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This is my favorite paper plane design of all time. It is a completley flat glider that can soar and loop. enjoy!
I will show you how to tie a monkey's fist knot, and what you can make with them. I had aways wanted to know how to make these, and one day someone showed me how. They are really fun to make and whack people with.
Here's a little hack that'll save you needless minutes logging in.
There are limitless possibilities for using cardboard. This instructable shows many projects, short descriptions, included photos, mouth watering ideas, can't wait to get started prompts, where does the time go, I can't do it all, I LOVE cardboard , ad infinitum ways to envision it, design it, cons...
Gizmodo reports that CRKT® has a new tool for getting out of your car in emergencies. The ExiTool™ combines a seatbelt cutter, a window breaker, and an LED flashlight in one unit that clips onto any standard seatbelt. It’s like a ResQMe (see TM 9/29/07 and 9/28/08) with an LED, but may be more convenient because it’s right there on the seatbelt.
This tool’s seatbelt cutter is designed so that “it’s virtually impossible for even the smallest fingers to accidentally reach the blade,” which is razor-sharp high-carbon stainless steel able to cut seatbelts with a quick pull. The tungsten carbide breaker point is designed to shatter tempered glass side windows, and the LED is powered by a single CR2032 lithium battery.
The ExiTool™ is expected to retail for $26.99, and will be “Coming Soon in 2010.”
What do you think? Would you pick one up for each of your vehicles?
ExiTool™ [Manufacturer's Site]
We here at MAKE are thrilled to have teamed up with the fine folks at Jameco to bring you The Make: Robot Build. Over the next eight weeks, we'll be featuring a series of tutorials here on the site about the basics of robot building, from overall design considerations to mechanical construction, electronics, and programming. The information in these tutorials and the build contest are designed so that anyone can participate, even if you don't know anything about electronics or robots! On March 27, we'll officially launch The Make: Robot Build contest, and over the ensuing weeks, each week, we'll cover a different subsystem of robot construction (drive train, controllers, sensors, etc.) and help contestants in building these subsystems on their bot. Builders will post progress images to the MAKE Flickr pool and we have a topic set up in the MAKE Forums for discussing your project.
The Goal: Build a CoasterBot!
The goal of this series and the contest is to teach you how to build a simple robot and for you to learn all of the various aspects of design and the mechanical and electronic systems used in robots. Contestants will build "CoasterBots," mini robot development platforms, made using CD/DVD media as the main body components ("coaster" being slang for a dead/damaged CD/DVD). Your goal is to create a CoasterBot that can navigate a space on its own, avoiding obstacles, and that is designed so that additional sensor systems (proximity, heat, light, sound, etc.) can be added "on top" of this obstacle-avoidance behavior. Contestants are free to use the CD/DVD media in any way they choose. Extra points will be given for creativity and innovation in the overall design.
We will have a two-week prep phase where we'll post overview articles here about basic robot design and construction and to allow time for readers to start planning out their design and to gather needed parts and supplies. Then, each week, we'll cover a different build phase, from design and chassis/drive train, to microcontrollers and sensors. The final two weeks will be devoted to finishing up the bots, fleshing out your documentation, and submitting your project(s). Please see the timeline and further details on The Make: Robot Build contest page. You can enter as many bots as you like, but you can only do a single entry for each one.
The Contest and Prizes
The contest will begin at 12:01am PDT on March 27, 2010 and will end at 11:59 p.m. PDT on May 7, 2010. Winners will be announced on May 14th, 2010.
Judging Criteria
The robots entered into the contest will be judged on the following criteria:
The Prizes
Every contestant who finishes the robot build and documents his or her finished project will receive a Maker's Notebook from the Maker Shed.
The Robot Build Newsletter
We'll be mailing out a newsletter each week of the contest with the latest contest details, tutorials, images from contestants' designs, build tips, technical advice, and more. We'll also be sending out word of the final contest submission form through the newsletter, so if you want to be a contestant, you need to subscribe. All we need is your name and email address (which we'll keep confidential):
The Jameco Robot Build Kit Bundle
Jameco has put together a core parts bundle to make it easy to gather the necessary parts for the contest. It includes a Solarbotics Ardweeny Arduino microcontroller, a Solarbotics Breadboard Voltage Regulator, an L293D motor controller, two Hi-Tec HS-322HD servomotors, two Parallax BOE-BOT/Sumobot wheel/tire sets, two lever switches, a breadboard, battery holders, wire, hardware, all sorts of goodies for building your coasterbot. You do not have to buy this kit to participate, and it won't be counted in the judging, but we at MAKE and the folks at Jameco put it together to make getting started in this contest as easy as possible. You can purchase your Jameco bundle and other parts here.
Check out the Make: Robot Build contest page for more info, the build timeline, and full contest rules. Matt Mets and I will be heading up the project/contest. We think this is going to be a whole lot of fun and we hope you'll join in!
Photo courtesy Coastal Treated Products Company.
