Have you ever wanted to build a combat robot? You probably thought it was too dangerous and expensive. However, a lot of combat robot competitions have a weight class for 150 grams (5.3 oz), including Robot Wars. This class is called “Antweight” in most countries and “Fairy Weight” in the USA. These are a whole lot … Read more
This minHour teaches you how to play Minesweeper on a Windows computer. Although Minesweeper no longer comes pre-installed on Windows computers, you can download the remastered version from the Windows 10 Store for free. Learning Minesweeper Mechanics Understand the principles behind Minesweeper. Each Minesweeper game starts out with a grid of unmarked squares. After clicking … Read more
Got your hands on an Arduino Uno microcontroller board? This minHour article will teach you how to connect your Arduino Uno to a Windows PC or Mac, install the necessary drivers, and run your first application. Setting Up on Mac OSX Download and mount the latest Arduino package. Run the FTDIUSB Serial driver included. Once … Read more
This minHour teaches you how to make a simple, light-activated robot that can vibrate its way across a surface. While the robot detailed here won’t perform complex tasks, building it will help you develop a basic understanding of circuitry fundamentals which you can use to build more complicated robots in the future. Keep in mind … Read more
The robot is a fun, iconic dance style that’s been around since the 1960s. It involves using slow, isolated body movements to appear like a dancing robot. Doing the robot can seem complicated if you’ve never done it before, but it’s actually simple once you master the basics, like wobbling, pivoting, and body isolations. Once … Read more
This little robot will add to your collection of cool things to display! These instructions tell you how to build a small robot that lights up its eyes, for an inexpensive, fun showpiece. Steps Pick your LED lights and heat shrink. The two lights will form the robot’s eyes. Optionally, get heat shrink tubing as … Read more
The Teams app is a great way to communicate and collaborate with your coworkers, but that little presence status symbol that shows up next to your name can be a mixed blessing. It can be especially frustrating if your Teams status keeps switching to “Away” even while you’re busy working on your computer. In this … Read more
This minHour teaches you how to open and run executable JAR files on a Windows or Mac computer. JAR (Java Archive) files contain data to be used with the Java program. Most JAR files are simply containers for data that another program needs to run with Java; therefore you cannot run these files and nothing … Read more
SPSS (The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences) software has been developed by IBM and it is widely used to analyse data and make predictions based on specific collections of data. SPSS is easy to learn and enables teachers as well as students to easily derive results with the help of a few commands. The … Read more
Have you ever wanted to learn how a program protects itself from being copied? With the right tools, you can examine the inner workings of a program and experiment with reverse-engineering. You’ll need have a firm grasp on assembly programming and hex code to get started, and a disassembler app. Once you’re familiar with the … Read more
This minHour teaches you how to open and edit your Windows computer’s DLL files using a free program or a free web service. Keep in mind that modifying DLL files can permanently damage your computer. Preparing to Edit a DLL Understand where to find DLL files. DLL files—which are binary files used by Windows in … Read more
Do you want to access and copy files from a Kindle Fire to a computer, or vice versa? After connecting your device, you can easily download pictures taken by your tablet onto your Windows or Mac computer. You can also transfer files such as ebooks, music, videos, and other types of media between the two … Read more
This minHour will teach you how to create a basic EXE file on a Windows computer, as well as how to create a container for that file that will install it on another computer. EXE files are used to install programs or add files to a Windows computer. To create an EXE installer, you’ll use … Read more
Apple’s Screen Time with Family Sharing lets you set limits and monitor your kids’ screen use. However, if you don’t have the right settings turned on, or if you run into a software glitch, your children’s Screen Time reports might not show up on your device. Whether the Screen Time button is greyed out or … Read more
A RAR file is a compressed archive that can contain hundreds of other files. RAR is popular because of how much the file size can be compressed, as well as the powerful encryption that is built-in. With just a few clicks, you can encrypt and password-protect any RAR archive. Without the correct password, unauthorized users … Read more
This minHour teaches you how to render your Blender animation into a playable video file. Rendering your animation creates a high-quality video that you can share online or import into other apps. Preparing to Render Open your project in Blender. When you’re ready to save your animation as a video file, you’ll need to use … Read more
Want to learn how to open and read an EPUB (also known as “e-book”) file on your computer, phone, tablet, or E-Reader? You can open and view EPUB files using free software on nearly any platform, as well as on most E-Readers, such as Nook and Kobo readers. If you’re using a Kindle, you’ll need … Read more
This minHour teaches you how to edit the contents of an APK file. To edit the files inside, you’ll need to decompile (and then recompile) the package using APKtool on a computer. Editing APK files requires knowledge of Java, as well as the file systems on both Windows and Android. This should only be done … Read more
SQL Server databases are some of the most common databases in use, thanks in part to how easy it is to create and maintain them. With a free graphical user interface (GUI) program such as SQL Server Management, you don’t need to worry about fumbling around with the command line. See Step 1 below to … Read more
This minHour will show you how to collect data with Vernier’s Logger Pro. Logger Pro is a program that is available on Windows and Mac computers. It allows data collection and graphing with just the click of a button, and is commonly used in schools because of its ease of use. Steps Ensure that the … Read more