http://www.odeo.com/channels/1178-MAKE-Magazine PhillipTorroneMAKEMagazine no MAKE is a quarterly publication from O'Reilly for those who just can't stop tinkering, disassembling, re-creating, and inventing cool new uses for the technology in our lives. It's the first do-it-yourself magazine dedicated to the incorrigible and chronically incurable technology enthusiast in all of us. MAKE celebrates your right to tweak, hack, and bend technology any way you want. MAKE is a quarterly publication from O'Reilly for those who just can't stop tinkering, disassembling, re-creating, and inventing cool new uses for the technology in our lives. It's the first do-it-yourself magazine dedicated to the incorrigible and chronically incurable technology enthusiast in all of us. MAKE celebrates your right to tweak, hack, and bend technology any way you want. Technology on Your Time en 40 Sat, 07 Nov 2009 06:00:09 -0800 Sat, 07 Nov 2009 06:00:09 -0800 Technology http://www.odeo.com/episodes/25417581-The-Chumby-has-landed Yesterday afternoon I arrived home to see a box on the doorstep. The return address was from the Maker Shed. That could only mean one thing: The Chumby has landed! My daughter had to draw first blood on the package. We cracked the box and checked out the stuff inside. After going to the hypnotist show to benefit the school drama department and doing strange things on stage, I felt refreshed and motivated to assemble and play with Chumby Guts until long past my bedtime. I didn't take any photos, in large part because of the very helpful images already taken and posted to the Make Flickr Pool. Build instructions are on one double sided sheet of paper. I missed it the first few times I looked through the box because I thought I would find a booklet. There is a link to the instructions pdf on the Chumby Guts page in the Maker Shed. The directions are pretty good, but leave a bit to be desired. I found the photos by Make Flickr Pool members MTBFO and ewee to be essential. Early in the bu... Yesterday afternoon I arrived home to see a box on the doorstep. The return address was from the Maker Shed. That could only mean one thing: The Chumby has landed! My daughter had to draw first blood on the package. We cracked the box and checked out the stuff inside. After going to the hypnotist show to benefit the school drama department and doing strange things on stage, I felt refreshed and motivated to assemble and play with Chumby Guts until long past my bedtime. I didn't take any photos, in large part because of the very helpful images already taken and posted to the Make Flickr Pool. Build instructions are on one double sided sheet of paper. I missed it the first few times I looked through the box because I thought I would find a booklet. There is a link to the instructions pdf on the Chumby Guts page in the Maker Shed. The directions are pretty good, but leave a bit to be desired. I found the photos by Make Flickr Pool members MTBFO and ewee to be essential. Early in the build, I was wondering which of two sets of small screws to use, and found that the silver ones were likely the ones by checking a photo. I also found the notes on many of ewee's pictures to be really useful. So now there is a new tooltoy in the arsenal. This should be fun, and already the big question is "How do you case this thing?" Kent Barnes has extended the chumbillical cord that connects the mother and daughter boards and seems ready to move things around. John Park has a nifty laser cut case. The box that it came in is sized about right for a first enclosure. The next case will probably be a cigar box, which is very alluring lately. You can clothe your naked Chumby Guts by following these instructions. As soon as it was plugged in, the disembodied Chumby woke up, started talking and showed a tour of the basic functions. Within a few minutes, it had upgraded the firmware and brought me to the website to register it. Finding the household wireless was a snap. Over on the Chumby wiki, you can find resources on hardware, software, and more. In all, this has already been a fun project with few pitfalls. The next steps of customizing the case and configuring the software are exciting prospects at this point. Now that she's awake, my daughter is curious about how each of the widgets work. This will be a fun thing to have. Have you got a some Chumby Guts waiting to be animated? If you've already built yours, please weigh in with your tips and tricks by adding a comment or two. If you have a glamour shot to share or process set of pics, post them over to the Make Flickr pool. In the Maker Shed: Chumby Guts Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in DIY Projects | Digg this! Yesterday afternoon I arrived home to see a box on the doorstep. The return address was from the Maker Shed. That could only mean one thing: The Chumby has landed! My daughter had to draw first blood on the package. We cracked the box and checked out the stuff inside. After going to the hypnotist show to benefit the school drama department and doing strange things on stage, I felt refreshed and motivated to assemble and play with Chumby Guts until long past my bedtime. I didn't take any photos, in large part because of the very helpful images already taken and posted to the Make Flickr Pool. Build instructions are on one double sided sheet of paper. I missed it the first few times I looked through the box because I thought I would find a booklet. There is a link to the instructions pdf on the Chumby Guts page in the Maker Shed. The directions are pretty good, but leave a bit to be desired. I found the photos by Make Flickr Pool members MTBFO and ewee to be essential. Early in the build, I was wondering which of two sets of small screws to use, and found that the silver ones were likely the ones by checking a photo. I also found the notes on many of ewee's pictures to be really useful. So now there is a new tooltoy in the arsenal. This should be fun, and already the big question is "How do you case this thing?" Kent Barnes has extended the chumbillical cord that connects the mother and daughter boards and seems ready to move things around. John Park has a nifty laser cut case. The box that it came in is sized about right for a first enclosure. The next case will probably be a cigar box, which is very alluring lately. You can clothe your naked Chumby Guts by following these instructions. As soon as it was plugged in, the disembodied Chumby woke up, started talking and showed a tour of the basic functions. Within a few minutes, it had upgraded the firmware and brought me to the website to register it. Finding the household wireless was a snap. Over on the Chumby wiki, you can find resources on hardware, software, and more. In all, this has already been a fun project with few pitfalls. The next steps of customizing the case and configuring the software are exciting prospects at this point. Now that she's awake, my daughter is curious about how each of the widgets work. This will be a fun thing to have. Have you got a some Chumby Guts waiting to be animated? If you've already built yours, please weigh in with your tips and tricks by adding a comment or two. If you have a glamour shot to share or process set of pics, post them over to the Make Flickr pool. In the Maker Shed: Chumby Guts Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in DIY Projects | Digg this! tag:odeo.com,2009-11-07,25417581 Sat, 07 Nov 2009 06:00:09 -0800 no MAKE Magazine DIY Projects http://www.odeo.com/episodes/25401080-Patchable-digital-synth-with-Arduino From the MAKE Flickr pool The Arduino-based synth project formerly known as binder synth is now known as Adasynth - and it sounds like development is coming along right nicely. Davitr0n provides some background on his project - The goal of this project was to make a patchable synthesizer as versatile as we can while keeping the cost down.  