Make: Online: hacks Archives

hacks Archive: hacks

July 29, 2010

Clever overhead garage storage hack

Great storage idea from user tluwelyn of survivalist community Alpha Disaster Contingencies. Dimensional lumber is bolted together to make Ts and Ls that, in turn, are bolted to the ceiling joists. Heavy-duty storage totes are then slid in and suspended by their molded-in rims. Looks like there's still plenty of room to park cars underneath.

How-To: Duplicate vinyl records by casting

Mike Senese, cohost of the Science Channel's Punkin' Chunkin' and Catch It Keep It, rescued this tutorial about how to "pirate" a vinyl record from Internet oblivion and posted it on his personal site for posterity. [Thanks, Sam!]

July 27, 2010

$2 bluetooth serial with Propeller USB Host

When we last covered Micah Dowty's efforts in creating a software USB host for the Propeller, he had just gotten it working well enough to talk to a $2 Bluetooth dongle. Flash forward a few months, and he now has a running Propeller Bluetooth Stack, all implemented on top of the software USB port. In the above video, he demonstrates how to turn a propeller into a wireless serial port using the Bluetooth Serial Port. Of course, you could just buy a $30 adapter that does everything for you, but that's more expensive and not nearly as fun!

July 26, 2010

Cydia running on jailbroken iPhone 4

In this interview Jay Freeman (a.k.a Saurik) demos Cydia running on a jailbroken iPhone 4. [via TUAW]

July 25, 2010

Funky-fresh 3D printing on an old HP 540

OK, so it looks fussy and maddeningly slow, but hey, proof o' concept (circa 2008). It works! [Via Boing Boing]

3D Printing Demo

July 18, 2010

How-To: Make a peristaltic pump from an appliance timer

This clever hack from Nederlander Ruud Setteur is written in Dutch, but the pictures tell the story pretty well.

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Make a peristaltic pump

July 14, 2010

How-To: Personal Applause Sign

Randy Sarafan writes:

For the longest time, people have been neglecting to applaud my myriad accomplishments. I could not abide by this and henceforth set out to resolve this issue. The solution wasn't immediately obvious, but after mulling it over for a while, it suddenly hit me. People have been culturally conditioned to clap for light-up signs that read "APPLAUSE."

From that moment on, it became clear to me that I had to make my own light up "APPLAUSE" sign that I could wirelessly trigger whenever the moment necessitated a round of admiration. And let me tell you, it works like a charm. You can get people to applaud you for almost anything.

He uses a hacked wireless doorbell to trigger the sign.

July 13, 2010

Android 2.2 running on T-Mobile G1

If you've got a T-Mobile G1 or myTouch (HTC Dream, Magic, or Google ADP1) and are comfortable flashing an alternative ROM, then you'll be happy to know that the latest CyanogenMod (CM6 RC1) delivers some tasty Froyo. There are some reports of minor hiccups here and there, but the newer features and minor speed boost should make up for most glitches. As always, it's your call and your mileage may vary. [via androidandme]

July 8, 2010

How-To: Retrofit a Magic 8-Ball with an OLED display

Awesome new entry in the Gadget Freak Design Contest from Mariano Alvira:

The steps outlined here will show you how to modify a standard Magic 8 Ball to replace the normal message icosahedron with a OLED screen, and how to add wireless microcontroller, and accelerometer. The screen is submersed in the normal Magic 8 Ball goo so that all the original aesthetics are preserved. The messages can be reprogrammed wirelessly without having to open the 8 Ball. The accelerometer detects when the 8 Ball is in use (e.g. tipped from resting to looking through the Magic Hole) and signals the microcontroller to turn on screen and fade in the messages.

The contest is definitely heating up, but there's still plenty of room for competition. The deadline is coming up on July 13, so get cracking!

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July 6, 2010

DIY iPhone 4 bumper case

I, too, was impressed when Apple unveiled its integrated antenna case design at the iPhone 4 announcement event back in June. Little did I know the actual reception of the iPhone 4 would be worse than my original first generation (OG) iPhone. The issue has even prompted Apple to seek out actual antenna engineers (seriously). Until there's an official fix to this problem, folks experiencing the "death grip" can try Oliver Nelson's 99 cent "Ghetto iPhone 4 case". Just a few cuts here and there on your fashion forward rubber bracelet and you'll be sending and receiving calls on par with an outdated feature phone in no time. [via cnet]

