RSSArchives: April 2006
April 30, 2006
DIY Tube lamp 1.1
Super J Dynamite writes - "This is an attempt to build a Nik Willmore style tube lamp without dropping $225. Pictured here (without the cover) is the completed lamp. It has a few issues, most of which center around the triac used for dimming, so I think I'm going to make one more. " - Link.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Apr 30, 2006 04:22 PM
DIY Projects, Electronics |
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The MAKE Pool - 1,000 members!
Over the weekend we passed 1,000 members in the MAKE Flickr photo pool - Link. If you have projects to share, join up!
Thanks Vrogy!
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Apr 30, 2006 04:09 PM
Announcements |
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HOW TO - Make a telephone FM transmitter
LeorickSimon writes - "This project is taken from www.electronics-lab.com. With some modification, I create my own version of FM Telephone bug complete with stripboard layout. Theortically, the frequency range is from 88MHz to 94MHz but you may experiment with the coil structure to tune it." - Link.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Apr 30, 2006 03:43 PM
DIY Projects, Electronics |
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Microphone made from an egg timer
Jonah writes - "I've wanted one of those green harmonica microphones for a long time, but they have always been to pricy, so I decided after reading a DIY page to make one myself. This is the story about the making of my egg microphone." - Link.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Apr 30, 2006 02:49 PM
DIY Projects, Electronics |
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Home-made ultra-wide medium format camera
MAKE Flickr photo pool member Zaphod Beeblebrox writes - "My home-made 6x9 super-wide camera. Rigid-body, 47mm f/5.6 Schneider MC Super-Angulon in a No. 0 shutter. " - Link.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Apr 30, 2006 01:34 PM
DIY Projects, Imaging |
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RFID enabled flame shooting trampoline
Video and pictures from the flame shooting RFID enabled trampoline at the Maker Faire! See Dale catch some air! - "The High-Lighter is a trampoline based flame effect. The installation involves a volunteer from the audience jumping on a unmodified trampoline. An ultrasonic sensor placed below the trampoline measures the changes in the height of the trampoline canvas as the user jumps up and down. A microcontroller notes the changes reported by the sensor and triggers a single solenoid valve to open and close. Based upon on the amount of force being applied to the trampoline the solenoid valve will behave differently. The harder someone jumps on a trampoline the longer the solenoid valve will stay open, illuminating a cylindrical metal tube with stenciled designs. LP-Gas will be released through the solenoid valve while it is open and ignited by a nearby pilot light covered in steel wool. A RFID reader is included used to prevent the trampoline from being used without proper authority present." - Link.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Apr 30, 2006 11:48 AM
Arts, Made On Earth, Maker Faire |
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April 29, 2006
3D World of Warcraft screenshots
Profquotes writes - "I've been a fan of 3D photography for a long time. Over the years I've built a few 3D cameras, but I've never taken 3D images of a game world. Many modern games use a 3D render engine, so the information is there, and I've taken a couple of 3D shots of World of Warcraft to experiment. " - Link.
Related:
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Apr 29, 2006 06:54 PM
Gaming, Imaging |
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Workbench plans - made with Sketchup
Michael writes - "Here are free workbench plans created in Google's new 3D design software Sketchup." - Link.
Related:
Sketchup is free - Link.
Makers, if you use Sketchup and make things, let us know - post them in the MAKE Flickr photo pool and also tag them Sketchup, we'll do a weekly round up or something.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Apr 29, 2006 05:44 PM
DIY Projects, Toolbox |
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Creepy doll robot
Ryan writes - "I've been following with much interest these robo-one style robots. The servo powered little humanoids with amazing capabilities. I saw a few video clips of the KHR-1 humanoid and decided I wanted it. Then I saw the price. Around $1,200. Then i decided i could build one myself. Imagine a doll, crossed with a robo-one robot. It's a computer cotrolled robot doll. Very cool, and a little creepy all at the same time." - Link.
Related:
- Robot projects and more - Link.
