Saturday, December 11, 2010
My DIY final Project: Hijab is Beauty
And, just wanted to thank you guys, for being so involved, interactive and inquisitive.
:) Hope you guys can take out a few, just to read and watch more videos, that I wasn't able to present in class because of the limited time.
Just a notification, not all the videos are on the tumblr, yet. It is taking a very long time to upload, all the videos. But I will, have them all up, technology cannot defeat. :P But, all the pictures are on it.
Alright, thanks. :)
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Create your own DIY spy microphone
Step 1 — Make the dish
· Use wire cutters to snip away the 4 plastic holders that connect the hat’s umbrella to its headband.
Step 2
· Slice the top of the plastic knob off the top of the umbrella, and clean up the hole with a knife or reamer.
Step 3
· Cover 1 gore of the umbrella near the center with a trapezoidal piece of the gaffer’s tape. Cut a small X-shaped incision through the tape and umbrella; this will be the reinforced hole that the microphone wire will pass through.
Step 4 — Attach the handle
· Remove the paint roller’s plastic caps and wire frame. Push the shaft through the hole in the top of the umbrella, so that it protrudes 6" underneath. Leave ½" of clearance between the outer surface of the umbrella and the bend of the handle.
Step 5
· Just above the umbrella’s top knob, wrap a length of tape around the shaft and ring it with a cable tie pulled tight. Wrap the the shaft with more tape, to provide a gripping surface for the microphone.
Step 6 — Install the microphone
· Clip the mic to the shaft and thread the cable through the X hole. Secure the cable with cable ties.
Step 7
· You want to place the microphone at the focal point of the reflector, but realize that this is a plastic umbrella, not a perfect parabola. So this “point” will be more of a semifocal blur. Here are 3 ways to position the mic, in decreasing order of complexity:
o Point a laser at different points on the inside of the umbrella from a distance of about 20 feet directly in front of the unit. Mark where it reflects onto the shaft to find the general region of focus.
o Plug the mic into a recording device, put on some headphones, and point it toward a ticking clock some distance away. Move the microphone along the shaft until you get the loudest sound.
o Just take my word for it, and position the mic about 3" from the inside surface of the umbrella.
Step 8 — Take it for a test ride
· Plug your new parabolic mic into a recorder. Use headphones to monitor your work. Then point it at something interesting. You’re in for a pleasant surprise!