In a discussion in the comments on yesterday's "plastic plywood" post, I mentioned that I was often reluctant to buy plywood and other "new" timber products at the hardware store because I didn't know how to tell if I was buying forest-friendly wood or not. A kindly gent named Hank responded to tell me that it was as simple as looking for the seal of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), and supposedly that even the big orange store "is surprisingly good at stocking FSC certified lumber." I haven't verified that last bit for myself, but I did spend a long time googling around yesterday afternoon and satisfied myself that these FSC folks are on the level. That's their "tree with a check mark" seal in the photo, above. Now I know what to look for. And so do you. [Thanks, Hank!]
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Take a look "behind the scenes" as Kipkay shares what goes into shooting the Weekend Project videos and shares some tips to help you be a better movie maker. To download the Making The Weekend Projects video click here
Just something I built this week. You can find more information
about it here: http://colvins.ca/?p=44
Well hello, I have seen a lot of charging stations for sale and made
on this site, so here is my simplified cheapy ( dirt cheap I only
bought the switches!) version, made with card, wire, wall paper an
extension lead and some switches. it will charge 4 items, i
use it for 2 phones a camera a...
Blueprint Magazine describes a very neat machine:
In a small shed on an industrial park near Pisa is a machine that can print buildings. The machine itself looks like a prototype for the automotive industry. Four columns independently support a frame with a single armature on it. Driven by CAD software installed on a dust-covered computer terminal, the armature moves just millimetres above a pile of sand, expressing a magnesium-based solution from hundreds of nozzles on its lower side. It makes four passes. The layer dries and Enrico Dini recalibrates the armature frame. The system deposits the sand and then inorganic binding ink. The exercise is repeated. The millennia-long process of laying down sedimentary rock is accelerated into a day. A building emerges. This machine could be used to construct anything. Dini wants to build a cathedral with it. Or houses on the moon.
What do you think, readers? What would you build with a giant 3D printer that lays down sticky sand?
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I was going around Kiteman's instructables and decided to make his
rubber band-powered paper clip butterfly. I failed, then I just messed
around with it. Placed a rubber band here and another paper clip there,
then I got a catapult! Tools and raw materials You will need
lots of paper clips an...
KTZ Project: DIY iPod nano Dock Sync with compuer Charging with pc
or adaptor Play music with a output amp Prepare iPod nano iPod
nano USB to PC USB line 5v Adaptor (need 3, cut the 2 tails) Box
for iPod stand a Doll just for fun Audio jack Mouse pad make
ipod stand ...
My two year old daughter recently started playing Beatles Rock band with
me, but she had a lot of trouble reaching the buttons on the neck. The
strap wouldn't adjust high enough either, so I decided to get her
own controller and modify it for her. For this Instructable, you will
need a Torx drive...
Gary Mauler and the folks who put on the RobotFest in southern Maryland each year are expanding their enterprise to include a Mid-Atlantic 2010 Mini Maker Faire! Gary writes:
I work with Maryland College Institute of Art each year to produce the artwork for T-shirts and advertising for RobotFest (and this year's Mini Maker Faire). This year, the challenge was given to about 60 Advertising and Design students for one of their graded semester projects. All the designs that were shown to us were fantastic, so it made our job of picking one design very hard.I am going to print up a bunch of the Paper Robot posters on index stock to hand out for kids to build at RobotFest.
RobotFest/Mid-Atlantic 2010 Mini Maker Faire will be held on Saturday, April 24th, at the National Electronics Museum, Linthicum, MD. More information here.
I have 3 senior dogs. They're all allowed in my bed, but
they're starting to have trouble getting in. One has hurt herself
recently; I thought she had decided not to try to join me in bed
anymore, but after about a month she started trying to jump up
again. She can't. So I made her a set of stai...
"About Adafruit video" by RocketBoom
A lot of readers are likely familiar with Adafruit Industries, supplier and maker of many kits found in the Maker Shed. In addition to my role here at MAKE, as senior editor, I also work with Limor (Ladyada), helping her with the open source hardware kit business. I'll have a few articles about general things we do around here to keep the ship afloat and charting new waters, but I thought I'd start this "Maker Business" article with an overview of how it all works and how we use many many web tools/services. One of the most asked questions I get from makers is "what shopping cart do you use?" The short answer is Zencart, and while I think it doesn't actually matter what you use when you start out, this is what we're using at Adafruit. A recent milestone, we just shipped our 50,000th order. We mostly create and sell open source hardware, most of the tools we use are open source -- I've never seen an article detailing "everything" a business uses online, so here's one. I think you'll enjoy it. Let's take a look...
Bread Pudding is a classic British Dessert, delicious hot or cold and
fantastic with a drizzle of homemade custard. This is a very
simple recipe, You don't need to be a good cook to get great results.
You'll also find there will be no use of mixing spoons in this as you
will be using your hands!...
This is my first instructable so bear with me! I recently
bought a Motobecane Super Mirage to replace a Grand Touring that was
stolen from me and found that, unlike my previous bike, it has no space
available to hold my Kryptonite U-Lock and cable. After a little
googling with no satisfactory ...
What this is: This instructable will show you how to make your
Arduino into an R/C interface that you can use for just about anything
requiring remote control. I will also show you how I built an
R/C lawnmower using my Arduino, a cheap R/C transmitter and receiver
pair, and a couple of electric-w...
