RSSArchives: April 2007
April 30, 2007
AVR servo control
Here's a quick and simple way to control servos with an AVR microcontroller, stiant04 writes -
This code is developed for the ATmega16 on tha AVR-stk500 trainer and can only control two servos with a ten step resolution (but this can all easily be changed). It is ment to show newbies (like me) how they can make a C program that controls RC servos...:: AVR Freaks - Link.(Remeber that RC servoes needs a 1-2 millisecond high pulse at 50Hz)
PORTA=switches , 0=S1++,1=S1center,2=S1-- , 3=S2++,4=S2center,5=S2--
PORTB=Leds ,shows ten times the ms value(1-2ms -> 10-20 bin) for servo1
PORTC=Servo signal , PC0 & PC1Just push a button to move your servos.
The servo vil return to center position when max or min value is reached.(sorry that most comments are in norwegian)
Enjoy!
Related:
- WebCam servo control - Link.
- HOW TO - 16 Channel serial servo controller for ... - Link.
- HOW TO - Make a Servo pod - Link.
- HOW TO - Make a servo-based 4-legged walker - Link.
- OpenServo Wiki - low-cost digital servo for robotics - Link.
- Servo robot cat - Link.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Apr 30, 2007 10:00 PM
DIY Projects, Electronics, Robotics |
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Book art!
Here's an incredible gallery of art made from books, or perhaps books made from art! - Link.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Apr 30, 2007 08:00 PM
Arts, Made On Earth |
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The Villanizer custom guitar
Thunder Eagle guitars made a fun looking guitar from copper pipes and gears -
The Villanizer started life as a Rhoads Jackson V. It's not every day you take a band saw to a guitar that plays as well as this thing does. However, I had no distinct plan other then doing a mechanical look to it. But I had more of a Sci-Fi / Blade Runner thematic in mind at that moment.After cutting, a spacer was cut and installed to join the two pieces of the body. Knowing damned well that wouldnt be a strong enough of a join for just about any player, the steampunk look hit me, and I went on to installing the copper pipe, and soldering the joints. You just cant have steam power without a gauge, so I cannibalized an old oil gauge and made a custom face in it with my name and a real complex readout.
Gears. Man I hacked more gears together then I knew what to do with, and inlaid them into a cut plexi frame that was then screwed into the body...
The Villanizer Custom Guitar - [via] Link.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Apr 30, 2007 06:00 PM
Arts, Made On Earth, Music |
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The ComBots cup
Simone writes in -
"Holy Crap! $10,000 dollars for a winning robot? I never heard of such a thing!"It's true, those crazed robot lovers over at RoboGames are offering $10,000 spread over First, Second and Third Place winners for the team that can smash, bash, crash and crush their way to victory!
"Where, O Where is this happening!?!" I hear you cry. "It must be in some far-away place where mere mortals such as we may never step!"
Au contraire, my mecha-loving cohort, this fantastic yet cathartic event is taking place at none other than the indubitable Maker Faire, the place where you were all planning to be the weekend of May 19-20th anyway (you *have* gotten your tickets, have you not?).
Come see 220 pound fighting machines beat each other senseless inside our magnificent 36' square bulletproof steel and polycarbonate arena!
Thrill to the sound of tearing metal ricocheting inches from your delicate, wondering eyes!
Squirm with Glee as champions such as Sewer Snake and Brutality attempt to remove their opponent's batteries through blunt force!
Marvel as Cyclone Bot transmits smart-aleck messages to the crowd through their Cyclone Drive LED System!
Be Amazed as you realize all these people are just like you and have built these marvelous machines in their backyards and garages!
Added to all this mayhem are a truly ridiculous array of lego bots, wrestling robots, kung fu robot masters, R2D2 enthusiasts, Stormtrooper patrols, photovores, tabletop balancers and Kinetic art!
These are just a taste of what is to come, we are after all, the RoboGame Preview Pavilion!Step right up, come on, come all, and as you sample the various delights of Makerfaire, stop by and feast your brainspace on our little robot nirvana, won't you?
