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I posted to blog.makezine.com
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2010/08/weekly_make_projects_round-up_2.html
So, what do you think? Have you had a chance to spend some time on Make: Projects yet? We'd love to get some feedback. What do you like about our new projects area? What would you like to see added or changed? Have you tried any of the projects? How did that go? Have you edited/added to any of the content? We're in beta, so we're still open to ideas of where to take this. Here are a few of our favorite projects for this week:
User-Contributed Projects
Homemade Bacon
Mmmmm.... Bacon. Josh Burroughs show you how to make bacon from scratch.
Cosmic Night Light
The always resourceful Kris DeGraeve makes a glittering LED constellation night light, embedded in resin, without the need for soldering.
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August 27 2010, 6:00pm | More »
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I posted to blog.makezine.com
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2010/08/teenychron_a_linux-based_gps-synche.html
Len Bayles' TeenyChron project is a clock that pulls the correct time from a NTP server using a TS-7400 single board 'puter, a Garmin GPS module, and dual display boards.
The genesis of this clock stems from one of my other hobbies, Ham Radio. I wanted a reasonably accurate clock that would display both local and UTC time on a large LED display. Everything I could find missed the mark by at least one feature. So I set out to design a clock with the above features, and also with the additional feature of being a stratum one NTP time Server, that is synchronized to a GPS's pulse per second (PPS) signal.
At the heart of the system I am using a small single board computer based upon an ARM processor running Linux. I actually purchased the board in 2006 for another undertaking that is still in my long list of projects. The TS-7400 Computer-on-Module is built and sold by Technologic Systems. In the configuration I bought the SBC I paid $155 for a single unit. Mine has 64MB of RAM, 32MB of Flash, a battery backed up real time clock (RTC), and runs a 200Mhz ARM processor. I've configured the board to boot and mount a file system from a 2Gig SD card. I love this board! It runs a full version of Debian Linux. To date, every standard software package I've loaded complies and runs without any trouble.
Very complete documentation on Len's TinyChron site. Extremely cool!
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Digg this!August 20 2010, 10:00am | More »
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I posted to blog.makezine.com
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2010/07/make_projects_round-up.html
We're thrilled with the response that we've been getting to our new Make: Projects platform. We're building up a nice library of projects, technique, and primer articles from us and user-submitted projects from the maker community. Thanks to everyone who's checked us out and chipped in.
Here are just a few items from the site. Please come and see what we're up to, roll up your sleeves, and get involved. It's a wiki, so it's thirsty for content. If you have an area of expertise, share it with us by fleshing out a topic area. If you have a project, please share that. And if you build one of the projects, hit the "I did it! Success!" button, and let us know what you learned via the Notes feature. And remember, you can amend projects, so if you've figured out a better way to do a step, have better pictures, have variations on the project, submit them. We want this site to feel like your virtual Maker's Notebook. Don't be afraid to jump in.
Projects from the Magazine
The Most Useless Machine
The mysterious machine from the current issue of MAKE that almost drove a fake news pundit crazy. Few people have looked at this project and not said: "I wanna build one of those!" *I* wanna build one of those!
Medicine Man Glider
The gorgeous old-school tissue and balsa plane project from MAKE Volume 17. I *did* build one of these, in my youth, and it is one of my fondest (and most frustrating) hobby memories of my youth.
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July 30 2010, 8:32pm | More »
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I posted to blog.makezine.com
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2010/07/coming_monday_the_make_projects_pla.html
We've been making allusions for a while now to a new area of the MAKE website, "to be launched soon." Monday is blast-off! So, what are we launching? It's our new! improved! (now with more WIN!) answer to the Make: Projects area. The new Make: Projects platform will be a place where we, Maker Media, can post our step-by-step projects, and a place where you, the maker community, can too (and we can all add to and improve each other's content). We teamed up with the fine folks at iFixIt to create it and we're really excited about what we came up with. We hope you will be, too. It's custom-rolled, wiki-based -- a collection of living documents -- so we can't wait to see what grows out of it.
Stay tuned for more details on Monday.