Since I know how to program C++ and have a basic understanding of electronics we chose to use an arduino. So far we’ve stayed pretty true to that goal.  With just the arduino, a resistor chip, some recycled wood, and a lot of help in the form of interface components (plugs and jacks) from my old electronics teacher we have a working synthesizer.. and to be honest the results so far are much better than we expected.Here's hoping he posts source/schematic - patchable digital synthesis looks like fun! Arduino Pocket Piano Synth Kit Read more | Permalink | Comments | Digg this! From the MAKE Flickr pool The Arduino-based synth project formerly known as binder synth is now known as Adasynth - and it sounds like development is coming along right nicely. Davitr0n provides some background on his project - The goal of this project was to make a patchable synthesizer as versatile as we can while keeping the cost down.  Since I know how to program C++ and have a basic understanding of electronics we chose to use an arduino. So far we’ve stayed pretty true to that goal.  With just the arduino, a resistor chip, some recycled wood, and a lot of help in the form of interface components (plugs and jacks) from my old electronics teacher we have a working synthesizer.. and to be honest the results so far are much better than we expected.Here's hoping he posts source/schematic - patchable digital synthesis looks like fun! Arduino Pocket Piano Synth Kit Read more | Permalink | Comments | Digg this! From the MAKE Flickr pool The Arduino-based synth project formerly known as binder synth is now known as Adasynth - and it sounds like development is coming along right nicely. Davitr0n provides some background on his project - The goal of this project was to make a patchable synthesizer as versatile as we can while keeping the cost down.  Since I know how to program C++ and have a basic understanding of electronics we chose to use an arduino. So far we’ve stayed pretty true to that goal.  With just the arduino, a resistor chip, some recycled wood, and a lot of help in the form of interface components (plugs and jacks) from my old electronics teacher we have a working synthesizer.. and to be honest the results so far are much better than we expected.Here's hoping he posts source/schematic - patchable digital synthesis looks like fun! Arduino Pocket Piano Synth Kit Read more | Permalink | Comments | Digg this! tag:odeo.com,2009-11-04,25401080 Wed, 04 Nov 2009 06:00:00 -0800 no MAKE Magazine http://www.odeo.com/episodes/25401094-Alex-Rider-s-Smokescreen-Bike-Pump-contest-preview On November 17th, we'll be launching the Alex Rider Dream Gadget Contest, to coincide with the release of the next chapter in Alex's adventures, Crocodile Tears . The book comes out the same day that MAKE, Volume 20 (the kid-themed issue) hits newsstands! In case you're unaware, Alex Rider is a young spy whose exploits are chronicled in a popular series of teen spy/adventure books. Alex uses all sorts of crazy high tech contraptions, made from things in his school backpack, to get out of sticky situations. Attention all adventure-seekers, gadget lovers, and closet inventors. You are invited to join in the fun! If you were Alex Rider, what gadget would you want in the upcoming adventure Crocodile Tears? Design your Alex Rider dream gadget, inspired by an everyday object (i.e. an iPod, a toothpaste tube, a pen). The winning gadget will be built here at MAKE Labs. Send us a schematic, tell us what your gadget is made from, and how it works. Your entry can be a schematic, sketches, and/... On November 17th, we'll be launching the Alex Rider Dream Gadget Contest, to coincide with the release of the next chapter in Alex's adventures, Crocodile Tears . The book comes out the same day that MAKE, Volume 20 (the kid-themed issue) hits newsstands! In case you're unaware, Alex Rider is a young spy whose exploits are chronicled in a popular series of teen spy/adventure books. Alex uses all sorts of crazy high tech contraptions, made from things in his school backpack, to get out of sticky situations. Attention all adventure-seekers, gadget lovers, and closet inventors. You are invited to join in the fun! If you were Alex Rider, what gadget would you want in the upcoming adventure Crocodile Tears? Design your Alex Rider dream gadget, inspired by an everyday object (i.e. an iPod, a toothpaste tube, a pen). The winning gadget will be built here at MAKE Labs. Send us a schematic, tell us what your gadget is made from, and how it works. Your entry can be a schematic, sketches, and/or an explanation by you. Remember that the winning gadget should be inspired by an everyday object that one could realistically build (as much as we wish we could create a pair of scissors that fly us to the moon)! For the next two weeks, we'll be offering excerpts from the Alex Rider books, highlighting the fantastic, clever (and entirely fictional) gadgets used by Alex. Up this week is the Cannondale Bike Smokescreen Bike Pump from Eagle Strike. Cannondale Bad Boy Bike Smokescreen bike pump:This is activated by the blue button. The pump included with the modified Bad Boy does not, in fact, work as a pump; the flat-free tires should mean that punctures and deflation are never a problem. Instead it contains a miniature smoke machine designed to facilitate evasion of pursuers. The smoke machine heats a mixture of distilled water and propylene glycol and forces it into the air under pressure. The smoke is dense and nontoxic. Because it is heated, it tends to rise slowly; this means that the screen should work to mask the bike rider for thirty seconds before the fluid reservoir runs out, and for a further ten seconds until it disperses. Times may differ in windy conditions. The heating coil wrapped around the fluid tank will heat the contents to the correct temperature in under one second. The batteries powering it contain enough charge for one use and, like the fluid, must be replaced afterward. You can download the high-res schematic for the bike pump and download a sample chapter from Eagle Strike to see how Alex uses it to get out of trouble. Disclaimer: Excerpts from Alex Rider: The Gadgets by Anthony Horowitz are fictional and for inspiration only. Readers should not attempt to recreate these gadgets. More: Alex Rider's Geiger Counter Game Console Alex Rider's High Tensile Yo-Yo Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in Gadgets | Digg this! On November 17th, we'll be launching the Alex Rider Dream Gadget Contest, to coincide with the release of the next chapter in Alex's adventures, Crocodile Tears . The book comes out the same day that MAKE, Volume 20 (the kid-themed issue) hits newsstands! In case you're unaware, Alex Rider is a young spy whose exploits are chronicled in a popular series of teen spy/adventure books. Alex uses all sorts of crazy high tech contraptions, made from things in his school backpack, to get out of sticky situations. Attention all adventure-seekers, gadget lovers, and closet inventors. You are invited to join in the fun! If you were Alex Rider, what gadget would you want in the upcoming adventure Crocodile Tears? Design your Alex Rider dream gadget, inspired by an everyday object (i.e. an iPod, a toothpaste tube, a pen). The winning gadget will be built here at MAKE Labs. Send us a schematic, tell us what your gadget is made from, and how it works. Your entry can be a schematic, sketches, and/or an explanation by you. Remember that the winning gadget should be