Miniature Beeping Circuit Prank

For April Fool's this year, I designed this little electronics project. It is a 555 timer circuit that beeps every few minutes. The beeps are just infrequent enough that it is hard to locate but still be really annoying. It is basically a DIY Annoy-a-tron. The main advantage of this project is how small it is. It can fit just about anywhere and even be attached to vertical surfaces with just a small piece of tape.

As with all pranks, it is very important to choose your victims carefully. Someone who is paranoid might mistake it for a bomb or something ridiculous like that.

For step by step insctuctions for this project, check out my Instructables page: http://www.instructables.com/id/Miniature-Beeping-Circuit-Prank/

Realistic Duct Tape Rose

With Valentine's Day coming up, I decided to try my hand at making some roses out of duct tape. I have made several in the past, but was disappointed with how they ended up. Most designs out there don't look much like an actual rose. So I tried to figure out a way to make them as realistic as possible. After a lot of internet searching I found some designs for duct tape lilies and duct tape tulips that I combined into this duct tape rose project. The key was to use both embedded wire and the adhesive of the tape itself to get the shape right. There is still some room for improvement, but I think that they turned out alright.

You can check out my Instructable page for step by step instructions. http://www.instructables.com/id/Realistic-Duct-Tape-Rose/

Flashlight Tag Badge

Flashlight tag is a fun game. But I always love trying out new variations on old classics. So I decided to add some simple light sensing circuits to the game to see what would happen. With this circuit, any time that you shine a light on the badge, it beeps for a few seconds. That way there is no ambiguity as to whether or not someone was tagged. It's a fairly simple design that can be built for about $5 each. It probably won't be the next big thing, but it was a fun little project to make.

For step by step instructions for this project, check out my Instructables page: http://www.instructables.com/id/Flashlight-Tag-Light-Sensitive-Badges/

Fake Padlock

This is a fun visual gag that you can use to make anything look like it is padlocked. This project uses a standard padlock and hasp. The only thing that we are changing is the screws. Cut off the threads of the screws and file down the cut end. Then glue the cut screw heads into the holes of the hasp. This will give the appearance that they are screwed into whatever surface that you mount it on. To hold everything in place put a piece of double sided tape on the back side of the hasp. Attach the padlock and have fun putting it on random things. A lot of people won’t look close enough to notice that it is fake. It is especially fun to confuse people by putting it on surfaces like glass that generally can’t have hardware mounted to it.

Reusable Party Poppers

With New Years Eve coming up, many people will be buying party poppers. These are a fun way of making noise and shooting confetti around the room at the same time. But some party poppers are extra fun because they can be reused over and over. These are usually the variety that activates by turning a dial at the base. They are reusable because they use a spring rather than a fire cracker to propel the contents. 

Here is how you reuse it. Line up the slot on the plunger with the holding key. Press the plunger down with a screw driver. Once the key fits through the slot, turn the dial to lock it in place.

                                                                                               

Then you have a mini launcher to shoot anything that will fit in the tube. You can load it with your own confetti. You can make a mini potato cannon. You can fill it with rice the next time you go to a wedding and launch it at the bride and groom. Use your imagination and have fun.

Christmas Present Shake Prank

We all know someone who shakes their presents to try to figure out what's inside. This project is the perfect thing to give someone who does this. It's a box that plays prerecorded sounds whenever an internal shake sensor is activated. So when they go to shake their present, they hear broken glass or a kitten crying or whatever you want to record to mess with them.




For step by step directions, check out my Instructables page: http://www.instructables.com/id/Christmas-Present-Shake-Prank/

Photoshop Cloning

 Photoshop cloning is a fun project to try if you are bored and want some practice at photoediting. Just set up a camera on a tripod and take a bunch of pictures of you in different locations. Then open them up in your photo editor and combine them.
 Here are a few examples of pictures that I have made. They are far from professional quality. But I had fun making them.