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July 17 2010, 12:30pm | More »
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I posted to blog.makezine.com
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2010/07/how-to_spruce_up_an_old_bbq.html
Just in time for the holiday weekend, Brookelynn @ CRAFT shows us how to spruce up an old charcoal grill with special BBQ paint:
The humble BBQ is an essential part of summertime fun. All season long they can be found at block parties, tailgating, camp-outs, and down by the river. A good BBQ will weather the outdoor elements year after year and still grill up a great dinner. Yet, with lots of use, the grimy inside and the pitted outside can start to look less than appetizing. When I moved into my house, I found this perfectly good, but completely grungy grill abandoned in the yard. It was overgrown with ivy, and filled with cobwebs. I decided to fix it up with a fresh coat of red paint! Now it looks great with my vintage dishes and cute ruffled apron. I took it from old and beat to cherry condition in no time!
You can download the project PDF to get started.
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Digg this!July 2 2010, 11:00am | More »
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I posted to blog.makezine.com
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2010/06/make_your_own_gears.html
We asked Dustyn Roberts, who teaches a course at NYU's Interactive Telecommunications Program (ITP), called Mechanisms and Things That Move, to contribute something on fabricating your own gears for our Physical Science and Mechanics theme. Dustyn has written a book, called Making Things Move. It'll be out in the fall and we'll have more about it, and likely a giveaway, then. Thanks, Dustyn! — Gareth
Gears are easy to understand, make, and use, if you know the vocabulary and can space the gears at the correct distance apart. One nice thing about gears is that if you know any two things about them - let's say outer diameter and number of teeth — you can use some simple equations to find everything else you need to know, including the correct center distance between them. First, look over the anatomy of the spur gear pair in figure 1 and the vocab below.
- Number of Teeth (N)
- Pitch Diameter (D): The circle on which two gears effectively mesh, about halfway through the tooth. The pitch diameters of two gears will be tangent when the centers are spaced correctly.
- Diametral Pitch (P): The number of teeth per inch of the circumference of the pitch diameter. Think of it as the density of teeth — the higher the number, the smaller and more closely spaced the teeth on a gear. Common diametral pitches for hobby-size projects are 24, 32, and 48. The diametral pitch of all meshing gears must be the same.
- Circular Pitch (p) = pi / P: The length of the arc between the center of one tooth and the center of a tooth next to it. This is just pi (π = 3.14) divided by the diametral pitch (P). Although rarely used to identify off the shelf gears, you may need this parameter when modeling gears in 2D and 3D software like we're doing here. As with diametral pitch, the circular pitch of all meshing gears must be the same.
- Outside Diameter (Do): The biggest circle that touches the edges of the gear teeth. You can measure this using a caliper like Sparkfun.com's # TOL-00067.
Note: Gears with an even number of teeth are easiest to measure, since each tooth has another tooth directly across the gear. On a gear with an odd number of teeth, if you draw a line from the center of one tooth straight through the center across the gear, the line will fall between two teeth. So, just be careful using outside diameter in your calculations if you estimated it from a gear with an odd number of teeth.
- Center Distance (C): Half the pitch diameter of the first gear plus half the pitch diameter of the second gear will equal the correct center distance. This spacing is critical for creating smooth running gears.
- Pressure Angle: The angle between the line of action (how the contact point between gear teeth travels as they rotate) and the line tangent to the pitch circle. Standard pressure angles are, for some reason, 14.5° and 20°. A pressure angle of 20° is better for small gears, but it doesn't make much difference. It's not important to understand this parameter, just to know that the pressure angle of all meshing gears must be the same.
Figure 1
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Digg this!June 29 2010, 6:00pm | More »
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I posted to blog.makezine.com
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2010/06/how-to_wiimote_rubens_tube.html
Instructables user ScaryBunnyMan made a Rubens' tube controllable with a Wiimote, and wrote up a guide so you can too. Who doesn't love fire?
