Build a Network Attached Storage machine using FreeNAS. Got an old PC? Install FreeNAS and you'll have a bomproof box to serve your media files and back up your computers... on this episode of DIYTryin, we should you how build a FreeNAS, the tricks behind configuring it, and explain why using FreeNAS's ZFS will save your data if one your hard drives dies!

DIY carbonated drinks! This week we build our own carbonation system that costs mere cents to fill up a bottle. But what else can we make fizzy? Coffee...orange juice...even egg nog?!?!? Our liquid depravity knows no bounds.

Need a last minute Secret Santa gift? Make a hollow book! On this episode we make hollow books to stash secrets, cover tablets, and impress your secret santa recipient.

Got a wicked hangover New Year's day? Some nice, fluffy buttermilk donuts might be just what you need! http://www.cooksillustrated.com/recipes/1192-buttermilk-doughnuts INGREDIENTS 3 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus extra for surfaces 1 cup granulated sugar

Whether it's a $7 eBay special or a top of the line Fluke, all multimeters (or multitesters, VOMS) work in the same basic way. We explain what what the symbols on the front mean, the basic settings, and how you how to measure V, A, & ?. We also discuss why you should go digital and not Analog, , when it's time to reach for a clamp meter, and, yes, basic safety!

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has funded research to develop a pee powered smartphone battery... but you can make one right now. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has funded research to develop a pee powered smartphone battery... but you can make one right now. Lemon batteries are cool, but salt batteries are powerful. And, hey, there's salt in urine, so a urine powered battery would be the ultimate emergency battery to top off you cell phone, right? Sure, if you're squeamish, you can use salt water instead o' urine! We show you how to build a battery from aluminum foil, copper wire, charcoal, and salty liquid that'll charge a smart phone in the video!

We show you our fave tips and tricks building a new Windows machine for our friend Nick... and you'll definitely want to hear how he put together the best collection of parts for his budget! When shopping for the right parts, Nick focused on PCPartsPicker and /r/buildapc. These two sites helped out immensely for picking affordable parts, checking compatibility, and finding even better alternatives.

It doesn't matter what you call it: light tent, light cube, light box, macro photo studio, or a mini photo studio... with some cheap supplies, a hobby knife, and a couple of lamps, you can get your DIY on -and- make some gorgeous photos! Soft glowing surfaces, sharp details, warm tone, all thanks to the miracle of diffusion. We show you how to build one, why diffused light looks so good, and show you how it works. Whether it's art or just snaps of collectibles you're gonna sell on e-bay, a low cost light box can make a major difference!

Speakers + Vintage Suitcase = Awesome Sound?

Can we build a cardboard boat with just glue and Gorilla tape? Absolutely.

A low cost and and car speakers turned a vintage suitcase form the thrift store into a rocking' boom box

FreeNAS is the most popular storage OS in the world, and makes it easy for anyone to build secure, robust network attached storage (NAS) to store files and share files. We love our FreeNAS server! So when the caretakers of FreeNAS over at iXsystems called to ask if we'd like to do another -ultimate- FreeNAS build with a couple of their experts, we said YES!

Cold brew coffe tastes incredibly smooth, isn't just for ice coffee, and it's easy to make. You don't need to pay $11 for a pint from the local fancy food store!

A cheap laser pointer from the pet shop, a few dollars in parts from Radio Shack and we were able to send music over a laser beam. We're talking sub $10 laser communicator here... yeah, we got a little sciency this week, Amplitude Modulation rocks

Trisha Hershberger joins us to talk about using the Rasterbator! You can make them big, long, and have tons of fun! Get your mind out of the gutter. We're talking about creating huge tiled prints with any sort of printer.

How Much Juice Is Your PC/Xbox One/PS4 Sucking Down? DIY Watt Meter! Ever wonder how much electricity your XBOX ONE, Playstation 4, gaming PC, refrigerator, or window mounted AC unit is pulling? Is that cell phone charger sucking Amperage even when your phone isn't plugged in? Build a DIY Watt meter and find out for sure!