inspired by an everyday object that one could realistically build (as much as we wish we could create a pair of scissors that fly us to the moon)! For the next two weeks, we'll be offering excerpts from the Alex Rider books, highlighting the fantastic, clever (and entirely fictional) gadgets used by Alex. Up this week is the Cannondale Bike Smokescreen Bike Pump from Eagle Strike. Cannondale Bad Boy Bike Smokescreen bike pump:This is activated by the blue button. The pump included with the modified Bad Boy does not, in fact, work as a pump; the flat-free tires should mean that punctures and deflation are never a problem. Instead it contains a miniature smoke machine designed to facilitate evasion of pursuers. The smoke machine heats a mixture of distilled water and propylene glycol and forces it into the air under pressure. The smoke is dense and nontoxic. Because it is heated, it tends to rise slowly; this means that the screen should work to mask the bike rider for thirty seconds before the fluid reservoir runs out, and for a further ten seconds until it disperses. Times may differ in windy conditions. The heating coil wrapped around the fluid tank will heat the contents to the correct temperature in under one second. The batteries powering it contain enough charge for one use and, like the fluid, must be replaced afterward. You can download the high-res schematic for the bike pump and download a sample chapter from Eagle Strike to see how Alex uses it to get out of trouble. Disclaimer: Excerpts from Alex Rider: The Gadgets by Anthony Horowitz are fictional and for inspiration only. Readers should not attempt to recreate these gadgets. More: Alex Rider's Geiger Counter Game Console Alex Rider's High Tensile Yo-Yo Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in Gadgets | Digg this! tag:odeo.com,2009-11-03,25401094 Tue, 03 Nov 2009 08:00:32 -0800 no MAKE Magazine gadgets http://www.odeo.com/episodes/25378901-Bringing-a-20s-radio-back-to-life Got an old radio from the '20s, and want to bring it back to life? Well, the quickest way is probably be to remove all those dusty components and use the cabinet to hide a new stereo. That's not what radio hacker Greg Charvat had in mind for his, though. Instead, he restored the original radio circuitry, and even hooked it up to his iPod. Along the way, he ran into all sorts of neat discoveries, and many potential pitfalls. It turns out that electronics have changed quite a bit in the past 80 years, and even the most basic components such as resistors and capacitors can be unrecognizable. Another issue is that the cloth and rubber used for insulation on the wiring will have dried out, making it necessary to handle everything extremely carefully. One nice thing about equipment of this vintage, however, is that it was usually designed to be repaired, so chances are good that a schematic is available. To give you an idea of the issues one should expect to encounter when attempting this... Got an old radio from the '20s, and want to bring it back to life? Well, the quickest way is probably be to remove all those dusty components and use the cabinet to hide a new stereo. That's not what radio hacker Greg Charvat had in mind for his, though. Instead, he restored the original radio circuitry, and even hooked it up to his iPod. Along the way, he ran into all sorts of neat discoveries, and many potential pitfalls. It turns out that electronics have changed quite a bit in the past 80 years, and even the most basic components such as resistors and capacitors can be unrecognizable. Another issue is that the cloth and rubber used for insulation on the wiring will have dried out, making it necessary to handle everything extremely carefully. One nice thing about equipment of this vintage, however, is that it was usually designed to be repaired, so chances are good that a schematic is available. To give you an idea of the issues one should expect to encounter when attempting this, here is the overview he gives in a presentation about the project: Do not power up your radio! yes, it does not work more harm than good Find service manual Replace all electrolytic and paper capacitors Replace anything that looks damaged (burned or exploded) Try radio (wear safety glasses) Signal trace through circuit, replacing resistors where needed Radio will work As usual for high-voltage projects, and especially for high-voltage projects involving unknown vintage equipment, don't attempt this unless you have the proper training, because the electronics inside are most certainly deadly. Don't give up though, just make sure you learn enough to know what you are doing! Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in Electronics | Digg this! Got an old radio from the '20s, and want to bring it back to life? Well, the quickest way is probably be to remove all those dusty components and use the cabinet to hide a new stereo. That's not what radio hacker Greg Charvat had in mind for his, though. Instead, he restored the original radio circuitry, and even hooked it up to his iPod. Along the way, he ran into all sorts of neat discoveries, and many potential pitfalls. It turns out that electronics have changed quite a bit in the past 80 years, and even the most basic components such as resistors and capacitors can be unrecognizable. Another issue is that the cloth and rubber used for insulation on the wiring will have dried out, making it necessary to handle everything extremely carefully. One nice thing about equipment of this vintage, however, is that it was usually designed to be repaired, so chances are good that a schematic is available. To give you an idea of the issues one should expect to encounter when attempting this, here is the overview he gives in a presentation about the project: Do not power up your radio! yes, it does not work more harm than good Find service manual Replace all electrolytic and paper capacitors Replace anything that looks damaged (burned or exploded) Try radio (wear safety glasses) Signal trace through circuit, replacing resistors where needed Radio will work As usual for high-voltage projects, and especially for high-voltage projects involving unknown vintage equipment, don't attempt this unless you have the proper training, because the electronics inside are most certainly deadly. Don't give up though, just make sure you learn enough to know what you are doing! Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in Electronics | Digg this! tag:odeo.com,2009-10-26,25378901 Mon, 26 Oct 2009 14:00:00 -0700 no MAKE Magazine electronics http://www.odeo.com/episodes/25356344-Weekend-Project-The-Atlatl Here is an easy to make ancient yet modern device that hurls spears at up to 100mph. Thanks go to Daryl Hrdlicka for the original article in MAKE, Volume 12. To download The Atlatl video click here and subscribe in iTunes. Check out the complete Atlatl article in MAKE, Volume 12 and you can see that in our Digital Edition. Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in Weekend Projects | Digg this! Here is an easy to make ancient yet modern device that hurls spears at up to 100mph. Thanks go to Daryl Hrdlicka for the original article in MAKE, Volume 12. To download The Atlatl video click here and subscribe in iTunes. Check out the complete Atlatl article in MAKE, Volume 12 and you can see that in our Digital Edition. Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in Weekend Projects | Digg this! Here is an easy to make ancient yet modern device that hurls spears at up to 100mph. Thanks go to Daryl Hrdlicka for the original article in MAKE, Volume 12. To download The Atlatl video click here and subscribe in iTunes. Check out the complete Atlatl article in MAKE, Volume 12 and you can see that in our Digital Edition. Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in Weekend Projects | Digg this! tag:odeo.com,2009-10-23,25356344 Fri, 23 Oct 2009 06:01:00 -0700 no MAKE Magazine Weekend Projects http://www.odeo.com/episodes/25331521-Alex-Rider-s-High-Tensile-Yo-Yo-contest-preview-and-book-giveaway On November 17th, we'll be launching the Alex Rider Dream Gadget Contest, to coincide with the release of the next chapter in Alex's adventures, Crocodile Tears . The book comes out the same day that MAKE, Volume 20 (the kid-themed issue) hits newsstands! In case you're unaware, Alex Rider is a young spy whose exploits are chronicled in a popular series of teen spy/adventure books. Alex uses all sorts of crazy high tech contraptions, made from things in his school backpack, to get out of sticky situations. MAKE is teaming up with the Penguin Group to present The Alex Rider Dream Gadget Contest. Attention all adventure-seekers, gadget lovers, and closet inventors. You are invited to join in the fun! If you were Alex Rider, what gadget would you want in the upcoming adventure Crocodile Tears? Design your Alex Rider dream gadget, inspired by an everyday object (i.e. an iPod, a toothpaste tube, a pen). The winning gadget will be built here at MAKE Labs. Send us a schematic, tell us what... On November 17th, we'll be launching the Alex Rider Dream Gadget Contest, to coincide with the release of the next chapter in Alex's adventures, Crocodile Tears . The book comes out the same day that MAKE, Volume 20 (the kid-themed issue) hits newsstands! In case you're unaware, Alex Rider is a young spy whose exploits are chronicled in a popular series of teen spy/adventure books. Alex uses all sorts of crazy high tech contraptions, made from things in his school backpack, to get out of sticky situations. MAKE is teaming up with the Penguin Group to present The Alex Rider Dream Gadget Contest. Attention all adventure-seekers, gadget lovers, and closet inventors. You are invited to join in the fun! If you were Alex Rider, what gadget would you want in the upcoming adventure Crocodile Tears? Design your Alex Rider dream gadget, inspired by an everyday object (i.e. an iPod, a toothpaste tube, a pen). The winning gadget will be built here at MAKE Labs. Send us a schematic, tell us what your gadget is made from, and how it works. Your entry can be a schematic, sketches, and/or an explanation by you. Remember that the winning gadget should be inspired by an everyday object that one could realistically build (as much as we wish we could create a pair of scissors that fly us to the moon)! Over the next few weeks, we'll be offering excerpts from the Alex Rider books, highlighting the fantastic, clever (and entirely fictional) gadgets used by Alex. We'll also be giving away a whole pile of books from the series! The gadgets schematics we'll be sharing with you are all from Alex Rider: The Gadgets , a special illustrated book of gadgets described in the novels. In the series, M16 agent Smithers creates these clever tools for Alex to use on his missions. First up is the high-tensile yo-yo from Stormbreaker, useful for climbing: High-tensile yo-yo: This black plastic yo-yo, slightly larger than standard, is in fact a miracle of miniaturized engineering. When it is activated using a concealed switch, it acts as a winch, winding the cord back around the axle. It is intended to clip in an agent's belt for use as a climbing aid. One half of the yo-yo contains the micromotor array, made from super-tough carbon fiber components. A complex micromechanical gear system delivers up to 350 watts of power. The other half houses the highly advanced lanthanum/nickel/tin battery, which supplies as much current as a car battery yet fits into less than a tenth of the space. The battery holds enough charge to let the motor run continuously for one hour. When it is due to be recharged, the agent needs only to use the device as a yo-yo; the spinning motion runs a tiny generator in its core and will charge the unit fully in approximately fifteen minutes. The cord itself is made from an advanced form of nylon that can lift weights of up to two hundred pounds. One hundred feet of it are wound around the central axle. Because the yo-yo may have to be used as a toy, either to recharge the battery or to pass inspection, it has been designed to function normally despite the unusually long cord; this has been achieved by using a pair of axles, inner and outer. When the yo-yo is dropped, the cord pays out to a length of one yard before the outer axle locks in place. The two sides can then spin around the inner one. Pulling the cord harder unlocks the outer axle and allows the entire hundred feet to unwind. Check out the high-res gadget schematic of the yo-yo for more details. Alex uses it to get out of a very high-flung predicament in Stormbreaker: He was suspended underneath the plane by a single thin white cord, twisting around and around as he was carried ever farther into the air. The wind was rushing past him, battering his face and deafening him. He couldn't even hear the propellers, just above his head. The belt was cutting into his waist. He could hardly breathe. Desperately, he scrabbled for the yo-yo and found the control he wanted. A single button. He pressed it and the tiny powerful motor inside the yo-yo began to turn. The yo-yo rotated on his belt, pulling in the cord. Very slowly, an inch at a time, Alex was drawn up toward the plane. To get a bigger taste of Stormbreaker, download a sample excerpt. Disclaimer: Excerpts from Alex Rider: The Gadgets by Anthony Horowitz are fictional and for inspiration only. Readers should not attempt to recreate these gadgets. Book Giveaway Time! First up, we're giving away two copies each of Stormbreaker and Point Blank. Just leave a comment in this post and tell us why you or your kid(s) needs one of these books. Please make sure you include your email address in the comment form field (it won't be published). All eligible comments will be closed by Noon PDT on Sunday, October 25th. The winners will be announced next week on the site. Good luck! Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in Announcements | Digg this! On November 17th, we'll be launching the Alex Rider Dream Gadget Contest, to coincide with the release of the next chapter in Alex's adventures, Crocodile Tears . The book comes out the same day that MAKE, Volume 20 (the kid-themed issue) hits newsstands! In case you're unaware, Alex Rider is a young spy whose exploits are chronicled in a popular series of teen spy/adventure books. Alex uses all sorts of crazy high tech contraptions, made from things in his school backpack, to get out of sticky situations. MAKE is teaming up with the Penguin Group to present The Alex Rider Dream Gadget Contest. Attention all adventure-seekers, gadget lovers, and closet inventors. You are invited to join in the fun! If you were Alex Rider, what gadget would you want in the upcoming adventure Crocodile Tears? Design your Alex Rider dream gadget, inspired by an everyday object (i.e. an iPod, a toothpaste tube, a pen). The winning gadget will be built here at MAKE Labs. Send us a schematic, tell us what your gadget is made from, and how it works. Your entry can be a schematic, sketches, and/or an explanation by you. Remember that the winning gadget should be inspired by an everyday object that one could realistically build (as much as we wish we could create a pair of scissors that fly us to the moon)! Over the next few weeks, we'll be offering excerpts from the Alex Rider books, highlighting the fantastic, clever (and entirely fictional) gadgets used by Alex. We'll also be