- The next volume of MAKE is all about robots so subscribe now (use code CMAKE for $5 more off! USA) - Link.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Apr 29, 2006 04:06 PM
DIY Projects, Robotics |
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Hand built Hood hinges
Hotrodder writes - "The members on our hotrodding forum have been very impressed by the metalshaping skills of Pakistani "denters". Complex automotive body panels and pieces are shaped by hand, or with primitive tools. The pics of welding in open-toed sandals with no protection are very cool. With the assistance of a Pakistani doctor/businessman, these metalshapers are selling inexpensive hand-formed body parts to enthusiasts in Western automotive forums. Initially focusing on 4x4 body panels, they are now gearing up to form complete steel hot rod bodies at half the current market price. More info here and here. Very interesting, from both a cross-cultural and lowbuck-maker perspective." - Link.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Apr 29, 2006 03:01 PM
DIY Projects |
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Really cheap homemade DIY photo studio
Udi sent in a super-cheap photo studio - "So, you want to start your own homemade studio but you are totally broke and you want it to be cheap. Actually, being cheap is your prime demand from this studio. You don't need no external fancy lighting or strobes. You just want to try out some still life photography, or you need take some shots for eBay. So this article is just for you. Here is what I have to offer for about 1-3 USD. This studio utilizes a huge soft box and a background. But before we start lets see some of the prime requirements from a studio. We want to get even light, with good shadow management and a smooth background that will not distract from our main subject." - Link.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Apr 29, 2006 02:56 PM
DIY Projects, Imaging |
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TV Sniper
Donald writes in with a way to extend a remote control and/or a TV-B-Gone - "Funny you should just happen to bring up the TV-B-Gone and have so many people wish to extend the range. Behold -- the TV Sniper! If you have a couple common objects around, you can get that extended range you seek. No electronics needed." - Link.
Related:
Turn off TV week & TV-B-Gone - Link.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Apr 29, 2006 01:52 PM
DIY Projects, Home Entertainment |
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Wackiest hot-shoe attachement
Mike writes - "A delightful little hack to convert a PEZ dispenser into a camera hot-shoe accessory!" - Link.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Apr 29, 2006 12:49 PM
DIY Projects, Imaging |
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MAKE Podcast:Microsofties Make Bugbots at Maker Faire
What do you get when you combine a capacitor, some LEDs, and a solar cell? A B.E.A.M. Bug Bot! B.E.A.M. stands for Biology Electronics Aesthetics Mechanics which means that the robots are inspired by biology which means bugs.
Vic De Leon and Stewart Tansley, explained that the solar cell doesn't put out enough power to drive the motor, but the capacitor can gather power and then release it. A capacitor works kind of like a glass of water, but instead of filling with water, it fills with electricity. When the glass is full, it dumps out the electricity. Photography flashes use big capacitors that gather electricity and then dump it out in the form of a flash.
One of the interesting things about these bugs is that they are set up with light sensors so that they are always going toward the light! Now that's a clever little cute ecologically-friendly solar-powered robot!
Mark Tilden's work inspired Vic and Stewart to make their bugbots. You can make one too! Both Solarbotics and Pagermotors.com have kits that have all the bits and bobs you need to put a little B.E.A.M. bugbot together!
Click here to get the video (MP4) delivered automatically with iTunes. This video will play on PC/Mac/Linux/PSPs and iPod video devices - Link.
This is the first of many videos about Maker Faire 2006!
Posted by Bre Pettis |
Apr 29, 2006 10:35 AM
Arts, Electronics, MAKE Podcast, MAKE Video, Maker Faire, Robotics |
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April 28, 2006
Logitech Quickcam Orbit MP
I really like the new Logitech Quickcam Orbit MP - you can record videos and add live video effects and also use avatars. I'm going to poke around the files that they use to see if I can make my own. The camera is motorized, so it'll do face tracking too - when I get back from Interop I'll post up some projects with it once I take it apart...
A little update: I couldn't resist - the files used for the model/avatars are .LVA (avatars) and .LVF for the face accessories. Once you download them, you can rename them .zip and check out the source files used. The files appear to be JPGs, GIFs and XML docs that describe what is used, but not all the files open up. I'm guessing it might be possible to replace the ones in there and perhaps it will work. Here's how the hat works...
