Upcycled Technology

Clever Projects You Can Do With Your Discarded Tech (Tech gift)

Daniel Davis, Daniel T. Davis

• Publisher: Mango
• Year: 2019
• eBook ISBN: 9781633539105
• Topic: Technology & Engineering
• Subtopic: Science General
• Index: Technology & Engineering

Transform Old Tech into Amazing Modern Inventions

#1 New Release in Electronics and Microelectronics

A tech book for tinkerers and makers. Creating new zombie tech from old tech is eco-friendly and it’s also a fantastic way to learn about the technology we use (or used to use) every day. The only limit is your curiosity and willingness to tinker!

DIY science projects using your discarded stuff. We all have a drawer or closet full of old discarded tech just sitting around gathering dust. Memories of a bygone technological era that have been replaced by newer, shiner, smarter devices. What can you do with them? Most of us don't even know how to properly dispose of them. If only there was a way to save them from their untimely fate.

Hardcore electronics and computer projects. Well empty out that drawer and grab a screwdriver, because the time has come to bring these old devices back from the grave! Old technology may no longer be useful, but it isn’t useless. Hidden inside often discarded devices is a treasure trove of motors, magnets, screens, and other parts just waiting for a chance to be upcycled! And this type of "upcycling" doesn't mean turning an old CD into a coaster, it means something a little more hardcore.

Learn:

• How to make a great Wi-Fi security camera with an old cell phone
• How to make a basic 3D printer out of old computer disk drives
• What can be made with the rare-earth magnets inside old hard drives or the reusable LCD screens in old phones
• And much more

Fans of Popular Science, Smithsonian’s Maker Lab, and The Big Book of Makerspace Projects will love Upcycled Technology.

Project 1
Old Webcam to Backup Camera

Beginner

Synopsis: Back before smart devices, computer cameras and webcams were external devices that you would have to plug in through USB. Since most computers nowadays have them built in, what do you do with your old external webcam?

Old Webcam to Backup Camera - Larger images can be found on page
102 of photo glossary

Parts & Tools Needed

•USB webcam

•Android smartphone

•Six foot USB extension cable

•USB OTG adapter

•Strong magnets

Step 1: Connecting the Webcam
to a Smartphone

I have at least a couple old webcams that I used pretty frequently before cameras became integrated into almost every device you can think of nowadays. I wanted to see if it would be possible to use one of them as a backup camera for my car. Let me preface that with a huge disclaimer that this is not intended for practical use and should not be relied upon as you would depend on a commercial backup camera. The intent is only to use this in rare instances, like getting close to a trailer for connecting it or backing up close to a dock for loading. So please, please, please don’t rely upon this as a sole backup camera for your vehicle.

That said, the first thing that
we will need to do is find some way to view the webcam from the driver’s seat while the camera is mounted to the back of the car. Since I had several old Android smartphones lying around, I decided to use one of those as the viewing screen. Android devices made within the last five years have the ability to recognize USB devices when they are plugged in. This is known as “USB On the Go” or USB OTG. So we will need a USB OTG cable to connect the webcam to it. Just plug one end of the OTG cable into the webcam and the other end into the phone.

It’s not enough to connect the webcam to the phone, we also need to have some type of software so that the phone will recognize the webcam and display video. Although they are in no way affiliated with this book, the Free USB Camera app by ShenYao3 worked great for my needs. Once the webcam was plugged in, I just launched the app and the live video display from the webcam started right up!

Step 2: Installing the Webcam as a Backup Camera

The next trick is getting the webcam to stick to the back of the car while keeping it connected to the smartphone that will be at the front of the car. As for getting it to stick to the back of the car, I hot-glued a couple of strong rare-earth magnets to the base of the camera. After finding a good position on the back of the car, I can just put the camera on the car and the magnets will keep it stuck in place.

To connect the camera to the smartphone at the front of the car, all we need is a long USB extension cable. Those are pretty cheap to come by and vary greatly in length. The one I purchased is a six-foot extension cable. The cable ran into the trunk, through the side of the back seat, then along the floor under the front seat, where it ran up to the dashboard and connected to the camera. Even though you might think ...

Table of contents

• Copyright
• Introduction
• Prepare to Repair
• Where Do I Look?
• What Do I Look For?
• What Tools Do I Need?
• Computers & Peripherals
• Project 1 Old Webcam to Backup Camera
• Project 2 Turning an Old Laptop into a Projector
• Project 3 CD-ROM Drive to 3D Printer
• Mobile Devices
• Project 1 Old Smartphone to Security Camera
• Project 2 Revive an Old iPod
• Project 3 Old Cell Phone to Smartwatch
• Photo Glossary
• Old Webcam to Backup Camera
• Turning an Old Laptop into a Projector
• CD-ROM Drive to 3D Printer
• Old Smartphone to Security Camera
• Revive an Old iPod
• Old Cell Phone to Smartwatch
• Project Journal
• Parts & Tools Check List
• Parts & Tools Check List
• Parts & Tools Check List
• Parts & Tools Check List
• Parts & Tools Check List
• Parts & Tools Check List
• Afterword
• Acknowledgements
• About the Author