[Better photos to come once I get a chance to be home during daylight
hours.] An absurd set of requirements leads to a hacked compression
shelving system for easy maneuverability and expansion. Goals
Recently I 'earned' some upgraded bookshelves. Having casually
shopped shelving for a w...
On Mashable, math teacher Rebecca Zook weighs in on the whole Computer Engineer Barbie (aka Coder Barbie) "controversy" with "Why Computer Engineer Barbie Is Good for Women in Tech."
While some have embraced Coder Barbie, others have attacked the concept, saying that her pink laptop, sparkly leggings, and trendy glasses are "too feminine" to be realistic.
The critics imply that real coders aren't feminine, and feminine coders aren't real. But women shouldn't feel like they have to stop being feminine to work in technology.
[Thanks, Ed Troxell!]
Why Computer Engineer Barbie Is Good for Women in Tech
More:
This is a guide to help folks who've bought a wall sticker somewhere
and want to take a moment to do it right. Don't be afraid of the vinyl
wall art. It will not bite, it will not leave grossness on your walls,
it will not be stuck there forever. You can change your mind, update
your look, or le...
I scream, you scream, and then we go get ice cream! Check out
this great collection of homemade ice cream recipes and
techniques. From quick and easy sorbets to frozen yogurt,
dairy-free options, and more traditional ice cream making methods, the
Instructables community has you covered. Get st...
Love this whimsical iPhone stand made out of forks and spoons. [via ManMade]
More:
Well, this is my first Instructable, so, well, here you go. I like
showers. I like relaxing. I combined the two and after
experimenting with methods for a few weeks, I've come up with, what I
believe is the best way to do so.(Without taking to much time or
spending a ton of money) Mater...
Here is a simple set of instructions for building a set of sawhorses. It
is a fairly simple design that most people who have some woodworking
experience can build with a fairly basic tools. Its a low cost
woodworking project, that will net you a useful tool, and make the
projects that come after it...
From ManMade comes this video about how to create a quick n' dirty no-sew toolbelt from recycled fabric and duct tape. I don't think you're going to rock the construction site in this thing, but for light tools and crafting supplies, it's an easy way to cobble something together.
ManMade Video How-To: Make a Custom, No-Sew Tool Belt from Repurposed Fabric
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What You Need... What you need.... 1 Chicken Bullion Cube....
1 Shower with Removable Shower Head... 1 Adjustable Wrench And 1
Victim Un-Screw the Shower Head At the end of the shower head there
is a collar that can be un-screwed to take it off. Use your wrench to
help you unscrew ...
If you've ever wished you could get an insider's look at the daily activities of NASA Goddard's largest clean room, you're in luck. Web cams are now providing live coverage of work on the components of the upcoming James Web Space Telescope. The cameras snap and display one picture per minute from the pristine workspace of the clean room at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland.
The advantage to the Webb-cam is that the average person doesn't need to do a micron-type clean up and spend time donning protective gear. Anyone can sit at their computer and see what's going on, no matter what they're wearing.
[via @NASA_Langley]
you have to have this waterspout thing attached to your sink. rubberband
time put the rubberband on tight so it holds the handle down aim and
fire aim the nozzle thing towards the center of the sink so your victim
will definately get hit with the water.
This visualization of the way colors in Flickr images change over the course of the year was created by Fernanda Viégas and Martin Wattenberg of IBM's Visual Communication Lab. It's called "Flickr Flow."
The two of us see the world as a stream of color, and in 2009 we finally had a chance to draw the river in our heads. We began with a collection of photographs of the Boston Common taken from Flickr. Using an algorithm developed for the WIRED Anniversary visualization, our software calculated the relative proportions of different colors seen in photos taken in each month of the year, and plotted them on a wheel. The image [above] is an early sketch from the piece. Summer is at the top, with time proceeding clockwise.
The finished infographic, complete with seasonal labels and callouts of representative images, appeared in the Metric section of Boston magazine in March of 2009. You can view a low-res version of it here.
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Josh at imsolidstate came across an extra battery charger, so he decided to turn it into a spot welder. We've seen spot welder projects in the past, however his goes the extra mile, adding a digital control circuit and current monitoring capabilities, to give precise control over the welding operation. Schematic and source code are available on his site.
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How to make a blanket fortress! Location, Location, Location.
Where should you place a blanket fortress? Well the first
requirement is space! Make sure the area is clear and try to keep it
out of foot traffic areas, just for convenience. Some extras would be
to place it near A: an entertain...
The Final Cut saw blade packs sandpaper on the sides for a smoother cut.
The latest in saw blade technology. Fully patented and proven successful in cutting and sanding your work piece all at one time. Use with table saw and power miter boxes for the perfect joint or finished edge. No edge sanding is required after passing your work piece through the table saw and when making miters the joints virtually disappear. Make minor length adjustments by simply sliding the work piece towards the rotating blade (just like a disc sander). One operation produces two functions. Try it and see for yourself how easy it is to become a professional wood craftsman.
[via Core77]
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Instructables user zieak upcycled some discarded keyboard circuit sheets into this attractively geeky document folder for his wife.
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As part of our spring-cleaning sale in the Maker Shed we're offering FREE shipping on orders over $125! (Contiguous US only) Just use the code "CLEARME" at checkout. But what about all of our international friends? No worries, we have a deal for you too! You'll get $10 off your international shipping, just use code "MAR-10" at check out.