</Description> <ModelFile>Sombrero.x</ModelFile> <ImageFile>Sombrero.gif</ImageFile>
<PreviewFile>Sombrero.gif</PreviewFile>
<TextureFile>Sombrero_512x512.jpg</TextureFile>
<AlphaTextureFile>Sombrero_512x512_alpha.jpg</AlphaTextureFile>
<PackageFile>Cinco_de_Mayo_Sombrero.LVF</PackageFile>
<Created>04 20 2006 05:46:34PM</Created>
<Properties>
<ModelComplexity>Low</ModelComplexity>
<Accessory Type="5">
<Scale X="1" Y="1" Z="1" />
<Translate X="1" Y="1" Z="1" />
<Rotate Roll="1" Pitch="1" Yaw="1" />
<HeadCover>0</HeadCover>
<ThreeD>0</ThreeD>
<Animation>0</Animation>
</Accessory>
</Properties>
</Model>
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Apr 28, 2006 04:15 PM
Reviews |
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MAKE at Interop Las Vegas 2006
Vegas MAKERS! The MAKE team will at the Interop conference May 1st to the 5th, if you're in the area we can get you in the conference and we'll also likely plan some type of MAKE meet up while in town - Link.
Post in the comments or send me an email! See you there!
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Apr 28, 2006 03:51 PM
Events |
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Jenine Bressner - Craft Artist
Jenine Bressner is an artist and all around craft genius from Providence, Rhode Island. I got a chance to sit down and chill with her yesterday afternoon on a sunny day in San Francisco's Mission District. Aside from her charming personality, you first notice Jenine's most amazing and ornate glass bead necklace. She actually got stopped by a couple passerbys admiring her craft. You really can't take your eyes off of it. Jenine tells me that there's a lot of math and technical expertise involved in each glass bead. Each one seems to tell it's story as she feels for a certain bead and tells me something about the process. She makes jewelry from the glass beads which she showcases on her site and was a vendor at the Maker Faire's Bazaar Bizarre. More on the beads soon. For now, if you are in the Bay Area, Jenine is teaching a workshop this Sunday afternoon at Rock! Paper! Scissors! Collective in Oakland, CA called "Shoemaking with Sweatshirts" (photo below). How to take your old sweatshirts and make shoes out of them! If you are interested, please make sure you give RPS Collective a call to sign up (510) 238-9171. Link.
Related:
Shoemaking with Sweatshirts Workshop, RPS Collective
Sunday April 30th, 2pm - 4pm - Link.
Read full story
Posted by Natalie Zee Drieu |
Apr 28, 2006 03:42 PM
Crafts |
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CRAFT Flickr Group
Hey Crafters! Big thanks to O'Reilly Editor Brian Sawyer for setting up our very own CRAFT flickr group! It's up and running now, so please join! I've added in my Maker Faire Craft pics to the mix. Let's see the cool projects you're working on! Link.
Posted by Natalie Zee Drieu |
Apr 28, 2006 01:55 PM
Crafts |
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April 27, 2006
Excel drawings
Dozens of drawings all made with Microsoft Excel - Danielle writes - "Microsoft Excel is a program designed to track and compute information, but here I am using Excel as a drawing tool. These drawings are a part of a series of sixty drawings that I executed (more or less) every day for fifty-eight days. Each drawing is in a new 'worksheet,' which is automatically set up as a grid. These drawings were made by changing cell preferences for background color, fill pattern, and border styles and from time to time inserting 'comment' boxes and letters or words. Other manifestations of these drawings are 58 Days Worth of Drawing Exercises in Microsoft Excel as Rendered for Web and Animated Daily Excel Drawings (2005, ongoing)" [via] - Link.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Apr 27, 2006 07:01 PM
Arts |
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Retro Handsets for your cellphone
Sam writes - "As promised to all of you we ran into at the Maker Faire, here are instructions on making your own retro handsets for your cellphone. I apologize for the delay in posting - but one of you friendly Makers out in San Francisco was kind enough to share the black plague with me and I have been on the edge of death this week. I will cover bluetooth in this article, and will post about wired handsets a little later." - Link.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Apr 27, 2006 06:58 PM
Cellphones, DIY Projects, Electronics, Retro |
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The online premiere of Make: television is January 3rd 2009, visit makezine.tv or iTunes to see the entire first episode! The broadcast premiere will follow shortly after depending on when your local Public Television station airs it.
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