One more thing- we're still accepting registrations! Holy heck! If people wish to show off thier incredible robots in any one of our classes, or go for the filthy lucre with the Combots Cup, register here.
ComBots - Combat Robots, the largest fighting robot show in the world - Link.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Apr 30, 2007 04:00 PM
Events, Maker Faire, Robotics |
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Super NES RCA video mod
Sashi writes -
Well, I was sick of having to dig behind my TV to exchange the cable from my Nintendo 64 to play my SNES. So I figured why not install two RCA jacks so I can plug it directly into the front of my TV.Sashi's Architecture - [via] Link.
Related:
- SNES/NES controller to gamecube/Wii conversion project - Link.
- Playing 2 SNES games at the same time - Link.
- HOW TO - SNES to Parallel Port - Link.
- SNES/NES gamepad to USB adapter - Link.
- SNES mouse on a PC - Link.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Apr 30, 2007 02:00 PM
DIY Projects, Electronics, Gaming, Retro |
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Cake art
Some people say "You can't have your cake and eat it too" - but it's cake, that's all cake does is get eaten and if you're lucky your cake might even look like one of these - [via] Link.
Related cakery:
- Thorax cake - Link.
- Make an erupting volcano cake - Link.
- HOW TO - Make a corpse cake bunny - Link.
- Kat litter cake - Link.
- Killer rat cake... - Link.
- HOW TO - Make a meat cake - Link.
- Cockroach cake - Link.
- Graveyard cake - Link.
- HOW TO - Make an Apple 30th birthday cake - Link.
- MAKE: A cake - Link.
- HOW TO - Make a "Tux" cake... - Link.
- CakeBot - cuts and serves cake - Link.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Apr 30, 2007 12:00 PM
Crafts |
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Brushed aluminum "Von Slatt keyboard"
Datamancer writes -
This is a brushed aluminum version of the beautiful brass keyboard unveiled a while ago by Jake Von Slatt over at the Steampunk Workshop.
This was a commisioned piece I put together for a customer who contacted Jake after seeing it on the internet. Jake was not interested in reproducing his design, or as he puts it, "that sounds like work....I do this kind of stuff as my antidote to work", so he quite generously kicked the referral over to me. I've got projects to finish and a cross-country move to fund, so I was more than happy to take on the commision.
Datamancer.net -- Brushed Aluminum "Von Slatt Keyboard" - [via] Link.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Apr 30, 2007 11:00 AM
Arts, DIY Projects, Made On Earth |
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HOW TO - Make a paper resistor
Here's an easy way to make a variable resistor from paper and pencil - Link.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Apr 30, 2007 10:00 AM
DIY Projects, Electronics |
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Maker Faire: Kite Aerial photography
For anyone who likes kites and photography, make sure to check out MAKE author Cris Benton's demonstrations of Kite Aerial Photography at the Faire:
Who needs satellite photography? Get a kite's-eye view of what's happening down below. See how you can make your own aerial photography apparatus at home.
Cris Benton will illustrate the evolution of gear for kite aerial photography by displaying KAP rigs he has developed and used over the last ten years. These include the Silly-Putty™ based rig featured in MAKE and the assortment of cradles gracing the article in MAKE's first issue. In the mix are cradles with radio controls and automatic infrared-coupled timers plus designs carrying film, digital, and fisheye cameras. Benton will bring his working set of kites (Rokkaku, Dopero, and Suttons) and backpack of KAP accoutrement (rangefinders, climbing gear, gloves, etc.). If the conditions are favorable we will head outside to fly a bit.
Back on the ground Benton will have some photographs to show including new work in the South Bay Salt Ponds and efforts to stitch aerial panoramas.
More info at the Kite Aerial Photography Discussion Page and The Hidden Ecologies Project (South bay Salt Pond work).
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Apr 30, 2007 09:00 AM
Gaming, Imaging, Maker Faire |
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AVR based RPM meter for cars
Here's a cool AVR based RPM meter for cars, Bitman writes -
I got an idea of making a digital RPM-meter for my car. First I made a filter and used to test my code with a dev-board.Pulse comes straight for cars rpm-meter.
