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Archive: DIY Projects
December 1, 2008
Steampunk sewing machine and steapunk show in Phoenix
You know steampunk has gone mainstream when it seeps into academic institutions... I recently was given a steampunk assignment in one of my sculpture/metalworking classes, so I modded a vintage Kenmore sewing machine with some spare parts from Phoenix's favorite junk shop, Apache Reclamation. The propellers on the drive wheel and thread spool spin when the machine is running.
This piece as well as many, many others will be on display at First Studio in downtown Phoenix this friday, December 5 as part of a steampunk show put on by Arizona State University.
ASU's evening of Steampunk
Friday, December 5, 6-10pm (part of the First Friday art walk)
First Studio
631 N. 1st Ave. Phoenix
Posted by Becky Stern |
Dec 1, 2008 09:00 PM
Arts, Crafts, DIY Projects |
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DIY non-explosive root beer
Dave sent us this tasty step-by-strep for homebrewing root beer -
When I asked them about the yeast, the man behind the counter gave me a dreadful warning that making root beer with yeast is like making bombs. He said it was too dangerous as the bottles have a high likelihood of exploding. He also said that they had a high likelihood of fermenting the root beer and so it was a very poor way to make root beer. The method he suggested instead was carbon dioxide infusion. This required a carbon dioxide tank and regulator (I borrowed this from Dave) and a cornelious keg, which I purchased from Main Street Homebrew. It was used and set me back about $45. With the extracts and the book, I spent about another $25.Mmmm … me likey non-explosive root beer - Root Beer: The Bacon of Beverages
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DIY root beer
Posted by Collin Cunningham |
Dec 1, 2008 03:00 PM
DIY Projects |
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Simple AVR robot
Here is another DIY robot project. It's a lot slower than the Cockroach bot I posted earlier, but it can potentially do a lot more. I really like the drink cap wheels. They will not provide a lot of traction, but at these speeds it isn't an issue.
Now that the AVRonics board is in full swing it's time to start stretching it's legs. This is not the robot to do that but it's a start. I threw this together in about an hour (after many months of thinking) and spent about 10 minutes writing the code to control it. No, no, I'm not just that good - it's just that simple.
More about the Simple AVR Robot
Posted by Marc de Vinck |
Dec 1, 2008 03:00 AM
DIY Projects, Electronics, Robotics |
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Make an Arduino based tin can robot
This is a really cool robot made from an Arduino and a tin can. The best part about the project is a Father and his 3 & 6 year olds built it together. What a great way to spend the Thanksgiving weekend!
This blog post will show you how to build an autonomous robot that seeks out light based on a toy with a low power DC motor, an Arduino board, and a host of electronic components. Look at the pictures or go and check out a movie of the end product-- the robot on a flashlight "leash." I built it with my 6 and 3 year olds over Thanksgiving weekend in stages, and we had a blast doing it.
More about making an Arduino based tin can robot
In the Maker Shed:
Co-Robot Kit
Posted by Marc de Vinck |
Dec 1, 2008 02:00 AM
Arduino, DIY Projects, Electronics, Kids, Robotics |
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How-to make a cockroach robot
This is a video I found while surfing around on YouTube. I think a lot of our readers would have most of the parts needed to make it. If not, you can pick them up for a few bucks. It's a cool little bot.
Spotted on YouTube How-to make a cockroach robot
In the Maker Shed:
We've had several neat projects over the years, and we're proud that Solarbotics has created a cool bundle kit to provide parts for completing them. In this great bundle you'll find what you need to build the Mousey (Make Issue #02), Trimit (Issue #06), SolarRoller (Issue #06), and Beetlebot (#12). Get this bundle and save over $20 compared to buying these kits separately.Please note: This kit includes the electronic components only, the build instructions and other parts needed for each project can be found in the corresponding Make issue (which are not included).
More about the Maker Bundle #1
Posted by Marc de Vinck |
Dec 1, 2008 01:00 AM
DIY Projects, Electronics, Robotics |
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The Culture Jamming gift guide at MAKE - hack, stick, throw, jam and inspire!
