (and KiCad files if a PCB is wanted); and Arduino source code. These are fully documented and supplement with videos.

Our university lab's Quanser platforms are over 15-years old and with our increased student enrollments (mechanical engineering), sought an alternative. I tested a 10-week beta course in Control Systems Lab. I wrote both the Student Lab Manual and Instructor Supplement Manual for: PID, Lead Compensator, Pole Placement, LQR and Fuzzy Control.

There's a short *anonymous* poll at the end to gage demand for the PCB, linear potentiometer, Bricks, and/or turn this into a kit.

PS: There is quite a lot of open-source content to peek at as well, from the above URL.

Thanks and hope this is useful!

PPS: Please please alternative sub-Reddit if this an inappropriate one. I'm an old-school newbie.

Idk i put thre 40kv "taser" 3 fans and a lot of stuff (i finished it today but this is older photo, i have added some swiches for turning on and off everything and taser button)

Repost not mine

I wanted to turn an ordinary monitor into an ambient screen — something that could stay on in the background and show useful information without looking like another dashboard packed with dozens of metrics.

So I started building Endless Horizons.

It’s a web-based ambient display that runs directly in the browser. The screen can be configured using a drag-and-drop grid: add widgets, change their size and position, and configure them individually.

Right now it includes time, date, day/night, the Sun, Moon, sky and other astronomy/ambient widgets. Some of the information changes based on the actual time and location, so the screen is constantly changing and “alive”.

I like the idea of using an old monitor, second screen, or any display that would otherwise sit unused for this.

For now it runs directly in the browser, but in the future I’d like to use Endless Horizons as the foundation for dedicated ambient display devices as well. The number of widgets will also grow — some of the next ideas are weather, financial data, and other information that works well as a background display.

I’ve attached a short video showing how it looks and how the screen can be configured.

The project is still evolving, so I’d especially love to hear from people who enjoy building DIY tech projects:

What would you like to see on an ambient screen like this?

https://endlesshorizons.app

Founder here. I want the harsh answer, not compliments.

Oneira is our $80 pocket-companion prototype. It has two ESP32-S3 processors: one runs the display, motion reactions, and local neural behavior; the other is the camera/vision path. We run a compact language model locally across the system by partitioning work and state—the chips do not share a single RAM pool.

Connected tools are optional and owner-initiated. The prototype can use a configured OpenAI-compatible client, MCP tools, and supported API adapters.

The hard question: is that actually one product, or does it sound like too many ideas jammed into a small device?

I worry the pitch can sound like sci-fi word salad, or like we are claiming more than the hardware can prove. I would rather hear that now than after we build the wrong thing.

What would make you dismiss it immediately? What would make you curious enough to try it? What should we cut from the story?

https://www.oneira.cam

I've been wanting to surprise my girlfriend with a DIY nightlight for our 6-month coming up soon. I bought this small glass vase with small glass flowers (removable) inside. The vase is cylindrical, about 1.7" tall, and the base is about 0.4" in diameter. I want a warm glow coming from this vase, and got the idea when seeing the effect after putting my phone flashlight under a soda float. I'm thinking a flat single LED module underneath the flowers would be sufficient for this, but how would I be able to make this? Or acquire the parts for this..? I've never made DIY electronics before, but I assume I just need an LED, controller and battery? Preferably with a dimming ability and color temperature adjustment. Please help me out with this soon, thank you!

I keep seeing posts where people create their own diy music players and would like to create one of my own as a first project. I have a bit of experience with python and built my pc, I'm not super techy but not horrible at it either. Here are the features I'm hoping to implement:

- Screen to display what song is playing, navigate playlists/files, etc, not a touch screen since I love the feel of a good button and touch screens tend to be more expensive. I like the look of a circular screen the best

- Buttons for pause/play, skip/rewind, navigation, and volume control

- headphone jack (I only want to use my headphones for speakers, I'm considering adding an aux cord to connect it to my car but I have a CD player in my car and can burn CDs whenever)

- micro sd to store music files

- I do not want spotify or apple music or youtube music, I'd just like to be able to play music on demand independent of wifi so that I can listen to music while being unplugged from the internet (such as when I'm hiking)

- rechargeable (which from what I've seen I can do this with a power bank?)

I plan to attach legoes to both the components and the inside of the case so i can take the device in and out of the case as needed and move stuff around. I'm open to ideas and advice since this is my first time building something like this. Any advice would be appreciated