Burn, fire!

IR flame alarm for fireplace & stove: DIY circuit, build guide

When heating a fireplace or sauna stove at a dacha with wood, the combustion process must be monitored from time to time: adding firewood, increasing draft, etc. The proposed electronic device can replace the “owner’s eye” and remind of this by signalling when the flame in the stove (firebox) diminishes. I experimented a bit and Read more…

Cellar on the balcony: a possible option

Balcony cellar: DIY vegetable and fruit storage (mini-storage)

Long-term storage of fresh vegetables and fruits is quite a challenge, especially in urban conditions. After carefully studying publications on mini-storage units («M-K» No. 2, 1984, «M-K» No. 8, 9 and 11, 1985), I must note that all these designs have rather complex thermoregulation systems and are made from materials that are rarely available in Read more…

Frost tests the tires

Winter Tire Studs: Bozhko & Zakrevsky DIY Designs

Winter has arrived, and the flow of motor vehicles on the highways of our country has noticeably thinned. The fleet of cars and motorcycles belonging to individual owners is almost completely put away for the winter. There are many reasons for this, but one of the main ones is the mismatch between automotive “footwear” — Read more…

“Economical” bicycle drive

Economical bicycle drive with inertial mechanism — no dead points

Almost all bicycle drive designs share a common drawback that reduces their efficiency. This drawback is the uneconomical expenditure of muscular energy when shifting effort from one leg to the other as the pedals pass through the “dead points” (vertical position of the cranks). Most of the muscular effort at that moment is directed toward Read more…

Kursk kart

Fig. 1. General view (layout drawing of the kart)

The kart design (Fig. 1) has no complex units requiring high qualifications of performers and can be replicated in technical clubs of schools or at young technicians’ stations that have a lathe and gas welding. The kart construction must be carried out in a certain sequence. First, the front and rear axles are manufactured, and Read more…

Pneumatic vehicle “Losharik”

DIY Air-Cushion Vehicle Losharik: Build Guide

Once upon a time, there was a popular TV show “You Can Do It” where craftsmen talked about the designs they had created. Perhaps it was there that information about air-cushion vehicles first appeared. And publications in the “Modelist-Konstruktor” magazine pushed many enthusiasts, including ours from Angarsk (mainly amateur fishermen), to build such machines with Read more…

Skis or a catamaran?

Design of a self-propelled float

The watercraft we would like to introduce to readers can quite rightly be classed as a small vessel. After all, what else would you call a pair of versatile self-propelled floats that can easily be used both as water skis and as a two-seater pleasure catamaran. As can be seen from the drawings, each float Read more…