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Archives: August 2007

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August 30, 2007

HOW TO - Make your own solarbag

A two-part piece on Talk2MyShirt, a wearable electronics blog, shows you how to roll your own solar-powered device-charging bag.

Make your own Solar Bag and the sun power will be with you - Link

Related:

More solar bags... - Link
Making messenger bags - The "beta" - Link

Flat-screen pinball

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Here's an interesting looking pinball machine made from a huge flat screen... Here's the artist's description...

The "cyberspace" level represents the alleged dangers the Internet poses fo children, as envisioned by parents and scaremongering media. Here kids can lose control (as the player can, by getting the ball into a pachinko-like structure) while trying to reach the browser bar at the top of the playfield. Killer psychopaths or dungeon fodder, gambling.

¡Presa de la red! ("Prey of the Net!") - [via] Link.

From the pages of MAKE:
Make V08 High
MAKE 08 - A secret history of Myst, resurrecting a neglected pinball machine, making an asteroid mining colony on your kitchen table, creating robotic desk toys, building a rubber band ornithopter, making a toy gun controlled alarm clock, and a special primer on mold making by Mythbuster's Adam Savage - Link.

iPhone accelerometer hacks

On the Medallia blog, Erling Ellingsen has been monkeying around with the accelerometer on the iPhone, some applications of which he demos in the above video. He writes:

As it turns out, the iPhone has a built-in LIS302DL, a tiny 3-axis accelerometer. While some have attempted to use it from within the Safari browser (the Tilt game detects changes to the width of the browser page; it is basically used as a 1-bit input device), its potential is still somewhat untapped. After a rather lengthy bout of reverse-engineering (I had barely touched ARM assembly before this), I finally figured out how to access the raw data from the accelerometer itself, as can be seen in the video above. Source code is posted here. (update: yes, it is possible to access the accelerometer directly through UIKit without this hack -- however, you'll be locked to the default sample rate, which is too slow for some of the fun stuff)

Fun with the iPhone accelerometer - [via] Link

The Breadboard Band

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The Breadboard band do not play instruments, they play breadboards (check out the images and videos)... Link.

The Buckminster Fuller challenge

Make 1068
Help the world, win $100k with The Buckminster Fuller challenge -

Buckminster Fuller's prolific life of exploration, discovery, invention and teaching was driven by his intention "to make the world work for 100% of humanity, in the shortest possible time, through spontaneous cooperation without ecological offense or disadvantage of anyone".

Fuller coupled this intention with a pioneering approach aimed at solving complex problems. This approach, which he called comprehensive anticipatory design science, combined an emphasis on individual initiative and integrity with whole systems thinking, scientific rigor and faithful reliance on nature's underlying principles.

After decades of tracking world resources, innovations in science and technology, and human needs, Fuller asserted that options exist to successfully surmount the crises of unprecedented scope and complexity facing humanity - he issued an urgent call for a design science revolution to make the world work for all.

The Buckminster Fuller Challenge seeks submissions of design science solutions within a broad range of human endeavor that exemplify the trimtab principle. Trimtabs demonstrate how small amounts of energy and resources precisely applied at the right time and place can produce maximum advantageous change.

The Buckminster Fuller Challenge - [via] Link.

HOW TO - Returning CD-ROM wheel

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Advoo writes -

This science project will show you how to make a returning CD-ROM wheel. This experiment is usually done with a tin can, but here you can see what is happening inside.

HOW TO - Returning CD-ROM wheel - Link.

Back to school giveaway - POCKET REF!!

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It's time for another back to school giveaway - POCKET REF!! "If there was just one tool that no (back to school) Maker should be without, what would it be?" This may just be the tool we'd pick. This great little book is a concise all-purpose reference featuring hundreds of tables, maps, formulas, constants & conversions and it still fits in your shirt pocket! Packed with mathematical formula, tables, standard conversion ratio, scientific fact, technical specification, electric wire size vs. load, resistor color codes, Morse code, sun & planet data, earthquake scales, nail sizes, geometry formulas, currency exchange rates, carpentry, automotive, physical science, water friction losses, charts for battery charging, lumber sizes & grades, floor joint span limits, insulation R values, periodic table, and as they say, much, much more! It's no wonder The Pocket Ref was featured in MythBusters...

To win one TODAY 8/30/07 - post a sentence or so in the comments, tell us something you've *made* or the first thing you remember making, post up by the end of the day (11:59pm PDT) and I'll pick one, make it good, be honest! If you missed out today, we'll do this again soon - or just get a Pocket Ref in the Maker store...Link.

