Volume 02: Home Entertainment

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Volume 02: Home Entertainment

Building your own high definition video recorder, how to podcast, making a robot from an old computer mouse, reconditioning an old amplifier.

Mailing of MAKE 02 to current subscribers began May 13. See our FAQ for answers to common questions about subscriptions.

View a list of all links referenced in this volume

Table of Contents

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Welcome by Mark Frauenfelder in Welcome
When users make: Editor-in-Chief Mark Frauenfelder on innovation and the entertainment industry's efforts to squelch it. Page 7

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Focus by Merlin Mann, Danny O’Brien in Life Hacks
Boost your productivity by embracing procrastination. Or, why your web browser needs a hypothalamus. Page 10

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News from the Future by Tim O'Reilly in News from the Future
Tim O'Reilly reports on the labs, companies, and garage projects changing the way we live. Page 13

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Made on Earth by Xeni Jardin, Jason Kottke, Bob Parks, Paul Spinrad in Made on Earth
Reports from the world of backyard technology, including a cockroach-controlled robot, high altitude glider, student-built cyclotron, Vee 9 solar vehicle, robotic CD burner, coffee mug ramjet, and more. Page 14

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Ooz and Oz by Dale Dougherty in Maker
Hacking robot toys is all in a day's work for Natalie Jeremijenko. Dale Dougherty trails the UCSD professor for a day of fun at the races, transforming toy robotic dogs into environmental avengers. Page 22

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Nicaraguan Know-How by Tim Anderson in Heirloom Technology
Revisiting, revamping, and reusing forgotten technology. Tim Anderson describes the homemade solutions he saw on a recent trip to Nicaragua: hand-pedaled bicycles, reused school buses, horse-drawn carriages, sock coffee filters, and ancient cooling systems and water filters abound. Page 30

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Blockheads by Bob Parks
Lego: the ultimate prototyping material. Seriously. Page 36

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Maker Fair by Arwen O'Reilly Griffith
Geeks gather together for an evening of DIY fun in our first-ever mini MAKE Fest at the O'Reilly Emerging Technology conference in 2005.

Page 38

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Google DIY Patterns by Dale Dougherty
A DIY project is a design challenge that can best be described as a set of patterns, just as Google remade the web with a new kind of language for getting what we want from a web browser. Page 39

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Recycled Rubber by Saul Griffith
It's more fun to make a laptop bag from an old wetsuit than it is to buy a new one. Page 40

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The Code Da Vinci Lived By by Bruce Sterling in Hands On
Renaissance hacks by the father of all geeks. Page 43

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HDTV on Your Mac by Erica Sadun
Build a simple high-definition video recorder and beat the Broadcast Flag. All you need is a $10 antenna, a $175 decoder card, and some free software. Page 45

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Retro Game Heaven: The Atari 2600 PC by Joe Grand
After fitting a full-featured wireless PC system into an old Atari 2600 case, you can watch movies, surf the web, and play hundreds of retro games. Page 50

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Tools for Atari 2600 Homebrew Games by Simon Carless
Even though the Atari 2600 is one of the oldest game consoles around, it has a vibrant homebrew scene. Page 85

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Podcasting 101 by Phillip Torrone
Produce and syndicate audio interviews you record online, on the phone, and on the road. Page 86

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Mousey the Junkbot by Gareth Branwyn
With a few spare parts, you can turn an old computer mouse into an amusing robot. Page 96

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Resurrecting This Old Amp by Tom Anderson, Wendell Anderson
Restore an old guitar amplifier and make it sounds as good or better than the day it was made. Page 110

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Let's Rumble by Craig Engler in DIY: Home Entertainment
Hack your couch to give you a kick in the pants: attach bass shakers to your furniture to round out your home entertainment system. Page 119

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irock Broadcast Boombox by Tom Anderson in DIY: Home Entertainment
Pump up the volume with a portable FM radio station. Page 122

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Surround Sound, Quick and Dirty by Michael McDonald in DIY: Home Entertainment
A simple wiring trick derives center channels. Page 125

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Thermofooler by Ross Orr in DIY: Home Entertainment
Who needs a "smart" thermostat when you can trick your dumb one into lowering your heating bill? Page 126

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DVD, Uncrippled by Phillip Torrone in DIY: Home Entertainment
Input a special code to disable Macrovision and play DVDs from around the world. Page 127

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Stop Motion Animation, the Easy Way by Phillip Torrone in DIY: Imaging
With iStopMotion, making Gumby is less pokey. Page 129

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Single-Use Digicam for Kite Aerial Photography by Limor Fried in DIY: Imaging
A simple, lightweight timer circuit triggers a shot every minute. Page 130

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Webcam Telescope by Dennison Bertram in DIY: Imaging
Video from still camera zoom. Forget jerky teleconferences; put a real lens on a 90s era webcam and you've got something. Page 133

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Mod Your Pod by Phillip Torrone in DIY: Mobile
Enhance your iPod with a Linux upgrade. Page 135

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Outfitting a Palm Tungsten T3 by Bob Scott in DIY: Mobile
Getting laptop-like functionality from a PDA. In fact, leave your laptop at home: use a T3, loaded to the gills with powerful applications. Page 138

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All-Seeing Orb by Phillip Torrone in DIY: Mobile
Your mobile device can play video and music stored on your home computer. Page 140

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Peace and Quiet with the Flip of a Switch by Joe Grand in DIY: Computers
How to add a power switch to an external drive without one! Page 141

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No More Cue Cards by Brian Lawler in DIY: Computers
Make a teleprompter with a laptop, a sheet of glass, and some scrap wood. Page 144

