Hot Electronics How-Tos
How To: Increase the dynamic range of the Canon 5D and 7D
This is an excellent video showing you how to open up the dynamic range of your Canon DSLR camera in order to see into the highlights and shadows better. By giving you a flatter image, you have more ability to manipulate the image in post-production, having lost less available information.
How To: Turn a mint tin into a mini speaker
Entertain your friends by turning your traditional personal headphones into a mini loud speaker with just an old mint tin and a playing card. This might not be the most advanced or prettiest way of listening to music but sure is a fun way to kill some time.
How To: Easily reset an iPod nano
Watch this step by step tutorial how to easily reset an iPod Nano. Toggle the hold switch a few times. Turn off hold switch. Hold down the Menu and Select buttons at the same time. Wait 8 to 10 seconds or until the Apple logo appears. Repeat steps 1-3 if necessary. This also works on all 4th and 5th Generation iPods, as well as others. The device should restart after about 6-10 seconds. Also works on the latest 4th generation iPod Nano.
How To: Transfer music from an iPod using SharePod application
MicroHelper demonstrates how to transfer music, pictures, videos from an iPod to any computer using the SharePod application. Go to Get SharePod, click download and save the winrar file into your desktop. You can either use WinZip or winrar to open any .rar file. After finishing the download, extract the files. Click on the SharePod icon to launch the program. Once the SharePod program has launched, connect your iPod to your computer, the SharePod program will show the contents of your iPod. ...
How To: Restore your iPhone or iPod Touch
This video demonstrates how to restore your iPhone or iPod Touch if you are experiencing freezing or errors. You will need to restore your device if you experienced problems after attempting to have a jailbroken device. First, you have to make sure the device is turned on and plugged into your computer and connected to iTunes. To start restoring the phone, you want to hold onto the "home" button and the "unlock" button at the same time and continue to hold it until the device turns off. Next,...
How To: Use a Canon 7D & understand recording audio issues
Eyepatchentertainmen teaches you how to use a Canon 7d and understand the recording audio issues. The 5D only shoots 30 frames per second, as opposed to the 7D, which records in a standard frame rate, which will help you sync the audio to the video. The microphone that comes with the Senheiser G2 wireless kit plugs directly into the Canon 7D and works well. There is no manual control over the audio yet. The 5D and the 7D are amongst the best audio recording DSLRs out there. To make sure you h...
How To: Keep your vinyl LPs in perfect condition
Do you have an old collection of vinyl records but can't keep them in good condition? First, take an empty syringe and fill it with clean water. Add the water from the syringe as the record plays. The water will spread throughout the record and increase the sound quality. The stylus also has to be properly cleaned. This will help you clean your old and dusty records, as well as help with recording music on your CDs.
How To: Solder speaker lead wires
In this video tutorial, viewers learn how to solder speaker lead wires. Soldering is a process in which two or more metal items are joined together by melting and flowing a filler metal into the joint. Viewers are shown how to solder speaker lead wires to the terminals. This video also shows how to solder two wires together and how to solder a wire to a slip on terminal. This video will benefit those viewers who want to learn how to solder and be able to repair other electronic devices.
How To: Connect the Xbox 360 to the iPod
This is an interesting video where the presenter demonstrates how to actually play your iPod on your television by utilizing connectivity with XBox360. The great thing about this video is you actually see how the cables connect between the devices. Once connected, a brief tutorial of how to configure the dashboard follows. It's amazing how, with the right cables, one can quickly have use of their iPod on the television. The video itself is less than 90 seconds long, so you get a great tip for...
How To: Make your own 6v battery pack for the Vivitar 285HV
You can make your own 6 volt battery pack for the Vivitar 285HV camera. The Vivitar 285 is known as the "cockroach" flash because it is well put together and it is very hard to kill the flash. Manual mode settings and the color setting are explained briefly. Instead of using four double A batteries to power this flash you can make your own 6V battery to power it. This is beneficial because the 6V battery will last longer and some of them have the ability to be charged up.
