RSSArchives: May 2006
May 31, 2006
MintyBoost! - Small battery-powered USB charger
Ladyada has a new kit and best of all extensive documentation on making a charger for just about anything that recharges via USB - "This project details a small & simple, but very powerful USB charger for your mp3 player, camera, cell phone, and any other gadget you can plug into a USB port to charge! The charger circuitry and 2 AA batteries fit into an Altoids gum tin, and will run your iPod for hours: 2.5x more than you'd get from a 9V USB charger! You can use rechargable batteries too." - Link.
The MAKE labs were able to test out a prototype and it works great - we'll post up more data as we test out how long our gadgets can go (So far 3+ extra hours of video playback on an iPod 60GB).
Related:
MintyBoost kit - Link.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
May 31, 2006 10:47 PM
Altoids and tin cases, DIY Projects, Electronics, Instructables, iPod |
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Portable PVC conduit antenna mast
Imarunner2 writes - "Build this portable antenna mast for use in temporary or emergency communications. Possible applications include setting up temporary wifi for an event or as part of a portable emergency communications station for Amatuer Radio Emergency Services (ARES)." - Link.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
May 31, 2006 09:14 PM
DIY Projects, Instructables, Telecommunications |
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Vacuum cannon
Here's how to make a simple cannon from PVC pipe and a vacuum cleaner - Link.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
May 31, 2006 08:10 PM
DIY Projects, Instructables |
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Human lifting helium balloon
Anthony Castronovo made a huge silver helium balloon and let 100 or so people try it out, looks like a lot of fun (and helium) - maybe we'll make one for the next Maker Faire! Link.
Related:
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
May 31, 2006 07:33 PM
Made On Earth |
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Make balloon molecules
George writes - "Forget balloon animals (my favorites are the snake and worm) and get down with some balloon molecules. There's a how to section, FAQ, forum, and a galley with Fullerene, diamond and DNA..." - Link.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
May 31, 2006 06:29 PM
Arts, DIY Projects, Science |
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LED MEGA-Light
Do not look at LED MEGALIGHT with remaining eye... - "This is a homemade LED flashlight with a PVC body that is easily bright enough to blind you, and uses only one special LED (a Luxeon V). The light projected is a smooth, clear white illumination with no "rings" in the projected light like those cast by normal flashlights." - Link.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
May 31, 2006 05:41 PM
DIY Projects, Electronics |
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DIY Solder fume extractor
Dr. Solomon's DIY solder fume extractor - "I finally got tired of breathing solder fumes and made an ultra-low tech solder fume extractor. "Professional" versions of this device can be had for ~$100-$200 (for example). I decided this was too much money, and built one for $3." - Link.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
May 31, 2006 04:51 PM
DIY Projects, Toolbox |
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Mod Your T-shirts!
Nobody just wears a t-shirt these days. You've got to "mod" them. To get you started on your first t-shirt for the summer, artist Karyl Newman took a regular looking large crew neck t-shirt and created this cute halter tee. The complete step-by-step is up on Instructables. Link.
Related:
New craft book alert! Tease: Inspired T-shirt Transformations
Posted by Natalie Zee Drieu |
May 31, 2006 04:30 PM
Crafts |
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Bricksmith - Virtual LEGOs
Virtual LEGO building for Macs - "Bricksmith allows you to create virtual instructions for your Lego creations on your Mac. The magic is based on the LDraw library, a collection of 3D models of Lego building blocks created by enthusiasts from around the world. With Bricksmith, you never have to worry about running out of parts!" [via] - Link.
