Make: Online: Kits Archives

Kits Archive: Kits

November 20, 2009

Arcade button MIDI controller kit

DJTechTools' upcoming solder-free MIDI controller kit provides users with 16 arcade button triggers + LEDs and will apparently be released as an open source product at launch -

• Release Date: November 30th • Price: Aprox $125 for the Kit + Arcade Buttons ($2.50 each) optional wood case- $40 • Plug and Play-compatible device, compliant MIDI controller • USB powered • Must be assembled (no expertise required) • 16 programmable buttons • 16 programmable LEDs • Expandable to 20 programmable buttons and 4 analog controls • Limited-edition 200-piece run in this configuration (black PCB with blue LEDs)

Should the $165 asking price seem a bit much, do consider the full DIY options. [via Synthtopia]

Related:

Midibox rox your sox

November 19, 2009

MIDI kit test-drive

MAKE contributor Michael Una posted a review of Highly Liquid's MD24 kit which converts MIDI events over to an array of 24 +5V outputs -

The new MD24 falls into the latter category. It takes a MIDI input and gives you 24 discrete +5V outputs that can be used to drive relays, transistors, or servo motors. Functionally, the MD24 is similar to HighlyLiquid's MSA-T or MSA-R kits, except that you now have 24 outputs instead of just 8- a significant improvement.

More over at Create Digital Music.

From the pages of MAKE:

Make - Volume 15 - Drumbot Activate!

New in the Maker Shed: 6-in-1 Educational Solar Robotic kit

The 6-in-1 Educational Solar Robotic Kit is an excellent beginner building kit designed to teach how solar power is used to drive a small motor. Kids use the 21 snap-together parts (no tools required) to build 6 different working models including an airboat, car, windmill, puppy, and 2 different airplanes.

November 18, 2009

New in the Maker Shed: Robotic arm kit

With this award-winning Robotic arm kit, you can control the gripper, wrist, elbow, base rotation and motion, all from the tethered remote. The robotic arm has a vertical reach of 15", horizontal reach of 12.6", and lifting capacity of 100g. Features include a searchlight on the gripper and an audible indicator on all 5 gearboxes to prevent any potential injury or gear breakage during operation. Who is going to be the first to hack this with an Arduino?

November 17, 2009

Arduino-compatible prototyping board

From the MAKE Flickr pool

Spikenzie Labs shares some glamour shots of the new Hardcopy Arduino prototyping board -

Designed to make a permanent version (or Hardcopy if you will) of your project once you have perfected it on a breadboard but without the expense of embedding your original Arduino into your project. The hardcopy also makes your project more reliable and robust. With the prototyping area integrated into the board with the microprocessor, your project will have fewer boards and fewer wires, and because of that, fewer mistakes and fewer shorts.

An interesting option for those who'd rather keep their Duemilanove for developing future projects.

November 16, 2009

Make: Holiday Gift Guide 2009: Toys for grown-ups

I'm old (never you mind the hard number). But I'm still a kid at heart and I love toys. And I'm not talking about motorcycles and cars and speed boats, aka "grown-up toys," I'm talking model rockets, radio-controlled anything, little toy soldiers, and board games. TOYS! The cool thing about being an adult, and being into the toys of youth, is that you've got a lot more money in your piggy bank! In this, our first Make: Gift Guide 2009, we'll look at a few top of the line traditional toys, with an emphasis on toys you build, mod, and hack. Please share with us in the comments what sorts of cool toys you'd like to see under the Christmas tree or Hanukkah bush this year.

Initiator Rocketry Starter Kit (Aerotech, MSRP: $299/$172 at Tower Hobbies)
Most every grown up geek remembers being a young geekling and building and flying Estes Rockets. If you haven't been paying attention, you may not know that hobby rockets have been growing, in power and size, ever since. And growing, and growing, and growing. Motors are designated in nearly every letter of the alphabet now (and each lettered motor is twice as powerful as the previous-lettered motor) and some rockets require teams to build them (and heft them to the launch tower -- and it's a tower, not a rod). AeroTech is one of the leading manufacturers of hobby rocket motors. Their Initiator Rocketry Starter Kit will launch you into this very grown-up hobby (where your credit card bills may get equally astronomical). The kit includes a launch system and a 3' 9" rocket that can handle motors E thru G. This starter kit usually costs $230 (w/ one motor), but Tower Hobbies has it for $172 (w/ no motors). Motors will cost you about under $20 each.

