Thinkertoys Turn E-Waste into Fun Gadgetry

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Thinkertoys Turn E-Waste into Fun Gadgetry

ThinkerToys is the brainchild of Dhairya Dand, who had the novel idea to build small, simple modules from Arduino that could be wed to common e-waste such as keyboards and CRT televisions. One such idea is the Keyano, which turns (what looks like a PS/2) keyboard normally used for typing, and turns it into a musical keyboard.

Another device is the TV++, which can connect to any standard CRT and provide learning games for children.

Their site claims to be an open source project, but I’ve yet to spy any documentation. Here’s hoping that some comes our way soon.

[via Arduino Blog]

8 thoughts on “Thinkertoys Turn E-Waste into Fun Gadgetry

  1. Serdal Piynirci says:

    video ?

  2. Dhairya Dand says:

    Hey Michael,

    Thanks for the article and for pointing out the lack of documentation!

    Till now, it was a one man project, and now more and more people are inspired to join in, that is great.

    The code is mostly on my github, and I will be documenting with video, tutorials, license and everything relevant soon on the site.

    Till then the best way to keep in touch is the google group : https://groups.google.com/forum/?fromgroups#!forum/opentoys

    Have a great day ahead!
    Dhairya

  3. Michael Colombo says:

    Hi Dhairya. Thanks for commenting – looking forward to documentation and more ideas in the future. Don’t hesitate to get in touch with MAKE as you make more progress.

  4. 10 Beautiful E-Waste Craft Ideas - eCycle Best Blog says:

    […] Make Fun New Gadgets – Turn old electronics into functional toys! Dhairya Dand transforms out of date electronics – like old computer keyboards and CRT monitors – into handy working gadgets. […]

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In addition to being an online editor for MAKE Magazine, Michael Colombo works in fabrication, electronics, sound design, music production and performance (Yes. All that.) In the past he has also been a childrens' educator and entertainer, and holds a Masters degree from NYU's Interactive Telecommunications Program.

View more articles by Michael Colombo

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