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Digg this!June 11 2010, 11:07am | More »
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I posted to blog.makezine.com
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2010/06/bildr_-_community_site_for_sharing.html
Adam Meyer wrote in to let us know that the private beta for bildr has launched, and as a special for Make: Online readers, he's shared an invite code you can use to sign up and try it out.
bildr is a community driven site for Artists, Designers, Makers, Builders, or anyone interested in the world between electronics and code.
At bildr we are rethinking the ways in which DIY sites have previously approached this world. Typically, the approach has been to showcase an individual's project, while including instructions that would enable a user to create a duplicate. bildr's method is quite different.
Instead of focusing on individuals' projects, bildr features community-written, collaborative articles that can be used as the foundation of an individual project. The articles come in two forms: Components and Modules
- Components - (example: ADJD-S371 Color Sensor) show you how to connect and use an individual component. These pages also include code when needed.
- Modules - mini-projects. These are all about how to do/make one thing. Like making an electro magnet, or sensing distance.
bildr - in private beta now, use invite code bildrInvite76f3
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June 2 2010, 10:30pm | More »
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I posted to blog.makezine.com
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2010/05/bee_hive_in_a_bucket.html
If you're looking to build a home for your buzzing, pollinating garden helpers, consider this simple bucket bee hive design, tutorialized by Thinkenstein. It's not for harvesting honey, but will help bring these imperative insects to your garden. The author admits that this design is untested, and there's a great discussion in the comments. For a professional's advice on getting started in beekeeping, check out Cameo Wood's beekeeping gift guide from last holiday season.
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Digg this!May 27 2010, 2:00pm | More »
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I posted to blog.makezine.com
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2010/05/marks_new_book_made_by_hand.html
My new book is out! Made by Hand is about the fun and fulfillment I got from making my own stuff. I wrote about my not-always-successful attempts to do things like raise chickens, keep bees, grow and preserve food and make my own musical instruments.
Made by Hand is published by Portfolio / Penguin, who described it like this:
DIY is a direct reflection of our basic human desire to invent and improve, long suppressed by the availability of cheap, mass-produced products that have drowned us in bland convenience and cultivated our most wasteful habits. Frauenfelder spent a year trying a variety of offbeat projects such as keeping chickens and bees, tricking out his espresso machine, whittling wooden spoons, making guitars out of cigar boxes, and doing citizen science with his daughters in the garage. His whole family found that DIY helped them take control of their lives, offering a path that was simple, direct, and clear. Working with their hands and minds helped them feel more engaged with the world around them.
Frauenfelder also reveals how DIY is changing our culture for the better. He profiles fascinating "alpha makers" leading various DIY movements and grills them for their best tips and insights.
Here are a few advance reviews:
• "This is a must-read book. Mark has lovingly and candidly documented the complex, myriad, intangible and often very tangible rewards of grabbing the world with both of your hands, and learning how it works." -- Adam Savage, Mythbusters
•"...this is one of the most inspiring book for do-it-yourself'ers that I've ever read." Shane Speal, Cigar Box Nation
• "Made By Hand is a wonderfully inspiring read and makes turning to a make-centric way of life feel not only approachable, but utopian." -- Jaymi Heimbuch, Treehugger
• "Made by Hand an absolutely fascinating read." -- Jon Mueller, 800CEOREAD
• "...not only was I entertained I was educated on a wide range of topics!" -- Recycled Crafts
• "Frauenfelder has been at the center of the emerging maker movement, chronicling its rise as an economic force. Here, he describes a parallel evolution: his own embrace of making, as he applies the lessons he's been learning to his own life. It's as inspiring as it is entertaining. You'll never look at your lawn the same again!" -- Chris Anderson, Editor in Chief, Wired
• "Why do otherwise well-adjusted people take to raising chickens in Studio City? What sort of contrarian spends a lot of time and money to kill his own lawn? These may be the projects of one quirky individual, but they point to something universal and true. Human beings find their proper home not in large-scale corporate structures but in the struggle for individual agency. You have to admire the doggedness with which the individuals in Made By Hand try to render their own world intelligible." -- Matthew B. Crawford, author of Shop Class as Soulcraft
• "Frauenfelder believes -- as do I -- that the DIY ethic is only partly about the things you produce. It's also about learning how to learn, about connecting with others who share your interests, and about taking pride in your accomplishments. ... I think the book is great, and I encourage you to pick up a copy if you're at all interested in DIY." -- J.D. Roth, Get Rich Slowly
Buy Made by Hand | Read free sample chapters
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May 27 2010, 1:30pm | More »
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I posted to blog.makezine.com
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2010/05/lifting_finger_prints_with_super_gl.html
Jeri shows how to lift finger prints off of a water bottle with super glue.