Novus CP Nano Sized 2.4GHz RTF Helicopter (Heli-Max, $220)
R/C cars, planes, and helicopters keep getting more sophisticated and more "real" by the year. Just as hobby rockets keep getting bigger, more powerful, and are closing in on the smaller, cheaper, faster bottom-end of commercial and governmental rocketry, hobby R/C is starting to look not that different from man-portable recon systems used in the military. In fact, that line has already been largely erased. New technologies and economies of scale are also allowing extremely sophisticated R/C vehicles to be offered at really affordable prices, such as with the Novus line of "nano-sized" helicopters.This Novus CP model shown here is actually the top of that line and capable of some pretty amazing aerobatics. Several cheaper models are also available, for as low as $125.

FPV Flying Systems
Long Range Ready to Fly FPV System (ReadyMadeRC, $4,500)
One of the more amazing things to come out of the R/C flying (and driving) world is FPV (First Person View) systems which use tiny cameras in the cockpits of model planes and wireless transmitters and receivers to send point-of-view video to a video monitor, or even a virtual reality-type head-mounted display, on the ground. This allows you to fly the plane like you're in the cockpit. Some FPV hobbyists have gone so far as to put instrument panels in the cockpits, displaying real-time flight information, so that you feel as if you're really flying the plane. With the VR rigs, when you move your head, the camera's POV moves with you. As you can imagine, this is not a cheap hobby to get into. You're adding wireless color video and virtual reality equipment on top of radio-controlled flying gear. The above $4,500 system, from ReadyMadeRC, includes the plane, the R/C gear, the FPV set-up, and everything else -- it comes ready to fly. FPVPilot is a great place to start exploring the FPV hobby.

Compound Oil Immersion Microscope 163 (Maker Shed, $820)
While most of the items in our guide are toys, not tools, we couldn't resist drooling over the new microscopes in the Maker Shed. I had two scopes as a kid, and had the greatest time exploring unseen worlds by peering through their eyepieces. This top-of-the-line microscope is trinocular. It has a third eyepiece so that you can attach a still or video camera to capture what you're seeing through the binocular eyepiece. This is a laboratory-grade microscope, with surprising features and high mechanical and optical qualities, at a hobbyist's price. Note that the other reason we have it in this gift guide is that you need to order the microscopes by December 3 to guarantee Christmas delivery. If you'd like some advice on what scope to choose, check out our "Choosing a Microscope" article in the Make: Science Room.

Gakken Kits
When I was a kid, model kits from Japan had an intense allure. They seemed (okay, they generally were) of much higher quality than American kits, and the instructions just looked so dang cool! Age has not diminished this impression and the popularity of the Gakken kits we carry in the Maker Shed prove that lots of people feel the same. These are unique and gorgeous kits that any tech enthusiast and kit-builder on your list will be thrilled to get. Above are the Sterling Engine Kit ($120) and the Vacuum Tube Radio Kit ($100, currently on sale for $86). The Gakken range is wide, from mechanical centipedes to tea-serving robots to retro 4-bit computers. See all the kits here.

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November 13, 2009

In the Maker Shed: Peggy 2 LED display kit

Peggy 2 is an updated version of the original Peggy light-emitting pegboard display. Version 2 adds simple animation capability and Arduino compatibility. Like its predecessor, the open-source Peggy 2 provides a quick and efficient way to drive up to 625 LEDs.

November 12, 2009

CupCake CNC build, part 3: The electronics

It's finally time to start building the CupCake CNC. The first thing you should do is read all the instructions. Don't pass by the 'mistakes to avoid section', it could save you some misery later.