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Robot Kits and Techno Glitz by Arwen O'Reilly Griffith
Three kits that got me started in the glamorous and fulfilling world of robotics. Page 145

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Mechanical Wristwatch Modding by Bob Scott in DIY: Design
Customizing a self-winding Seiko. Page 147

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Hacking the C64 DTV by Mark R. Brown in DIY: Gaming
Retro-gaming joystick easily converts into full Commodore computer emulator. Page 149

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Game Boy Hacks by Phillip Torrone in DIY: Gaming
Games, music, movies, photos, and eBooks, all on this versatile little device. Page 153

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Refreshing an Old Game Controller by Ben Wheeler in DIY: Gaming
If your retro-gaming skills ain't what they used to be, fix your joystick buttons. Page 154

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Get an iLIFE! for Your Playstation Portable by Phillip Torrone in DIY: Gaming
Play music and vids on a PSP (even Mac users). Page 156

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R2-DIY by Howard Wen
The galaxy's most lovable robot inspires its fans to clone him. Page 160

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Printed Circuit Boards by Andrew Argyle in Primer
Step-by-step instructions for making your own PCBs at home. Page 164

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HowToons by Joost Bonsen, Nick Dragotta, Saul Griffith in Howtoons
Make a marshmallow shooter. Page 172

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Toolbox by Adam Bernard, Gareth Branwyn, Richard Butner, John Clark, Joshua Ellis, Eeyore Evans, John Irvine, Stefan Jones, Adam Kempa, Merlin Mann, Aleks Oniszczak, Zach Slootsky, Adam Thornton, Marc Weidenbaum in Toolbox
The best tools, software, gadgets, books, magazines, and websites. Page 174

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Reader Input in Reader Input
Where makers offer praise, brickbats, and swell ideas. Page 184

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The Laptop That Wouldn't Say Die by Tom Owad in Retrocomputing
Twenty-two years later, people still love the TRS-80 Model 100. Page 186

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The Last Generation of Engineers by Cory Doctorow in Make Free
Why digital rights management kills innovation. Page 187

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MakeShift by William Lidwell in MakeShift
It's easy to forget that access to potable water is considered a luxury for much of the world. Page 188

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Maker Challenge in Maker Challenge
Solving proglems, fulfilling wishes. Page 190

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eBay Metrics by Chris Smith in eBay Metrics
Good as gold. Page 191

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My Atari 2600 Portable by Benjamin J. Heckendorn in Homebrew
Page 192

Extras

Additional content for this volume available only online.

MakeShift 02: Analysis, Commentary, and Winners
Tragically, the MakeShift 02 challenge is all too plausible: the United Nations estimates that approximately 1.1 billion people in the world are forced to drink from unsafe water sources. That is what this MakeShift challenge is about: applying creativity to solve an important global problem, and educating others as to how it can be done. Thanks to all the MAKE readers who took on this very difficult and important challenge. Here's an analysis of several proposed solutions, and the winning entries for Makeshift 02.
by William Lidwell; August 08, 2005

MakeShift 02: Adam Thornton's "Most Plausible" Winning Entry
Adam Thornton's distillation proposal for this challenge wins the prize for "Most Plausible" solution in Makeshift 02.
by William Lidwell; August 08, 2005

MakeShift 02: Jesse Crossen's "Most Creative" Winning Entry
Able to identify and leverage the natural filters surrounding the village, Jesse Crossen's solution bypassed the time and complexity of purifying the water and solved the problem straight away.
by William Lidwell; August 08, 2005

MakeShift 02: Vinnie Forgione's "Schmutzdecke" Honorable Mention
Vinnie Forgione suggested a straightforward sand filter with a more feasible way of making activated charcoal in a two-day time period.
by William Lidwell; August 08, 2005

MakeShift 02: "A.A.B. Bussy" Honorable Mention by M. Cowell, N. Cain, B. Park, and B. Carroll
This group effort by Mac Cowell, Nick Cain, Barratt Park, and Brandon Carroll includes dissolving iron in the mix as an interesting way to deal with the arsenic.
by William Lidwell; August 08, 2005

MakeShift 02: Mark Kissler's "Eichhorina Crassipes" Honorable Mention
Mark Kissler's entry showed great analysis, approach, design, and presentation. The addition of the water hyacinth virtually eliminates the need for activated charcoal, which makes this approach robust.
by William Lidwell; August 08, 2005

MAKE: Amends Errata for this volume.

Where it appears Resurrecting This Old Amp, Page 116
The error 3b should read:

"Reconnect the capacitor, switch the meter to DC voltage, turn off the input signal, and measure across the capacitor. Ours read 74 volts (V). The voltage rating on the capacitor is 75 volts, so there is not much margin in this old amp."

The title for the "Testing current/amperage" figure should be "Testing BFC current". The title for "Testing Voltage" should be "Testing Output Current".

Where it appears irock Broadcast Boombox, Page 123
The error The caption of the diagram on page 123, "The irock's power supply also connects to this end of the board." should read, "The irock's power supply connects to the opposite end of the board."
Where it appears Game Boy Hacks, Page 153
The error The article states that the Flash Linker and Card set for the Gameboy is 512MB (512 megabytes) which is incorrect. The actual memroy size is 512Mb (512 megabits).
Where it appears Reader Input, Page 185
The error Q: What's more embarrassing than printing an erroneous email address?

A: Printing it in the section where you ask readers to send you reports of glaring technical errors they find in your magazine!

The email address to point out errors in MAKE is NOT editor@make.com. And yes, you win a free MAKE T-shirt by being the first person to point the error out to us. And no, it's not that we subliminally want to avoid error reports or give away T-shirts!

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