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Digg this!May 16 2010, 6:30am | More »
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I posted to blog.makezine.com
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2010/05/diamond_plate_industrial_fixture_pl.html
May 15 2010, 10:00pm | More »
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I posted to blog.makezine.com
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2010/05/train_whistle_doorbell.html
MAKE subscriber Pete Mills of Plymouth, MI wrote in with this excellent project: a Lunkenheimer steam engine train whistle pressed into service as a doorbell.
(H)ave you ever missed the doorbell ringing? Perhaps you were in the shower or vacuuming the floor. Well, fear no more; you won't miss hearing this one.
I was given this Lunkenheimer steam train whistle as a birthday gift quite a few years ago. I came up with the idea to make it into a doorbell shortly thereafter for pretty obvious reasons but I was unsure how I wanted to execute the wireless part of it. As you can see here I ended up using an el-cheapo wireless doorbell. This solved a lot of problems for me, not the least of which is that I can let the bell ring for a bit first before activating the steam whistle so my heart remains firmly in my chest rather than being startled to death every time UPS stops by.
More photos and text, a schematic, as well as a short video, on Pete's blog.
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Digg this!May 15 2010, 2:35pm | More »
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I posted to blog.makezine.com
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2010/04/circuit_skills_electronics_enlosure.html
Every useful circuit board deserves a good enclosure. Providing a proper case for your circuit can protect it from accidental spills & falls - plus give it a cool look you can proudly show off even to those unfamiliar with soldering and such.
Subscribe to the MAKE Podcast in iTunes, download the m4v video directly, or watch it on YouTube.
Personally, I'm a big fan of designing & casing up my electronics projects. The sturdy & functional results always leave me feeling a little impressed with myself, and I'm often surprised at how useful the completed device can be. In the above vid, I set out to build a basic waveform generator for testing and experimenting - but I ended up with something I'm more likely to use for noise-jamming, synthing and well ... just plain fun.
If you'd like to build your own waveform generator, check out the Function Generator Bundle over @ Jameco. It includes all the pots, switches, enclosure, kit, etc - just add wire & a 1k resistor (for the LED). If you do build one, be sure to let us know by leaving a comment or posting pics to the MAKE Flickr pool.
Oh - and in case it helps anyone, here's the wiring diagram I followed in the video:
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April 28 2010, 8:00am | More »
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I posted to blog.makezine.com
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2010/04/homemade_scuba-borg_costume_in_trek.html
I'm going to see this Rod Roddenberry 'Trek Nation' documentary the moment it comes out. I'm hoping the maker of the scuba BORG costume reads MAKE and can post some more photos and what went in to it, love it.
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Digg this!April 25 2010, 4:55pm | More »
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I posted to blog.makezine.com
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2010/04/how-to_beginner_cigar_box_guitar.html
Here's a thorough tutorial by gerlindagrimes (Atlanta, GA) on building your own cigar box guitar. We sure love them 'round here!
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Digg this!April 23 2010, 2:00pm | More »
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I posted to blog.makezine.com
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2010/04/backcountry_tiramisu.html
Everything tastes better in the backcountry. Fact. To bump your trail gourmet status to the next level (and impress your hiking buddies beyond measure), try whipping up a batch of Backcountry Tiramisu. Backpacker magazine provides you with the recipe (below) and a great how-to video.
