RSSArchives: March 2008
March 31, 2008
BoxMaker makes any size box template
Ryan O'Hara writes in about BoxMaker, a postcardware app for making boxes. From the site:
BoxMaker is a little Java application that can generate the outlines for a box to be out of some material with a cutting device (ideally using wood/acrylic on a lasercutter!). You tell it the dimensions of the box (width, height, depth, material width), and it generates a PostScript file with the outlines for the 6 sides of the box. The dimensions are the outside lengths of the box.
Postcardware means the app is free, but you send them a postcard from where you live. How's that for site metrics!
Posted by Becky Stern |
Mar 31, 2008 09:00 PM
Computers, DIY Projects |
Permalink
| Comments (3)
Carbon fiber draft tower
Raelx made this absolutely sick draft tower for his keggerator with carbon fiber. DIY alert, however, the guy works for Cannondale, so he's got primo access to supplies and tools. He includes some nice construction photos, too.
Related:
From the pages of MAKE:
Working with Carbon Fiber - Form, lay up, and cure your own high-performance composites
Posted by Becky Stern |
Mar 31, 2008 07:00 PM
DIY Projects, Furniture, Home Entertainment |
Permalink
| Comments (0)
Temperature-sensitive LED Glowies
Via Hack N Mod comes this cool LED project:
The Glowies use a small microcontroller, but they are really quite simple in both parts and function. The core of the unit is a silicon diode used as a temperature sensor (actually, two of them). These Glowies sense when temperature drops, and it turns blue. If the temperature rises, it turns red. Plus, it's completely solar powered, so you never have to change the battery. And I used very inexpensive parts, so you can't get much cheaper!
Color-Changing Hot & Cold LED Glowies
Posted by Gareth Branwyn |
Mar 31, 2008 05:00 PM
Crafts, Electronics |
Permalink
| Comments (0)
Synth schematic collection
Matrixsynth points out this nice little collection of relatively simple music synthesizer schematics - hmmm, the IR/CV Light Controller looks quite interesting.
Building circuits @ home is a great way to learn about electronics. One doesn't need to know how every component works at first - it's a lot of fun to learn by 'doing'.
Related:
Socratic electronics
In the Maker store:
MAKE:it - Electronic Makers Toolkit
Posted by Collin Cunningham |
Mar 31, 2008 04:30 PM
Electronics |
Permalink
| Comments (0)
Arduino pocket piano synth - coming soon!
Coming soon to the Maker store - The Pocket Piano Arduino Shield, from Critter and Guitari -
This is a board for making the Arduino into a portable stand alone music synthesizer. It plugs directly into the Arduino board and provides 25 multiplexed keys (2 full octaves), 4 pots, status LED, reset switch, digital to analog converter IC, and a RCA audio jack. The Arduino board with its powerful AVR processor is more than adequate for a wide range of sound synthesis techniques. We have experimented with simple additive / wave-table synthesis, frequency modulation, ring modulation, sampling, polyphony, various arpeggiators. The whole thing can be powered over the Arduino's USB port for convenient experimenting.So very awesome - start planning that cool enclosure design, we'll keep you posted as to availability.
Related:
Arduinosynth alpha
In the Maker store:
"Critter & Guitari" Cellular Automata Video Synthesizer Kit
Posted by Collin Cunningham |
Mar 31, 2008 03:20 PM
Kits, MAKE Store |
Permalink
| Comments (0)
Journal of Pyrotechnics
I just discovered the website for the Journal of Pyrotechnics:
Issues of the Journal of Pyrotechnics [ISSN 1082-3999] appear twice a year. Early issues contained 40 to 50 pages. More recent issues contain 70 to 80 pages printed in 8-1/2x11" format with medium-sized print. Areas of pyrotechnics addressed include fireworks, pyrotechnic special effects, propellants & rocketry, and civilian pyrotechnics. The Journal is "dedicated to the advancement of pyrotechnics through the sharing of information". This is accomplished with a mix of different types of articles; however, most fall into two areas. One area is reports on pyrotechnic and fireworks research conducted by both professional scientists and individual experimenters. The other area is reviews of various technical and craft areas of pyrotechnics, some at an advanced level and others at a tutorial level.
At $25-40 per issue, this is clearly an industry-priced publication. PDFs of articles can be bought at .50 per page.