Ok, folks, I know not all of you approve of culture jamming shenanigans, but here are some gift ideas for that mischief maker in your life!
Peggy Kit
Create a light board with your own picture! You can make an LED sign for your window, a geeky valentine for your sweetie, one bad-ass birthday card, or freak the holy bejesus out of Boston. Your call. It's a versatile, high-brightness display. How you configure it and what you do with it is up to you. This first version can make any static design you can dream up. Version 2 adds simple animation capability and Arduino compatibility.
Price: Version 1: $79.95 Verion 2: $94.95
photo above by Flickr user smashtheqube
Read on for the complete list of awesome culture jamming gift ideas!
Read full story
Posted by Becky Stern |
Dec 1, 2008 01:00 AM
Announcements, Culture jamming, DIY Projects, Electronics, Holiday projects, Maker Shed Store |
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Yabba Dabba DIY - Homemade Flintstones car
Photography courtesy of Bill LeMaster
Bill LeMaster, a 44-year-old retired Air Force technician living in Montgomery, Ala., enjoys a great many hobbies, ranging from arts to electronics. He also enjoys his family, his most beloved passion. Although, if you ask his wife, she'd probably say collecting hobbies is his biggest passion.
Last Halloween, when he heard his grandkids were dressing up as Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm from the Flintstones, LeMaster volunteered to build them the Flintstone car to perfectly complete the look (and to make sure he got to join in the fun). "I just wanted my grandkids to have the most awesome costume in Montgomery," he recalls.
He started the build six weeks before Halloween, allowing himself plenty of time to get the project rock solid. Once the car was done, the kids were all set to shuffle their feet down the street -- Yabba-Dabba-Doo! His grandkids were happy, the neighbors were amazed, and LeMaster was satisfied with the outcome of the project.
People continue to ask him where he bought the car and if he'll bring it out of the house.
In response, LeMaster has posted a how-to, comprised of step-by-step instructions on making your own Flintstone car, on the Instructables website.
"I originally documented the construction to simply capture the memories of the build, but it just so happened that I came across Instructables shortly after I started so I decided to enter the contest. I figured people might be interested in some of the techniques I came up with," he explains.
LeMaster says it took him about three weeks to build the car, with most of the work done on Saturdays. The bulk of the material he used was scrap wood that he found lying around the house. Swim noodles and bondo glass both helped in the construction.
All in all, the project cost him about $100, and LeMaster says it was worth every penny. "This was nothing compared to the priceless expressions on my grandkids' faces when they saw the car."
>> Flintstones Car How-To: makezine.com/go/flintmobile
From the column Made on Earth - MAKE 14, page 22 - Ed Troxell.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Dec 1, 2008 12:01 AM
DIY Projects, Made On Earth |
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November 30, 2008
MAKE inspired honking pumpkin
I know Halloween is over, but I really wanted to share this project that Todd emailed us. The honking pumpkin was inspired by my How-to Tuesday: Scariest Pumpkin ever build. This is exactly why we do the builds for the blog. We want our readers to be inspired to make things, and maybe like Todd, make them better. Best of all, share what you have learned so others can do the same. Thanks Todd, you made my My honking pumpkin used to scare the H-E-Hockey-Sticks out of Trick-Or-Treaters. I based this project on a Make-blog posted just before Halloween as I noted on the first page. The project turned out very scary indeed, but I had a lot of false triggering of the car horns on Halloween night. This site is about my re-build to make it better and more importantly I documented how I used my Oscilloscope to track down the cause of the false triggering and correct the problem.
More about the MAKE inspired honking pumpkin
More:
How-to Tuesday: Scariest Pumpkin Ever
In the Maker Shed:
Bare Bones Arduino Board Kit (Unassembled)
Posted by Marc de Vinck |
Nov 30, 2008 08:11 AM
DIY Projects, Electronics, Makers |
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Make your own Arduino controlled bell tower / carillon
Mechatronics writes -
This is a set of musical bells which are driven by solenoids and controlled by an Arduino microcontroller.