Backcountry Tiramisu
Serves 2-3
Ingredients
1/3 cup water
2 tsp instant espresso powder
2 Tbsp Kahlua (get one of those mini bottles from the liquor store)
3.4-oz packet of instant white chocolate pudding
2 cups milk (use 2/3 cup powdered milk plus 2 cups water)
16 Ladyfingers cookies
Dark chocolate
Directions
1. Heat water to a boil, then mix in espresso and Kahlua.
2. Make pudding according to package directions.
3. Place six ladyfingers in the bottom of a pot, drizzle with half of the espresso mixture, then half of the pudding over it. Repeat to form a second layer.
4. Use a pocketknife to shave thin strips of chocolate on top and serve.
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Digg this!April 22 2010, 9:00pm | More »
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I posted to blog.makezine.com
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2010/04/how_to_make_an_ikea_plate_bird_feed.html
I love this how-to on Instructables for making a nice-looking bird feeder out of bamboo plates from Ikea. Instructables member PaulEl explains how he made it, and for just $2.19. It's perfect for attracting feathered friends to your garden space this spring. And if you need tips for sprucing up your garden, check out this month's gardening theme over on CRAFT.
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Digg this!April 15 2010, 6:00pm | More »
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I posted to blog.makezine.com
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2010/04/diy_cotton_candy_machine.html
Are you a fan of cotton candy that wishes you could enjoy the fluffy confection year-round? This DIY cotton candy machine from tukenmez0kalem seems like it could get you through the leaner months. [via Max]
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April 15 2010, 7:00am | More »
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I posted to blog.makezine.com
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2010/04/diylilcnc_a_diy_dremel_cnc.html
The DIYLILCNC project is a set of plans for an inexpensive, fully functional 3-axis CNC mill that can be built by an individual with basic shop skills and tool access.
CNC devices are used to fabricate physical objects with a high degree of precision. Some CNC devices, including the DIYLILCNC, feature a gantry-mounted cutting tool (like a router) that can move in two or more directions. The operation of the tool is controlled by a computer, which is tasked with translating a digital design into actual tool movement.
Download the DXFs and instructions on the DIYLILCNC website. [Via the Ponoko blog.]
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Digg this!April 10 2010, 5:00pm | More »
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I posted to blog.makezine.com
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2010/04/diy_bandsaw.html
Check out Matthias Wandel's excellent homemade wooden bandsaw. His build log provides detailed notes and plentiful photos. [Thanks, Don!]
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Digg this!April 8 2010, 8:00pm | More »
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I posted to blog.makezine.com
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2010/03/the_electronic_didgeridoo.html
From "You Built What?!" The Electronic Didgeridoo @ Popular Science...
Kyle Evans, a 24-year-old artist, bought his first didgeridoo in a small shop in Cairns, Australia, three years ago. The owner helped him pick out one of his handmade Aboriginal instruments, and after Evans taught himself to play, he decided to build an enhanced version: an electronically modified, Bluetooth-enhanced PVC pipe that cranks out didgeridoo-like sound with added digital flourishes.
Traditional didgeridoos are simple wind instruments made from hollowed-out trees. While learning to play the one from Cairns, Evans was also getting into computer-synthesized music, and he noticed similarities between the sounds. His first attempt to combine the two, involving a Big Gulp mug and a USB link to his laptop, proved too cumbersome, so he designed a Bluetooth version instead.
He cut a length of PVC pipe to form the body of the instrument and then mounted several square sections of a larger-diameter pipe to the outside. These platforms hide the wiring for the Bluetooth board and the control knobs that let him tweak the instrument's steady drone.
When Evans plays, he blows through a beeswax-coated mouthpiece on one end, as with a traditional didgeridoo, and a wireless microphone positioned inside the far end relays the sound to his computer, which outputs sound to a speaker. At the same time, he can adjust the knobs, wirelessly signaling his computer to modulate the notes. He's thinking of recording original music for it and has performed with it at some small venues. But the one audience he really wants to play it for are the Aboriginal people whose instrument inspired his invention.
