Linear actuators are motors that work in a straight line. They’re very useful for controlling valves and levers, building robots, and retrofitting old mechanisms for digital control. The simplest form...
Posted by Andrew Lewis
Categories: Electronics | No Comments
Like most geek-filled offices, at my workplace we have several Nerf guns and similar toy weapons floating about. Not impressed with the performance of my colleague Lester’s Nerf Maverick, a...
Posted by Simon Jansen
Categories: Fun & Games, Kids & Family | 4 Comments
I have always hated mowing the lawn. I was the guy who only mowed when the grass got to be 6" taller than the neighbors’ lawns — not because I...
Posted by J D Warren
Categories: Electronics, Arduino, Robotics | No Comments
Carl von Linde was dead tired. The eminent engineer, considered the father of the modern refrigerator, had just returned to his home in Germany from a lecture tour that took...
Posted by William Gurstelle
Categories: Tools, Science | No Comments
About 13 years ago I learned of some military research into a satellite- and missile-defense device that would propel projectiles using Lenz’s law, which governs the direction of electrical current...
Posted by Thomas R Fox
I love using old machine parts for my projects; often their workmanship surpasses that of anything new, and you can get them cheap or even free. Find a junkyard full...
Posted by John Todd
Categories: Workshop, Machining | 2 Comments
I have a 25′ cruising tugboat in Florida, and I wanted a small, lightweight ride that I could keep onboard for making beer and ice runs when I pull into...
Posted by Russ Byrer
Categories: Fun & Games, Science | 1 Comment
Devices that demonstrate true chaotic behavior (in a strict mathematical sense) are rare. Even rarer are chaotic devices that are easy enough for the typical maker to build at home...
Posted by William Gurstelle
Categories: Science | No Comments
What keeps your coffee warm but also rides the cold Pacific surf? What’s in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame but makes an annoying, squeaky sound? Even though it’s...
Posted by Bob Knetzger
Categories: Tools, Home, Workshop | No Comments
Protect your stuff with low-tech charm.
Posted by Sean Michael Ragan
Categories: Electronics | No Comments
Add a motor and a track wheel to a toy gyroscope to make it run nonstop and perform tricks.
Posted by Matthew Gryczan
Categories: Electronics | No Comments
Get the print and digital versions when you subscribe