How To: Shoot lightening in the daytime
This video shows you how to photograph lightning in the daytime. Set the ISO to 100.The aperture set at f32 and set for half of a second. Meter should be showing averaged. Photograph in the manual mode so that the setting won't change between photographs. Manually focus lens to infinity so you won't have to wait for the focus to lock on. A remote shutter to just hit the button. Be safe and keep camera safe when taking lightning photographs. Don’t get under trees. When lightning starts strikin...
How To: Fix or reset your iPod
Follow this simple and quick instructional video if you have any problems with your iPod. Ensure that you have your iPod on the home screen. Hold your finger on the menu button for 6 to 10 seconds or until the blue screen appears. All of your information and settings will still be on your iPod. It is recommended to reset an iPod once per week to fix any bugs.
How To: Reset your iPod nano
Learn how to reset your iPod Nano from this video in simple steps. First check whether your iPod is on hold or not and turn it off if its on hold. Now press the select button and the menu button simultaneously for about ten seconds. Hold them until it turns off and release them when an apple logo comes out. Now wait for a few seconds until it turns on again and your iPod is reset and ready to use.
How To: Move music from iPod to iTunes with Senuti application
This video will show you how to move music from your iPod to iTunes with the Senuti application. Follow these steps to move your music from your iPod to your iTunes: Search for a program called Senuti and download the free trial. Drag Senuti into your applications folder and open it. Insert your iPod, but do not sync it with iTunes, but rather enable disk use. Transfer your songs.
How To: Reset a third generation iPod nano
Learn how to reset a third generation iPod Nano from this video in simple steps. First take your third generation iPod Nano and switch it on. Now press the hold switch at the bottom of the iPod. Now hold the menu button and middle button together for a few seconds. After a few seconds your iPod switches off and restarts again. Now your third generation iPod Nano is reset and ready to use.
How To: Connect your PC to a TV using a VGA cable connection
This Windows tutorial demonstrates how to connect a laptop with an Intel graphics card to a TV using the VGA port output in the laptop and a VGA cable.
How To: Put iPod video on an Xbox 360
Ballinguy556 shows you how to put iPod video on an XBox 360. First, you need to take your USB wire that goes with your iPod. Plug the USB wire into the front USB port of you XBox Rest your XBox on top of your XBox 360. Your iPod is now on top and therefore on your 360. You can also place it on your 360 controller by placing it on your controller. That is how you get your iPod on your 360.
How To: Use your back button focus & why
Do you have a SLR and yet you feel that you are missing out on some features? Let's check out the back button focus. When you press the shutter button half way, it moves the focus to the back button. One can activate their camera's focus while the taking the picture which pretty much becomes a manual mode but gives you a lot of independence while taking pictures and it helps keep your subject in focus. This will benefit in taking pictures of high contrast.
How To: Replace a broken iPod screen
This video shows us how to replace a broken iPod screen. First thing to do for this is to remove the broken screen which is actually connected to the main board. The screen is actually connected to the main board with a very short ribbon cable. Now all you have to do is to pull the screen away but before doing that there is a pen socket, a white colored socket and above this is a black clip which can be clipped open. Using the tip of your finger just push the clip down and it will expose a bu...
How To: Choose the best prime lens choice for Canon cameras
Eyepatchentertainmen teaches you how to choose the best prime lens for Canon cameras, for video shooting. The faster the lens, the lower the light we need. The dark sequence was shot using a Nikon 15 mm 1.8 lens. Canon 50 mm 1.8 or the Nikon 50 mm 1.8 are good starting prime lenses. These run about 100 dollars. Sigma 30 mm 1.4 is a way up from that. After that there is the Canon L series primes, those are very good as well. Adaptation is also needed when you start using lenses. The most expen...
How To: Turn a used TV into an oscilloscope
Leeann of Hierchiss explains how to turn a TV into an oscilloscope. Turn the TV on and make sure it works. First, unplug the power. Take the back off the television. Cut the four picture wires that attach to the circuit board. Strip the ends of the wires. Tape the remaining wires off to prevent short circuiting. Clamp the red and yellow wires and attach to a 1/4 inch jack which feeds into a tape player. Repeat the same process for the green and blue wires. Plug in the TV to make sure the conn...