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Digg this!March 26 2010, 2:00am | More »
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I posted to blog.makezine.com
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2010/03/build_your_own_variable-terrain_put.html
One of my favorite features in Design News has a new "Gadget Freak", fun read -
Why putt golf balls into a paper cup when you can have your own variable-terrain putting green? This course designed by Mark Giannasi, Aaron Gaylord, Brody Collins, Thomas Boileau and Maiki Vlahinos offers players three cups and three skill levels. The most advanced level raises two platforms that change the terrain of the course - and the challenge that golfers face. But even with only three "cups," you can still shout "Fore!"
Schematic and PIC code included.
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Digg this!March 24 2010, 11:00pm | More »
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I posted to blog.makezine.com
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2010/03/microwave_cart_turned_painting_stat.html
Craig Smith of the Firefly Workshop writes in:
I had a $5 microwave cart from goodwill that ended up in my shop as a finishing table where I would paint, stain or varnish items on newspaper. It was bugging me that all the space underneath was unused, and my paints, stains and varnishes were in 3 different places on shelves. Based on a 20 minute sketch, the cart storage insert was made in one afternoon with scrap plywood I had lying around. Now my 32 cans of spray paint, 17 quarts of stains & paint, and 7 half-pints of paint are neatly stored under the roll-out cart for convenient use and out of the way storage.
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Digg this!March 24 2010, 4:00am | More »
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I posted to blog.makezine.com
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2010/03/how-to_make_decorative_mosaic_pins.html
Pat Percival of NorthCoast Knives posted this simple phototutorial demonstrating how he makes decorative handle pins for his custom knives by nesting telescoping metal tubing of various sizes, shapes, and materials. These are known as "mosaic" pins among knifemakers, and although Pat only mentions it in passing, it is generally agreed that the voids in the design need to be filled with some kind of resin, which is often epoxy with coloring agents added to taste.
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Digg this!March 23 2010, 5:00pm | More »
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I posted to blog.makezine.com
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2010/03/lasercut_fume_extractor.html
Riley Porter created a large fume extractor that uses fans and carbon filters to clean the air in his workshop.
This past weekend I decided that I would attempt a carbon filtering fume extractor stack (at least what I called it). Basically the fumes from the smoke of many different materials is pretty bad. The idea was to make it so the carbon would filter the smoke and output clean air.
As a bonus, when the air flows from top to bottom it spins a little stepper motor fan, generating a small amount of current which lights up LEDs on a cute little robot design.
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Digg this!March 22 2010, 4:00am | More »
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I posted to blog.makezine.com
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2010/03/soup_can_coffee_roaster.html
How awesome is this drill powered drum roaster? Very awesome.
I never tire of seeing new takes on building your own sample roaster. Keeping the beans moving is the key to an even roast. Tim Eggers decided to use a drill to turn his drum, made from a soup can. He cut and folded vanes into the drum to aid the tumbling. A second soup can drum focuses the heat from his stove-top burner. Genius idea, and look at those lovely beans.
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Digg this!March 15 2010, 9:30pm | More »
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I posted to blog.makezine.com
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2010/03/steampunk_coilgun_pistol.html
Nick Thatcher's compact coilgun uses a coil of copper wire along the barrel to launch its projectile. It's powered by 15 photoflash capacitors juiced up by 2 AAAs. Of course the power of this gun is very much in question, the super dark video on the site doesn't show a whole lot. It appears, however, to be able to punch through cardboard at a very close range.
Regardless, this is a nicely executed design with a beautiful finished product.
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Digg this!March 15 2010, 4:00am | More »
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I posted to blog.makezine.com
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2010/03/making_things_at_tedactive_2010.html
Conference-goers had fun building tiny robots and high-tech graffiti at the TEDActive event in Palm Springs last month, thanks to Newegg and the Maker Shed. The annual get-together of big thinkers had a Newegg-sponsored Tinker Box "lab" area where conference attendees built bristlebots, LED throwies, and RGB LED origami lamps.
My friend Tod Kurt and I were asked to come up with some maker projects for Newegg. We had a month to do it. We ruled out soldering-based kits; too slow. We decided on the three kits mentioned above, but knew it would be tough to source the parts we needed in time. Enter Rob and Marc of the Maker Shed. They turned around the custom order in record time, with no hitches, other than the proclamation that "it's not a lot of fun to try to separate huge stacks of magnets into individual kits".