There are 8 bells covering one octave.
The bells are controllable from a PC, or the tower can stand alone and play pre-programmed melodies.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Nov 30, 2008 03:10 AM
Arduino, DIY Projects, Electronics, Instructables, Music |
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Flaming legs
Evidently the people of New Mexico have seen it all. Even robolegs gone wild!
Carlos is a robotic everyman. He's not one of those fancy deep sea dwelling, swimming pool competing, publicity hogging, multiple kill, or planet exploring robots, just a regular robot doing his thing like us humans.
Carlos was a college kinetic sculpture project. I was interested in the concept of automating aspects of society that were considered not so "glamorous". Robotics are often used in environments which are considered dangerous to humans. Deep sea exploration, nuclear cleanup and volcanism are some of the "higher profile" adverse environments which robots are used. My question was, "What about other dangerous or hazardous areas?". For example, homeless people live in extremely dangerous environments. Shouldn't there be automated equipment used by this strata of society? So, for this project I chose to implement an automated walking, homeless shopping cart.
Check out some of the other projects at GizmoGarden!
Via Zoomdoggle
What do robots mean to you? Have you built a robot to solve a problem? Have you made plans for automating mechanisms? What have you done to create devices that move in response to sensor data? Add your photos and video to the Make Flickr pool, and bring on your comments!
Posted by Chris Connors |
Nov 30, 2008 02:00 AM
Culture jamming, DIY Projects, hacks, How it's made, Robotics, Something I want to learn to do..., Transportation |
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November 29, 2008
Lyrics box for practice/gigging
From the MAKE Flickr photo pool
While visiting family over Thanksgiving I witnessed this device in use - "Mark's Magic Box" displays song lyrics and note changes to simplify band rehearsals. The setup uses a laptop + LCD for storage and display - controlled via foot-pedal which was built from a mouse and housed in a handmade metal enclosure. A teleprompter for music - very cool!
Posted by Collin Cunningham |
Nov 29, 2008 03:00 PM
DIY Projects, Music |
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November 28, 2008
Book on building snow shelters
Over at the Cool Tools blog, Kevin Kelly just reviewed How to Build an Igloo: And Other Snow Shelters by Norbert E. Yankielun. I really wish I had this book as a kid; snow forts are so much fun!
Posted by Becky Stern |
Nov 28, 2008 12:00 PM
DIY Projects, Holiday projects |
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Building a Baghdad battery
Here's an Instructable on building primitive batteries, interesting not so much for its (low-current, low-voltage) results but as a nice overview of a different way of making batteries. Also check out this Wikipedia entry on earth batteries, which I found via this Instructable.
Posted by Luke Iseman |
Nov 28, 2008 10:00 AM
DIY Projects, Instructables |
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Jed Berk and the Blubber bots - Autonomous Light Air Vessels (ALAVs)
Jed Berk has a lot of shows going! Jed makes our Blubber bot kit in the MAKE store, if you want to make a autonomous blimp, you can!
In the pursuit to evolve and grow the biotopes, some of the species have bred forming 500 hundred new young, The Blubber Bots are offspring of the Autonomous Light Air Vessels (ALAVs). The Blubber Bots call for participation from the audience. Through educating an audience from a more hands on experience, Blubber Bots can be assembled and let loose into the world by anyone willing to do so. I am working toward a more ambitious biotope imagining hundreds of Blubber Bots inhabiting a central location. With your help, this vision maybe upon us soonWhat is a Blubber Bot?
Blubber Bots are floating DIY robotic species that navigate autonomously and intelligently. Blubber Bots float, dance, seek and sing. They are light-seeking hellium-filled balloons that graze the landscape in search of light and cellphone signals. Designed into the inflatable form is a set of light sensors enabling them to seek out the brightest light source. They are also equipped with a phone flasher and can recognize cellphone activity. You can interact with a Blubber Bot by making a call and waving your phone near it. In response, it will go into a flocking dance or sing you a special tune.