Make your router more secure, faster, and overall better!

Control lights, appliances, and more with an Arduino or Raspberry Pi!

Turn a $35 Raspberry Pi into a home theatre streamer! OpenELEC makes it easy to turn a $35 Raspberry Pi into a solid home theater PC that can stream your media collection... and while it isn't free, we've got a way for you to stream Netflix and Amazon Instant Video!

This week we hack our bodies with TENS units and Arduinos.

Make your headlights brighter and safer! We take a look at a few options to increase the brightness of car headlights. First using a headlight restoration kit, then replacing the bulbs, and finally upgrading the wiring to get potentially the brightest output.

This week, a piece of wood and some wireless charging components almost kill us!

Zombie apocalypse? No worry! We've got a super-simple way to keep your devices charged in an emergency. We take a car battery, add some 12v receptacles, and hook in a power inverter to light up our devices.

Make your own bacon from scratch! Need we say more?

Create an anonymous file sharing and communications hotspot using a Raspberry Pi!

Save money and water by replacing your old toilet! It's not the most glamorous of subjects, but we sure had a lot of fun (and issues) replacing an old toilet in Patrick's house. Check it out!

Like us and have a pile of broken earbuds and headphones? Learn the easy way to fix your broken headphone cable.

...or maybe reverse Russian Roulette. We've got a short extra of us playing a game with the electric shock setup.

Today we build an adjustable steel standing desk! Michael learns to weld and Patrick learns that he's out of practice.

Save money by doing your own car maintenance! This week we're fixing up an old car, starting with a fluid change! We show you how to change your oil, flush your coolant/antifreeze, and more!

We're continuing a car maintenance with a full-on tuneup! This week we're changing out old spark plugs, checking functional fluids, and hooking in our Android phone with an ELM327 OBDII bluetooth adapter. Coupled with software called Torque, you're well on your way to a heads-up display for your car.

This week we experiment with roll-on truck bed liner! We figured Heculiner would look great on a truck bed.... watch us make over the (seriously trashed) bed in Patrick's Dodge 2500, from peeling out the old liner to rolling on the new one. (Hint: it's ALL about the prep before you start rolling it on!) But when we were done, we had extra bed liner, so we decided to find out what happens when you try it out on other things. Like shoes, cell phone cases ... and a skateboard?!? Watch the video!

Build a quick and easy tool for working out! Michael decided to use the workshop equipment on a weekend without adult supervision. With only minor scarring, he came out with a simple tool for strengthening your forearms. This forearm trainer (also know as a forearm roller) is great for rock climbers or maybe even some repetitive stress injuries (consult your PT). Get your grip on!

Need to tow your latest project home? Here's how to do it safely! We talk about the basics of towing: whether your vehicle can handle the weight, strapping in your cargo, attaching safety lines, and general towing tips. Check it out!

Got a problem that needs solving? Try using a Raspberry Pi! This week, Patrick and Michael become the office heroes by solving a long-standing problem--bathroom waits. With a Raspberry Pi, some lights, and a website, office productivity has skyrocketed. Have enough toilets at work? There are tons of different sensors available to make any home or office setting more connected.

This week we're going through yet another horrible ordeal--replacing broken screens from iOS devices. Peeling off the glued-on broken bits is no walk in the park, but dealing with the tiny components inside is also...interesting. Watch the episode to see our experience and help you decide if doing DIY screen replacement is for you. https://www.ifixit.com/

Removing microprocessors by hand? Yep, it's possible! The legendary Ben Heck joins us to demystify surface mount soldering. He gives a few pointers on working with these tiny connections. http://www.element14.com/community/community/experts/benheck