Let's get started with the CupCake electronics assembly. I ordered the deluxe kit from batch #8, so most of the electronics were already assembled. Yay! Not that soldering isn't fun, but I'm happy to skip the soldering for this build and get to printing faster!

The stepper boards:

Not much to do here since the board is already soldered together. However, you do have to add the insulation-displacement connector (IDC) to the ribbon cables, and perform a simple test.

All you have to do is insert the ribbon cable into the plastic IDC connector and squeeze it closed. You might want to use some pliers to help snap the top down.

Take notice of the arrow on the connector. The brown wire is the index wire, and it should be directly above that arrow on both ends of the cable.

Rinse and repeat. You need to make three cables, each with an IDC connector on the end.

Read full story

New in the Maker Shed: Ice Tube Clock kit

Somewhere at the junction of modern open-source hardware and early 80's Russia lives a beautiful new DIY kit from the Maker Shed called the Ice Tube Clock. The centerpiece of this old-meets-new clock is a Russian-made, 9-digit, vacuum florescent display (VFD). Included in the kit is everything you need to build a complete VFD clock.

Features:

Cool glowing blue tube with 8 digits, PM dot and alarm on/off indicator
Adjustable brightness
Alarm with volume adjust
Precision watch crystal keeps time with under 20ppm (0.002%) error (< 2 seconds a day)
Clear acrylic enclosure protects the clock from you, and you from the clock
Battery backup will let the clock keep the time for up to 2 weeks without power
Selectable 12h or 24h display
Displays day and date on button press
10 minute snooze
Integrated boost converter so it can run off of standard DC wall adapters, works in any country regardless of mains power
Great for desk or night table use, the clock measures 4.9" x 2.9" x 1.3" (12.5cm x 7.4cm x 3.3cm)
Completely open source hardware and software, ready to be hacked and modded!

November 10, 2009

BigShot digital camera kit for kids

The BigShot digital camera is a kit designed to teach kids how they work while they assemble and use it. It's being developed by Shree Nayar and his team at the Computer Vision Lab at Columbia University. From the site:

The camera gives us a powerful means to express ourselves and communicate with each other. Today, the camera is almost exclusively designed for, and marketed to, adults. A typical consumer digital camera comes with a sleek silver or black exterior and is densely packed with components and features. If one tries to open up one of these devices to study its innards, it is unlikely to function when put back together. We believe that camera manufacturers have largely overlooked an important demographic in kids and a compelling application in education.

The camera's not currently for sale since the group is still doing field tests, but they're off to a great start. I learned some things about digital cameras just by reading through the build instructions. [Thanks, Peter!]

Synth sequencer from an LED kit

MirlitronOne explains how to turn a Velleman MK107 LED Running Light kit into a simple 8-step sequencer for use with analog synthesizers. A handy kit hack, but it's also not too much work to build one from scratch.

Related:

Sequence it!!

November 5, 2009

Deluxe LED Menorah Kit from EMSL

You can get 'em from the Evil Mad Scientist Laboratories webstore. Update: Also available from The Maker Shed.

November 4, 2009

In the Maker Shed: Gennai Hiraga's Spark Generator

Hiraga Gennai (1729-79) was an Edo period Japanese pharmacologist, physician, author, painter, and inventor who is well known for his Erekiteru (electrostatic generator). The Gennai Hiraga's Spark Generator kit by Gakken replicates his early work in creating static charges. Easy to build -- instructions are in Japanese but feature highly detailed assembly pictures (sorry, no English translation at this time).

MAKE is proud to be the exclusive distributor in North America for these brilliant kits from Gakken.

November 1, 2009

In the Maker Shed: Chumby Guts

We still have a few more Chumby guts ready for you to hack, modify, or just make a cool enclosure and enjoy. What's a Chumby? Glad you asked! It's an amazing little piece of technology that lets you get what's best on the web and delivers it right to you on it's 3.5" touch screen LCD. You can play games, check the weather, twitter, news, music, and even watch YouTube videos. All of this is done via you home's wireless Internet connection. Get 'em while you can, we have limited stock and we will not receive any more this year...if ever.