Brandts, Odense, Denmark
35 Blubbers in a solo exhibit
"Beluga Pod", Opening Reception Nov. 13, 5pm-7pm
Dates: 11.13.2008 - 11.30.2008
MOCA, Taipei
Museum of Contemporary Art, Taipei
DEF, group exhibit (ALAVs 2.0)
Dates: 9.12.2008 - 11.09.2008
Blubber Bot Robotic Inflatable
Part of a family of "Transitional Species," Blubber Bots are Do-It-Yourself robotic inflatables that navigate autonomously and intelligently. They are light-seeking helium-filled balloons that graze the landscape in search of light and cellphone signals.
Features:
- Designed into the inflatable form is a set of light sensors enabling them to seek out the brightest light source. They are also equipped with a phone flasher and can recognize cellphone activity. You can interact with a Blubber Bot by making a call and waving your phone near it. In response, they will go into a flocking dance or sing you a special tune.
- Social and friendly in nature, Blubber Bots like to play. You can invite other Blubber Bots over for a party to watch them flock and mingle. They propel themselves using helium buoyancy and two-directional motors. They are a little clumsy though and tend to bump into things. Fortunately, Blubber Bots are born with a feeler (bump switch) to help them out of tricky situations. At a flick of the "feeler", they back up and head in a new direction.
- Not only do they like to play, but they love to sing. Blubber Bots have a unique voice generated from a vibrating motor and a small piezo speaker attached to their mylar bodies. They bellow sounds similar to a whale's song and serenade you with melodies. When not being played with, they rest while tooting periodic sounds in their sleep, dreaming until they once again are awakened.
You can also get MAKE 12 - Featuring the Blubber bot.
Make, Vol 12 features our special section on digital arts and crafts called "Upload," where you'll learn how to take infrared photographs, shoot movies with custom backgrounds, and make fun-to-watch slideshows of your digital family photos. You'll also learn how to make an extremely loud air whistle, a solar-powered xylophone, and a TV remote control that's powered by your muscles. As usual, you'll find plenty of other exciting how-to projects inside.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Nov 28, 2008 06:00 AM
Arts, DIY Projects, Electronics, Maker Shed Store |
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How to: Make wooden Amplifier Knobs
This is a really easy solution for replacing a missing knob on your classic amplifier. These knobs become brittle over time and can easily break when being moved around. The replacement knobs can be made in a few minutes from some scrap materials.
Few weekends ago I was trying to find on the net some knobs to put on a[n] old JVC amplifier [me] and my girlfriend found on the street.....The small ones (2.5cm) where reasonable cheap and easy to find but I couldn't find any of 5cm.....So at last I decided to do them myself.
More about How to: Make wooden Amplifier Knob
Posted by Marc de Vinck |
Nov 28, 2008 02:00 AM
DIY Projects, Electronics, Instructables |
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French knitting: Make the tools and weave with plastic
This project is perfect for the Maker/Crafter household. They describe how to make a wooden bobbin, a weaving loom, and finally, how to weave a bag from recycled materials. Make sure to check out all 3 pages.
More about French Knitting [part 2] [part 3]
Posted by Marc de Vinck |
Nov 28, 2008 01:00 AM
Crafts, DIY Projects |
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HOW TO - "Homemade strobe photography"
Homemade strobe photography by Tom Anderson and Wendell Anderson...
JUMPIN’ JACKED FLASH
We built a strobe flash out of a Kodak disposable camera and then designed a circuit that triggers the flash when it detects a sound or other measurable event. The strobe flash will freeze motion!
We use a digital camera set for a long exposure (two seconds or more), and shoot the picture in a dark room. When the balloon pops, the sound-activated trigger circuit fires the flash, and the camera captures the incredible event.
