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Archive: Kits
November 28, 2008
BUILD: Making the Blinkybug Kit
When I first got this Kit in the mail from the Maker Shed I stared puzzled at the box. What exactly was the point? A bug that blinks it's eyes when it senses movement? As I opened the box and checked out the contents I realized that the Blinkybugs don't walk, talk, chalk or really do anything besides lighting up.
But what I learned as I started to build them is that they do something more important than all that. They make you excited to build, and in essence are simply fun. Also as I was showing my friends what I was up to, I quickly learned that they make great gifts as well. I had at least four people ask me what I was going to do with them (in a hinting sort of way). So I am giving all four of them away as gifts. I even made a Halloween variant for some of my friends. So besides being a fun, simple kit to build I am guessing you want to see what these friendly little LED bugs do? Check the video out after the jump along with all the macro lens photos on how to build it.
Here is what the creator of this kit thought "This grew into the idea of planting little robotic insects around the city... on trees, fences, etc, to surprise people and just add a bit
of strangeness to the environment. I wanted them to blink intermittently, and respond to their environment, which led to the idea of the antennae acting as a spring switch, so the eyes would
blink whenever the wind blew." - Ken Murphy.
Posted by David J. Neff |
Nov 28, 2008 11:52 AM
Kits, Maker Shed Store |
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November 26, 2008
Arduino Gift Guide!
The Arduino open-source microcontroller platform can be programmed and equipped to perform a nearly endless list of functions. It's likely the best all-around centerpiece to a modern electronics project. But one of the tasks Arduino is best used for is straight-up fun - the open design means there's an Arduino board suitable for almost any project, and a wealth of add-on "shields" extends its abilities with ease.
Updated! - This list keeps growing, and growing and ...
Starter kits
Arduino Starter Kit - The best way to get going with the very capable microcontroller platform, the starter kit sets you up with a bunch of basic parts necessary for tinkering plus a wealth of knowledge in the included 400+ pages of Making Things Talk, by Arduino developer Tom Igoe. Features -
- 1x Arduino Diecimila
- 1x Mini Breadboard
- 1x 3 ft. USB Cable
- 10x 1K Resistors
- 2x 10k Resistors
- 3x Red LEDs
- 2x Green LEDs
- 1X Superbright Blue LED
- 1x Momentary Tactile Switch
- 2x Interlink Force Sensing Resistors
- 1x Protoshield Kit (unassembled)
- Making Things Talk by Tom Igoe
- 24" each of Red, Blue & Black AWG jumper wire
- 9V Battery Case w/DC Plug (some assembly required)
- Yes, even a 9V battery
Price $89.99
Arduino Starter Pack - A different take on the Arduino survival kit, this pack from Adafruit includes potentiometers, a DC wall adapter, and a nice selection of LEDs -
- Arduino Duemilanove - including 4 rubber feet
- 3' USB cable
- Protoshield Kit
- Tiny Breadboard
- 9V DC regulated wall adapter
- 9V Battery case with switch and a 2.1mm plug
- 10K potentiometer, 1K potentiometer
- 2 small pushbuttons
- 5 red diffused bright LEDs, plus one each of red, green and blue ultra-bright LED
- 5 100 ohm resistors, 5 1K resistors, 5 10K resistors
- CdS photocell sensor
- 4 pieces of 18" long jumper wire in red, black, yellow and blue
Price $65Read full story
Posted by Collin Cunningham |
Nov 26, 2008 10:00 AM
Arduino, Kits, Maker Shed Store |
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Build: Gakken Mechamo Centipede
After having such a great time making the Gakken Inchworm, we decided to try the Gakken Mechamo Centipede. It's nicely packaged, too, and also comes with its own tools; it just needs 6 batteries.
