In “M-K” No. 8, 1984, we wrote about an arched cold frame built by schoolchildren. Its main load-bearing elements — the half-arches — were made from gymnastic hoops. That circumstance strictly determined the size of the cold frame. Yet it is very tempting to build, on the same principle, a more spacious and easier-to-maintain structure Read more…
Security systems are a rapidly developing area of modern electronics. A huge number of various circuits and designs have been published that anyone who has held a soldering iron in their hands at least a couple of times can build. For example, “electronic guards” can warn of an intruder entering a room or signal the Read more…
Over the past decade, motor all-terrain vehicles on light wheels with pneumatic inner tubes have become especially popular among amateur designers. The remarkable cross-country ability of such machines prompted sailing sports enthusiasts to use the unique properties of the pneumatic wheel when creating all-season sail craft. This publication introduces readers to such a vehicle. So, Read more…
Explosions and fires caused by gas leaks are, unfortunately, not uncommon. While giving due credit to the work of administrative bodies and emergency services, radio amateur designers can also do something themselves to minimize this danger. However, in the field of gas monitoring there are almost no simple, reproducible devices, or they are unreasonably expensive. Read more…
Of the family of micro-tractors developed by students at the Kharkiv Institute of Mechanization and Electrification of Agriculture, the simplest and most accessible for DIY construction is the walk-behind tractor “Malysh” (KHIMESKh-2): it makes maximum use of units and parts from industrially produced machinery. This is a compact two-wheeled machine controlled by an operator walking Read more…
In “M-K” No. 4 for 1982, an article was published about the young technicians club at housing management office No. 8 in the city of Vitebsk, and about the amusing and useful machines created by its members. Among the most original devices mentioned was the mechanical sweeper MPM-1. It was conceived as a means of Read more…
Anyone who reads the description of the electrolyzer I developed will be convinced that a few liters of water are enough to obtain a high-temperature flame (200° C). The high flame temperature makes it possible to solder ferrous and non-ferrous metals with practically any refractory solders, or with the metal itself (welding). The high concentration Read more…
At first glance, these are just trifles that mean nothing. In fact, much in our lives (if not everything) is decided by them — though in different ways, depending on what kind of trifles they are. Some, for example, may affect no more than a person’s mood, while others can even change the fate of Read more…
By August 1914 the British Empire was bound by alliance treaties to France and Russia, yet after those countries entered the war against Germany it remained neutral for several more days. His Majesty’s Government needed a “worthy” pretext for declaring war, and it did not take long to find one. The Germans violated the neutrality Read more…
More and more people enjoy spending their weekends in nature or at their country houses. The evidence is the sadly scorched patches of ground left by campfires where tourists or dacha owners baked potatoes or grilled shish kebab. Not everyone uses the barbecues now sold in stores, because they are heavy, bulky, and relatively expensive. Read more…
