Last time I checked, there were a lot of cats around here...

Yep, they're still here. I just checked again. We have a lot of cats... How many? So many... it's just crazy! Anyways, true to the immense suckers that we are, we've also somehow managed to come to support a small contingency of outdoor neighbourhood cats as well. While my own unholy feline army is safe indoors year round, the two (hideous) Tom cats that roam my neighbourhood have to brave the winter weather, and it was getting REALLY cold around here a few weeks ago. The solution? An emergency DIY outdoor cat shelter!

You can find a bunch of different designs for outdoor cat shelters around the web as I discovered when I began my research for the project. One idea that immediately stood out was this kind of design made from a large Rubbermaid storage bin. While I had originally planned on building my shelter out of wood, I found that a bin would be ideal since I have so many of them already from all of the cat-ruined clothes that I have in storage. These bins work really well for a shelter as they have no seams, and are thick enough to withstand the winter weather. Honestly, the bin should be pretty self-explanatory, so the majority of the work is simply insulating the crap out of it, cutting a "cat approved" hole, and making it comfortable for your guests.

Step One: Gather your parts

• One large rubber storage bin.
• Styrofoam insulation/regular Styrofoam is also acceptable.
• 2 large garbage bags.
• Some blankets/old soft towels that you're okay with parting ways with - they're probably not coming back, lol.
• Bubble wrap (I know!) - The foil backed variety is preferable.

Step Two: Put it all together

First, I sized the Styrofoam insulation to fit the four inner walls and "ceiling" of the bin. The give between the Styrofoam and rubber bin made it relatively easy to get a good fit around the inside of the shelter. Hot glue easily secured the Styrofoam in place.

Next, I lined the inside "roof" with a garbage bag, and then added a layer of bubble wrap on the inside, covering the Styrofoam.

While the original design that I based my own upon used the lid of the bin as its roof, I decided to do it the other way around - I simply wanted it to be wider at the bottom. If you're really in doubt, just ask the preference of the cat that will be using it.

To prepare the lid I began by lining it with another piece of garbage bag, and then a layer of bubble wrap. The garbage bag helps to seal the bin when you finally attach the lid (be it floor, or ceiling). I also added a towel and an old blanket to really spice things up.

What’s with the bubble wrap? Well, it's supposed to act as an insulator, or specifically, like a cluster of tiny thermal pockets. If the wrap is exposed to a enough sunlight, the air inside the bubbles will heat up, and can be retained for quite some time – at least, so I’m told. I had a little extra after finishing the inside, so I decided to wrap the remainder around the top of the bin as well.

Lastly, I had to cut a hole big enough for the cats to use, but not quite big enough for the raccoons, skunks, breath-stealing trolls, or anything else in your backyard that may want to get inside. Also, since this is supposed to protect from the cold, it is desirable to have the entrance as small as possible.

I started with a way too small hole, and then slowly cut more away using a jigsaw after testing each iteration with a feline volunteer of approximate size to my outdoor friends. I also wanted the entrance a little high so that when a cat is inside the shelter, the hole is a little higher than they are (also in an effort to minimize the effects of cold winds). My faithful feline test subject jumped right inside the shelter once the hole was the right size. The trick to getting the entrance right is mostly making sure that its tall enough - your guests need to be able easily step into the shelter.

Step Three: Deploy the shelter!

You may want to experiment with where you place your shelter - some recommend avoiding places where the outdoor cats like to eat, as the shelter could potentially attract rivals. However, regardless of where you place it, you may want to consider putting some dry food, or treats in it when you deploy it for the first time in order to let the outdoor cats know you mean business.

So does it work? To tell you the truth, I had my doubts at first... I would see the (horrible) Toms checking it out, but they never seemed to want to take the plunge.

But then, on one particularly rainy morning I noticed something...

Holy crap!



Until next time,
M.

Labels: Cats, diy, Emergency, outdoor

Use Google Talk, Skype, or a SIP based VoIP client a lot? Take it from me, being tethered to the PC gets old … fast. To solve this issue, many cordless VoIP phones have become commercially available, but as we tend to do around here, let’s make our own instead!

Ok, ok, I hear what you’re saying and yes, I am aware that this particular project is somewhat old… like, four years old to be precise… but I’ve been compelled to post about it as the landscape of VoIP, SIP and other open (free) telecommunications options on the Internet has changed dramatically since 2005… While I made my first DIY VoIP phone way back when, it hasn’t received much use since the conclusion of the now-infamous “Free Skype-out promotion of 2006”…until recently that is…

So here's the plan...this post will have two parts: In the first, we’ll go over how to make your own DIY VoIP Phone (to bring everyone up to speed) and in the second, we’ll have some fun with the phone and go through a few ways you can start making some free calls! Huzzah!

Part One: Making a DIY VoIP phone




Required Parts:

1. A cordless phone… The original hack from Grynx used a fancy schmancy Siemens phone, but I’ve had success with both Radio Shack/The Source and VTech models. Live dangerously and just buy the cheapest one you can find.

2. One (approximately 6 ft.) 3.5mm male/male stereo audio cable like this…

3. A soldering Iron and basic soldering knowledge… You can brush up on your skills with this great guide here.

There have been many posts on making both VoIP phones and VoIP adapters, but one of the original and best guides was posted by Chris J. at Grynx.com. View it here. Alternately, there are also plans here if you’d rather make an adapter so that no modification to your phone is necessary... It should be mentioned that once you modify your phone with the audio cables, you shouldn't try to plug it into/use it with a regular phone line anymore...

Chris J.’s guide is very straightforward, so I don’t need to go over it all again, but I’ll explain it briefly for the curious-without-the-intention-of-making-one...