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Digg this!March 13 2010, 2:00pm | More »
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I posted to blog.makezine.com
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2010/03/steampunk_professor_xavier_wheelcha.html
INCREDIBLE PROJECT! SMEEON writes...
Finally got around to adding together some video clips I took. I had a lot of people asking about what it does and how, so here is a little walk through.
Photos here!
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Digg this!March 8 2010, 10:00pm | More »
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I posted to blog.makezine.com
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2010/03/diy_cleanroom_on_a_budget.html
When Bill Morris from I Heart Robotics decided he wanted a cleanroom, he did what any self-respecting maker would do -- he built one from scratch. I asked him what you could use it for and he said:
...it would definitely make opening hard drives much safer. It could also be really useful for the diybio crowd. I need to use if for opening up laser scanners and cameras and avoid
contaminating the optics. I am also planning on using it for applying touch screen protectors without getting motes of dust caught between them and the screen.
First, he put together a budget lab bench/enclosure from heavy-duty MDF shelving.
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Digg this!March 8 2010, 3:00pm | More »
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I posted to blog.makezine.com
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2010/02/pwm_line-voltage_interface_brighten.html
Latest GadgetFreak is up over at Design News...
Several of William Grill's designs have included pulse-width modulator (PWM) circuits that control LEDs. But what about the control of line-powered lamps and fixtures? You can find several commercial PWM controllers, but build one yourself, save money and learn how to implement a microcontroller-based design. This circuit is no flash in the pan.
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Digg this!February 25 2010, 10:00pm | More »
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I posted to blog.makezine.com
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2010/02/how-to_basic_work_table.html
Randy Sarafan made this work table geared towards making DIY projects and documenting them:
I set out to make a simple work table for my home studio so that I could have a surface upon which to work and document projects. I tried to keep the design as simple as possible as I only have a limited arsenal of power tools, a small vehicle for transporting materials and little patience for woodworking.
This design proved to be successful in accounting for all of these requirements.
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Digg this!February 25 2010, 10:13am | More »
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I posted to blog.makezine.com
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2010/02/diy_yurt_made_out_of_trash.html
Niki Raapana designed a DIY shelter called a Gertee.
Gertees are round houses made of sticks and poles tied together with zipties and covered with cloth or other materials. Each one is as unique as the owner who builds it.
All ger/yurts can be tailor made to fit any kind of budget. Many builders world-wide offer varieties of the yurt at prices ranging from 2 to 25K. My variations, based on the original Mongolian Ger design, expand the concept to include more people who don't have the 2K.
American made, high end yurts are so well constructed and modern they are getting HUD approval. In English towns residents are overturning municipal codes prohibiting odd looking tent homes. Yurts are a growing option for camping in National Parks and Wilderness areas. They also have an emerging fan base in the sustainable development-green community.
These may be perfect for creative people who want to try something new or they may be an optional shelter for homeless disaster victims in areas full of scrap lumber and salvageable materials. People from all backgrounds and income brackets can build these very comfortable little round home for themselves, and even the lowest end ones are very cute and sturdy.
Read the instructable to learn how to make your own. [via Beyond the Beyond]
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Digg this!February 19 2010, 3:00am | More »
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I posted to blog.makezine.com
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2010/02/pen-shaking_centerfuge.html
Matthias Wandel made this rather tongue-in-cheek invention to help him shake pens.
Using my gear template generator program, I was able to establish that a three-tooth lantern against a mating cycloid shaped gear should just barely work smoothly. I wanted a high gear ratio for my pen centrifuge, so this was a good place to a gear with such a small number of teeth.
I wasn't completely sure how well it would work, so I made a test gear. Not wanting to waste too much plywood, I only made a segment of a larger gear. The little gear has three "pins", which are actually small 3/8" (10 mm) ball bearings. There's no rubbing on this gear!
Thanks, Gabriel!
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Digg this!