This kit only had directions in Japanese - there was no English version included. Since we had experience with the Inchworm, we decided to see if we could put it together just using the pictures, but we found it helped a lot to look at the English instructions periodically. (If you decide you need the text in English, it's available as a PDF through the Maker Shed Centipede link - you do need to download the Japanese font to view any text at all, even the English, which is odd, but it only took a minute.) There was an errata page in the kit that had corrections for steps 5 and 7, but the errata page looked the same as the page in the Japanese instructions. The online illustrations for steps 5 and 7 were missing some little spring washers, so we assumed the kit had come with updated instructions.
The little cranks are numbered; take care to assemble them in the correct order. They also have to be aligned in a specific configuration for the leg movement to work correctly.
This was definitely a harder build than the Inchworm was. So many legs! There were just more parts in general, you had to keep track of the numbered parts, and it was a more complicated build. But again, it's a forgiving kit, you can backtrack easily if you've put something in backwards. One battery pack wire came loose during the build, but it just took a quick solder to fix it and we were good to go. When we put the batteries in for testing, we found that one of the leg cranks kept getting hung up on a nut that was sticking out just a hair too far - we had to take out the spring washer behind the nut to fix that.
All in all, it was a fun build - it might not be the best kit for a first project, depending on the kid and their level of patience. The motion is totally awesome! I lived in Korea for a while when I was a kid, and one morning there was an amazing many-legged bug that kind of flowed across the bathroom floor - this reminded me of that bug, the motion is very realistic (but mechanical, and slower!).
In the Maker Shed:
The Gakken Mechamo Centipede kit is available through the Maker Shed.
More:
Gakken Mechamo Crab build and mod
Build: Gakken Mechamo Inchworm
Posted by Patti Schiendelman |
Nov 26, 2008 07:00 AM
Kids, Kits |
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November 25, 2008
Fuzebox - an open source 8-bit game console kit
Adafruit Industries just released a new kit version of the Uzebox open-source gaming console -
After many months of looking at NTSC waveforms on my scope (go video-sync trigger!) I have finished the Fuzebox, a fully open-source, DIY 8-bit game console (based on the Uzebox I posted about a while back). It is based almost completely on an ATmega644 with some video encoding help from the AD725.Check out Ladyada.net Cool project with a lot of potential and a neat enclosure - for more info and schematic, kits are available from the Adafruit store - Fuzebox
More:
Retro-minimalist homebrew game console
Posted by Collin Cunningham |
Nov 25, 2008 03:00 PM
Gaming, Kits, Maker Shed Store |
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Twitchie scorpion - HOW TO - Make a robotic scorpion
Download the MP4 Video or HD Version | Subscribe to CRAFT in iTunes | mov | 3g2
I made this scorpion toy with a Twitchie Robot Kit. I'm really afraid of scorpions where I live in Arizona, so I thought a friendly toy would help me get used to them. I made his plush body from some fabric I had around, aiming to make him look like an Arizona bark scorpion, which are tan/yellowish/translucent. Watch the video for build details, and here's a list of materials I used:
- Twitchie Robot Kit
- 3 pieces of scrap wood
- 1 drywall screw for non-driven front leg
- hot glue
- fabric for plush body
- plush stuffing
- thread & embroidery floss
Twitchie is Arduino powered and comes pre-programmed, so it's an excellent kit for beginners in robotics, because no programming is required! You can download and modify the code if you want, and it's pretty light on the soldering, too. I'd recommend Twitchie for young makers (boys & girls, too!) interested in robotics or moving plush toys. If you have an idea for what I should name my new friend, let me know in the comments! All I've come up with so far is "Scott."
Music in the video is "At the Crack of Noon" by Shuutobi.
More build photos:
Posted by Becky Stern |
Nov 25, 2008 09:15 AM
Crafts, DIY Projects, Kits, MAKE Podcast, MAKE Video, Open source hardware, Robotics, Toys and Games |
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Holiday Gift Guide: Gifts that will inspire your kids!
