I know it’s only filling up bins in my shop and taking money I could be pouring into more productive hobbies, like drinking and shooting guns. But what if the completion of some future project, some really crucial bit of hijinks, hinges entirely on my having a switch designed to discharge massive capacitors? Then what what, huh?

Am I supposed to just assume my local electronics retailer will have my back? Not likely.

I was doing better, I really was, and then I visited the DeAnza flea market in Cupertino last year, and it all fell apart again. I don’t know, maybe I’m beyond help. Check the photo gallery for some electronics-nerd eye candy, the detritus of my demon.

Popular Science is your wormhole to the future. Reporting on what’s new and what’s next in science and technology, we deliver the future now.

Mystery Relay Switch Thing
In the “I can’t identify” column, we have this thing here, with two sets of relay driven contacts and some big ass resistors. Does anyone want to hazard a guess? Vin Marshall

Charge/Discharge Switch
Shocking: I can only assume that this switch was used to charge and discharge giant banks of capacitors with AWESOME results. Vin Marshall

Rotary Switch
Five separate sets of contacts on a 6-position rotary switch spells some specialised and long-forgotten application. I’m not convinced I won’t have a need for the same one day, so here it sits. Check out the paper labels on the resistors. Vin Marshall

Bezel Indicators
Bezel panel indicators for the control panel of that killer robot, before he breaks free of his laboratory confines and becomes an out of control killer robot. Vin Marshall

Bus Terminators
Bus terminators from a Data General Eclipse (see: Soul of a New Machine, mantra for Electrical Engineers). I can’t imagine I’ll ever use them, but I wanted to keep some keepsake from the Eclipse, and this was just about the lightest part in there. Vin Marshall

Panel Meter
I’ll have to come out and admit it here; I like to collect panel meters. This one is a little more complicated than the average, with two adjustable upper and lower limit needles. The gauge face reads: Set to 3.5 volts. Vin Marshall

Wire Wrapping
Wire Wrapping. The few times I’ve had to do this, I found it relaxing to do and rather mind-bending to debug. It sure does look neat though. Does anyone still do this? Vin Marshall

Antique Radio & Switchboard Wire
Radio & Switchboard cable — Lenz Electric Mfg Co. It came to me in a box of other things that were actually useful. The wire is all right, but the packaging is superb. Vin Marshall

The 2011 Nissan Leaf: It’s going to be the first “mass-market” pure-electric car. It’s not the first electric-car period, but the “mass-market” qualifier makes it OK. I guess. And the 160km range. And it’ll be about $30,000 before a $7500 tax break, so you can afford it. And we love Nissans. [Popsci]

The Sikorsky X2 Helicopter: It’s going to be the fastest chopper in existence based on the fact that there are counter-rotating rotors and a backwards-facing propeller that pushes the whole thing forward. It may not look like a helicopter you’re familiar with, but it’s pure sweetness. [Popsci]

Diamond Interchange: This new traffic intersection type can “reduce clogging by as much as 60 per cent”, which bodes well for drivers everywhere. You don’t need to know how it works, you just need to know that it does, and convince your local MP to change over to this style. [Popsci]

Powergenix Rechargeable AA Batteries: These are supposed to be, thanks to better Nickel-Zinc technology, as good as disposables — but can last up to 1000 charges. They’re not too expensive either, comparatively, at $US15 for four. [Popsci]

Sennheiser HD800 headphones: Sennheiser’s HD series are expensive (boldly expensive), but very much worth it. The 800 is just another reason why you should be taking night classes in order to get a better job to pay for these. $US1400 isn’t something you throw down casually, but if you’re talking sound quality AND comfort (others can do one or the other), you’ll have a hard time beating Sennheiser. [Popsci]

X-Flex Blast Protection Wallpaper: These sticky, rollable, self-adhesive sheets can be applied to any wall that you think will be the subject of explosions. In turn, the walls stay vertical and the occupants inside the building say alive. Popsci says these things kept a wrecking ball from going through pure brick, so it’ll definitely keep your angry teenage kid from putting his fist through your drywall. [Popsci]

Filigent Limited BioMask: A face mask — like the kind everyone wears in Japan when they’re sick — that kills 99.9 per cent of flu viruses in less than a minute. And 100 per cent after 10. A regular mask still holds 50,000 bugs (on average). If you want one of these you’ll have to import it from Hong Kong or Europe, where it’s more acceptable to wear one of these on the street. I should really stock up on these for CES next year; not because it’s going to be a mass of diseased bodies in a confined space, but because Adam Frucci is really disgusting. [Popsci]

Xela Innovations Purleve Hygienic Door Handle: The door handle is actually a sleeve dispenser, so instead of touching poopy metal, you touch a removable plastic sleeve whenever you have to get out from the can. It’s genius, even if it is slightly wasteful to refill sleeves all the time. But if we have no problem protecting our arses from public toilets with disposable toilet rings, this should sell just as well. [Popsci]

Microsoft’s Project Natal: If there’s one game development we’re looking forward to, it’s Natal. Imagine combining the fun of being at home with the fun of moving around in your living room and having a machine know exactly what you’re doing. Perhaps we should phrase it another way: Whenever Mark and I play any game, he says “imagine how great this would be with NATAL!!!!” He actually pronounces those exclamation points out loud over Xbox Live so I get how serious he is. [Popsci]