Why not just take the picture of the balloon with a digital camera and its built-in flash? First, getting the timing right is a hard problem: the camera’s exposure, its flash, and the event itself need to be synchronized. (Try it yourself and see what luck you have.) The second problem is that a stock camera flash doesn’t make a very good strobe because it flashes too long, causing blurry high-speed photos.
Read full storyPosted by Phillip Torrone |
Nov 28, 2008 12:00 AM
DIY Projects, Electronics, Photography |
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November 27, 2008
3D printed business card holder
From the MAKE Flickr pool, user pixl8ed printed his own business card holder out of FDM plastic from his own 3D design. Neat!
Posted by Becky Stern |
Nov 27, 2008 07:00 PM
Computers, DIY Projects |
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Tiny fender benders
Need to spice up your greenhouse? Start a Crash Bonsai garden!
CrashBonsai is the creation of John Rooney, an artist who is torn between the desire to create and destroy. Recently, he has been making bonsai plants, and combining them with model cars and trucks which he has creatively smashed and melted, to create "CrashBonsai," little living car crash sculptures.
via Zoomdoggle
My first car was a 72 Chevelle, just about exactly like the one above, except for the tail lights. In it, I learned the value of not braking in an icy parking lot with light poles. It wound up looking eerily similar to the photo at the top of this post, but mine was smashed on the passenger side front, and still driveable for about a year longer.
Have you created unconventional ornamental arrangement? Does the term Junk Yard mean the same to you as to most people? Add photos of your disaster recreations to the Make Flickr pool.
Posted by Chris Connors |
Nov 27, 2008 12:03 PM
Arts, Crafts, DIY Projects, Mods, Toys and Games, Transportation |
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Dorkbot NYC: the 110208th dorkbot-nyc meeting
The 110208th dorkbot-nyc meeting will take place at 7pm on Wednesday, December 3rd, 2008 at Location One in SoHo.The meeting is free and open to the public. Please bring snacks to share.
We're always looking for (and playing) more dorkbot theme songs! Bring or email one and we'll play it at the meeting.
+++++++
Featuring the alkaline and perchlorated:
Fang-Yu Lin: Political Science 101
Political Science 101: A Crash Course in Civil Discourse on Political Blogs is a net art installation that constantly scans and monitors hundreds of political blogs for headlines, keywords and trends. The "learnings" are presented as slides that are generated in real-time, using textbook style charts and graphs. A hacked slide projector projects these virtual slides to the screen in a simulated classroom setting. Hence, the class is a study of blogs as a political medium, and an appraisal of its traits and uses.
Alicia Gibb: Bug Labs
Bug Labs is a new kind of technology company, enabling a new generation of engineers to tap their creativity and build any type of device they want, without having to solder, learn solid state electronics, or go to China. Bug Labs envisions a future where CE stands for Community Electronics, the term "mashups" applies equally to hardware as it does to Web services, and entrepreneurs can appeal to numerous markets by inventing "The Long Tail" of devices. We believe everybody is an inventor at heart, so we've developed a platform for users to create and forever modify their favorite gadget, allowing for ultimate customization and use.
Jeremy Rotsztain: Media Impressionism
Media Impressionism is just one possible term for the practice of remixing cinematic imagery using well known practices from painting (such as collage, pointillism, and action painting), but using software-based tools. In this dorkbotty presentation, I'll discuss a few of my recent video art and computational imaging projects and share my working process.
Check out last month's presentations here. Good, dorky stuff in the Big Apple!
Posted by Luke Iseman |
Nov 27, 2008 10:00 AM
DIY Projects, Electronics, Events |
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The MAKE gift guides for 2008!
Stop by the Maker Shed store and check out THE place for open source hardware, Arduino & Arduino accessories, electronic kits, science kits, smart stuff for kids, back issues of MAKE & CRAFT, box sets, books, robots, kits from Japan and more.
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Current Podcast
Maker Faire Austin - Green Tech
Makers from around the world gathered to share their "green" inventions and technology at Maker Faire in Austin. Make plans now to attend the next Maker Faire. To download Maker Faire Austin 2008 - Green Tech MP4 click here...
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