Posted by Gareth Branwyn |
Mar 31, 2008 02:36 PM
Science |
Permalink
| Comments (0)
DIY night vision scope
From the MAKE Flickr photo pool
Member Jiskar built this sweet night vision scope -
Finished nightvision device. XX1080 image intensifier tube @ 10kV, powered by two 9V battery blocks, ccfl inverter and voltage multiplier. All mounted in plumbing pipe. Adapter for pentax lenses. IR flashlight mounted on top for small distance illumination.Head over to Flickr to see more photos - Night vision scope
Related:
$35 Night vision scope, from a CVS camcorder
Technical details on Spy Gear Night Vision Goggles
Posted by Collin Cunningham |
Mar 31, 2008 01:20 PM
Imaging |
Permalink
| Comments (2)
New @ MAKE -- Make Robotics Workshop: Humanoids
Nothing says "robot" like an android. So lets make one of our own! This course will take you through the steps of building your own android. You'll leave with a working, foot tall programmable android! You can use it for kung-fu matches, dancing, stair-climbing or many other events. Only 20 slots available (one or two people max per slot) Humanoid is designed to be remote controlled, but can be used autonomously by adding sensors.
Materials include all parts for one 13" tall humanoid, an infrared controller, programming software and a bearing head screw driver. Motherboard contains 8 I/O slots for upgrades like Sonar or Bluetooth.
Parts Cost - $399
Lab Fee - $200
You will need to bring a Windows laptop (or Mac/Linux box with a windows emulator). Your laptop must have a 9-pin serial port or a USB port and a USB-to-serial adapter. Attendees might want to bring a variable-speed power-drill or power screwdriver with a 3" long #0 Phillips head screw bit.
Features:
- April 12, 10-6pm
- April 13, 10-6pm
- Includes lunch both days (specify in order comments if vegetarian)
- Please include you Make Subscriber ID in the comments field at checkout.
- Bring a copy of your printed order confirmation with you as proof of registration.
- San Francisco State University, 19th and Holloway in San Francisco, CA.
- Further details will be emailed to registrants.
More details and sign up here.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Mar 31, 2008 12:20 PM
Events, Robotics |
Permalink
| Comments (2)
April Fools contest
As you know, tomorrow is April 1st. So be prepared to prank and be pranked. Instructables is running a contest (through the 13th) to find the best in April Fools shenanigans. Check out the entries so far -- you might find something worth torturing friends and coworkers with tomorrow.
Posted by Gareth Branwyn |
Mar 31, 2008 12:00 PM
Announcements, Holiday projects, Instructables |
Permalink
| Comments (0)
Ant Farm retrospective
We make money not art has a piece about a retrospective on Ant Farm, the American media art collective from the 1970s. Ant Farm is most famous for their Cadillac Ranch installation in Amarillo, Texas.
I had the pleasure of meeting and becoming friends with Ant Farm co-founder Doug Michels in the early '90s. He was as delightfully crazy as ever, drawing up designs for spheres of water floating through space filled with dolphins, a Japanese sex theme park, a giant couch, called the National Sofa, in the park across from the White House, where people could come and interact with the First Family via the National TV set. This was definitely not a guy who liked to paint inside the lines. Sadly, Doug died in a freak climbing accident in 2003.
The Ant Farm retrospective is at The Centro Andaluz de Arte Contemporaneo in Sevilla, Spain.
Ant Farm retrospective in Sevilla
Posted by Gareth Branwyn |
Mar 31, 2008 11:00 AM
Arts, Culture jamming, Makers |
Permalink
| Comments (0)
Al Jaffee's fold-ins for Mad Magazine
Al Jaffee's fold-ins for Mad magazine, from the 1960s to the present via Boing Boing.
Related:
MAKE visits MAD Magazine.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Mar 31, 2008 10:00 AM
Arts |
Permalink
| Comments (0)
Wiimote to Arduino Hack adds thumb navigation to Processing
This is a pretty cool Arduino to WiiMote NunChuck hack from Jeremy Keith to control 3D visuals in Processing on an iMac. Simple but effective.
Posted by Jonah Brucker-Cohen |
Mar 31, 2008 09:00 AM
Arduino, Gaming |
Permalink
| Comments (2)
Made in Japan - Volume 8
This week:
MIDIfied finger piano hack, Interaction 2008, an impalement simulation belt, a safety-first robot paper shredder, the Sociable Trash Box, a long-distance drinking device, the Limonect ambient footstep network, Kazuya Kanemaru, a rotary remote control, a robot controlled by a TV remote, a young girl rocking out to Max/MSP/Jitter, edible rice tableware, and a very stylish paper clip holder.
Posted by Mike Dixon |
Mar 31, 2008 08:30 AM
Made in Japan |
Permalink
| Comments (1)
Top articles in MAKE 1 - 12 - What you're reading in MAKE!
Here are the most read articles in MAKE 1 - 12!
If you're a MAKE subscriber, you get the digital edition for free - MAKE Digital Edition is a vivid replica of the print edition of MAKE, it offers an experience very much like the print magazine plus many additional benefits, such as online searching, embedded multimedia and printing. Please note that MAKE Digital Edition can be viewed from any web browser (i.e. Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari etc.) and requires NO DOWNLOADING of software NO weird DRM'ed PDFs - you get instant access to your entire MAKE collection!