How To: Watch TV on your PC
To watch TV on your PC you need a TV tuner. You have two choices. There are usb sticks and pci cards. The pci is an internal circuit board that goes inside your computer. The pci card is very easy to install. Literally just open the computer and pop it into an available pci slot. Then you will need to install the software that came with the usb stick or pci card. Next attach an antenna to the pci card or usb stick connector. You can scan for channels, save favorite programs, and setup recordi...
How To: Set a custom white balance with a Canon 40D
This video shows how to set a custom white balance with a Canon 40D camera. Whether you have fluorescent, yellow tungsten, or camera white light, you will still get a good picture with the custom white balance. The video shows pictures taken with the different lighting and different vibrant colors without the custom white balance that come out pretty good. Then a picture is taken of a white paper towel or something pure white. Then the custom white balance is set by going to the menu, white b...
How To: Jailbreak an iPod Touch 2g with redsn0w
If you want to run homebrew apps on your second-generation iPod Touch or, as a moral issue, believe you should have root access to a computer that you yourself own, jailbreaking is the key. And this guide from Everything iPod Touch will show walk you through the jailbreaking process for a 2g iPod Touch running the 3.1.3 build of the firmware.
How To: Get started with the Nikon D40 & Nikon D40x
It is a tutorial that explains the basic guidelines of Nikon D40 and D40x cameras. This enables everyone to take photographs successfully and prepare the camera for use. Attach the lens of the camera by rotating towards the right; make sure that no dust gets into the camera. Then remove the protective cap from lens and align the white dot on the lens with the white dot on the camera's body. Turn to the left until it clicks in to place. First, we must charge the camera's battery; when the LED ...
How To: Sync an iPod with the Xbox 360
Do you want to know how to sync an iPod with the XBox 360? You must have an iPod and a XBox 360. Connect your iPod with your XBox with the USB cable. Transfer the files from the iPod to the XBox XBox helps play AAC format as well as MPEG movies. The iPod must be connected to the portable device section. This will help you share movies, music, pictures and other data and you can even copy the downloaded data to your iPod from the Xbox.
How To: Choose the right lens for a project with a Canon 7D
This video discusses the lenses available for the Cannon 7D camera. The video starts by describing the difference between still and video lenses. The presenter then goes on to recommend his three favorite lenses. First, the Tokina 11-16 is the wide angle lens recommended in the video. The Tamron SP AF17-50mm is a stabilized lens that works great for video and stills. Finally, the presenter recommends the Sigma APO 50-150mm to round out the lens collection. These lenses will cover all distance...
How To: Edit your digital photos easily
In this video Dionne from the Gadget show explains how to improve your digital photos easily using widely available free software. The first thing she instructs us to do is to download and install Google's free photo editing software Picasa. Next, once Picasa is installed you can use it's one click settings to easily remove red eyes from photographs or increase the brightness of a photo. The next thing we learn to do is to adjust the white balance of a photograph. This makes the photo appear ...
How To: Understand histograms on digital cameras
A video from Graham River Productions, presented by Shannon Smith, explains how to interpret Histograms on modern Digital Cameras. Just because a captured image looks nice on the camera screen does not mean that it is really good. One of the better checks for quality of a photograph is the histogram display that is available on many modern cameras. Histograms accurately tell whether the full potential of the the camera's optical sensor has been utilized or not; and are the tools of choice for...
How To: Reset the Apple iPod
This video shows you how to reset a frozen Apple iPod. The first step is to hold the menu button down while holding the middle button down. It then will turn black for about 10 seconds. The iPod will turn itself back on and then you will have full control over the iPod again. This user has many other videos on ways to complete similar tasks involving the iPod and other iPod types. This video also contains a musical soundtrack.
