Review of National Instruments VirtualBench

The VirtualBench is an all-in-one piece of electronic test gear that combines an oscilloscope, logic analyzer, function generator, DMM, triple output programmable power supply, and an 8-channel digital I/O bus.  It can be controlled with a dedicated NI app, or programmatically controlled with LabView or C.  I show the device's usage and duggest which situations may benefit from using this device.

The science of wineglass tears (or wine legs)

The surface tension of water and the evaporation of ethanol produce an interesting effect in a wineglass known as "tears" or "legs".  The process is caused by the Marangoni effect, which explains how toy soap boats work among other interesting things.

Tools and Tips #1 from Applied Science

I present some of my favorite tools and techniques from the workshop.
https://www.patreon.com/AppliedScience - Support Applied Science

Cable tie gun - www.mcmaster.com 5401T11

Devcon plastic welder - http://www.amazon.com/Devcon-22045-Plastic-Welder-Dev-Tube/dp/B003NUGL9S/

E6000 adhesive - http://www.amazon.com/E6000%C2%AE-Craft-Adhesive-3-7-oz/dp/B007TSYNG8

3M DP-8005 - www.mcmaster.com 7467A32

Ikea lamp - http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/20169658/

Well nuts - www.mcmaster.com 93495A130

Irwin tap wrench sockets - http://www.amazon.com/Hanson-3095001-2-Piece-Adjustable-Socket/dp/B000TGM7HY/

Double-sided tape - http://www.findtape.com/product190/Permacel-P-02-Double-Coated-Kraft-Paper-Tape.aspx

Gaffers tape - http://www.findtape.com/category/gaffers-tape-rolls-of-industrial-gaffer-tape.aspx

Drill bits for plastic - http://www.mcmaster.com/#plastic-cutting-drill-bits/=vtpc4m

Covert radio pen with bone conduction speaker

https://www.patreon.com/AppliedScience ---- Donate here!
I built a tiny radio into a ballpoint pen that allows the user to hear audio by casually biting the pen.

How a horn amplifies sound (hint: Impedance matching)

A horn-shaped speaker is louder than an equivalent speaker without the horn.  This fact doesn't violate physics because the horn is acting as a matching device between the speaker and the air around it.

Photo Credit for phonograph: Norman Bruderhofer,  Collection of John Lampert-Hopkins