Here is our 2008 Make Holiday Gift Guide for kids. Hopefully these gifts will inspire you to go out and make new things, teach others what you know, or even learn something new. The best gift you can give any kid is quality time together. I tried to cover a lot of different ages, skill levels, and interests. If I missed something you think should be added to the list, please leave it in the comments below. Thanks!
If you are looking for cool projects to make with your kids over the Holidays, don't forget to check out the Make blog "Kids" category for hundreds, if not thousands, of great projects.
Howtoons
As seen in Make Magazine. Part comic strip and part science experiment, Howtoons shows children how to find imaginative new uses for common household items like soda bottles, duct tape, mop buckets, and moreñto teach kids the "Tools of Mass Construction"! Howtoons are cartoons that teach 8ñ to 15ñyearñold readers "how to" build, create, and explore things. Combining a fun, fullñcolor cartoon format and real life science and engineering principles, Howtoons are designed to encourage kids to become active participants in the world around them.
Price: $15.99
Drawdio Kit
You may have to put this kit together if you have younger kids, since it requires soldering. It's easy to assemble, and fun to hack! Drawdio has been kid tested at my house for many hours, and is a hit with everyone who tries it!
Drawdio is an electronic pencil that lets you make music while you draw! It's great project for beginners: An easy kit with instant gratification! Essentially, its a very simple musical synthesizer that uses the conductive properties of pencil graphite to create different sounds. The result is a fun toy that lets you draw musical instruments on any piece of paper.
Price: $19.50
Posted by Marc de Vinck |
Nov 25, 2008 07:50 AM
Kids, Kits, LEGO, Maker Shed Store, Robotics |
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November 24, 2008
Adding MIDI to Atari
Siemprelaluna posted this fast-action build and installation of a MIDI2600 kit complete with soundtrack made with a Synthcart on the Atari console. [via Matrixsynth]
More:
Atari 2600 MIDI demo
Posted by Collin Cunningham |
Nov 24, 2008 02:00 PM
Kits, Music |
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November 22, 2008
Mini Monsters at Maker Faire Austin - CRAFT Video Podcast
Download the MP4 Video or HD Version | Subscribe to CRAFT in iTunes | mov | 3g2
I caught up with craftzine blogger and Austin local Rachel Hobson at Maker Faire Austin 2008, where she gave a demo on making the Mini Monsters from CRAFT:06. These fun little creatures, invented by Moxie, are unique and full of the personality you give them. This is a very kid-friendly project, and you can buy the Mini Monster Kit in the Maker Shed. Don't forget that all craft kits are 10% off until the end of November using promo code CRAFTER.
Posted by Becky Stern |
Nov 22, 2008 01:00 AM
Crafts, Kids, Kits |
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November 20, 2008
Drawdio paint brush
Not to be limited to pencil, the Drawdio sound generating/art project is seen here using the conductivity of water from a paint brush. Temporary marks can be made and used - then just let them evaporate away. Neat!
Posted by Collin Cunningham |
Nov 20, 2008 01:00 PM
Arts, Kits, Maker Shed Store, Music |
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November 19, 2008
DIY pepper mill kit
MAKE & CRAFT photo editor Sam Murphy points us to this kit for making your own pepper mill. It includes all the complicated grinding hardware and a walnut blank. Lathe not included.
Posted by Becky Stern |
Nov 19, 2008 07:00 PM
Crafts, Kits |
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November 18, 2008
Building the Gakken Cup Phonograph Kit
Gakken's New Edison-style Cup Phonograph Kit is a cylinder recorder that uses a needle to cut sound waves onto plastic cups. This kit lets you relive the excitement of Thomas Edison as he successfully recorded and played back sound for the first time on a similar cylinder recording system back in 1877.
Thomas Edison first experimented with sound recording by using paraffin paper, metal cylinders wrapped in tin foil, and then eventually settled on wax cylinders. As the story goes, the first thing to ever be successfully recorded and played back was Edison reciting "Mary Had a Little Lamb." Gakken's phonograph kit lets you recreate a model of how Edison first experimented with sound recording and playback, replacing the wax cylinder with regular plastic cups.
