How to Accelerate Internet Speed

Data transmission rates, or internet speeds, vary depending on the type of Internet connection you use. Dial-up internet offers the slowest speed, with transmission of data ranging from 2400 bps (bits per second) to 56 Kbps. Digital Subscriber Line, known as DSL, and cable internet provide faster download speeds, up to 7.1 Mbps for DSL and 16 Mbps for cable. The performance and capabilities of your hardware affect the speed and may contribute to less than optimal internet performance. There are several simple steps you can take to improve your network connection.

Instructions

1

Delete temporary internet files and uninstall any unused programs to free up space on the hard drive.

2

Close out any programs that are not currently being used. Too many tasks running at once may slow your computer's responsiveness, especially images, videos and downloads.

3

Open Tools menu from your Internet Explorer toolbar and select Internet Options. Go to the Advanced tab and uncheck the boxes next to "Play animation in webpages" and "Play sounds in webpages". This will prevent large files from loading automatically when opening a new webpage.

4

Perform basic system maintenance by running a disk clean-up and a disk defragmentation, and set Internet Explorer to operate with no add-ons. You can access these utilities by opening the Start menu and selecting All Programs, then Accessories.

5

Open the Control Panel and select System, then Performance from the task menu. A rating of your system's performance is provided on the main page. Choose Adjust Visual Effects from the task menu and select "adjust for best performance" under the Visual Effects tab.

6

Improve your wireless signal by moving the router closer to your computer. Avoid placement near walls and metal surfaces, which may prevent the signal from reaching your computer.

7 

Go to www.speedtest.net to perform an internet speed test, which measures the download and upload speeds of your current internet connection. The test should be repeated several times to acquire an overall average result.

8

Compare the results of the speed test to the expected speed of your modem and Internet service. If you are not achieving the expected Internet speed, you may want to consider upgrading the bandwidth of your service or opting for a different type of connection.

9

Run a diagnostic test to ensure your network devices are working properly. Open the Control Panel, select Network and Sharing Center and click "Diagnose and Repair" from menu. Devices may require repair, replacement or driver updates.

 

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iPhone desk stand

Don’t know what to do with your iPhone box after you have opened it? Re-use your iPhone box and Makedo's reusable pins and clips available at mymakedo.com to make this simple iphone stand for your desk. If not an iPhone be creative and find any unwanted phone box.

If you’re a real techie, create other stands and give everything else it’s place too - never lose any of your gadgets again. Try one for your iPad, tablet, remote controls or Wii console.

Step 1Find

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Find the lid of your iPhone box, alternative boxes of a similar size can be used for this project.

Step 2Cut

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Begin by cutting down the corners of the box.

Step 3Cut

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Cut along the lines as shown in the image.

Step 4Score

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Using the Makedo safe-saw score as shown in the image. Fold the scored lines and bring the side flaps of the box together.

Step 5Punch

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Use the Makedo safe-saw and punch 3 holes on the center of either side of the side flaps. Punch a hole on the two triangular folds on the bottom.

Step 6Connect

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Connect the side of the box using a Makedo hinge and Makedo pins and clips shown in the image.

Step 7Complete

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Trim off the excess cardboard on the bottom to follow the direction of the triangle.

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Potato Battery Driven LED

So, if you looked at my profile you would see that I like physics.  When the challenge for “Potatoes” I just knew that I need to do a project that highlighted the lowly “Potato Battery”.  So here is how to make a Potato Battery and have it light an LED light.

Step 1

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Supplies:
Potatoes
Galvanized nails
Shinny copper pennies
Wires with alligator clips on each end (2+ per battery)
LED bulb
Multi meter
Knife
Cutting board

Step 2

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A battery is a way to store electrical energy.  For a battery to work it needs to have 3 things, two electrodes (metals, one + and one -) and electrolytes (minerals).  The batteries we are going to make today uses the electrodes of copper (pennies, anodes, +) and zinc (galvanized nails, cathode, -) and the electrolyte of K (Potassium) that is found in potatoes.

Step 3

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Take a potato

Step 4

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and cut it in half. This will make 2 batteries.  Potatoes are juicy, which is part of the reason they can be made into batteries.

Step 5

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Take a knife and put a slit in the potato and slip the penny into the slit.  Push as much of the penny into the slit as possible, you want just a little bit sticking out of the potato.  Push the nail most of the way into the potato,(at this point I cut the nails in half, so that they weren't so tall).  Do not let the electrodes touch, keeping them about 1 inch apart.