Because MAKE has a digital edition, we can actually see what people like and are reading the most -- I'm pretty sure we're the only, if not one of the few magazines that actually do this - so we're sharing the results with you!
Click any of the links after the jump and start reading MAKE now. Or subscribe and get started a little later! Use the code CMAKE to get $5 off (USA only).
MAKE 12 - Beetlebot. By Jerome Demers. Ultra-Simple Bugbot navigates obstacles with feelers and switches. page 140 - Read it in MAKE Digital Edition. MAKE Volume 12: Upload - Make, Vol 12 features our special section on digital arts and crafts called "Upload," where you'll learn how to take infrared photographs, shoot movies with custom backgrounds, and make fun-to-watch slideshows of your digital family photos. You'll also learn how to make an extremely loud air whistle, a solar-powered xylophone, and a TV remote control that's powered by your muscles. As usual, you'll find plenty of other exciting how-to projects inside. MAKE Volume 12 & Get it at the Maker Store.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Mar 31, 2008 08:00 AM
Announcements |
Permalink
| Comments (0)
Garbage Reader makes your trash a bit less hazardous
The Garbage Reader 1.0 (aka G.R 1.0 or Grone), is the first of a series of robots by Ireland-based, French artist Ben Gaulon that analyzes the contents of garbage bins. The bot senses its immediate environment for toxicity, temperature, and humidity levels and remotely reports the data over a network while it's head-mounted camera streams back live images. I guess its true what they say about making sure you have a paper shredder for those important documents you don't want others reading after you trash them.
Posted by Jonah Brucker-Cohen |
Mar 31, 2008 08:00 AM
Green, Robotics |
Permalink
| Comments (0)
Five hundred and seven mechanical movements
Dugg writes in -
One reader of The Automata / Automaton Blog wrote to me with an interesting question. "I'm looking for a simple mechanism to convert rotational motion to reciprocal motion along the SAME axis as the rotation, not perpendicular."I decided to investigate potential solutions in one of my favorite books on mechanisms, Five Hundred and Seven Mechanical Movements: Embracing All Those Which Are Most Important in Dynamics, Hydraulics, Hydrostatics, Pneumatics, Steam Engines... (Astragal Press, 1995).
Answers and more here. Looks like a great book!
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Mar 31, 2008 07:00 AM
Retro, Reviews, Science |
Permalink
| Comments (4)
HOW TO - Make a Ping pong pistol
Here's how to make a fun ping pong pistol... from Dangerously fun.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Mar 31, 2008 07:00 AM
DIY Projects |
Permalink
| Comments (2)
Use a CB radio to order a Whopper
This hack shows how to modify an old CB radio to broadcast on the channels that fast food restaurants usually reserve for their drive-thru windows. Although we here at MAKE don't condone this particular use, it's still a valid way of modifying existing systems to create new opportunities for interaction on open frequencies.
Posted by Jonah Brucker-Cohen |
Mar 31, 2008 07:00 AM
Wireless |
Permalink
| Comments (14)
Preamp-in-a-cable
This one could be great for bass players and other DI-ers
A Preamp Cable is a phantom powered discrete FET (Field Effect Transistor) preamp built into the plug of a guitar cable. It provides almost all the advantages of an on-board preamp with none of the disadvantages.A newfound need for phantom power could be disadvantage if you're mixer is not properly equipped. The author discusses a phantom power pass-thru box for such situations, but that sort of defeats the project's convenience. Check the site for variations and project description - FET Preamp CableTo the best of my knowledge I invented the Preamp Cable in 1992 and improved it in 1996, though it wouldn't surpise me if someone has done this before. I've built up a number of prototypes with subtle variations and have been using them ever since.
Hmm, anyone seen a phantom fuzz cable yet?
Related:
Preamp kits
Posted by Collin Cunningham |
Mar 31, 2008 06:20 AM
Electronics, Music |
Permalink
| Comments (0)
Flower signs
Spring is here again... Mark Jenkins, Flower signs via Wooster Collective.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Mar 31, 2008 06:00 AM
Arts, Culture jamming |
Permalink
| Comments (1)
Features and more @ MAKE!
Add MAKE to iGoogle - GoogleGoogle.Add MAKE to your RSS reader - Real simple.
Why advertise on MAKE?
Read what folks are saying about us!
Click here to advertise on MAKE!
Phillip Torrone
Senior Editor
Tel: 707-827-7311
Gareth Branwyn
Robot Maker
Kip Kay
Video Maker
Jonah Brucker-Cohen
Researcher
Natalie Zee Drieu
Senior Editor
CRAFT
Becky Stern
Culture jammer
Collin Cunningham
Sound Maker
Marc de Vinck
CNC Maker
Current Podcast
The Best of Maker Faire 2008
Check out all the fun and excitement at this year's Maker Faire in San Mateo, California. People from all over the world came to experience this amazing event. Take a look at some of the highlights and make plans...
More...