Related:
LDraw - Link.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
May 31, 2006 03:57 PM
Computers, LEGO |
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Rubik's Cube Mario pop art wall hanging
Gfixler writes - "This is my second Rubik's Cube project. I'm in my Rubik's Period right now. With the magnetic Rubik's prototype working, I wanted to do this little craft project, most likely inspired by the works of Space Invader. I've often thought of ideas that would benefit from a nice box frame, so I gave that a try, and it turned out great :) More info throughout the set." - Link.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
May 31, 2006 02:03 PM
Arts, Crafts, DIY Projects, Retro |
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Liberlab - Open source lab
MAKE Flickr photo pool member Francois Schnell posted up a ton of example/screenshots from "Liberlab" an open source lab project - "The Open Source project Liberlab aims to help democratize educational scientific experimentation through the creation and use of a DIY digital lab at a very low price ($20). Liberlab can also be used to learn about robotics, automation, human-machine interface or interactive arts." Project page and Flickr photo set.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
May 31, 2006 01:26 PM
DIY Projects, Electronics |
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DIY Flash diffuser
Here's a template and instructions for building a reflector/diffuser for your camera's flash. The downloadable template fits Nikon's SB-600 but is easily adapted for other flashes - Thanks Matt! Link.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
May 31, 2006 11:58 AM
Crafts, DIY Projects, Imaging, Paper Crafts |
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HOW TO - Build a simple Luxeon LED bike headlight
Ian writes - "This is a simple bike light which can be contructed with a minimum of tools. It is bright enough to be useful as a headlight, is fairly robust, and cheap to construct. It's perfect for commuting and does a surprisingly good job for mountain biking too. The whole thing, including rechargeable batteries, weighs about 200g and will run for over two hours. " - Link.
Related:
Other bicycle light projects - Link.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
May 31, 2006 10:48 AM
DIY Projects, Electronics, Transportation |
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HOW TO - Repair modular power supplies
Prometheus writes - "...Instructions on how to break the seal on modular power supplies to fix the common problem of fatigue breaks in the cord, repair the internals, or salvage for other uses. This will violate warrantees so do this only for equipment not covered by one." - Link.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
May 31, 2006 09:09 AM
DIY Projects, Electronics, Instructables |
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Homebrew picture frame
3D King writes - "Saw the MAKE 6 article on using a Sandisk photo album board, had a suitable lcd in the junk box, Ebayd a few years ago, and found the photo album on offer at Best buy. Built a simple wooden box which fits the frame in picture 4. The Sandisk needs 5v, the LCD 12v, so behind the screen is a small board with 5 & 12 volt regs being fed by a 16 volt supply that once drove a paper shredder. " - Link.
Related:
- $130 Digital Picture Frame - Build one in 15 minutes. MAKE 06 - Page 148.
- Tons of photo frame projects - Link.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
May 31, 2006 08:06 AM
DIY Projects, Electronics, Imaging |
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Outside Air cooled PC
Bpowah set in an air cooled PC, using a fan from Home Depot - "Desperate to get rid of some PC noise and realizing I'm in a relatively cool climate (Utah mountains) I decided to duct that cool air into my PC. It worked. Even under heavy load the temps never exceeded 60 C." - Link.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
May 31, 2006 07:19 AM
Computers, DIY Projects |
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Homemade solar powered boombox
Here's a homemade boombox made from some old speakers, solar panels, balsa wood and a MP3 player - [via] - Link.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
May 31, 2006 06:51 AM
DIY Projects, Electronics, Music |
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HOW TO - Make a 3 axis CNC milling machine
FrankG writes - "This the first of a multi-part series that documents building a 3 Axis CNC milling machine." Tons of photos and re-use in use! - Link.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
May 31, 2006 05:44 AM
DIY Projects, Toolbox |
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Mint tin pinhole camera
Slowmotionlandscape made an Altoid tin pinhole camera, made in a hotel room, then used to take a stunning photo of Coney Island - I really like projects like this, even if you're stuck in a hotel with just a gift shop for parts, there's something to be made... Link.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
May 31, 2006 04:03 AM
DIY Projects, Imaging |
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Websites as graphs
Here's a fun way to visualize the HTML on your site, or any site, as a graph - [via] - MAKEZine.com/blog & make your own.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
May 31, 2006 02:13 AM
Online |
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