Have a pile of data that you need to make sense of? Take a look at this DIY Tryin Extra! Sample code: https://github.com/palmdalian/BathroomStatus Plot.ly API Docs https://plot.ly/api/ Plot.ly Interview http://revision3.com/tekzilla/here-comes-windows-9-amazon-fire-phone-review-data/

Browse securely while on any network! Setting up your own VPN server is surprisingly easy when you have the right steps. We'll give you peace of mind by showing two ways to configure a OpenVPN server at home. Got an OpenWRT router or pfsense box? You're well on your way. https://www.highlnk.com/2013/12/configuring-openvpn-on-pfsense/ https://openvpn.net/ https://www.pfsense.org/ https://www.gargoyle-router.com/

We don't need no stinkin' consoles...or PC cases for that matter. We build a sub-$400 (and even cheaper if you shop around!) gaming PC that can run games like Titanfall on High settings. http://www.pcper.com/reviews/Systems/Budget-Gaming-PC-Shootout-Affordable-System-Builds-Compared Our Build: Intel Pentium G3220 3.0GHz - $58.99 ECS H81H3-M4 - $39.99 4GB Corsair Value - $47 WD Blue or Seagate Barracuda - $55 EVGA 430W 80PLUS - $35 $235.98 PNY 750TI - $140 $375.98 Case - $0 Windows 7 or 8 - $97 $472.98

Our resident PC elitist joins to show us a thing or two about cable management. Cisco Zarandin, form Rev3Games, is obsessed with orderly cables. On desks, in cubicles, and even INSIDE OF COMPUTER CASES THAT YOU'LL NEVER SEE. We think he's crazy, but proper cable management can help with air flow and make your machine look "high class". Watch the video for some of his tips.

This week is a little different--we're putting together an emergency kit for when the next big disaster strikes. We don't care if you call it your Emergency Kit, Disaster Kit, Earthquake Kit, Bail Out Bag, Go Bag, Survival Kit, or SHTF Gear: September is National Preparedness Month... have you taken the time to Build A Kit? It doesn't matter if it's a hurricane, flood, earthquake, or alien invasion... the trick is to put together the water, food, and supplies you (and your family) will need long before the emergency. (And to make sure you have enough for at least 3 days, minimum!) So, on this episode of DIYtryin, we're gonna talk about building a customized kit that's right for you and your family... there's nothing wrong with the off the shelf kits... we just think you can do better yourself! FEMA's Emergency Supply List is a good place to start, the Get A Kit list put together by Be Ready Utah is even more detailed, and has some great ideas. We want to hear what's in YOUR emergency kit, make sure to comment down below or tweet @diytryin

Home automation, custom trigger, better security. Do ANYTHING with Tasker! Tasker is a $3 Android app that let's you automate almost anything on your Android device. Think of it like IFTTT on crack. We go over our favorite Tasker workflows and show how they can make your life easier. Have your own favorite tasks? Let us know in the comments! http://tasker.wikidot.com/ https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.dinglisch.android.taskerm&hl=en

We turn Rev3Games' Twitch chat into the camera switcher! The DIYtryin crew harness the same technology behind "Twitch Plays Pokemon" to turn the Rev3Games livestream interactive. We control camera switching using the Twitch chat, but this can be adapted to do just about anything on your PC! Monitor IRC chats to interpret key presses and send macro commands with AutoHotkey. https://github.com/Francesco149/OpenTwitchPlays http://www.autohotkey.com/

Make a lock pick set from metal scraps. Ever want to try your hand at picking locks, but don't want to end up on some sort of government watch list? Too bad...if you're watching this video, you're on the list. But now you'll know how to make your own lock picking set completely free! Some good resources: http://toool.us/ http://www.capricorn.org/~akira/home/lockpick/mitlg-a4.pdf

Do anti-static wrist straps actually protect your PC? We hook up a static electricity generator and shock computer components to find out! The DIY crew are PC-building villains, never wearing static wrist bands when putting builds together. But do anti-static wrist straps really protect anything? We pull out a homemade Van De Graaff generator and apply several thousand volts to PC components. Hard drives, RAM, video cards, and motherboards...which ones will fail? Watch the video to find out!

