Vikram Singh KhalsaThe Sikh Magician, Inventor and Artist

Dec 1st Punjabi Number Clock with Illumination..

My dad saw this clock for 1$, and I thought I’d try to modify it somehow, so we got it. I wanted to change the background, because I it looked boring and unattractive. I also wanted a clock with punjabi numbers. First I opened it up, and took it apart. I removed the background printing, and scanned it into the computer. Then I used photoshop to add punjabi numbers. I realized I might as well add a cool background too. So I looked at some pictures and stuff, and I decided to use my Blasted Khanda design as the background. Then I printed it and cut it out. Next I inserted this new piece on top of the old one. Might as well throw a LED in too, just to make it look cool, and readable in the dark. So i cut a spot in the bottom and added a blue LED. I connected it to a 3V wall outlet adapter and made a slit in the back for the wire to come through. Then I put everything back together. Alternatively I could’ve had the LED be solar powered so it would charge all day and turn on automatically at night. A battery could have been used as well, but for now I decided just to plug it in.

Here’s the original clock:

And here’s the modified version:

Oct 16th Cell Phone Mod..?

I’ve had my cell phone for a while (I’ve lost quite a few phones in the past), and it started getting old. It had gotten worn out, and I was bored with it. I’m also planning on getting a new one soon. So I started messing around with this one to see what I could do. I thought tne phone looked cooler without the faceplates, so I took them off. But the screen was vunerable without them, and the keypad could easily fall off. I cut a piece of plastic the size of the screen from a clear cd case using my dremel rotary tool, and hot glued it over the screen. Then I hot glued the keypad in place too. But I wasn’t satisfied. So attached a laser light to the phone, powered by the phones battery. I used electric tape to attach it to the phone, and it ruined its overall appearance. So I covered the whole phone with electric tape. Now it was black! and I didn’t have to worry about scratches :p.

Here’s the original phone:

and here it is after:

The laser was really bright, and it was fun to mess with people. But after a few days i still wasn’t satisfied. The laser also started getting dimmer, i think the cell phone batter voltage was too high. So i took it all apart, got rid of the tape, and the laser, and all the hot glue. Then I attached 2 flashlight bulbs. I also cut the faceplates so that they would fit on the phone with the lightbulbs there. The pone looked ok, and it provided a useful function.
Here’s how it looked:

I realized that 2 bulbs was more than needed, and it took too much from the battery. So i got rid of one, and decreased the bulk as well.

-Update-11/09/06-

Having the light on my phone really came in useful, because i always had it with me. But after so much dropping and just general wear, tear, and use, it wouldn’t work like it was supposed to. Sometimes I had to hit the phone, or open it and fix wires. It was a loose lazy circuit. Also, the bulb and the switch took away from the overall appearance of the phone. So I decided to try something else. I ripped off the bulb and switch, got rid of the hot glue residue, and decided to start from scratch. I had this little set of battery powered holiday light thingies i got at a clearance sale. They weren’t that bright, but they took less voltage than LED’s… so i decided to try them. I didn’t have any LED’s to try, or else I would have.. I cut out about 6 of these tiny bulbs and started testing. With so many, the light was just as bright. So I got to work cutting and twisting and taping wires. It was a much more complicated circuit this time because I had to wire each light individually. But I finally got it. I also found a smaller switch and hooked that up. These lights are hardly noticeable compared to the old bulb. I have yet to find out how the battery life goes.. Here are some pics:

-Update-11/20/06-
So all was going well, The light was functioning properly, and it was pretty useful. Until I dropped the phone. On it’s side. And 3 little light bulbs broke. So I had a 1 sided flashlight. Which worked fine, but after a while I was once again unsatisfied. So I got rid of them, and decided to use LEDs. I got 2 ultrabright white LEDs and put them on. They give white light, which looks better, and the light points in a direction, it’s not all over the place. So it’s better for a flashlight. They’re also smaller, and had better battery life. I think they are more solid too, less likely to break and longer lasting.

Here are some pictures:

Sep 20th Sound Activated Lights

I had my computer custom configured from CyberPower. It’s cheaper than getting most pre-made computers, and you get to choose your own parts. I ordered mine with an included blue 12 inch cold cathode light. I ordered a few more online when i found some cheap ones. I also got a sound activated controller. So after some wire cutting and stuff, i stuck one behind my monitor. Here’s a video of the lights in action with keertan playing, and a few pictures of my system.