Spotted in the MAKE Flickr pool:
Flickr user syano made this stylish clothtylophone, a functional cross-stitch Stylophone. Nice work! Here's what the insides look like:
In the Maker Shed:
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When I first ran across the Stanley-Bostitch clamping level in Popular Science, I didn’t think much about it because it was pictured just sitting on a surface. Later I came across a picture of the level hanging off the bottom of a 2×4 and thought, “Hey, now that’s pretty cool!” It’s funny how much difference the choice of picture influences our perceptions of a product.
From the composite picture above you can tell that the clamping mechanism works two different ways. When clamping the level to 2x stock the whole clamping mechanism bites into the wood, while on wider stock smaller, yellow legs pop out of the level to hold onto the wood. Stanley-Bostitch doesn’t come right out and say it, but the clamps are probably spring-loaded. The take-away is that by clamping this level to the piece you are trying to position, your hands are free to maneuver it.
The center vial is magnified so you can see it easier and is bridged so you can use the level as a continuous straight-edge. The bubble vials are accurate to 0.00005in/in and Stanley-Bostitch even makes one of the vials rotate so you can duplicate angles other than the common plumb, level, and 45° found on other levels.
Clamping Box Beam Level [Stanley-Bostitch]
Now, there are a jillion combination pocket/keychain tools on the market. I've owned, carried, and used a bunch of them, and I generally find that only the test of time effectively sorts wheat from chaff. I've never owned, carried, or used this so-called "screwpop" tool, so I have no way of knowing how it stands up to pocket wear. I'd be a bit nervous that the reversible hex bit would get lost somewhere along the way, although it looks like their bit features a ball detent to hold it in place. Also, for those of you are counting, the "fourth" tool--besides the bottle opener and the flat and phillips screwdrivers--is a 1/4" hex nut driver, which is a bit of a cheap marketing gimmick because what they're really talking about, of course, is the socket that holds the hex bit.
But I like the no-frills design and the price is certainly right at $5. If I see one on a counter by a cashwrap at a hardware store someday, I'll probably pick it up. [Thanks, Kurt!]
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Is there anything you can't build with an old blue barrel? Instructables user Kentucky-bum made this Frisbee golf target.
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Scott had always wanted to make some sort of ball
bearing rollercoaster and we thought we'd post up the results of his
first testing and building sessions. The idea was to make track for
ball bearings (or similar) out of something that was fairly quick and
easy to work. Scott ...
The SynPad uses four corner-mounted piezo sensors to determine the pressure and relative location of a given hit. The project can easily be made on the cheap, and turns out a pretty sophisticated Arduino-based MIDI percussion controller. Gang1ion shares the relevant steps and source code for making one yourself. [via Matrixsynth]
In the Maker Shed:
The fine folks at All Hands Active, an Ann Arbor, MI hackerspace, are hosting a community-wide collective brainstorming session to explore what the Ann Arbor/Detroit hacker community can do at Maker Faire Detroit. They're calling on all makers in the area to come on Saturday, March 13th, at 3pm, to the AHA! Shop, at 525 East Liberty, Ann Arbor, MI, 48104. They thought it would be fun for people to bring "hacked" foods to share.
We love what these folks are doing and hope they get a good turnout and dream up some great ways of getting involved with the Faire.
More details and directions on their website.
Collective Brainstorming for Detroit Maker Faire
Saturday, March 13th at 3pm
All Hands Active
525 East Liberty, Ann Arbor, MI, 48104
I make a bunch of stuff out of plywood. A lot of it is utilitarian furniture--bookshelves, workbenches, occasional chairs and stools. I've been wishing for a long time that I could find a plastic substitute material, like the synthetic decking and lumber I see for sale in the hardware stores these days, to use instead, not only for the eco-friendly aspect, but because I'd like to have a material that was naturally water-resistant and did not require finishing.
That's why I was excited to learn, a few months ago, about EcoSheet, which is a "plywood replacement" panel material manufactured by British firm Environmental Recycling Technologies. I hit them up for a sample and they sent me a 4" x 4" x 3/4" piece of the stuff, which is pictured above. It does not weigh as much as plywood, but seems just as rigid, and drills and cuts easily. And although their initial market seems to be the construction industry, specifically temporary structures erected as barriers and pouring forms, I'm looking forward to experimenting with "off-label" uses when and if it becomes available in small quantities in the US.
EcoSheet is manufactured from 75% recycled material, mostly waste electrical and electronic equipment, and can itself be recycled at the end of its useful life.
Update: Peter Ball from EcoSheet just contacted me to let me know that their latest manufacturing process uses 100% recycled material. [Thanks, Peter!]
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People can shoot pretty decent video using smartphones. There's even been some interesting hardware solutions to improve the fact that you're still shooting video with a smartphone. When I ran across this iPhone image stabilizer (original Japanese) I was impressed with how well it seems to perform. (warning: overly long demo)
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Looking to take a break from tinkering on your latest project this weekend? Here are some fine maker events to check out, from The Maker Events Calendar. Wish your event was on the list? Add it to the calendar!