CAR: Honda Civic 1988 Dual Carburetor
MCU: Mega32The layout is a bit messy, but I think the pcb will tell the rest.
The filters main part is 7414 cause it has a Schmitt Trigger to make almost any kind of pulse to square wave.
Code uses interrupt to count the rising edges of the pulse in a time unit, which is around one second.
:: AVR Freaks - Link.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Apr 30, 2007 08:00 AM
DIY Projects, Electronics |
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MAKE firetruck - Help us mod it, hack it and name it!
We have some great suggestions from the "MAKE firetruck" - Help us mod it, hack it and name it post/forums - But we need more!
It's a 1981 Mercedes Benz 508D Diesel Doka fire truck! It has 47,274 kilometers, a heavy duty military/commercial grade 6-cylinder diesel with a 5-speed manual transmission. It has two bucket seats up front, 7 seats in the back seating area, tons of storage racks and bins, and the roof is covered in diamond plate and accessible by ladder. It can go up 55 miles per hour and can carry 9 passengers.
Post your suggestions for naming and mods in the comments and/or in the MAKE forums - Link.
Post your sketches, drawings, 3D models, clay models, whatever in the MAKE Flickr photo pool - Link.
And! Here's a template you can use from MAKE Flickr photo pool member Cyenobite - Link.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Apr 30, 2007 07:00 AM
Announcements, Maker Faire |
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LED blow light
This wind powered LED blow light is really cute, I'm going to make one just like it, and it shall be called LED blowies - [via] Link.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Apr 30, 2007 06:00 AM
Electronics |
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Knobby all terrain rubber wallet with optional smack-lights (Drop alert sensor)
The wallet contest @ instructables is really getting some great entries, ineluctable writes -
Mountain Bike Tires are cool. If you're like me, you always have a few extras around that you can't quite throw away, because well, they're so cool. Now you can have a wallet that is as cool as a knobby mountain bike tire. And if you go for the optional drop sensor, when you're getting down and funky in the club and drop yer wallet in the dark, a series of flashing lights will tell you exactly where it hits. Also fun for just projecting flashing lights when you smack it against stuff, or people.
instructables : Knobby all terrain rubber wallet with optional smack-lights (Drop alert sensor) - Link.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Apr 30, 2007 05:00 AM
Crafts, DIY Projects, Instructables |
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String tripod
ShoeBlade writes -
This is an old photographers trick. Sometimes referred to as a string tripod or string bipod or string monopod. Also known as a chain tripod, bipod, etc... This device is used to stabilize a camera in order to get clearer pictures at a slow shutter speed. The advantages to a string tripod vs a regular tripod include its cheap price and pocket size. With more and more digital cameras coming out with vibration reduction or image stabilization systems, the string tripod has a new life.instructables : String Tripod - Link.Since image stabilization systems work best with rotational vibration, translational vibration can still create blurry pictures. By restraining the up-down left-right and back-front axis, you can lessen this vibration. Of course this technique also works well with non image stabilization systems.
Related:
- HOW TO - Build a panoramic tripod head for $10 - Link.
- DIY iSight Tripod Mount - Link.
- DIY Sony DSC-7 "tripod" - Link.
- The Monkey Arm - DIY Clamp tripod - Link.
- The Cellpod, a cell phone tripod - Link.
$14 Video Camera Stabilizer. MAKE 01 - page 84. You don't have $10,000 to spend on a Steadicam? Make this ultra-low-cost video camera stabilizer and see how much better your video shots turn out. Subscribers--read this article now in your digital edition or get MAKE 01 @ the Maker store.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Apr 30, 2007 04:00 AM
DIY Projects, Imaging, Instructables |
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Hackszine reader request: Play 3D games on an unsupported card
Brian @ Hackzine writes -
Michael K. wrote in, asking for a hack to "enable someone to play a game on a computer with an incompatible graphics card." Normally, I would have thought such a thing impossible, but I've been itching to try out Neverwinter Nights 2, and I don't have a graphics card that supports it. I recently learned that some clever users have found that the venerable 3D-Analyze program (used back in the day to play advanced 3d games on older Voodoo cards), is more than up to the task. I used 3D-Analyze to locate the nwn2main executable, selected "emulate HW TnL caps", and launched the game. It's pretty slow, but playable. Your mileage may vary depending on the speed of the CPU, the game you are playing, and other variables.