giving away a whole pile of books from the series! The gadgets schematics we'll be sharing with you are all from Alex Rider: The Gadgets , a special illustrated book of gadgets described in the novels. In the series, M16 agent Smithers creates these clever tools for Alex to use on his missions. First up is the high-tensile yo-yo from Stormbreaker, useful for climbing: High-tensile yo-yo: This black plastic yo-yo, slightly larger than standard, is in fact a miracle of miniaturized engineering. When it is activated using a concealed switch, it acts as a winch, winding the cord back around the axle. It is intended to clip in an agent's belt for use as a climbing aid. One half of the yo-yo contains the micromotor array, made from super-tough carbon fiber components. A complex micromechanical gear system delivers up to 350 watts of power. The other half houses the highly advanced lanthanum/nickel/tin battery, which supplies as much current as a car battery yet fits into less than a tenth of the space. The battery holds enough charge to let the motor run continuously for one hour. When it is due to be recharged, the agent needs only to use the device as a yo-yo; the spinning motion runs a tiny generator in its core and will charge the unit fully in approximately fifteen minutes. The cord itself is made from an advanced form of nylon that can lift weights of up to two hundred pounds. One hundred feet of it are wound around the central axle. Because the yo-yo may have to be used as a toy, either to recharge the battery or to pass inspection, it has been designed to function normally despite the unusually long cord; this has been achieved by using a pair of axles, inner and outer. When the yo-yo is dropped, the cord pays out to a length of one yard before the outer axle locks in place. The two sides can then spin around the inner one. Pulling the cord harder unlocks the outer axle and allows the entire hundred feet to unwind. Check out the high-res gadget schematic of the yo-yo for more details. Alex uses it to get out of a very high-flung predicament in Stormbreaker: He was suspended underneath the plane by a single thin white cord, twisting around and around as he was carried ever farther into the air. The wind was rushing past him, battering his face and deafening him. He couldn't even hear the propellers, just above his head. The belt was cutting into his waist. He could hardly breathe. Desperately, he scrabbled for the yo-yo and found the control he wanted. A single button. He pressed it and the tiny powerful motor inside the yo-yo began to turn. The yo-yo rotated on his belt, pulling in the cord. Very slowly, an inch at a time, Alex was drawn up toward the plane. To get a bigger taste of Stormbreaker, download a sample excerpt. Disclaimer: Excerpts from Alex Rider: The Gadgets by Anthony Horowitz are fictional and for inspiration only. Readers should not attempt to recreate these gadgets. Book Giveaway Time! First up, we're giving away two copies each of Stormbreaker and Point Blank. Just leave a comment in this post and tell us why you or your kid(s) needs one of these books. Please make sure you include your email address in the comment form field (it won't be published). All eligible comments will be closed by Noon PDT on Sunday, October 25th. The winners will be announced next week on the site. Good luck! Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in Announcements | Digg this! tag:odeo.com,2009-10-21,25331521 Wed, 21 Oct 2009 11:00:24 -0700 no MAKE Magazine Announcements http://www.odeo.com/episodes/25287349-This-week-in-Maker-Events 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 Calender. Wish your event was on the list? Add it to the calender! Coming up this week: Science Days Rust, Germany Thursday, Oct 15, 2009 - Saturday, Oct 17, 2009 HANDMADE MUSIC NIGHT: Felted musical suits and arcade button music! Brooklyn, NY Thursday, Oct 15, 2009, 7:30pm + California Hot Rod Reunion McFarland, CA Friday, Oct 16, 2009 - Sunday, Oct 18, 2009 Milton Keynes Science Festival Central Milton Keynes, United Kingdom Saturday, Oct 17, 2009 - Sunday, Oct 25, 2009 Bay Area Hamcram Fremont, CA Saturday, Oct 17, 2009, 8am - 5pm Joule Thievery Brooklyn, NY Saturday, Oct 17, 2009, 4pm - 6pm Arduino/Soldering 101 - Make your own Arduino and Learn to Program it! Brooklyn, NY Sunday, Oct 18, 2009, 1pm - 4pm William Gurstelle Presents "Absinthe and Flamethrowers" (PDF, see page 5) Owatonna, MN Monday, Oct 19, 2009, 7pm - 8:30pm Introductory ... 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 Calender. Wish your event was on the list? Add it to the calender! Coming up this week: Science Days Rust, Germany Thursday, Oct 15, 2009 - Saturday, Oct 17, 2009 HANDMADE MUSIC NIGHT: Felted musical suits and arcade button music! Brooklyn, NY Thursday, Oct 15, 2009, 7:30pm + California Hot Rod Reunion McFarland, CA Friday, Oct 16, 2009 - Sunday, Oct 18, 2009 Milton Keynes Science Festival Central Milton Keynes, United Kingdom Saturday, Oct 17, 2009 - Sunday, Oct 25, 2009 Bay Area Hamcram Fremont, CA Saturday, Oct 17, 2009, 8am - 5pm Joule Thievery Brooklyn, NY Saturday, Oct 17, 2009, 4pm - 6pm Arduino/Soldering 101 - Make your own Arduino and Learn to Program it! Brooklyn, NY Sunday, Oct 18, 2009, 1pm - 4pm William Gurstelle Presents "Absinthe and Flamethrowers" (PDF, see page 5) Owatonna, MN Monday, Oct 19, 2009, 7pm - 8:30pm Introductory Arduino Class Brooklyn, NY Monday, Nov 19, 2009, 7:30pm - 9:30pm Start planning for: Manchester Science Festival 2009 Manchester, United Kingdom Sat, October 24, 2009 - Sunday, Nov 01, 2009 Video Editing in iMovie '09 Pittsburgh, PA Saturday, Oct 24, 2009, 2pm - 4:30pm Make:RDU inaugural meeting Durham, NC Saturday, Oct 24, 2009, 2pm + CPUs 0b1100101: Intro to computer processors Brooklyn, NY Sunday, Oct 25, 2009, 1pm - 3pm High Fashion Low Voltage (part 1) Arduino Lilypad Saint Paul, MN Saturday, Oct 31, 2009, 9pm - 12pm Mobile Art && Code Pittsburgh, PA Friday, Nov 6 to Sunday, Nov 8, 2009, all weekend Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in Events | Digg this! 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 Calender. Wish your event was on the list? Add it to the calender! Coming up this week: Science Days Rust, Germany Thursday, Oct 15, 2009 - Saturday, Oct 17, 2009 HANDMADE MUSIC NIGHT: Felted musical suits and arcade button music! Brooklyn, NY Thursday, Oct 15, 2009, 7:30pm + California Hot Rod Reunion McFarland, CA Friday, Oct 16, 2009 - Sunday, Oct 18, 2009 Milton Keynes Science Festival Central Milton Keynes, United Kingdom Saturday, Oct 17, 2009 - Sunday, Oct 25, 2009 Bay Area Hamcram Fremont, CA Saturday, Oct 17, 2009, 8am - 5pm Joule Thievery Brooklyn, NY Saturday, Oct 17, 2009, 4pm - 6pm Arduino/Soldering 101 - Make your own Arduino and Learn to Program it! Brooklyn, NY Sunday, Oct 18, 2009, 1pm - 4pm William Gurstelle Presents "Absinthe and Flamethrowers" (PDF, see page 5) Owatonna, MN Monday, Oct 19, 2009, 7pm - 8:30pm Introductory Arduino Class Brooklyn, NY Monday, Nov 19, 2009, 7:30pm - 9:30pm Start planning for: Manchester Science Festival 2009 Manchester, United Kingdom Sat, October 24, 2009 - Sunday, Nov 01, 2009 Video Editing in iMovie '09 Pittsburgh, PA Saturday, Oct 24, 2009, 2pm - 4:30pm Make:RDU inaugural meeting Durham, NC Saturday, Oct 24, 2009, 2pm + CPUs 0b1100101: Intro to computer processors Brooklyn, NY Sunday, Oct 25, 2009, 1pm - 3pm High Fashion Low Voltage (part 1) Arduino Lilypad Saint Paul, MN Saturday, Oct 31, 2009, 9pm - 12pm Mobile Art && Code Pittsburgh, PA Friday, Nov 6 to Sunday, Nov 8, 2009, all weekend Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in Events | Digg this! tag:odeo.com,2009-10-14,25287349 Wed, 14 