Want to make your hair stand on end? Make a Van De Graaff generator! Michael has a quick rundown of his generator build and how you can make one yourself.

Get ready to burn some cash--we're building a top of the line edit machine that will blow most builds out of the water. Full parts list here: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/b6kXhM CPU: Intel Core i7-5930K 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($563.99 @ NCIX US) CPU Cooler: Corsair H105 73.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($114.99 @ Newegg) Motherboard: Asus X99-DELUXE ATX LGA2011-3 Motherboard ($357.29 @ Amazon) Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 32GB (4 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($449.99 @ Newegg) Storage: Crucial MX100 512GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($208.97 @ SuperBiiz) Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 980 4GB Video Card ($555.91 @ Newegg) Case: Corsair 760T Black ATX Full Tower Case ($139.99 @ Newegg) Power Supply: NZXT HALE90 V2 1000W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($189.99 @ Newegg) Optical Drive: Asus BC-12B1ST/BLK/B/AS Blu-Ray Reader, DVD/CD Writer ($49.99 @ Newegg) Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8 (OEM) (64-bit) ($97.48 @ OutletPC) Other: ASUS ThunderboltEX II Expansion Card ($69.00) Total: $2797.59

This isn't an overclocking tutorial--think of it more as an experiment to see if overclocking is actually useful. We overclocked the 5820k Haswell-E processor and saw a definite boost in synthetic benchmarks. But will video encodes be the same story? Watch the episode to find out! If you are looking for a general guide to overclocking modern chips, take a look at Lifehacker's beginner article: http://lifehacker.com/a-beginners-introduction-to-overclocking-your-intel-pr-5580998 But as they mention, it's best to look up the specifics of the processor that you're working on. Good luck!

Does overclocking have any real-world benefits? We test out the latest Haswell-E chip to find out! This isn't an overclocking tutorial--think of it more as an experiment to see if overclocking is actually useful. We overclocked the 5820k Haswell-E processor and saw a definite boost in synthetic benchmarks. But will video encodes be the same story? Watch the episode to find out! If you are looking for a general guide to overclocking modern chips, take a look at Lifehacker's beginner article: http://lifehacker.com/a-beginners-introduction-to-overclocking-your-intel-pr-5580998 But as they mention, it's best to look up the specifics of the processor that you're working on. Good luck!

You know those cars that barely sputter to the other side of town? Yeah...we're driving one of those to Vegas. We've got a whole lot of work to do before our old Volvo 240 can make it through a long-distance desert drive. Will we make it? We have no idea. But either way, we're going to the SEMA car show. http://www.semashow.com/ https://www.rescuetape.com/

There were so many fast cars and useful tools at SEMA 2014. We break down a few of our favorites from this year. https://localmotors.com/localmotors/the-3d-printed-car-aka-direct-digital-manufacturing/ http://www.millerwelds.com/ http://www.lincolnelectric.com/en-us/Pages/default.aspx http://www.tite-reach.com/ https://www.rescuetape.com/

Before we left SEMA 2014, we decided to do a stereo and speaker upgrade on our old Volvo. Will we get kicked out of the hotel parking lot before finishing the install? Watch to find out!

What do you do when the internet is down in the office? Build a zip line of course! We set up a mostly-safe line in the office and let out coworkers have a go. Don't tell HR!

Why waste money on gloves that are already "touchscreen compatible," when you can make your own for just a few bucks? Gloves do a great job of keeping your hands warm, but they also come between your finger and your smartphone. Most touchscreens sense your touch by your body's natural electrical current, and the gloves block that current. You can fix that by getting some conductive thread, and sewing a patch into the fingertips of your favorite gloves. It's fast, cheap, and super easy!

Want your phone to be prepared for winter? Then these are the apps you need!