With the circuit board exposed and the handset on, a small screwdriver is used to probe the various parts of the cordless phone's circuit board in search of where the tapping of the screwdriver can be heard in the handset. Using a halved audio cable, a signal can be sent from an mp3 player into this spot to verify its location. Alternately, to find the “mic”, simply blow or talk into the handset and test the board with a pair of headphones, listening again for the location where your breath/voice can be heard. The two halves of the audio cable are then soldered in place at both locations. The end result will probably look (better than) something like this…


Some candid shots of the Vtech 9118... Just about any cordless phone will do...




Part Two: Having fun with your DIY VoIP phone



While much of this depends on what country you’re in, but hopefully there’s enough info here for just about anyone to piece together a solution that works… I tried a whole bunch of different services (close to 12!) to see if free calling could really be possible here’s an overview of what I found, and what kind of service you can get for free...

Skype is actually a great place to start messing around with your VoIP phone, even though their free calling promotion is long over… By using a service called 1-800-free-411 along with Skype, you can make free 5 minute VoIP calls (even internationally) to regular phones… not bad!
Just start-up Skype and then dial *wait for it* 1-800-Free-411, listen to the ads, and then just dial your number… pretty cool… but what about that 5 minute restriction? Let’s push our luck!

The first real providers I investigated were fairly run-of-the-mill SIP providers such as Freecall.ca, VoipCheap, and VoIPStunt. Having tried all three, I’d only recommend them to those who require only incoming calls. One way to do this is to use one of these services' softphones and link it with either your own Enum or with a service such as Voiptalk. I used Voiptalk to register a local number in the United Kingdom, and then linked it to my VoIPCheap softphone. This way, my friend in the UK can now make a call to a local number, and I will receive it on the softphone/diy VoIP phone. Many other providers of free access numbers also exist, so you could conceivably set up multiple local numbers to accommodate multiple international friends with unique numbers that all connect back to you, wherever you may be.

It’s worth noting that registering for any generic SIP provider (such as the three I mentioned) will provide you with a unique SIP number. Like the Enum, SIP numbers can also be called using regular telephones or POTS (Plain Old Telephone Service). A very cool site called SIPBroker maintains a large list of international access numbers that can be used to call both Enum and SIP numbers. Simply find and dial a local number on their list, and then enter your desired [sip-code][number] or ENUM number at the prompt. Easy!

So there are a few solutions, but admittedly, each has its own drawback; but there are a couple services stand out among all the rest… For Canadians, the best free VoIP solution out there can be found at Freephoneline.ca. Not only will the site provide you with a local Canadian number but it also offers free incoming and outgoing calls between these cities:

Ajax-Pickering, Ancaster, Athens, Aurora, Ayr, Baden, Bolton, Bowmanville, Brampton, Breslau, Brockville, Brooklin, Burlington, Caledon East, Calgary, Campbellville, Cardinal, Carleton Place, Clarkson, Cooksville, Delta, Drayton, Dundas, Edmonton, Elmira, Exeter, Fort Erie, Freelton, Galt, Georgetown, Halifax, Hamilton, Hespeler, Hull, Kanata, King City, Kitchener, Linwood, London, Maitland, Mallorytown, Malton, Maple, Markham, Milton, Montreal, Mount Hope, New Dundee, New Hamburg, Newcastle, Newmarket, Niagara Falls, Niagara-On-The-Lake Nobleton, North Augusta, Oakville, Oshawa Ottawa, Pelham, Plattsville, Port Credit, Port Perry, Prescott, Preston, Quebec City, Richmond Hill, Roxboro, South Pickering, Spencerville, St. Catharines, St. Clements, St. Jacobs, Stittsville, Stouffville Streetsville, Thornhill, Thorold, Toronto, Unionville, Uxbridge, Vancouver, Waterdown, Waterloo Welland, Wellesley, Whitby, Windsor, Winnipeg, Woodbridge.

Word.

Incidentally, everyone in the world can make calls to the United States with a DIY VoIP phone and the CallingAmerica.com website. Simply enter your desired number, wait nineteen seconds and make up to a fifteen minute call. Good deal, but unfortunately it lacks a dialpad, so it's useless as a hopline.

For Americans, your best bet is Ringplus.net. The service will similarly let you make local and international calls through a local access number, but unlike freephoneline.ca, you’ll need to use a regular phone.

The potential for VoIP and SIP calling is immense. These technologies clearly have huge implications for the power structure of contemporary telecommunications... This is particularly apparent in the case between Apple and Google at the moment, with the former viewing the Google Voice app as a threat to iPhone's very existence. But I digress...



Try it out! Set a number up as a business line, or have some fun calling a distant friend/loved one/enemy/complaint department/or *ahem*... even other uses!

Labels: diy, phone, SIP, VoIP

Do you know anyone who makes their own clothes? Or who sews a significant amount? They may use an industrial sewing machine. These things are monsters... seriously, we're talking some serious torque... As a consequence many users complain that they lack sensitive controls... Lady Ada of Adafruit Industries fame has a great write-up over at her blog explaining how to change the pulley to decrease the overall max speed to better harness their killing- I mean sewing power... There's also a really interesting comments section that has some very insightful users offering other less technical tricks such as putting a nerf ball under the foot-pedal to similarly provide more sensitive controls...
You can check out the full article here

Have fun!

Labels: diy, hacks, sewing machines

Just a small post today... There's a particularly concise article over at Hackaday introducing the basic elements of soldering. This is the sort of guide that's great for people (like myself) who do not have electrical engineering degrees... but still wish to get into basic electronics as a hobby. Nowadays many sites like Adafruit.com have many awesome kits that are really designed with beginners in mind... Who couldn't think up something to make with Arduino?? Useful articles like these are a great first step...
You can read the article here.
Until next time!

Labels: diy, soldering