Oct 2009 18:00:00 -0700 no MAKE Magazine events http://www.odeo.com/episodes/25253407-Edwin-Wise-s-hot-web-glue-gun I have a dirty secret. I probably shouldn't even admit it here, but I just woke up and my judgment is impaired: I did not buy the MAKE: Halloween Special Edition when it came out back in 2007. Am I fired? Is this thing still on? Shameful, I know. And most embarrassing when the opportunity to cover the Make: Halloween Contest 2009 beat was presented to me back in September. "You can blog about all your favorite projects from the Halloween Special Issue, too," they said. And I was like, "Uh huh, yup, sure will. Got a list of those right here." So, long story short, my copy just showed up in the mail and I read it for the first time. It's great! Among my favorite projects is Edwin Wise's pneumatic spider-web shooter (.pdf) , which turns an ordinary hot glue gun into a faux cobweb-sprayer. It never would've occurred to me to marry a glue gun to an air compressor, and now I've got all kinds of derivative ideas bouncing around in my head. Which, I should've remembered, is why I read MAKE ... I have a dirty secret. I probably shouldn't even admit it here, but I just woke up and my judgment is impaired: I did not buy the MAKE: Halloween Special Edition when it came out back in 2007. Am I fired? Is this thing still on? Shameful, I know. And most embarrassing when the opportunity to cover the Make: Halloween Contest 2009 beat was presented to me back in September. "You can blog about all your favorite projects from the Halloween Special Issue, too," they said. And I was like, "Uh huh, yup, sure will. Got a list of those right here." So, long story short, my copy just showed up in the mail and I read it for the first time. It's great! Among my favorite projects is Edwin Wise's pneumatic spider-web shooter (.pdf) , which turns an ordinary hot glue gun into a faux cobweb-sprayer. It never would've occurred to me to marry a glue gun to an air compressor, and now I've got all kinds of derivative ideas bouncing around in my head. Which, I should've remembered, is why I read MAKE in the first place. From MAKE magazine: DIY HALLOWEEN from MAKE & CRAFT! DIY HALLOWEEN from the editors of MAKE and CRAFT brings you 40-plus DIY projects for the holiday that's made for makers. From the craftiest costumes to amazing animated props and the latest in computer-controlled haunted house effects. Make: Halloween Contest 2009 Microchip Technology Inc. and MAKE have teamed up to present to you the Make: Halloween Contest 2009! Show us your embedded microcontroller Halloween projects and you could be chosen as a winner. Read more | Permalink | Comments | Digg this! I have a dirty secret. I probably shouldn't even admit it here, but I just woke up and my judgment is impaired: I did not buy the MAKE: Halloween Special Edition when it came out back in 2007. Am I fired? Is this thing still on? Shameful, I know. And most embarrassing when the opportunity to cover the Make: Halloween Contest 2009 beat was presented to me back in September. "You can blog about all your favorite projects from the Halloween Special Issue, too," they said. And I was like, "Uh huh, yup, sure will. Got a list of those right here." So, long story short, my copy just showed up in the mail and I read it for the first time. It's great! Among my favorite projects is Edwin Wise's pneumatic spider-web shooter (.pdf) , which turns an ordinary hot glue gun into a faux cobweb-sprayer. It never would've occurred to me to marry a glue gun to an air compressor, and now I've got all kinds of derivative ideas bouncing around in my head. Which, I should've remembered, is why I read MAKE in the first place. From MAKE magazine: DIY HALLOWEEN from MAKE & CRAFT! DIY HALLOWEEN from the editors of MAKE and CRAFT brings you 40-plus DIY projects for the holiday that's made for makers. From the craftiest costumes to amazing animated props and the latest in computer-controlled haunted house effects. Make: Halloween Contest 2009 Microchip Technology Inc. and MAKE have teamed up to present to you the Make: Halloween Contest 2009! Show us your embedded microcontroller Halloween projects and you could be chosen as a winner. Read more | Permalink | Comments | Digg this! tag:odeo.com,2009-10-08,25253407 Thu, 08 Oct 2009 08:20:46 -0700 no MAKE Magazine http://www.odeo.com/episodes/25245481-Software-generates-photos-from-your-sketches Too lazy to actually get out and take pictures? Then you might want to check out Photosketch, an interesting research project by researchers at Tsinghua University. Starting with a basic sketch consisting of shapes and tags describing what you want, the software searches a database of images and finds things that will fit. Their site is suspiciously down, at the moment, however kottke posted a link to their research paper. Hopefully this actually gets released! [Thanks Stuart!] Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in Arts | Digg this! Too lazy to actually get out and take pictures? Then you might want to check out Photosketch, an interesting research project by researchers at Tsinghua University. Starting with a basic sketch consisting of shapes and tags describing what you want, the software searches a database of images and finds things that will fit. Their site is suspiciously down, at the moment, however kottke posted a link to their research paper. Hopefully this actually gets released! [Thanks Stuart!] Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in Arts | Digg this! Too lazy to actually get out and take pictures? Then you might want to check out Photosketch, an interesting research project by researchers at Tsinghua University. Starting with a basic sketch consisting of shapes and tags describing what you want, the software searches a database of images and finds things that will fit. Their site is suspiciously down, at the moment, however kottke posted a link to their research paper. Hopefully this actually gets released! [Thanks Stuart!] Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in Arts | Digg this! tag:odeo.com,2009-10-06,25245481 Tue, 06 Oct 2009 19:00:00 -0700 no MAKE Magazine Arts http://www.odeo.com/episodes/25235786-Fiction-science-theory-of-Superman-s-powers Back in 2005, I wrote a fictional scientific paper (.pdf) postulating that zombiism is in fact caused by a prion, rather than a virus, as is commonly hypothesized. I also wrote a short essay about the idea of "fiction science" at the time. Now Ben Tippet, at the behest of Dinosaur Comics' Ryan North, has written a similarly fictional scientific paper (.pdf) presenting "A Unified Theory of Superman's Powers" from a physicist's perspective. I'd be interested in hearing of other examples of people co-opting the serious literary forms of science for fictional purposes. If you know of one, please drop me a comment. [via Neatorama] Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in Arts | Digg this! Back in 2005, I wrote a fictional scientific paper (.pdf) postulating that zombiism is in fact caused by a prion, rather than a virus, as is commonly hypothesized. I also wrote a short essay about the idea of "fiction science" at the time. Now Ben Tippet, at the behest of Dinosaur Comics' Ryan North, has written a similarly fictional scientific paper (.pdf) presenting "A Unified Theory of Superman's Powers" from a physicist's perspective. I'd be interested in hearing of other examples of people co-opting the serious literary forms of science for fictional purposes. If you know of one, please drop me a comment. [via Neatorama] Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in Arts | Digg this! Back in 2005, I wrote a fictional scientific paper (.pdf) postulating