HOW TO - Control an iPod with the Arduino

Here's a great HOW TO on controlling an iPod with the Arduino, Jonas writes -

This tutorial will describe a way of controlling an iPod remote, and thus, an easy way of getting some music and sound out of your Arduino project. The remote we used was an unofficial remote I found on the worldwide auction site for around 10 USD, an opto-isolator can be found in your local electronics store.

We used a TIL116 opto-isolator between the Arduino and the remote to safely send signals in between the two. The remote works by you pushing a button which closes a circuit and that is interpreted in a certain way by the iPod. What you need to do is to send a pulse to the opto-isolator that makes it close the button-circuit, and then open it again. Depending on what you want the iPod to do, you need to send a longer or shorter pulse, i.e.. a long pulse sent to the play/pause button will shut the iPod off, a short pulse will play/pause the track.

Control an iPod with the Arduino - Link.

iRobot Create: WiFi optimizer

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Here's how to turn an iRobot Create learning bot into a personal WiFi scanner and optimizer!- Link.

Robotic bugs

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Little bugs... for bugging people -

A life-size, robotic fly has taken flight at Harvard University. Weighing only 60 milligrams, with a wingspan of three centimeters, the tiny robot's movements are modeled on those of a real fly. While much work remains to be done on the mechanical insect, the researchers say that such small flying machines could one day be used as spies, or for detecting harmful chemicals.

"Nature makes the world's best fliers," says Robert Wood, leader of Harvard's robotic-fly project and a professor at the university's school of engineering and applied sciences.

Technology Review: Robotic Insect Takes Off - [via] Link.

Wholly Irresponsible Experiments

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David sent around this book Wholly Irresponsible Experiments to our team, I haven't heard of this book (has anyone else?) - Here's a review of it by Ian @ the Fortean Times -

Science can be looked at in two ways, I suppose: as a selfless quest for knowledge in the service of human progress; or as a really good excuse to blow shit up. This book sits firmly in the second camp, and as I make a living organising this kind of stuff for public audiences at one of the UK's hands-on science centres, it was inevitable that Wholly Irresponsible Experiments would land in my in-tray.

So, is it any good, then? Well, yes, but not actually wholly irresponsible. It comes with instructions that tell you to put the match out after lighting a candle and does not employ anything more esoteric than household ingredients. It does not feature anything with a blast radius, or the potential to be structurally damaging or a gross violation of health and safety law.

Wholly Irresponsible Experiments | Books | Reviews | Fortean Times UK - Link.

CopterBox - Spin cargo

Make 1067

The latest Gadget Freak has an article about the CopterBox, a disposable air cargo system made from carboard that acts like a little helicopter on decent. It's not really a how-to, but there seems to be enough information to duplicate it to make your own... - Link.

Talking CD cases

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These talking CD cases from Pre.vu might be fun to hack up / bend... - [via] Link.

dorkbot-nyc - September 5th, 2007

Here are the details for the next dorkbot in NYC, Doug writes -

The 1493.456 × 10^23rd dorkbot-nyc meeting will take place on Wednesday, September 5th, 2007, at 7pm at Location One in SoHo. Info, directions, etc at: http://dorkbot.org It's a special pre-Conflux Festival preview! Members of the Conflux 2007 curatorial team will introduce this year's Conflux, highlighting several key projects and covering the schedule of events.

Featuring the sun-kissed and downy:

Christian Croft & Kate Hartman: Energy Harvesting Dérive

The Energy Harvesting Dérive combines new modes of pedestrian movement with alternative energy research goals. The project hacks the recently popular Heelys roller sneaker to transform it into a platform for generating electricity from human motion. Electricity harvested from rolling powers electronics on the shoes that deliver random directions for pedestrians to follow.
http://xncroft.com/projects/energyshoes.html

Mouna Andraos: Sustainable practices in electronic art and design

A few case studies and lots of questions. I will present a series of electronic objects/projects i have recently been working on, from electronic crafts to alternative power sources.
http://www.missmoun.com
http://www.electroniccrafts.org

Michael J. Dory: Concrete Crickets

Graffiti is one of the most powerful and most personal displays in the urban experience, and can be used to make statements, tag territory, spread messages -- urban markup language in practice. However, the output is nearly always visual in nature, making this experience one-dimensional. Furthermore, rarely does the work have a brain of its own, and is usually incapable of reacting to anybody observing it. Concrete Crickets was created to address this deficit, creating small devices that will be aware of passers-by as well as other units of their kind. Each unit consists of a sound generator, amp, speaker and sensory system, and is housed in camouflage appropriate to the streets of the city -- soda cans, cigarette packs, and the like.
http://www.confluxfestival.org/conflux2007/concrete-crickets-2

dorkbot-nyc - Link.

