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DIY Digital SLR cable release circuit

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Peter writes “Here’s a hands-on with Jaycar’s DIY digital SLR cable release kit, for producing timelapse photography, with a first experiment in photographing dyed melting ice. This is first in a series by my friend Jaymis Loveday called “Timelapse Lab”, and he’s already learning some things the hard way by experimentation (so we don’t have to)!” – Link.

Posted by | Friday June 30th, 2006 11:38 PM

Categories: DIY Projects, Electronics, Imaging | 1 Comment

DIY Binary clock

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Hans DIY binary clock from scrap – “All the parts for this clock came from scrap. The red LED’s making up the display came from an old video player. The high brightness green LED was also from an old video player (a different one). The TTL logic chips were from old computer boards, with the possible exception of the 4518 counter chip, which was probably a left over spare from my Sidereal Clock project. The transformer came from an old audio cassette player.” [via] – Link.

Posted by | Friday June 30th, 2006 9:31 PM

Categories: DIY Projects, Electronics | No Comments

POV in a combat robot

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What makes a combat robot more badass? Having it spell words or patterns in the air on its blades, Trebor the Mad Overlord writes – “More than a few people have mused upon the idea of installing lights inside the weapon of a combat robot. Similar “Persistance of Vision” setups are available for bikes and car wheels, but of course, doing it with a robot is kicking it up a notch! I’ve thought for some time that it would be fun to see what could be done with easily available materials, but never had the time to get around to it — until now! “ – Link.

Posted by | Friday June 30th, 2006 8:59 PM

Categories: Robotics | No Comments

USB Bit Wacker

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Spark Fun has a handy (so it seems) PIC dev board that can be bootloaded and then shows up as an RS232 com port – “This is a spectacular little development board featuring the PIC18F2455. Based on the work of Brian Schmalz, the UBW is a small board with a command intrepreter for basic input and output control. When attached to a Windows computer, the UBW will show up as an RS232 Com port! You control the individual I/O pins on the PIC through simple serial commands. Board comes fully tested, preprogrammed, and assembled as shown.” – Link.

Posted by | Friday June 30th, 2006 7:50 PM

Categories: DIY Projects, Electronics | 5 Comments

HOW TO – Make your own throwing stars

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If you have a welder and some old box cutter blades you can make your own throwing stars, Saga writes “Ever wondered what to do with all of your old box knife blades? Well, instead of throwing them in the garbage can, you can throw them AT the garbage can. Project consists of welding six blades together to make the fiercest throwing star you have ever seen.” – Link.

Posted by | Friday June 30th, 2006 6:31 PM

Categories: DIY Projects | 13 Comments

Batteries and Magnets Kid Kit

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MAKE reader Rotwang has a mini book review of Batteries and Magnets Kid Kit “This book was my favorite book when I was about five or six. It’s all about how to make pretty simple games or toys out of stuff around the house. Like cardboard, tape, wires, batteries and lights. The book introduces children to electro-magnets and circuits.”

“From the publisher: This 32-page book shows you how to make things that go, things that glow and things that buzz and flash. Use the motor, propeller, battery holder and wooden dowel to make the whizzing plane that really flies. The pipe cleaners and magnets will help you learn about the properties of magnets while having fun at the same time. Kit contains paint (ASTM D4236 approved), brush, propeller, magnets, pipe cleaners, motor, round hook, battery holder and wooden dowel.” – Link.

Posted by | Friday June 30th, 2006 5:22 PM

Categories: Toolbox | No Comments

Basic machining information/textbooks

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Nickp writes – “The US military have a number of excellent manuals for the use of their machinists — and the text is public domain. Your tax dollars at work! I’ve prepared some single-file PDF’s which are a bit easier to deal with than the more usual single-chapter-per-file setup. “ – Link.

Posted by | Friday June 30th, 2006 4:35 PM

Categories: Toolbox | No Comments

HOW TO – Make can lanterns

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TangMu writes “Recycle your used drinks cans into potential fire hazards!! A modern take on the paper lantern… now even shinier” -

You will need:
Any size or shape of drinks can (Preferably unopened as of yet as we need the flat top to balance the tea light on)
Something to put said contents of can in.
Our friend Mr Stanley the Knife.
Pliers (I find Snub nosed easier of this)

Also needed but not pictured:
A small length of wire ~10cm
A tea light (those lil lights in a metal pot)
Matches

Link to Instructable.

Posted by | Friday June 30th, 2006 3:42 PM

Categories: Art, Crafts | No Comments

Dixie cup spherical dodecahedrons

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Here’s a fun Instructable on how to make dixie cup spherical dodecahedrons – “The Dixiesphere is composed of twenty spherical-hexagonal 7-cup modular units, which you will construct first. Each hexagonal modular unit consists of seven cups hot-glued together such that one central cup is surrounded tangentially by six more cups. (The spaces between cups will look like equilateral triangles with concave edges, and the circular bases and rims of the cups will look like hexagonal close-packings of circles, but they will posess a slight overall curvature, as the circles define the surfaces of spheres.) It is important that the central cup contacts each of its surrounding six cups at their bases. It’s a tight fit getting six cups around a center cup. Work quickly while the glue is hot to ensure that all upper rims and lower bases of the cups are flush, and that there are no superfluous gaps between the bases of the cups.” – Link.

Posted by | Friday June 30th, 2006 2:38 PM

Categories: Crafts, DIY Projects | 3 Comments

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From the Maker Shed

MSBUN36
Launch Price: $75.99

RedPark TTL iOS Cable Breakout Pack

Exclusively in the Maker Shed, this updated Redpark Breakout Pack for Arduino and iOS makes interfacing your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch with the real world easy! This bundle includes the new RedPark TTL Cable for iOS so a TTL adapter (and soldering) is no longer required.

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