Collaborate Disseminate
When you hear about a switching power supply, you think of a system that uses an inductor and a switch to redistribute energy from the input to the output. But …read more Continue reading 1950s Switching Power Supply Does it Mechanically
Internet-connected sex toys are a great way to surprise your partner from work (even the home office) or for spicing up long-distance relationships. For some extra excitement, they also add that thrill of potentially having all your very sensitive private data exposed to the public — but hey, it’s not …read more
Continue reading A Battery To Add A Tingling Sensation To Your Tweets
Osé, the big toy at CES, seems both completely dystopian and completely hot. Continue reading A New ‘Robotic Massager’ Wants to Replace Your Vibrator—And Your Partner
Game reviews, but put it up your butt. Continue reading Every Video Game Is a Vibrator If You Believe
The BigoDicky, a crowdfunded sex toy that never was. Continue reading This Doomed Robotic Bra on Indiegogo Is the Weirdest Sex Toy I’ve Ever Seen
Sex toy makers are increasingly connecting their products to the internet, but privacy is often an afterthought. One researcher showed that an alternative is possible. Continue reading We Anonymously Controlled a Dildo Through the Tor Network
If you want to convert one voltage to another, what do you do? Well, if you are talking DC voltages today, you’ll probably use a DC to DC converter. Really, these converters generate some sort of AC waveform and then use either an inductor or a transformer to boost or buck the voltage as desired. Then they’ll convert it back to DC. If you are talking AC voltages, you could just use a transformer. But think about this: a transformer has two sides. The primary makes an alternating magnetic field. Just like rotating a shaft with magnets on it could. …read more
Continue reading Retrotechtacular: DC to DC Conversion, Rotary Style
Electricity comes in two basic forms: Alternating Current (AC) and Direct Current (DC). DC is handy to use and is easy to analyze. However, AC has some useful properties too. In particular, AC current can operate a transformer which can step it up or down easily. Power is conserved, of course (well, actually, you get less power because of losses in the transformer).
You can’t do that trick with pure DC. You can reduce a voltage, although that typically wastes power in heat (for example, a voltage divider or linear regulator). You can’t readily increase a DC voltage unless you …read more
Continue reading Retrotechtacular: DC to DC Conversion by Vibrator