Coming up this week:
Maker Faire Newcastle
Newcastle, UK
Saturday, Mar 13, 2010 - Sunday, Mar 14, 2010
Arduino / Project Night @The Transistor
Provo, UT
Saturday, Mar 13, 2010, 5pm - 8pm
Breadboard Arduino Classes at All-Con 2010
Addison, TX
Saturday, Mar 13, 2010, 2pm - 4pm
Introduction to Electronics @Metrix Create Space
Seattle, WA
Sunday, Mar 14, 2010, 2pm - 4:30pm
AVR Programming Class @HacDC
Washington, DC
Sunday, Mar 14, 2010, 6pm - 7:30pm, then repeats
Project Lab with Expert Included
Berkeley, CA
Tuesday, Mar 16, 2010, 3pm - 6pm
Drop-in Arduino and Electronics classes
Berkeley, CA
Tuesday, Mar 16, 2010, 7pm - 9pm
Take Apart Tuesdays @Crash Space
Culver City CA
Tuesday, Mar 16, 2010, 8:30pm - 9:30pm
Start planning for:
Dorkbot SoCal 39
Los Angeles, CA
Saturday, Mar 20, 2010, 1pm - 3pm
Arduino NYC Meetup
New York, NY
Saturday, Mar 20, 2010, 12pm - 6pm
Bob Ross Paint-Along 2 @i3Detroit
Royal Oak, MI
Saturday, Mar 20, 2010, 2pm - 4pm, 4pm - 6pm, 6pm - 8pm
Using Transistors @Metrix Create Space
Seattle, WA
Sunday, Mar 21, 2010, 2:30pm - 4:30pm
Handmade Music: Minneapolis
Minneapolis, MN
Thursday, Mar 25, 2010, 7pm - 12pm
The gods of Random.org have crowned Rebecca Karger, a student at Horace Greeley High School, winner of our Lego Mindstorms NXT 2.0 set. This is what Rebecca had to say about what she'd do with the set:
If I had this kit, I'd take it with me to college next year, and build a robot that could go down the hall of my dorm to deliver a note to a friend. And probably 500 different other things. I was on an FLL team in middle school that went to the international competition, but it was the year BEFORE the NXT kits came out! I remember seeing a demo and being highly impressed, but my parents say the kits are too expensive.
Rebecca: so yeah, your FB settings are kinda restrictive. You're going to have to get in touch with me if you want the prize. I'm at facebook.com/nerd1.
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On the online shop named http://www.fantasyjewelryshop.com , young
girls bought fashion jewelry, ladies watch didn't need to cost too much
money, you can easily buy fashion jewelry , there are 1200 kinds of
products to choose, shipping is very low, as well as a free gift that
worth 8 dollars wa...
If you have to ask why... Well, just don't ask why. [Spotted on the MAKE Flickr pool]
(BTW: This is a cracker box amp, a la the project in MAKE Volume 09)
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What's the difference between a $10 paddle and a $100 paddle?
If you're one of those folks that likes to dominate the game with killer
spin, you'll love the tacky rubber of a pro paddle. It really does
make a world of difference! That, combined with padding that hugs
the ball on impact, will ...
I've never seen a trailer like this - perhaps it wasn't road safe or something, but it would be wonderful to (re)make - via LoL.
The P90, or E90 as Echo 1 calls it, is one of the most versatile
airsoft SMGs ever made. One problem with it is the low magazine
capacity. You could buy a high-cap, but they are always hit- or- miss- I
own 1, and my friend owns 2, Only one out of the 3 feeds correctly.
How do you cut your reloadi...
Welcome! Im just going to show you a Very Detailed Guide to
make you're Rocketdock look like a MAC OS X Dock ;) Enlarge the image
to see the End result ---FOR WINDOWS VISTA-- Check out my Mac OS
X Cursors for Vista Here Check out my Mac OS X Leopard visual style
for vista Tutorial ...
The Lost Knowledge column explores the possible technology of the future in the forgotten ideas of the past (and those just slightly off to the side). Every other Wednesday, we look at retro-tech, "lost" technology, and the make-do, improvised "street tech" of village artisans and tradespeople from around the globe. "Lost Knowledge" was also the theme of MAKE Volume 17
Ever since we humans started making shadow puppets in the firelight of our caves, we've been fascinated by the power of the projected image. It seems only fitting that, for DIY Movie Making Month, we'd take a look at magic lanterns, some of our first technological baby steps that have delivered us to the age of Avatar.
What is a magic lantern? It's basically a 17th century pre-cursor to the slide, and then movie, projector. The Magic Lantern Society defines a magic lantern as:
...an appliance by means of which transparencies are projected by artificial light upon a screen with the projected image having a diameter generally from thirty to eighty times greater than that of the transparency or slide, whilst the area of the image may be from one thousand to six thousand times as great.
Magic lanterns grew on the developments of magic shadow shows (i.e. shadow puppets), camera obscura, magic mirrors, and other earlier optics and projection techniques. The period of the magic lantern spanned from the mid-17th century to the late 19th. While there is no clear inventor of the device, Dutch astronomer, mathematician, and physicist, Christiaan Huygens (1629-1695), with his lenses designed for use in telescopes, is probably the closest thing to a father of the technology.
