Ed Paradis has put some thought into a couple of hacks for the Hot Wheels toy radar gun. You can use the radar to detect the speed of moving objects, but Ed also posted some semi-successful (and some not-so, but worth reading) experiments with using the device in a custom circuit to detect the distance of objects for robotic projects. It's also worth noting that the LCD can be repurposed as a display output for your other electronic gizmos. For 30 bucks, it's a pretty good collection of useful robot parts.
Void your warranty, violate a user agreement, fry a circuit, blow a fuse, poke an eye out. Make: The risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things... Welcome to Make: Online!
More contributors: Mark Frauenfelder (Editor-in-Chief, MAKE magazine), Kipp Bradford (Technical Consultant/Writer), Chris Connors (Education), Diana Eng (Guest Author), Peter Horvath (Intern), Brian Jepson (O'Reilly Media), Robert Bruce Thompson (Science Room)
Behind the Scenes at MAKE and CRAFT
In January, many of the remote MAKE/CRAFT team members (myself included) convened at the Maker Media headquarters at O'Reilly Media in Sebastopol, California. Take a look behind the scenes of your favorite DIY publications as Goli Mohammadi gives us...
More...
Sign up for the Make: Newsletter
Our Make: Newsletter covers news from maker Media, has original columns, Shed deals, and more! You can also read the archives of past issues.
I've found these on clearance at Target for about $15, so keep an eye out for discounts.
Reply to this comment
Why am I not surprised mattel is selling a handheld microwave (3cm wavelength) transmitter to children.
Reply to this comment