Here's what comes in each kit:

3.5'' LCD (320hx240v 16bpp TFT) with Touch Screen
Texas Instruments TSC2100 Programmable Touchscreen Controller with Stereo DAC
Plastic Front Bezel
Gasket
Aluminum Frame
4 x Screws to attach Aluminum Frame to Front Bezel
350MHz Freescale iMX21 MC94MX21DVKN3 ARM9 controller Motherboard Circuit Card Assembly with Samsung 64MB SDRAM on 32-bit data path and Hynix HY27US 64MB NAND Flash ROM
Kionix KXP74-1050 3-axis accelerometer
Daughtercard Circuit Card Assembly
Three USB 2.0 full speed ports, one internal, two external
Chumbilical Flex Cable from Daughter card CCA to Motherboard CCA
Wifi Riser Circuit Card Assembly
USB Wifi Dongle based on the Xterasys 3135G 802.11g USB Wifi adapter (ralink chipset)
Flex Cable for Wifi Riser CCA to Motherboard CCA
3 x Screws for Wifi Riser CCA to Motherboard CCA
3 x Standoffs for screws for Wifi Riser CCA to Motherboard CCA
2 x 2W StereoSpeakers
4 x Screws for Speaker to Plastic Speaker Holder
Plastic Speaker Holder
Switch for Bend Sensor
Plastic Switch Holder
2 wire cable with 2 pin connector (from Daughterboard CCA to switch)
2 x Screws to Attach Switch to Plastic Switch Holder
12 V DC 1A Power Supply
Built-in microphone

(Note: actual parts may vary slightly due to manufacturing and availability)

October 28, 2009

In the Maker Shed: Danger Shield kit

The Danger Shield kit is a shield for the Arduino micro controller. It's has a variety of fun, and useful components including: 3 linear sliders, pushbuttons, temperature and light sensors, 7 Segment LED, a piezo buzzer, a knock sensor, and more!

October 26, 2009

New in the Maker Shed: ProtoShield for Arduino Kit

The ProtoShield for Arduino kit is an open-source prototyping shield that makes developing new ideas on your Arduino even easier. The shield has plenty of room for attaching a breadboard, DIP components, headers, and more.

October 25, 2009

Maker Shed weekly wrap-up

This week we added a few new products to our lineup. One of our favorites is the Ethernet Shield for Arduino. It's a great way to connect your Arduino (think Twitter) to the web. Also, we added a quick video demo of the Cross Copter EX from Gakken. Are there any kits in the Shed that you would like to see us demo? Let us know in the comments. Thanks!

October 23, 2009

In the Maker Shed: Arduino Ethernet shield

The Arduino Ethernet shield allows an Arduino board to connect to the Internet using the Ethernet library. Connect the shield to your computer or a network hub or router using a standard Ethernet cable (CAT5 or CAT6 with RJ45 connectors).

October 21, 2009

The Drone Lab cometh …

Casper Electronics is currently taking PCB & kit pre-orders for the 4 voice synth/rhythm generator/effects processor beast better known as the Drone Lab. The v2 design sports 25 board-mount pots - good news for those who tire of tedious panel wiring. Knowing the designer (Pete Edwards), I'm guessing this'll be a fun one to mod/hack/bend as well.

Related:

Build a drone synthesizer

October 20, 2009

45 Seconds in the Maker Shed: Gakken Cross Copter EX

The Gakken Cross Copter EX has two contra-rotating rotors, driven by one small electric motor that's connected via a cord to the hand-powered generator. Build one of three different configurations, or try one of your own!

Easy to build -- instructions are in Japanese but feature highly detailed assembly pictures (sorry, no English translation at this time). MAKE is proud to be the exclusive distributor in North America for these brilliant kits from Gakken.

Note: The original video is 45 seconds long....YouTube seemed to add a second just to make us look silly!