Easy to build CNC mill stepper motor and driver circuits

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Tom writes -

This is a follow up to the Easy to Build Desk Top 3 Axis CNC Milling Machine. Once you get the machine all put together its time to make it go. I'll presume you already have some stepper motors mounted and ready to go. If not I can refer you to some resources as to where to get them. So it's time to drive the motors. And here I've put together a circuit that I think is the absolute cheapest and easiest way to control stepper motors with step and direction signals. It works with many of the free or low cost softwares that produce step and direction signals through the parallel printer port. I'll explain how it works but for those of you who just want to get on with it...

Easy to build CNC mill stepper motor and driver circuits - Link.

Related:
Easy to Build Desk Top 3 Axis CNC Milling Machine - Link.

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Computer controlled CNC machine @ SEARS - Link.

I Mill4
3D LEGO CNC router / milling machine - Link.

~Rheslip Pictures Xaxis
HOW TO - Make a CNC machine - Link.

Homebrew CNC surface mount PickNPlace machine - Link.

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HOW TO - Make a three axis CNC machine - Link.

CrowdSpirit "electronic product crowd sourcing"

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France based CrowdSpirit is in beta mode, you can put your ideas for electronics/gadget and they can be voted on or developed. If it gets developed you can also get a share of the revenue. Interesting idea, not sure how/if it will work out - I wonder what the first product will be from this org... anyway check it out, post thoughts in the comments... - [via] Link.

August 29, 2007

iPhone accelerometer hacks

Erling Ellingsen figured out how to retrieve high sample rate measurements from the iPhone's built-in accelerometer:

As it turns out, the iPhone has a built-in LIS302DL, a tiny 3-axis accelerometer. While some have attempted to use it from within the Safari browser (the Tilt game detects changes to the width of the browser page; it is basically used as a 1-bit input device), its potential is still somewhat untapped.

He's posted the necessary source, so now you can get to work on your own motion-input applications.

iPhone accelerometer source code - Link

Moleskine innie tabs

I'm a big fan of Moleskine journals, both the full-size and the small cahiers. I usually end up writing in them in both directions, with one collection of content, say daily thoughts, ideas, artwork, and work-related miscellany, going from front to back and another type, say brainstorming for a book, going from back to to front. And then I usually have a couple of other though clusters tossed somewhere in the middle. I've tried conventional tabs, but I hate the little flappy things. So I might try this idea I bumped into on a new site for "tiny inventions," called Inventoids. Cut "innie" tabs. I think I'll try it. You can always use color marker bands on the edges, but I think this looks cooler. It's an interesting option, anyway. YMMV.

Moleskine indexing hack tool - Link

From the pages of CRAFT:

Journal-Art Memoirs. Make a scrapbook the Moleskine way. Read this article in our print magazine, CRAFT 02: Creative Clones, Page 127. To get CRAFT, subscribe today. Subscribers--read this article now in your digital edition!

Railroad spike rope dart

While we're on the subject of dastardly dangerous DIY, here's a piece on how to turn a railroad spike into a rope dart, an ancient Chinese martial arts weapon. This video shows how a rope dart is used by a trained Kung Fu artist. Flailed around by someone who doesn't know what s/he is doing is obviously a recipe for a knock-out, or worse, so proceed with all sensible caution.

How to Make a Rope Dart from a Rail Road Spike - Link

Inside the PayPass: Credit card case mods

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Evil Mad Scientist Laboratories crack open a RFID PayPass and put it in a Hello Kitty dispenser (of course)... -

The PayPass is an RFID version of the MasterCard credit card. It is often available as a keychain "fob," like the one shown above. This particular one is from Citibank and is-- as far as I can tell-- a free optional addition to any Citibank Mastercard account. These have been in the wild for about a year now, and seem pretty handy. The obvious downside is that the RFID readers are far from ubiquitous. Still, things are improving and there are now quite literally dozens of places where you can use them.

From a hardware perspective it's easy to see that this fob consists of the RFID element itself encased in a big block of plastic. And of course, plastic can be removed.

Credit card case mods - Link.

If I were Citi bank I would do a Credit card case mod contest... I'll email them now and see what they say :)

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