Step 6

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Turn on the Multimeter and put it at the lowest voltage reading.  Make sure the red probe is in the + slot and the black probe is in the – slot.

Step 7

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Use the red line to touch the penny in the potato and the black line to touch the nail.  You can read how much voltage you have available in this potato battery.  It reads .85 volts, not bad but not enough to do anything fun.

Step 8

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To increase the voltage, you will need to create more potato batteries and wire them in a series (that means to connect the + electrode of one battery to the – electrode of the next battery).  So I created 3 more batteries from 3 more potato halves. 

Step 9

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Then I used the alligator clips connected to wires and wired first 2 potatoes together,

Step 10

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this time the voltage read 1.69 volts.

Step 11

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Let's take a minute and look at the LED light.   It has one long leg and one shorter leg.  The longer leg is the anode (+)  and the shorter leg is the cathode (-).  I clipped the batteries to the LED light (+ to+ and - to-), no light, therefore, not enough voltage.

Step 12

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I wired all four batteries together in series, and found what the total voltage is of the 4 batteries was 2.38 volts and I again wired in the LED light, again no light.

Step 13

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Finally I wired six batteries in series and it had a 4.08 volt reading. 

Step 14

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This time the light lit up!  Hurray!   Potatoes can be used as batteries.

Step 15

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Have fun playing with your new batteries, maybe you would like to experiment with increasing current by wiring the potato batteries in parallel as well as series.  Good luck and Enjoy!

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How to See in The Dark

If you want to be able to see in the dark you can pick up a maglite and shine it every where you want. But if you don't want other people to know you are there you have to figure out an other way to be able to see using a lightbeam others can't see. in otherwords build your own night vision scope.

what do you need:
- a viewfinder from an old camera.
- an old 380 line black and white camera
- six Infrared LED's
- three 15 ohm resistors

Step 1The viewfinder

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The viewfinder I used for this night vision scope. Was taken from a CANON UC4000 V8 Camcorder. The Camera was broke but the viewfinder is stil very usefull.

The viewfinder used to be connected to the camera with 5 cables.
When I started measuring them I noticed that I just needed the first three cables those where.
- +5 volt
- Ground
- video-in

ATTENTION:
The viewfinder contains a 0.7 inch picture tube, a high voltage power supply and some calibration pots. The size of this module is only 2,5 x 5 cm.
Therefore the  high voltage power supply could for the picture tube could cause serious injury if you touched it.

This is why in attached new cables to those connection points en put the viewfinder back together.

Now our output device is ready.

Step 2The camera

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After some searching I found a 380 line black/white camera in my garage which was solderd on a piece of stripboard and used a 5 volt power supply (thats nice the same votage as my view finder). This camera cannot see in the dark but it can see IR light (which is invisible for the human’s eye). So fore the record this night vision scope is not an image intensifier this scope needs an Infrared light source.

(Sometimes manufactors put a filter in the lens which blocks the infrared light when you work carefull jou can remove it as described in my Instructable Turning an old webcam into a Night vision cam

Step 3The illuminator

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For the illuminator I used 6 High Power Infrared Emitter, type SFH4550.

Some specifics on these IR LED's:
- Current: 100 mA
- Wavelength: 860 nm
- Radiant Intensity: 700 mW/sr
- viewing angle: 3 degrees
- voltage: 1,5 Volt
- Diode Case t-1 3/4 (5 mm)

I used the stripboard that was attached to the camera as a base for my illuminator which i made by connecting 2 times 3 LED's in series (3 * 1.5 volts = 4,5 volts) to make it work in my system that has to run on 5 volts becaus of the viewfinder and the camera, I had to place a 5 ohm resistor before the LED's to make the powerdrop I placed 3 resistors of 15 omh in parallel.

Step 4Connect and enjoy

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After connecting the viewfinder to the camera en connected all the power and ground cables I could see in the dark using the light of the Infrared LED's.

I am stil searching for a case to put it in and when i do I will deside what kind of battery i will use en design a circuit for battery power to the 5 volt working power of the electronics in my scope.

Images of the completed Night vision scope will be added after i have found a nice case to put it in.

Unforunatly i can't let you see what the image looks like when you look trough the night vision scope, But i can gaurantee that it works great.

Happy spying.

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