Bosch Full Force Technology Nail Gun: You might not use nail guns every day, but when you do, you really want to savour the experience. In this case, Bosch uses a secondary air blast that follows the first nail-ejection one in order to return the piston into firing position. So the nail gun literally goes pew-pew with each shot. As a result, the gun is 20 per cent smaller and 10 per cent more powerful than anything else. With one of these, everything you own becomes a board. [Popsci]

That’s right, these people are blowing up a bus for science. In particular, they’re testing out new forensic cameras that are disaster-proof. In other words, cameras that can withstand the impact of being blown up in a bus, or other natural disasters like flooding and volcanoes.According to PopSci, the experiments were partically successful, in that 14 out of 16 of the camera chips were recovered from the explosion. The question now is whether or not the data on the chips will be readable…

[PopSci]

Pop Sci has a tutorial on how to build supplementary LED grow lights for plants. I’d assume you should use LEDs with fuller spectrums, and they’re supplemental, but look neat. [PopSci via Lifehacker]

Just as vague questions of cosmology and consciousness make up just about every other cover of New Scientist today, fantastical futurist gadgets were at one point the safe default for the covers of Popular Science and Popular Mechanics. Like lots of the other cover staples, the monowheel has to some degree come to pass, but hardly to the extent that you might have been led to believe it might in 1917. Or 1923. Or 1938. You get the idea. [RoadsideResort]

TIME: 3 hours
DIFFICULTY: easy

PARTS

* LM324N (Mouser #512-LM324N)
* Thermistor (I used an obsolete thermistor from Electronic Goldmine #G1929 for my circuit.) Try this one from SparkFun Electronics #SEN-00250
* 1K resistor (Mouser #660-CFS1/4C102J)
* Red LED (I used a salvaged LED for my circuit.) Try this one from Mouser #696-SSLLX5093HD-5V
* 10K resistor (Mouser #660-CFS1/4CT52R103G)
* 10K potentiometer [I used a salvaged pot for my circuit.] Try this one from SparkFun Electronics #COM-00104
* 3.7V battery (SparkFun Electronics #PRT-08818)
* Scrap wire
* Round flat-top metal container (I used a salvaged Kiwi Brands shoe polish container — just to prove to some of you that I do know shinola.)

STEPS

1. Clip off the unnecessary legs from the LM324N IC: keep pins 1, 2, 3, 4, and 11.

2. Attach the thermistor to the inside of the metal container’s lid with some tape. Be sure to insulate both of the thermistor leads.

3. Drill a hole in the side of your metal container for holding the red LED. Insulate the bottom of the metal container with some scrap paper or 2mm hobby foam.

4. Follow our schematic for building the Smart Coaster circuit.

5. Fit the components inside the metal container, connect the 3.7V battery, and close the metal lid. You can easily test your completed project by turning the potentiometer until the LED just turns off (this is roughly equal to room temperature). Now hold one of your hot little fingers on the lid of the Smart Coaster. Within about 5-10 seconds, the LED should turn on. If not, then open up your metal container and carefully reexamine your wiring. If this test result is OK, you are now ready to calibrate your Smart Coaster.

Place your cup of fresh brew on the Smart Coaster and use the 10K potentiometer to adjust the sensitivity of the thermistor. Turn the potentiometer until the red LED glows and closely monitor the temperature of your beverage. When the cup’s temps have fallen to your desired drinking level, turn the potentiometer until the LED goes out. Your Smart Coaster is now calibrated for monitoring your future drink temps. Remember, if you change cups or mugs you will have to recalibrate the Smart Coaster. Bottoms up.

See? Easy. And now the mornings will go by *slightly* faster than normal. [Popsci]

The new mag promises to deliver a heap of content, from the latest tech to sports, vehicles, health and engineering. The first issue is on the newstands now for $8.95, and from the looks of that weird looking bike thing on the front cover, it might be right up your alley.

The launch issue’s press release is after the jump, if you need convincing why you should read the mag…

[PopSci]

PRESS RELEASE: POPULAR SCIENCE

Finally, a men’s magazine you can read in front of your mother

Wednesday, 24 September 2008 marks the Australian launch of Popular Science.
Published internationally since 1872, it was purchased from Time Inc by Bonnier
Corp in May 2007 and is now the fifth most widely read magazine in the US by men.
Popular Science makes its mark in practically every aspect of life that men are
interested in:

• Technology (gadgets).

• Sports (equipment and technique).

• Going really fast (cars, planes and bikes).

• Health (food and medical science).

• Engineering (power tools and DIY workshopping).

• Saving the world (because all men, at some stage, want to be superheroes).

Popular Science is a magazine for the intelligent modern man, answering their
secret desire to be ‘that guy’ who has the answers, the one with the insider
knowledge who’s always ahead of the curve. It’s dedicated to delivering what’s new
and what’s next, covering everything from mobile phones, HDTVs, power tools and
cars to breakthroughs in communications, travel, the environment and more.

“Saving the world” is no joke, either. Not only does Popular Science explain how
things work, why they’re better and how they’ll change our lives, it asks the serious
questions about how we can save the world. In the first issue alone, Popular Science
tackles the issue of how to bring the cost of solar energy down to fossil fuel levels.

Also covered in the issue: how a Perth bloke is creating a source of ‘green energy’ by
harnessing the power of the ocean.

Popular Science is available monthly for only $8.95.