RSSArchives: February 2006
February 28, 2006
DIY Hoverboard: Walk-through
Jason Bradbury posted up more details on his DIY hoverboard. We like Jason, he's a UK TV presenter / Maker who builds gizmos and gadgets - the world's first Bluetooth phone glove, $1 electronic lie detector, an in-car HUD, wearable PC, DIY PVRs and this hoverboard - lots to check out and see on his site - Link to hoverboard & main site.
Previously - DIY hoverboard & Ultra-Simple Hovercraft.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Feb 28, 2006 09:54 PM
DIY Projects |
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HOW TO - Catch a mouse without a mousetrap
Chris sent us in a (humane) how to on catching a mouse without a mousetrap, all using household items - Link.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Feb 28, 2006 08:45 PM
DIY Projects |
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Web lectures on electronic circuits
Andrew writes - "Bob Brown of Southern Polytechnic State University has a neat series of Web Lectures on electronic circuits that describe electronics from simple electric circuits, through combinational circuits. The circuits are emulated using Javascript functions, which make it feel like you are interacting with the circuitry itself." - Link.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Feb 28, 2006 07:54 PM
Electronics |
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DIY iPod boom box
Ok, so Apple now has a Hi-Fi stereo / boom box that blows away my DIY version I'm working on in every measurable way...but c'mon this one might actually go boom - Link.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Feb 28, 2006 06:50 PM
iPod |
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HOW TO - Make a copper pipe potato gun
Chuck sent in his great how to on making a copper pipe potato gun - "Dave and I have an affinity for copper. We're, I guess, slightly obsessed with the stuff. It's shiny, soft but strong, and easy to work with. So we build stuff out of it more and more frequently. Some bloggable, some not. One of our recent bloggable uses for copper pipe is our copper potato gun." Link.
Related: The Night Lighter by William Gurstelle. Launch potato projectiles 200+ yards with this stun-gun triggered, high-powered potato cannon with see-thru action. Info & article on page 108.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Feb 28, 2006 05:49 PM
DIY Projects |
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The Kon-Tiki adventure
Clarke writes - "'Kon-Tiki' a huge scouting event in South Africa inspired by Thor Heyerdhal's 1947 adventure aboard a reed raft demonstrating that ancient people could have sailed from South America to Polynesia. Troops build rafts that must stay afloat for 24 hours using their pioneering skills (ropes, poles and oil drums; no nails or screws) and take part in various competitions. The rafts must have waterproof accommodations for six, a cooking area for the preparation of at least one three course meal and proper toilet facilities. Teams are judged on a variety of standards and skill tests throughout the weekend. There are fringe events for raft support teams. This looks like great fun. The site featues building plans and pictures of some impressive rafts. - Link.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Feb 28, 2006 04:31 PM
DIY Projects, Events |
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Spamgraffiti - online installations created from spam
David writes - "Spamgraffiti is a series of online installations created from spam. Each environment is created by spooling through one email account and visually articulating the spam on a series of layers. Newer spam appears above and slowly filters out older spam below. As the rate of spam increases over time per account, the page itself appears less and less like the previous generation. Each screen showcases the 25 most recent spam in the account. Of note, this project has been going on for over a year and accumulated over 30,500 spam messages from 'inactive' email account." Link.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Feb 28, 2006 03:18 PM
Arts, Online |
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Students make tick killing robot
Clever approach to fight tick-borne diseases - "A tick-exterminator designed by three engineering undergrads at the Virginia Military Institute scours yards for ticks and nabs them with its pesticide-laced denim skirt." [via] Link.
Interesting, iRobot may want to consider chatting with these fellows - a ruggedized Roomba, with its AI, and this approach could work out well for areas with ticks.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Feb 28, 2006 02:34 PM
Robotics |
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Encyclopodia - the encyclopedia on your iPod
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is here - Wikipedia on your iPod, uses iPod linux - "Encyclopodia is a free software project that brings the Wikipedia, which is one of the largest encyclopedias on the world, on the Apple iPod MP3-Player. It has been successfully tested on a third-generation iPod and on an iPod mini, but it should also work on other iPod generations."[via] Link.
Related: MAKE Volume 02. Mod Your Pod in DIY: Mobile. Enhance your iPod with a Linux upgrade. Page 135.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Feb 28, 2006 01:50 PM
iPod |
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Homebrew web browser for Nintendo DS
Homebrew action is hitting hard today, PepsiMan has a DS browser, he writes - "I didn't think we'd ever get a web browser running in DSLinux, but I was proved wrong when phestar compiled retawq for DSLinux. DSLinux has beaten Nintendo/Opera by releasing the first web browser for the DS." [via] Link.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Feb 28, 2006 12:55 PM
Gaming |
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Mystery Circuits - Sound Gizmos!
A wonderful collection of things that make music, Mike writes - "Here are most of the projects I've built/modified from 2000 to present. Click on each picture to see the details of the instrument. Some of the older projects will just have a sound sample when you click rather than link to another page with extra detail. Some won't do anything." Link.
Related: Circuit Bending - Modify a Casio keyboard (or other electronic audio stuff) and start playing some of the strangest sounds you've ever heard. Info & article, page 90 MAKE 05.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Feb 28, 2006 11:46 AM
DIY Projects, Electronics, Music, Retro |
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Armatron Lives!