How To: Reset and restore an iPod Nano to factory settings
This video tutorial shows you how to reset your iPod to the factory default. This is something most iPod users could find useful. Sometimes when playing files through your iPod it will begin to skip, not work properly, or it will even have a corrupt file. This being said a reset of your iPod will bring it back to square one and get rid of these problems. Using these few steps shown in the video will reset your files and most likely, fix your problems. With this being said, its wise to make su...
How To: Restore iPod Touch from lockout
To restore an iPod Touch from lockout or forgetting a password, pull up iTunes on whatever computer you are using. Plug the USB cord into the iPod touch and plug the USB cord into the computer. The iPod will say "locked out" or "access pass code" and the computer will says that it needs to be synched up to the original program. Hold down the top button and home button at the same time. A message will pop up. Ignore it and let the iPod turn off. Take your finger off the top button and leave yo...
How To: Unlock your AppleTV
Mike Agerbo explains the benefits from listening to one's music through AppleTV, however it seems that one cannot listen to any music or other audio files unless he/she is using iTunes media. Agerbo explains how you can use Apple TV with other types of media, using a program called ATV Flash. Agerbo believes ATV Flash to be an easy and inexpensive tool to upgrade one's Apple Television so it can use the USB port and download and use other media content. One can also create a Boxee account to ...
How To: Use AV mode & high ISO to brighten your images
In this video brought to us by No Mac No Cheese, by Shannon Smith, he teaches you how to use AV mode and a higher ISO to bring more light into your pictures, especially when you are taking pictures indoors. He says you will need to go into the AV mode and raise the number of the ISO. What that does is make the shutter speed a lot slower so you get as much ambient light as you can.
How To: Jailbreak an iPod Touch 2G firmware 3.1.1
Are you a Windows user who wants to jailbreak your iPod Touch 2G 3.1.1? George from the iPhone Press shows you how in this video. The needed firmware is on the Megaupload site. There is a link provided that will take you to the site so you can download the firmware. Next, it tells how to put your device into DFU mode using Pwnage Tool. Then it explains how you connect your device to your computer, and get iTunes to open up. After iTunes opens, the video shows how to navigate in iTunes to get ...
How To: Get your iPod into disk mode and stay in disk mode
In this video tutorial, viewers learn how to make iPods go in disk mode and to stay in disk mode. This is a new technique on how to get and stay in disk mode so viewers can restore their iPod to factory settings and get it working again. Viewers will need an iPod charger adapter. To go into disk mode, viewers need to hold the center and Menu button the same time. Once the apple icon appears, viewers immediately need to hold the center and play button. This video will benefit those viewers who...
How To: Use a Vivitar flash for a kicker light outdoors
This video instructs the watcher on how to use the flash of a Vivitar to add light to photos taken outside if a little extra light is needed. Turn the camera on AV mode, choose an ISO setting like 100 or 200, then take a reading, either off the sky or an object. Then use the Vivitar to match up to that setting. Then position your camera off to the side to add a directional light to give the photo detail and kick. Follow the directions in this video to learn a new technique to give your outdoo...
How To: Deep clean your vinyl LP records with steam
This video shows a method of cleaning LP records using steam. He uses a Perfection steamer and a record cleaning machine with vacuums, along with a set of brushes, Disc Doctor cleaner, and laboratory grade water. He uses distilled water in the steamer. He turns the turntable on, applies the cleaner, spreads it with a brush, and applies the steam while the record turns. After the steaming is done, he continues rubbing it with the brush, and turns on a vacuum. Next he runs the steamer of the re...
How To: Use your laptop as a monitor with the Canon 5D or 7D
Tony Reale from Creative Edge Productions shows you how to use your laptop as an on-set monitor using the Canon EOS Utility software. Not only can you monitor your shots, but you can change focus, f-stop, shutter speed, ISO, and white balance. The feed is a little choppy, but it's a great and inexpensive fix in a pinch.
How To: Use live view on the Canon EOS 7D
Live View wit the EOS 7D camera from Canon, lets you compose and view your subjects with the LCD monitor as your viewfinder. This is great for a multiple of reasons. See how to use live view on this digital SLR camera.