How does it sound? Here's a video, yours truly, recording a brisk rendition of "I've Been Working on the Railroad":
This is certainly no mp3 player, but that's what is so great. It's eerily low-fi and nostalgic; it makes your voice sound like it's one hundred years old. You can hear and see the medium speak, and that is what makes this kit so much fun! Clear some space next to your music collection: You might never throw away a plastic cup again.
View the Gakken Phonograph Kit in the Maker Shed.
Posted by Mike Dixon |
Nov 18, 2008 06:00 PM
Kits, Maker Shed Store |
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V for Victory & victory garden kits
Lovely old sign (or perhaps new) V for Victory via Eyebeam.
More:
Victory garden kits.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Nov 18, 2008 05:00 AM
Kits, Retro |
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November 17, 2008
SX-150 synth with plasma contact
Plan-K-Troniks demos this unique mod for the Gakken SX-150 analog synthesizer - a green plasma disc, used to control sound via contact with the stylus. Great - now on to the Gakken Tesla coil!
Posted by Collin Cunningham |
Nov 17, 2008 02:00 PM
Kits, Maker Shed Store, Music |
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A conversation with Mitch Altman
During a quiet moment on Sunday afternoon at Maker Faire Austin 2008, I had a nice conversation with Mitch Altman. At the end of a very busy weekend, he was pretty beat, but I was struck with what a wonderful and peaceful guy Mitch is.
Mitch Altman creates kits that inspire people to make things. "If we don't make things on our own, then we're stuck with what the corporations want to give us....If we make our own things, we can make whatever we want. If we can imagine it, we can make it."
Check out Mitch Altman and his TV-B-Gone and Brain Machine projects.
Posted by Chris Connors |
Nov 17, 2008 09:00 AM
DIY Projects, Electronics, Interviews, Kits, Makers |
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Phantastronic guitar
Lorin Parker of Electric Western demonstrates his Phantastron vacuum-tube sound synthesizer under the control of electric guitar rendering "magic sub-octaves" matching sub-octaves in the process. I have witnessed firsthand what the Phantastron does to a guitar signal, it is both brutal and beautiful!
Posted by Collin Cunningham |
Nov 17, 2008 05:00 AM
Kits, Music |
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November 16, 2008
Game of Life kit is suitable for framing...
Funnypolynomial framed up the Game of Life kit, nice! via Ladyada.
I've been fascinated by Life since I first read of it in Scientific American, many years ago (October 1970!). The Maker Shed store had a couple of sales so I bought a total of 6 Game of Life boards. I assembled them as a 2x3 panel and used cables to join the edges. I mounted them in a simple frame. I'm moving back to New Zealand soon, this will be my last project in the Bay Area!
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Nov 16, 2008 07:00 AM
DIY Projects, Electronics, Kits |
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November 14, 2008
Build: Mini-Theremin in under a minute
Assembly of the Gakken Mini-Theremin kit @ warp-speed - complete with error correction!
Posted by Collin Cunningham |
Nov 14, 2008 03:00 PM
Kits, Maker Shed Store, Music |
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November 13, 2008
MAKE 2008 gift guide from MAKE volume 16 & "The value of a good hands on project"
Here's the MAKE 2008 gift guide from MAKE volume 16 (PDF). If you have your printed copy of MAKE it's on page 18, a pull out, and in the digital edition it's at the end.
I also wanted to post up a great article by our associate publisher Dan Woods called "The value of a good hands on project"...
Editor and Publisher Dale Dougherty came by my desk the other day pointing at a Newsweek folded back to a chart that ranked retail winners and losers for the past quarter. "Look what came in right behind gasoline stations on the high-growth list," he said, pointing to the circled chart. "Hobby, toy, and game stores." No one who owns a car will be surprised to see that gas stations top the growth chart, but hobby and game stores? We're in the midst of some gray economic times, and folks generally think of hobbies and games as discretionary pursuits, no?