Robot-Dreams.com has some great videos and history of a reborn Armatron - "Every "roboteer" worth their salt remembers "Armatron", the fantastic robot arm from Tomy, and marketed by Radio Shack in the US during the early 1980's. Well, it turns out that a group of Japanese roboteers also must have some pretty fond memories of Armatron too, because not only have they built one, they've improved it, doubled it, and given it legs!" Link.
More robot projects, news and how tos - Link.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Feb 28, 2006 10:38 AM
Robotics |
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DIY Experimental computer controlled home lighting system
SiLight writes - "SI-Light is a experimental computer controlled home lighting system. It started with the goal of individually addressable RGB light modules that could be used to tie-dye or acid-warp my studio apartment. It is a combination of hardware, firmware, and software that was written over a few days in the summer of 2005, though it took considerably more time to etch, assemble, and install the PCBs.
The system is based on chips I used in various professional projects, such as the mighty PIC 16f628(a), and the killer TLC5940 16 channel PWM chip. Soft/firmware is written in basic - everything is pretty high level and I didn't want to mess with C for a weekend project." Link.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Feb 28, 2006 09:34 AM
DIY Projects, Electronics |
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Whipup's Recent Favs
Whipup has posted some of its recent favorite posts and there are a bevy of new projects and ideas that will cure the dreary winter doldrums. I love these suncatchers and the scrappy owls with matching cards. Thanks Kath! We are loving the site! Link.
Posted by Natalie Zee Drieu |
Feb 28, 2006 09:06 AM
Crafts |
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Nixie Tube collectors and designers
Looking to get started in Nixie Tubes, there's a great Yahoo group that has about 500 messages a month worth of advices, tips and resources -
"This forum is for exchange of information about gas-discharge readout tubes, such as Nixie tubes and similar devices (e.g., Pixie tubes and Dekatrons), which were used in numeric and alphanumeric displays in electronic equipment in the 1950s, '60s and '70s. Today these tubes, available used or even new (old stock) from surplus dealers and collectors, are being illuminated again to make clocks and other unique displays, where their quaint orange-red glow provides a nostalgic Cold War era character."
Pictured here, David Forbes, Tucson, Arizona. Nixie-display clocks and wristwatch. Forbes has an old HP frequency counter and other vintage instruments in his workspace, and of course, everything has old-style Nixie displays. He just likes they way they look. When the vacuum tubes are charged with 170 volts, they shine numbers and letter with a solid, mellow orange hue. "They're exotic and big and hopelessly impractical by modern standards." Makers: page 102.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Feb 28, 2006 08:22 AM
Arts, DIY Projects, Electronics |
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DIY MP3 player - $26
There's an IDE MP3 controller board for DIY music player on eBay might be worth checking out -
Board Description:
* Stereo Design.
* Support 2.5" and 3.5" IDE hard disk up to 200G.
* Support ID3 Format
* 7 Level Equializer
* MP3 Chipset STA013, CS4340
* Black Light LCD display with 7 buttons.
* 3.5mm Earphone output with Vol Control
* DC +5V.
Package includes:
* 1x MP3 IDE Controller Board
* 1x LCD Display Board .
* 1x Configuration CD.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Feb 28, 2006 07:12 AM
DIY Projects, Electronics, Music, Portable Audio and Video |
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HOW TO - Build a Quinzee
Rick writes - "A while back, Make had a post about the Icebox the Igloo-making tool. Why bother fiddling with making & stacking blocks of snow? Just build a quinzee instead. Quinzees take a whole lot less time and are really easy to make. The only tool you need is a shovel - heck I've even built one with a rolled up krazy karpet! When you are winter camping, you don't want to waste a lot of time building your shelter. In an hour & a half you can have your quinzee finished & ready for you to move in for the night!" Link.
Previously:
Make an igloo - Link.
Icebox the Igloo-making tool - Link.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Feb 28, 2006 06:30 AM
DIY Projects, Instructables |
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The First LED Throwie (video)
Powderly writes - "This is the newest video released from the makers of LED Throwies. It is lost footage from the Graffiti Research Lab Archive. This short video documents the genesis of the LED Throwie. Watch Fi5e and Resistor get up on the highline in NYC." Link.
Previous: HOW TO - Make LED Throwies - Link.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Feb 28, 2006 05:26 AM
Arts, DIY Projects, Electronics |
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HOW TO - Use old telephones as an intercom
Have some old phones laying around? You can turn them into an intercom system, epanorama.net shows you how - "Talking over the phones is easy. You put DC current through the phone and it transmits and receives audio. So two phones and a current source (about 25mA) all in series will give you a talking circuit. A suitable current source can be as simple as a 9V battery and a series resistor whose value is adjusted (with both phones offhook) till about 25mA flows. You can then bypass the battery and the resistor with a capacitor to couple the audio straight across and get a loud and clear connection." Thanks kryten007! [via] Link.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Feb 28, 2006 04:24 AM
DIY Projects, Electronics, Telecommunications |
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Nintendo Entertainment Center PC case mod...
Here's a PC case mod made from an old NES! Lots of details if you want to build your own, from the Maker John - "I began the project by dismantling my NES. I removed all the internal components and, after a moment of silent reflection, eighty-sixed all but the plastic shell, power buttons, and rear output connectors. Grinding down the mounting posts cleared the interior space and allowed me to use some ultra-low tech cardboard cutouts to work out the interior arrangement." [via] Link to photos & how it was made.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Feb 28, 2006 03:59 AM
Computers, Gaming, Retro |
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