July 2, 2010

Mobile optometry solution for developing countries

MIT's Camera Culture team has created a very unique and cost effective mobile optometry solution for developing countries using an Android phone and a small plastic device clipped on to the front of the mobile. The patient looks through the eyepiece on the device and tries to match up lines on a grid. When the patient finishes the test, software on the phone calculates a prescription. [via Engadget]

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July 1, 2010

Homemade blow-molding gun

Blow-molding (Wikipedia) is an thermoplastic forming process in which a hot polymer pre-form is injected with gas to press it against the inside of a hollow mold. It's how most plastic bottles are made. Designer George Fereday got annoyed that the primarily-industrial process was so inaccessible and decided to build his own DIY version, which extrudes pre-melted polymorph plastic through a custom die attached to a normal caulking gun to create the hollow pre-form. There's more detail over at Core77.

June 28, 2010

Android 2.2 "FroYo" running on a Nokia N900

If you like Nokia hardware, but haven't quite grown accustomed to the MeeGo OS, then you'll really dig this port of Android 2.2 "FroYo" to the Nokia N900. [via Technience]

HTC EVO hackers drop the 30FPS limit

The fine folks over at XDA have patched the latest EVO rev to circumvent the imposed 30FPS limit that has been bothering EVO owners for some time. [via phandroid]

June 27, 2010

Soda can solar heater

Dan's soda can solar heater provides up to 120 degrees of temperature differential.

Ever since I built my first soda can solar heater three years ago, I've received plenty of input on how to improve the design for better heat output. For that reason, I never hooked up the first one - in fact, I gave it away to a friend - and set about building a bigger, better version, suffering through three cold winters in the garage. I started out by looking for a sliding glass door, which I found locally for free, then took all my measurements from that. Minus space for the insulation, the sliding glass door allowed for 180 cans (versus 50 for the first version), which took a while to accumulate, given that I've sworn off soda the last few years.

While Dan doesn't provide many directions for his project, the blog entry for his first heater provides much more information.

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June 25, 2010

Add an accelerometer to an RC transmitter

If you are into Radio Control Models or robotics chances are that you have an old RC transmitter laying around. This article describes how to create a motion control module for your RC transmitter, that will allow you to control your model or robot by simply tilting the transmitter case.

The tutorial includes schematics, instructions, and lots of photos.

June 24, 2010

Homemade bath faucet / showerhead

Spotted in the MAKE Flickr pool, from user safoocat.

Ever get tired of those fake chrome faucet fixtures that end up leaking and you can't fix them? Then make your own from pvc parts. The hose going off the top is the shower.

There's no doubt I have eccentric tastes, but I love the way this looks. Would be even cooler if she had, like, a stainless steel feed trough or something for the tub.

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Handmade lens cap

June 23, 2010

Brainstorming oil leak containment

Over at Core77, designers are brainstorming containment ideas for the BP oil leak:

Are you tired of watching the BP Oil Spill continue to flow unabated, and all anyone seems to be talking about is who is going to pay for the damage that is ongoing with no end in sight?

The relief wells that BP has finally begun drilling to shut off the leak will not be ready until the end of the summer, while the BP Oil leak is producing an Exxon Valdez sized spill every eight days. That’s about 12 more Valdez’s on the way at least!

Where has all of the ingenuity gone? Can industrial Design save the day? Ready, Set...Brainstorm!...

One discussion member pointed to the site for submitting your idea directly to Deepwater Horizon Response, who has "established a process for collecting and reviewing oil spill response solutions from scientists and vendors." And makers, I presume...

How-To: Radioshack light-up switch hack

When shopping for switches, it's really satisfying to dig through a drawer full of awesome options for your project, but it's easy to get stuck with something that's not quite right if you don't read the package carefully. I identify with Randy Sarafan's illuminated switch problem:

I was about to wire it all up into my newest guitar pedal when I realized that this switch actually required 120 VAC to illuminate! What's up with that? This bugged me a great deal as I would be working with low-voltage DC, not high-voltage AC. This was not going to do.

I immediately resolved to replace the little bulb inside with an LED. This required a near total dissection of switch, but after a little figuring out, I am happy to report that the mission has been accomplished. Follows is a method for converting an illuminated Radioshack switch from 120VAC to 3-12 VDC.

June 22, 2010

Giant LED matrix

Richard Kline wrote in with his detailed and well-written tutorial on how to create your own ginormous 5x7 display.

I built this large display, which is designed to mimic a common 5x7 LED readout, out of pink foam insulation and sundry other bits from Home Depot. The LED's are diffused 5mm RGB's wired together with a cut-up IDE cable...both are cheaply available in bulk from Ebay.