February 13 2010, 7:00pm | More »
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I posted to blog.makezine.com
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2010/02/chumbychimp_and_po.html
Back when I got my Chumby Guts kit a few months ago, I imagined that it would be pretty funny to set up it up Teletubby style with the screen in the belly of a plushie. At the time, I didn't have a suitable doll to sacrifice at the alter of maker fun, but like Kent Barnes, I did have the box it came in. I like the alarm clock features, and enjoy being chirped awake. Eventually, though, the box kind of wore out, and my Chumby Guts lay loose on the night table.
Sunsue heard my call for a sacrificial Teletubby and found me a Po doll. When I saw it, I realized that this one would not work, since it is smaller than the ones my daughter used to have. It does have an interesting voice box, so that will come in handy some other day. A bit later, I fell upon a Build A Bear monkey at the Duxbury Mall. In his first invasive surgery, I found the heart, bar code and a monkey voice box with a dead battery. After swapping out the dead battery, I hid the voice box in my daughter's school bag, where it occasionally went off (ooh ooh aaah aah) as she bumped the bag. It now sits atop her social studies teacher's desk as a warning signal for those about to get a detention.
The monkey looked like he was on a starvation diet for a couple of weeks, as his stuffing sat in a bag in the cave as waited for the right moment to do the next operation. Eventually I got tired of loose ChumGutz on the night table and got together with my neighbor, Robin. She's pretty crafty and I figured would have some good techniques for the project. We went over and got to it. A few snips in the belly and monkey boy had gastric bypass of a kind. We hot melt glued the screen in place. Then I removed the speakers from the plastic holder and fit the circuit board inside the body behind the screen. I thought that I would have the switch loose, but left it attached over the power input and usb connectors. We re-stuffed him and he became ChumbyChimp. He is pretty happy to hang out with Po, and even gets to spend a little time with Creepy Baby.
This is the third iteration for my Chumby Guts, and I suppose that it will be a somewhat transitional situation. It would be useful to sew an old PDA stylus into his hand. That way it will always be easy to make accurate selections on the screen. I would like to put in some iMac ball speakers left over from the 50 iMacs project into the body instead of the nice little box speakers it came with. It would also be neat to add a switch to the hand with either a tactile switch or some conductive thread. I would definitely like to explore battery power, if only to add a bit of portability between locations in the house. The kitchen counter is a decent location, and with the right widgets ChumbyChimp really adds to the room.
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Digg this!February 6 2010, 3:00am | More »
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I posted to blog.makezine.com
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2010/01/custom_pcb_prototyping_using_a_lase.html
jmsaavedra writes -
I am going to walk you through the process of prototyping a Printed Circuit Board using a laser cutter and supplies from your local Radioshack and hardware store. This is a process I have perfected after several prototypes...
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Digg this!January 31 2010, 5:00am | More »
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I posted to blog.makezine.com
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2010/01/automatic_chicken_coop_door_opener.html
Australian maker Mark Stead recently got some chickens and found out the hard way that they're early risers. In order to accommodate his new avian friends sleeping habits (and reduce the impact to his) he decided to build an automatic door opener using an inexpensive battery operated alarm clock. [Thanks, Frank!]
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Digg this!January 20 2010, 6:00am | More »
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I posted to blog.makezine.com
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2010/01/glow-in-the-dark_sketch_wall_and_le.html
January 16 2010, 7:35pm | More »
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I posted to blog.makezine.com
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2010/01/altces_more_repair-friendly_gadgets.html
The remote control for one of our ceiling fans just started acting up. It turned out that some of the switches had gone bad. I was thrilled to see a nice assortment of through-hole parts when I took it apart. In fact, just a couple weeks ago, SparkFun listed those push buttons as their top-selling item. 
Thanks to simple, easy-to-find components, this was a quick fix vs. a throwaway + replacement. (The pareidolia is a nice bonus!)
Found any gadgets that were refreshingly easy to repair? Post your pictures in the Make Flickr Pool!
Repair-friendly celing fan remote on flickr
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Digg this!January 10 2010, 3:00pm | More »