Parts of a common type of Magic Lantern. [From The Magic Lantern Society's website]
get a big buck big enough to fit around your victims head load your
weapon fill the bucket as high as you want depends on how wet you want
them to be aim almost fire carefully place the bucket on top of the
door to where if someone were to come in it would fall on
them PS: whatever you do ...
For portable radio operation, I like End-Fed Half-Wavelength Antennas (EFHWA, pronounced "EF-WAH"). This type of antenna is similar to the common half-wavelength dipole, but with one significant advantage. A dipole has its feedpoint (where it connects to the radio) in the middle of the antenna, but an EFHWA's feedpoint is at one end. This makes it very convenient to throw the antenna up in a tree and connect the bottom of it to your radio. Here are instructions for making a multiband end-fed half-wavelength antenna that works on 17, 20, 30, and 40-meter bands.
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From user Meph over at the always-entertaining There, I Fixed It.
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This is a funny trick, that is HILARIOUS to watch. Wehn a person walks
into the door, not seeing the plasic wrap, they hit it, and possibly
fall. Make sure the door is open Materials The only materials are
plastic warp, enough to cover ur whole door, also tape and sissors
Covering the door T...
Here's a neat idea for a tablecloth, by Kristine Bjaadal. Normally, one would avoid spilling things on their linens, however the Underfull Tablecloth has a hidden pattern built in that only shows up once it becomes stained. Now you can look at that lovely butterfly pattern and remember that one time you had a bit too much wine, without feeling bad about having ruined the tablecloth! [via neatorama]
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I did this a few times in high school when I was bored. It simply
consists of pretending to be a police officer with a radar gun and
laughing when the car speeding past you slams on the brakes. Even
parked at the end of my driveway in the red minivan I drove, I had the
neighbors slowing down upon ...
Makers Market seller Kevin of kaitrees has a bunch of great videos on his market blog. They range from details of the pieces themselves, to "slap tests", and works in progress. It's a neat look at the process that goes into making these pieces.
My sculptures are an effort to distill what real trees inspire in people into something one can have inside their living or working space.
This tree in the video above will require about 500 hours to complete, stand over 7 feet tall, and will use about 1000 strands of aluminum wire. It's his largest piece to date, and looks Amazing! I wonder how much it will weigh?
In this series, "Letters from the Fab Academy," Shawn Wallace, member of AS220, the Providence, RI community arts space, shares his experiences with the Fab Academy, a distributed learning collaborative, built on the infrastructure of the Fab Lab network. -- Gareth
3D Scanning By Shawn Wallace
Victor Freundt prints a project using the ZCorp printer at the Barcelona Fab Lab.
When working with 3D scanning and printing equipment, it quickly becomes apparent that objects are nowhere near as fungible as MP3s. We'll have to wait a while for the day when every teenager is capable of casually copying real-world objects. However, it is surprisingly easy to hack together a crude 3D scanner from commodity cameras, projectors, and hardware you probably have in a couple of junk drawers in your shop.
A good place to start is with the Modela mini mill, which has a piezo-based needle sensor attachment that can be used for scanning small objects. The machine records the plunge depth at the point it contacts the object and the software that comes with the Modela (Dr. Picza) converts these points into a 3D mesh. Here's an example of using Dr. Picza to scan a small shell from Benito Juarez from the Barcelona Fab Academy site:
Kügli is an Arduino-controlled musical instrument by Stefanie Hess and Johannes Schmidt. The project consists of a bowl with a false bottom, packing an Arduino, XBee wireless module, and some speakers. The ball contains a Lilypad and another XBee.
The spacing and dynamic of a ball in a bowl influences sound. While holding the bowl in its hands the player can walk around and rock the bowl forth and back either smoothly or with fast movements. Two factors are relevant for the sound: the position of the Kügli in the ball and the rotation-speed of the Kügli. Both data streams are sent to Max/Msp via the serial port. The XBee component, accelerator and piezo-microphones are sensoring and passing the the movements.
In the Maker Shed:
Deluxe Make: Electronics Toolkit
Our Price: $124.99
Do you want to learn the fundamentals of electronics in a fun and experiential way? Not sure where to start, or what tools you might need? We've taken care of all the questions with our deluxe tool kit from the Maker Shed, featuring our best-selling book, Make: Electronics.
Hi, I'm going to show you how you can annoy a mac user using only a
couple simple parts. Macs have a built in IR sensor that allows you
to control them using an apple remote, this makes them an easy target
for this prank. We will be using an arduino with the apple remote
library to randomly "pr...
An anonymous MAKE subscriber writes in to let us know about this very cool wireless robotics platform based on the Arduino and an XBee. The purpose of the project was to teach their 9-year old son about programming in Processing. What a great way to introduce programming to kids!
I built a wireless robotics platform from a cheap R/C car, an Arduino with XBee shield, small microswitch sensors, and a Processing program running on a remote computer to control the vehicle. The vehicle is completely controlled by the code running on the remote computer which allows very rapid prototyping of the code to tell the vehicle what to do and how to react to the sensor events received from the vehicle. I'm hoping this is a good way to teach my 9-year old son about programming.