One warning, however: in the case of Neverwinter Nights 2, 3D Analyze is not compatible with the most recent patch (1.05). So I had to download two patches: 100788-to-104860 and 104860-to-104870 and install them manually (put the zip files in the Neverwinter Nights directory, disconnect your network connection so it reverts to offline patching mode, launch the most recently version of the NWN 2 updater, and let it patch the game with those two files). After I did that, it worked.Neverwinter Nights 2 forum thread on 3D Analyze - Link
Related:
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Apr 30, 2007 03:00 AM
Computers |
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Bongo ties
These are handy and well, you could (re)make your own too... -
Extra-strong, natural rubber bands with patented wood closure pins organize everything from electronic and computer cables, to extension cords, power tools, and more.Bongo ties - [via] Link.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Apr 30, 2007 02:00 AM
Toolbox |
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C64 wordpress theme
Jason over @ Hackszine writes-
Rod McFarland has put together some really cool AJAX-based CLI themes for WordPress. With his CLI 2.0 theme, you can browse blog entries by "cd"-ing through categories, typing "ls" to list article titles and "cat [articlenum]" to read a post. AJAX is used to make the whole experience seem like you are typing at a terminal, complete with tab-completion. He's even got a variant of the CLI theme that makes the interface look like a Commodore 64. How cool is that! [via]
- Rod McFarland's Wordpress Themes -Link.
- Download the CLI Theme -Link.
- Download the Commodore Theme -Link.
- Unix theme - Link.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Apr 30, 2007 01:00 AM
Computers, Online |
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MAKE @ Weird stuff
We asked, and MAKE flickr photo pool member Oskay delivered, here are pictures of MAKE on display @ WeirdStuff!! Link.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Apr 30, 2007 12:00 AM
Announcements |
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April 29, 2007
Weekend Projects - Automatically Download in Itunes
if you haven't seen the latest weekend project podcast, go check it out the video and the pdf and get your rfid and speech synthesis modules set up! Subscribe in itunes to get it automatically! Subscribe Link
As a sidenote, don't use the security access application in this video as security for something like a bank. The podcast is suppposed to be fun and get you into working with the module, not protect vital data!
Posted by Bre Pettis |
Apr 29, 2007 12:40 PM
Weekend Projects |
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ReMake at ACCRC in Berkeley
Dale writes -
Following the Earth Day recycling push and just weeks before Maker Faire, James Burgett and his team of ACCRC (www.accrc.org) in Berkeley hosted a ReMake event at this unique electronics recycling center in Berkeley. Alex Handy, who lived up to his name, organized a nametag table where you popped keys off a keyboard and used a hot glue gun to attach the keys to circuit boards or other backing of choice. Joe Grand who now lives in SF dropped by to check out the old gaming devices. Salaam of the Vintage Electronics Festival (www.vintage.org) also came by to save some older stuff from prying hands. Michael Shiloh who is organizing Play Day at Maker Faire was there scavenging with great delight. Ralf Muhlen of SFLAN (and networking director for Maker Faire) looked through some police communications equipment with me, both of us hoping we might find something that worked. My great joy was applying a drill to the heart of a first-generation Blackberry. James, as usual, enjoyed telling everyone about this very unusual place, a home for displaced gadgetry and orphaned industrial devices. He also has plans to adapt an exercise machine into a catapult and enter it in the King of Fling contest at Maker Faire.Thanks to DIGG for sponsoring beverages and pizza. ReMake will continue until noon (PDT) on Sunday.
ReMake photos - Link.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Apr 29, 2007 12:30 PM
Events |
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