Dale and I were intrigued by the chart because it mapped so closely to our own Maker Shed experience -- a pronounced upswing in interest in kits. To be sure, part of our success is the result of a team of smart editors and staffers who've uncovered beautiful kits and projects that really resonate with our audience of inquisitive makers and science enthusiasts. However, I think the underlying data is telling us something important about ourselves and the kind of value we derive from a good hands-on project.
Perhaps it's the constructive distraction of focusing ourselves on something other than the recession, something where we have a reasonable chance of controlling the outcome. Maybe it's the satisfaction of picking up a new skill, dusting off an old one, or simply learning how something works (or doesn't). Maybe it's the memories that live long after the project is done.
And there's definitely something intrinsically satisfying about passing along skills -- even the simplest of skills -- to a younger maker. What kid doesn't enjoy a workbench, a few tools, and a good project on a rainy day?
Even though many of us are nixing the vacation we'd thought about, driving that funky clunker of a car for another year, or putting the bathroom remodel on hold, the basements, garages, and backyards of this planet are coming alive with experiments, tinkering, and the making spirit.
So this holiday season, whether you provision a project from recycled materials and repurposed
The chart mapped so closely to our own experience: a pronounced upswing in interest in kits.
hardware lying around the house, or decide to buy a project kit from the Maker Shed (makershed.com) or somewhere else, give yourself and someone you care about the gift of making something together.
And if you're in a position and the spirit moves you, consider giving the gift of a science kit to a deserving school or teacher. They need your help more than ever before.
Photography by Scott Beale / Laughing Squid.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Nov 13, 2008 12:00 AM
Announcements, Holiday projects, Kits, MAKE PDF, MAKE Podcast |
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November 12, 2008
Build: Gakken Mechamo Inchworm
My son and I built the Mechamo Inchworm kit - actually, he built most of it himself, I helped figure out a couple of parts issues and put together some tiny bits. This is a great kit for kids! He's 14, but hasn't built a lot of kits before, and it went really well. He learned a lot of little things from the build, like how to stabilize a nut while tightening a screw. It's also a pretty forgiving design; twice he put something together backwards, but figured it out and was able to take it apart and put it back together correctly - a lot of kits won't let you take things apart.
I was impressed with how nicely it was packaged - the parts were well organized, and there was a parts list, and instructions in both Japanese and English - the English even made sense! It also comes with its own tools; the only thing we added were some containers to hold the tiny parts, and 6 AA batteries.
The directions were really clear and straightforward with lots of pictures. It took him about 4 hours total to build, and the payoff was fantastic! The Inchworm movement is kind of spider-y; it goes forward and backward and can turn 360 degrees. He noticed that you have to point the remote directly at the Inchworm, and that you can control it from quite a distance, maybe 15 feet. I highly recommend it as a kit for a teenager to do on their own, and I think a smart younger kid could build it with help from an adult.
Click "read more" to see the rest of the build.
In the Maker Shed:
The Gakken Mechamo Inchworm kit is available through the Maker Shed.
More: Gakken Mechamo Crab build and mod
Posted by Patti Schiendelman |
Nov 12, 2008 07:00 AM
Kids, Kits |
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November 11, 2008
Stribe kit released
Curious Inventor has just released the Stribe touch LED controller project as a modular kit -
Each Stribe1 has a touch strip and double column of LEDs that can display and control music and video programs. Multiple Stribe1's can be daisy-chained together to form a low-res, multi-touch display. Use with Max/MSP or other software to adjust track volumes with VU meters, make a sequencer, control synth params and pitch, "scratch" through sounds, etc.- Stribe1 Touch LED Strip Controller
More:
The stribe - touch-sensitive mixers with a LED matrix
Posted by Collin Cunningham |
Nov 11, 2008 03:00 PM
Kits, Music |
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The MAKE gift guides for 2008!
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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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