This animated LED pumpkin, built by my HacDC cohort David Kaufman, uses a PIC16F648 microcontroller to individually control 25 LEDs in a styrofoam pumpkin. A Windows app is also available to edit the animations (which are then rebuilt into a PIC app).
More:
Don’t forget, we have our own DIY Haunts contest running here on MAKE!
Posted by Gareth Branwyn | Thursday September 30th, 2010 8:00 PM
Categories: Halloween | No Comments
Spotted in the MAKE Flickr pool:
The fine folks at oomlaut were tired of straightening the leads on their dual inline package (DIP)-style components, so they built an IC Squisher (ICSQ) machine to do it for them. Based on a design they learned about from Evil Mad Scientist Labritories, their build uses a couple of bearings and laser cut plastic to do the job. Best of all, the plans are all on their website, so you can make your own.
More:
Posted by Matt Mets | Thursday September 30th, 2010 6:45 PM
Categories: Electronics | No Comments
It’s time for the annual Yankee Steam-Up at the New England Steam and Wireless Museum, a must-see event that includes steam, wireless, and lots of makers:
Yankee Steam-Up: For model makers, Machinists, Engineers & Historians
Saturday October 2, 2010, 8:00AM-4:00PM
- Steam & Compressed Air for Models.
- Licensed Boilers & Licensed Engineers.
- New Englands Largest Steam-Up Boiler.
- Giant Working Steam Engines & Hot Air & IC.
Admission, $15.00
All Steam-Up Proceeds go to Upkeep of the Museum
Free Parking
Food on Grounds at noon
If you haven’t been, it’s an impressive event. They connect a whole bunch of steam engines, large and small, to a big boiler, and they crank away all day. The steam engine collection includes some amazing pieces of history, and the wireless collection is pretty sweet, too. Don’t miss the Massie spark gap transmitter either.
Admission is $15, and there is free parking. All the proceeds go to the upkeep of the museum, which is located at:
1300 Frenchtown Road
East Greenwich, RI 02818
Posted by Brian Jepson | Thursday September 30th, 2010 4:25 PM
Categories: Events, Events | 2 Comments
Spotted in the MAKE Flickr pool:
Flickr user vamapaull lent his digital camera to a friend, who managed to lose its control knob. When the camera was returned a few days late, it sported this beautiful wooden wheel. I want one for my camera!
Posted by Matt Mets | Thursday September 30th, 2010 2:20 PM
Categories: Art, Photography | 4 Comments
(From left to right) Albert Hwang and Matt Parker of the Lumarca project presented with the Red Bull “Create the Future” award (a MakerBot!) by Eric Siegel, of the NY Hall of Science, and Gareth Branwyn, of MAKE
At this year’s World Maker Faire, Red Bull sponsored a “Create the Future” contest. The idea was to choose one maker at the Faire who offered a compelling glimpse of the future. The prize was a MakerBot CupCake CNC. Just as the MakerBot offers a glimpse into a future of cheap and powerful 3D printing on your desktop, Red Bull and the contest judges went in search of another emerging vision of the future being developed by a maker.
But first, there was a party! The Red Bull Maker Faire Party on Friday night announced the contest and introduced the judges. Held in the astounding Great Hall in the NY Hall of Science, MAKE’s Dale Dougherty kicked off the festivities and ArcAttack! provided the high-voltage entertainment. There were also drinkbots serving up Red Bull-powered cocktails, a marching band, costumed revelers, and lots of happy party goers. Eric Siegel, Director and Chief Content Officer of NY Hall of Science, and I, representing Maker Media, were announced as the judges.
So who won? It was really hard to choose. There were a number of really impressive, stand-out projects. But in the end, Eric and I were in perfect sync as to who the winners should be: Matt Parker and Albert Hwang (along with Elliot Woods) for their amazing Lumarca project. It is a perfect example of something that appears very simple on the surface (it’s mainly constructed of yarn, fishing line, and home store parts), but it has incredible potential to offer affordable 3D visualization capabilities (and it’s just darn cool). Here’s how they describe it on their website:
Lumarca is a truly volumetric display which allows viewers to see three dimensional images and motion. The system requires only a computer, a projector, and common materials found at most hardware stores. This provides an affordable platform for artists to design compelling content that conveys information, narrative, and aesthetic information in a new way.
Matt, Albert, and company are looking for investment money via Kickstarter to take their project to the next level. Hopefully, the exposure from this contest will help.
Good luck, guys. And congrats on winning Red Bull’s “Create the Future” contest!
More pictures of the Red Bull Create the Future Party after the jump…
Posted by Gareth Branwyn | Thursday September 30th, 2010 12:00 PM
Categories: Announcements, Maker Faire | 2 Comments
SparkleLab: Widget Makers @ Parsons, Ariel writes -
I am teaching a new class at Parsons School of Design. SparkleLab: Widget Makers is similar to a your standard physical computing class. We cover basic electronics and microcontrollers with Arduino. But, instead of thinking up some contraption to make, we will create relatively simple devices. The focus will be on making a solid and pleasing prototype with a refined interaction design.
DIY design electronics kit – Harness the power of the electron! Create games, toys, and contraptions with these fundamental components. Follow the easy instructions to make a light detector, LED flasher, noisemaker and more! Once you master the basics, you’ll be ready to create your own! Everything you need to get started is right in the box, including switches, buttons, diodes, capacitors. transistors and regulators. Learn the amazing concepts of resistance, capacitance, voltage and current with the step-by-step project manual. Soon, you will be the electronics wizard! Great introduction to electronics for all ages. By Sparkle Labs.
Posted by Phillip Torrone | Thursday September 30th, 2010 10:57 AM
Categories: Events, Events | No Comments
As far I can recall this is the first time an open source hardware product has been certified for 3G networks. There are many milestones in open source hardware, and there will be many more – this is one of them.
Get on the country’s most reliable network, with full compliance, day one! BUG’s 3G modems are all pre- certified to work on Verizon Wireless. BUGs are also FCC and CE certified, which means you can build and deploy them right away, no further testing required.
More:
Open Development @ Verizon.
Bug Labs and Verizon Wireless Partner!
Posted by Phillip Torrone | Thursday September 30th, 2010 10:48 AM
Categories: Open source hardware | 3 Comments
Building a wire turtle (video)…
Posted by Phillip Torrone | Thursday September 30th, 2010 10:40 AM
Categories: How it's made | 1 Comment
Flickr user gdafm saw my recent rebar bike post and sent us a link to these photos he took in Ampareas, Peru, of a pedal powered grain mill made in large part of welded rebar, including rebar pedals and a rebar bike seat. [Thanks, gdaf!]
More:
Posted by Sean Ragan | Thursday September 30th, 2010 10:27 AM
Categories: Bicycles, Green, hacks | 2 Comments
Why scratch out a game of naughts and crosses on the sidewalk when you can use a computer-controlled mill to carve a board and pieces out of solid billet aluminum and bronze? Thingiverse user hugomatic knows the answer to that question, whatever it may be.
More:
Posted by Sean Ragan | Thursday September 30th, 2010 9:20 AM
Categories: 3D Printing, Online, Toys and Games | No Comments
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.
RSS for MAKE
RSS feed
YOUTUBE channel 
STUMBLEUPON 
MONTHLY Newsletter
TWITTER
FACEBOOK
FLICKR pool
SUBSCRIBE