In the Maker Shed:
The Maker Shed has everything you need to get started with Arduino
Enjoy playing rock, paper, scissors, but having trouble finding worthy opponents to play it with? Need to improve your game for that upcoming world tournament? Well, then, you will certainly appreciate Steve Hoefer's rock paper scissors playing glove. Thanks to the built-in accelerometer and bend sensors, all you have to do to play is play the game, and the computer will tell you what it's move was, and keep track of who won. It's a funny project, and it includes some cool features, such as using edge-lit plastic for the display. Well done!
More:
This video shows you how to start crocheting an amigurumi, starting with
a magic ring and showing you how to single crochet and how to make an
increase. This is the beginning of an amigurumi ball, which simple
shape can be a base for various amigurumi toys .
Every other week, MAKE's awesome interns tell about the projects they're building in the Make: Labs, the trouble they've gotten into, and what they'll make next.
Part 1. Setting up a background for your project.
By Ed Troxell, photo intern
As a DIYer, you share your projects to show off your expertise and to help others find theirs. But building a project and writing the steps is only half the battle. The other half is capturing images of your work that clearly show what you're talking about and what you've done in your steps.
As the photo intern for MAKE, I shoot lots of projects for the magazine and website. Here are my steps for setting up a background for photographing your project clearly to show it off in its entirety.
1. Set up your project and mini studio.
Find a well-lit area that's clear of visual distractions and provides you with enough room for shooting. If you're shooting on a workbench, clear off all the clutter and if necessary, drop a bedsheet or paper backdrop to hide everything that's not your project. The camera doesn't want to see your mess, it just wants to see your masterpiece. Extraneous items on the bench or in the background will only confuse the viewer and make a good project look bad. Clean up before you shoot.
Clean bench good (but what's that junk in the corner?):
Cluttered bench bad:
2. Know your "light temperature."
Light temperature means the color of your light, and it affects your "white balance." Most cameras react best to daylight, which is a bluish light, and I strongly recommend shooting in daylight. Shooting your project near a big window (with no direct sunbeams coming through) is a good place to start. Shooting outside in smooth shade is good option too (but not in speckled tree shadows).
Your flash is daylight balanced, so you can use your flash as a "fill" or secondary light to fill shadows. (Your flash should never be the main source of light, unless you're using a real strobe system.) Also, most of those compact fluorescent light bulbs are close to daylight balanced. They can be a nice fill too.
Just be careful not to mix the color of your lights. The white balance on your camera will get confused if warmer light is in the room (like a normal household tungsten filament light bulb), conflicting with the daylight or CF lights. Choose the light temperature you're shooting with, and stick to it.
3. Choose a clean background.
Use a plain, simple background, nothing too distracting. You want clean backgrounds that show off your work. Pick colors that go with your project or make it stand out. We tend to use bright colors. We recommend not using red, as red is a very difficult color for digital cameras. Do not use black. White is fine.
Instead of a distracting background pattern like this:
Use a clean background color like these:
4. Place your project on a level and straight surface.
Here's the photo booth we use here in the Make: Labs for shooting indoor shots, when we're not shooting on the workbench:
5. Test your settings.
Take a few shots, then check the images on your computer (ideally in Photoshop) just to check focus, brightness, file size, grain (ISO), and other details. Sometimes a setting can be off. It's best to know now, rather than find out when you're done shooting.
For example, if you're submitting projects for MAKE magazine or Make: Online, you'll need to take high-resolution photos at an aspect ratio of 4:3. High resolution means they can be printed on paper at 300dpi. (Yes, even web photos -- because we might want to print them later.)
In my next post: Shooting your project in high resolution.
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Lego's licensing of the Disney/Pixar Toy Story franchise has produced something surprisingly awesome in this mashup of two classic toys. $11 from the Lego shop. [via Geekologie]
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While it’s not the elusive laser-guided screwdriver or hammer, the Victorinox Presentation Master does have a laser pointer, and 8GB, 16GB, or 32GB of USB flash drive storage, and a Bluetooth® remote control, not to mention a blade, nail file with screwdriver, scissors, and key ring. For those of you trying to get through airport security, Victorinox also makes a bladeless version, the Presentation Master Flight.
These are supposed to be available in April 2010, but several online sites already have pricing starting around $113 and rapidly getting north of $200. If you can live without Bluetooth® — or prefer a retractable ball point pen! — there’s an earlier 4GB version that you can pick up for a mere $55 or so.
These might make nice executive gifts, but I don’t see your typical Toolmonger rushing out to buy one. I could be wrong. Let us know in comments.
Presentation Masters [Manufacturer's Site]
Street Pricing [Google Products]
Biking directions added to Google Maps... here's my route from Adafruit to NYC Resistor!
Whenever I meet someone who finds out that I work on the directions team for Google Maps, the first question I'm asked is often "So when's Google Maps going to add biking directions?" We're big biking fans too, so we've been itching to give you a concrete answer. I don't want to keep the good news a secret any longer, so the answer is: right now!
