There are already several tutorials out there on the ‘net on how to make an IR LED pen. Some ranging from simple hacks to full-blown manufacturing. The problem with the simple hacks, though, is that they are clunky, unwieldy, or unsightly (like this one, really cheap to make, but uses tape to keep it together!!!). And anything more complex than that was just too much hard work. The closest thing I found was an IR flashlight tutorial, but it uses a MagLite, which is a bit more expensive than necessary, and a flashlight is unidirectional which will limit it’s use. Plus, you’ll also need to bring out your drill. Nope, not simple enough.
So I got my brains out of the drawer, dusted it off, and started using it a bit, and thought up of a cheap, simple, and really easy-to-do but very elegant solution! The philosophy behind it? Don’t reinvent the wheel. Read the rest of this entry »