Andy Johnson writes in:
I'm a guy that sews. No, I'm not afraid to say it, I think it is one of the best skills my Mother taught me, besides cooking. I sewed this magazine protector to keep my latest copy of MAKE looking newsstand fresh. I carry MAKE in my backpack, and I carry my backpack everywhere. With all the junk I carry banging around in there, it can get my stuff pretty hammered. I took my favorite T-Shirt, that unfortunately has worn out, and cut out a rectangle 1/2 inch larger than my copy of MAKE on both sides, and doubling the length so it can be folded over. I created a flap on the top and sewed velcro to both the flap and the reverse of the protector. Surging the seams would be the best, but I only have access to a regular sewing machine. If you have extra t-shirt, you can use it to make ipod sleeves, calculator protectors, whatever you like.
It's upcycling month at CRAFT, so head on over for some more great recycling projects with our UpCraft! series.
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As I was pulling some stuff out of the dryer, I noticed the clothes were actually dry. When it was new, it sometimes took several full cycles to fully dry a load of clothes, but half a year later the clothes are dry before the cycle is over. I started wondering, if a machine like my dryer has a break in-period, then what about my power tools?
How does the performance of a power tool change over time? Is it a steady decline as soon as you un-box it, or does it start to operate more efficiently as you use it — until parts start to wear out? It’s probably not as simple as that because there are many competing processes; the blades in machines like table and miter saws start dulling right away, decreasing performance, but the motor may increase in performance after a break-in period. Further complicating matters, as you use the tool you become more comfortable with its operation, which also may make it seem more efficient.
There are many mechanisms by which a tool could get better as it’s used more. For instance if you have a power tool with a brush motor it can take a while before the brushes wear enough to seat properly. Rough edges soften, plastic and rubber grips start to conform to your hand over time, and new stiff mechanisms get smoother over time, hopefully without becoming sloppy.
Have you ever noticed whether your tools seem to work better as they age? Do you go through any break-in rituals with new power tools? Let us know in comments.
Travelling large distances on a holiday can be boring? Just borrow a
coat hanger from the hotel and fold yourself a camera mount to hang from
your rear view mirror. You'll have hours of fun, especially in fast
corners and roundabouts. A coat hanger and a set of pliers is all you
need. Cuttin...
Persistence of Vision (POV) is the illusion that an image
continues to persist even though the image has changed. In
essence, we are taking advantage of the limitations of the brain-eye
processing time. With a camera we can tune our eye for a longer
exposure. The Lilypad POV (row of LEDs) is a ...
Figuring which way is 'up' for any one of the various IC packages may be second nature to circuit veterens, but getting acquainted with all possible indicators is definitely an important step for newcomers - and it can be a tad tricky at times. Evil Mad Scientist Laboratories posted a detailed photo guide on the subject, even going over orientation tips for seven-segment and LED matrix displays - good stuff!
Ok, so some of you may have seen my other instructable using this same
wall for other shelving ideas. Although the others ideas were cool
I think this one takes the cake. {I also had issues finding any
instructions on how to create this shelving system so I thought I would
remedy this.} The ma...
Mythretirer Adam Savage has a post up this morning on that one Boingy blog about the latest in his lifelong series of personal replicas of Deckard's handgun from Blade Runner. There's more shots of the build as well as pictures of the original prop and two of Adam's earlier replicas. The very first one uses the famous contoured handgrip from Italian toymaker Edison Giocattoli's TG-105 'Super Thur' ray gun, which also appeared in a prop from Joss Whedon's Firefly.
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Here's how to chop your curl downs into a custom set of bullhorns
Supplies Finding a Good Candidate When choosing handlebars
make sure they will comfortably fit your natural grip Guide Line
Choose a comfortable cutting line Chop! Time to cut! Cut along the
black edge leaving all of the...
Im going to show you an easy Tutorial on how to make Vista look
like Mac OS X Visually Heres some info you should Know: You CAN
change it back to normal you do NOT need to replace any system files
it IS FREE Lets get started... Don't forget to check my other
Instructables Mac ...
This is my new knex gun - The MFP9S V1.5 It has: No bullet
guide = No friction = More speed and power Same ram rod Same
trigger Same sights Same kind of mag Different mag pusher - you
have to push it up manually, or, you can have an elastic band. It's
not much different from the o...
I was going around Kiteman's instructables and decided to make his
rubber band-powered paper clip butterfly. I failed, then I just messed
around with it. Placed a rubber band here and another paper clip there,
then I got a catapult! Please rate and comment! Thanks! Tools and
raw materials Y...
This is my first instructable, and the trick is pretty old, but
anyways... A good prank to pull on your co-workers, teachers,
relatives, and for all ages, too! It only takes about 30 seconds.
Materials: Post-it or any tape that's opaque The victim's mouse
(computer laser mouse) Pen S...
LEGO MINDSTORMS hacker Akihiro Uehara built an interface between an AlphaRex and a Wii Balance Board.
User can control the robot's leg motors speed and direction by changing the vector connecting user's center of balance and center of the board. I have designed this application for elementary school kids in a science museum exhibition.
Don't forget to leave a comment on our Facebook fan page to participate in our Lego Mindstorms NXT 2.0 giveaway. [Thanks, Akihiro!]
High voltage on flash hot shoe? An insert between camera and OLD
flashgun. Circuit Well, it is not new idea. It is not a patent. It
is common principle how a thyristor works. Parts from scrap
Left is a shoe from old broken flash - unscrewed and right is part
form disposable camera, just ...