that zombiism is in fact caused by a prion, rather than a virus, as is commonly hypothesized. I also wrote a short essay about the idea of "fiction science" at the time. Now Ben Tippet, at the behest of Dinosaur Comics' Ryan North, has written a similarly fictional scientific paper (.pdf) presenting "A Unified Theory of Superman's Powers" from a physicist's perspective. I'd be interested in hearing of other examples of people co-opting the serious literary forms of science for fictional purposes. If you know of one, please drop me a comment. [via Neatorama] Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in Arts | Digg this! tag:odeo.com,2009-10-05,25235786 Mon, 05 Oct 2009 10:00:00 -0700 no MAKE Magazine Arts http://www.odeo.com/episodes/25215771-Build-an-experimental-echo-pedal This crazy echo circuit is the design I've been using in my EchoBender pedal. Check out some videos of the circuit in action. The heart of this circuit is the PT2399 echo IC. View the data sheet here. They can be found pretty cheaply from various distributors. The fun starts when you push the IC beyond it's intended parameters. Drastically lowering the pitch uncovers digital noise and strange blipping effects. I've also included a fun audio feedback feature which can be used to create intense distortion as well as interesting octave and pitch tracking effects. More: Collin's Lab: Guitar pedal modding with Arduino Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in DIY Projects | Digg this! This crazy echo circuit is the design I've been using in my EchoBender pedal. Check out some videos of the circuit in action. The heart of this circuit is the PT2399 echo IC. View the data sheet here. They can be found pretty cheaply from various distributors. The fun starts when you push the IC beyond it's intended parameters. Drastically lowering the pitch uncovers digital noise and strange blipping effects. I've also included a fun audio feedback feature which can be used to create intense distortion as well as interesting octave and pitch tracking effects. More: Collin's Lab: Guitar pedal modding with Arduino Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in DIY Projects | Digg this! This crazy echo circuit is the design I've been using in my EchoBender pedal. Check out some videos of the circuit in action. The heart of this circuit is the PT2399 echo IC. View the data sheet here. They can be found pretty cheaply from various distributors. The fun starts when you push the IC beyond it's intended parameters. Drastically lowering the pitch uncovers digital noise and strange blipping effects. I've also included a fun audio feedback feature which can be used to create intense distortion as well as interesting octave and pitch tracking effects. More: Collin's Lab: Guitar pedal modding with Arduino Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in DIY Projects | Digg this! tag:odeo.com,2009-10-01,25215771 Thu, 01 Oct 2009 06:00:00 -0700 no MAKE Magazine DIY Projects http://www.odeo.com/episodes/25219237-Build-an-experimental-echo-pedal !ATTENTION! I have made some changes to the schematic I posted this morning. The schematic posted below reflects these changes. -C1 has been assigned a value of 47uF -R19 has been removed. -An unmarked resistor at pin 5 of the op amp has been removed. This crazy echo circuit is the design I've been using in my EchoBender pedal. Check out some videos of the circuit in action. The heart of this circuit is the PT2399 echo IC. View the data sheet here. They can be found pretty cheaply from various distributors. The fun starts when you push the IC beyond it's intended parameters. Drastically lowering the pitch uncovers digital noise and strange blipping effects. I've also included a fun audio feedback feature which can be used to create intense distortion as well as interesting octave and pitch tracking effects. Thanks to Dan Wagoner for sending in a parts list! More: Collin's Lab: Guitar pedal modding with Arduino Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in DIY Projects | D... !ATTENTION! I have made some changes to the schematic I posted this morning. The schematic posted below reflects these changes. -C1 has been assigned a value of 47uF -R19 has been removed. -An unmarked resistor at pin 5 of the op amp has been removed. This crazy echo circuit is the design I've been using in my EchoBender pedal. Check out some videos of the circuit in action. The heart of this circuit is the PT2399 echo IC. View the data sheet here. They can be found pretty cheaply from various distributors. The fun starts when you push the IC beyond it's intended parameters. Drastically lowering the pitch uncovers digital noise and strange blipping effects. I've also included a fun audio feedback feature which can be used to create intense distortion as well as interesting octave and pitch tracking effects. Thanks to Dan Wagoner for sending in a parts list! More: Collin's Lab: Guitar pedal modding with Arduino Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in DIY Projects | Digg this! !ATTENTION! I have made some changes to the schematic I posted this morning. The schematic posted below reflects these changes. -C1 has been assigned a value of 47uF -R19 has been removed. -An unmarked resistor at pin 5 of the op amp has been removed. This crazy echo circuit is the design I've been using in my EchoBender pedal. Check out some videos of the circuit in action. The heart of this circuit is the PT2399 echo IC. View the data sheet here. They can be found pretty cheaply from various distributors. The fun starts when you push the IC beyond it's intended parameters. Drastically lowering the pitch uncovers digital noise and strange blipping effects. I've also included a fun audio feedback feature which can be used to create intense distortion as well as interesting octave and pitch tracking effects. Thanks to Dan Wagoner for sending in a parts list! More: Collin's Lab: Guitar pedal modding with Arduino Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in DIY Projects | Digg this! tag:odeo.com,2009-10-01,25219237 Thu, 01 Oct 2009 06:00:00 -0700 no MAKE Magazine DIY Projects http://www.odeo.com/episodes/25190230-Fan-controller-protects-home-theater-equipment MAKE subscriber WidgetNinja writes in to share their first circuit board design, a fan speed controller. This circuit monitors air temperature in a home theater equipment cabinet, and regulates the speed of a fan in order to keep the whole thing cool. Rather than using a microcontroller and some custom code, this controller is based around the TC649 fan controller from Microchip. A neat feature that this chip incorporates is a fault detection circuit, that will trigger if the fan motor stops working. It's probably overkill for most projects, however it could come in handy if you are using the fan to protect expensive equipment from being damaged. Congratulations on your first build, it looks great! Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in Electronics | Digg this! MAKE subscriber WidgetNinja writes in to share their first circuit board design, a fan speed controller. This circuit monitors air temperature in a home theater equipment cabinet, and regulates the speed of a fan in order to keep the whole thing cool. Rather than using a microcontroller and some custom code, this controller is based around the TC649 fan controller from Microchip. A neat feature that this chip incorporates is a fault detection circuit, that will trigger if the fan motor stops working. It's probably overkill for most projects, however it could come in handy if you are using the fan to protect expensive equipment from being damaged. Congratulations on your first build, it looks great! Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in Electronics | Digg this! MAKE subscriber WidgetNinja writes in to share their first circuit board design, a fan speed controller. This circuit monitors air temperature in a home theater equipment cabinet, and regulates the speed of a fan in order to keep the whole thing cool. Rather than using a microcontroller and some custom code, this controller is based around the TC649 fan controller from Microchip. A neat feature that this chip incorporates is a fault detection circuit, that will trigger if the fan motor stops working. It's probably overkill for most projects, however it could come in handy if you are using the fan to protect expensive equipment from being damaged. Congratulations on your first build, it looks great! Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in Electronics | Digg this! tag:odeo.com,2009-09-26,25190230 Sat, 26 Sep 2009 14:00:00 -0700 no MAKE Magazine electronics http://www.odeo.com/episodes/25176354-This-week-in-Maker-Events 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 Calender. Wish your event was on the list? Add it to the calender! Coming up this week: Gizmodo Gallery New York, NY Sept 23 to Sep 27, 2009, (times vary) Innovations of Yesteryear Waltham, MA Saturday, Sep 26, 2009, 10am - 4pm Working Waterfront Festival New Bedford, MA Saturday, Sep 26 and Sunday, Sep 27, 2009, 11am - 7pm Introduction to Sensors Toronto, ON Saturday, Sep 26 and Sunday, Sep 27, 2009, 12pm - 4pm Circuit Bending Workshop Milwaukee, WI Wednesday, Sep 30, 2009, 6:30pm - 9pm End of Summer BBQ Potluck for Portland Makers Portland, OR Saturday, Sep 26, 2009, 3pm + Red Bull Soapbox Race Los Angeles, CA Saturday, Sep 26, 2009, 11am + Start planning for: Introduction to Electronics Brooklyn, NY Saturday, Oct 3, 2009, 1pm - 4pm Mobile Art && Code Pittsburgh, PA Friday, Nov 6 to Sunday, Nov 8, 2009, all weekend Read more | Permalink | ... 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 Calender. Wish your event was on the list? Add it to the calender! Coming up this week: Gizmodo Gallery New York, NY Sept 23 to Sep 27, 2009, (times vary) Innovations of Yesteryear Waltham, MA Saturday, Sep 26, 2009, 10am - 4pm Working Waterfront Festival New Bedford, MA Saturday, Sep 26 and Sunday, Sep 27, 2009, 11am - 7pm Introduction to Sensors Toronto, ON Saturday, Sep 26 and Sunday, Sep 27, 2009, 12pm - 4pm Circuit Bending Workshop Milwaukee, WI Wednesday, Sep 30, 2009, 6:30pm - 9pm End of Summer BBQ Potluck for Portland Makers Portland, OR Saturday, Sep 26, 2009, 3pm + Red Bull Soapbox Race Los Angeles, CA Saturday, Sep 26, 2009, 11am + Start planning for: Introduction to Electronics Brooklyn, NY Saturday, Oct 3, 2009, 1pm - 4pm Mobile Art && Code Pittsburgh, PA Friday, Nov 6 to Sunday, Nov 8, 2009, all weekend Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in Events | Digg this! 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 Calender. Wish your event was on the list? Add it to the calender! Coming up this week: Gizmodo Gallery New York, NY Sept 23 to Sep 27, 2009, (times vary) Innovations of Yesteryear Waltham, MA Saturday, Sep 26, 2009, 10am - 4pm Working Waterfront Festival New Bedford, MA Saturday, Sep 26 and Sunday, Sep 27, 2009, 11am - 7pm Introduction to Sensors Toronto, ON Saturday, Sep 26 and Sunday, Sep 27, 2009, 12pm - 4pm Circuit Bending Workshop Milwaukee, WI Wednesday, Sep 30, 2009, 6:30pm - 9pm End of Summer BBQ Potluck for Portland Makers Portland, OR Saturday, Sep 26, 2009, 3pm + Red Bull Soapbox Race Los Angeles, CA Saturday, Sep 26, 2009, 11am + Start planning for: Introduction to Electronics Brooklyn, NY Saturday, Oct 3, 2009, 1pm - 4pm Mobile Art && Code Pittsburgh, PA Friday, Nov 6 to Sunday, Nov 8, 2009, all weekend Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in Events | Digg this! tag:odeo.com,2009-09-23,25176354 Wed, 23 Sep 2009 22:00:00 -0700 no MAKE Magazine events http://www.odeo.com/episodes/25175004-This-week-in-MAKER-Events Looking to take a break from tinkering on your latest project this weekend? Here some fine maker events to check out, from the MAKER Events calender. Wish your event was on the list? Add it to the calender! In the next week: Gizmodo Gallery New York, NY Sept 23 to Sep 27, 2009, (times vary) Innovations of Yesteryear Waltham, MA Saturday, Sep 26, 2009, 10am - 4pm Working Waterfront Festival New Bedford, MA Saturday, Sep 26 and Sunday, Sep 27, 2009, 11am - 7pm Introduction to Sensors Toronto, ON Saturday, Sep 26 and Sunday, Sep 27, 2009, 12pm - 4pm Circuit Bending Workshop Milwaukee, WI Wednesday, Sep 30, 2009, 6:30pm - 9pm End of Summer BBQ Potluck for Portland Makers Portland, OR Saturday, Sep 26, 2009, 3pm + Red Bull Soapbox Race Los Angeles, CA Saturday, Sep 26, 2009, 11am + Start planning for: Introduction to Electronics Brooklyn, NY Saturday, Oct 3, 2009, 1pm - 4pm Mobile Art && Code Pittsburgh, PA Friday, Nov 6 to Sunday, Nov 8, 2009, all weekend Read more | Permalink | Comment... Looking to take a break from tinkering on your latest project this weekend? Here some fine maker events to check out, from the MAKER Events calender. Wish your event was on the list? Add it to the calender! In the next week: Gizmodo Gallery New York, NY Sept 23 to Sep 27, 2009, (times vary) Innovations of Yesteryear Waltham, MA Saturday, Sep 26, 2009, 10am - 4pm Working Waterfront Festival New Bedford, MA Saturday, Sep 26 and Sunday, Sep 27, 2009, 11am - 7pm Introduction to Sensors Toronto, ON Saturday, Sep 26 and Sunday, Sep 27, 2009, 12pm - 4pm Circuit Bending Workshop Milwaukee, WI Wednesday, Sep 30, 2009, 6:30pm - 9pm End of Summer BBQ Potluck for Portland Makers Portland, OR Saturday, Sep 26, 2009, 3pm + Red Bull Soapbox Race Los Angeles, CA Saturday, Sep 26, 2009, 11am + Start planning for: Introduction to Electronics Brooklyn, NY Saturday, Oct 3, 2009, 1pm - 4pm Mobile Art && Code Pittsburgh, PA Friday, Nov 6 to Sunday, Nov 8, 2009, all weekend Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in Events | Digg this! Looking to take a break from tinkering on your latest project this weekend? Here some fine maker events to check out, from the MAKER Events calender. Wish your event was on the list? Add it to the calender! In the next week: Gizmodo Gallery New York, NY Sept 23 to Sep 27, 2009, (times vary) Innovations of Yesteryear Waltham, MA Saturday, Sep 26, 2009, 10am - 4pm Working Waterfront Festival New Bedford, MA Saturday, Sep 26 and Sunday, Sep 27, 2009, 11am - 7pm Introduction to Sensors Toronto, ON Saturday, Sep 26 and Sunday, Sep 27, 2009, 12pm - 4pm Circuit Bending Workshop Milwaukee, WI Wednesday, Sep 30, 2009, 6:30pm - 9pm End of Summer BBQ Potluck for Portland Makers Portland, OR Saturday, Sep 26, 2009, 3pm + Red Bull Soapbox Race Los Angeles, CA Saturday, Sep 26, 2009, 11am + Start planning for: Introduction to Electronics Brooklyn, NY Saturday, Oct 3, 2009, 1pm - 4pm Mobile Art && Code Pittsburgh, PA Friday, Nov 6 to Sunday, Nov 8, 2009, all weekend Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in Events | Digg this! tag:odeo.com,2009-09-23,25175004 Wed, 23 Sep 2009 22:00:00 -0700 no MAKE Magazine events http://www.odeo.com/episodes/25172078-Build-a-resistor-sub-box Here's a tool that's super easy to build and super useful. I call it the Bend Finder because I use it to help me find interesting glitched and bends in circuits, but really it's just a resistor sub box and it's got tons of uses other than in circuit bending. Most pro sub boxes use rotary switches to switch between set values of resistance and most pro sub boxes are expensive! For the kind of work I'm doing, I prefer using pots rather than rotary switches which works for me since using pots is a quicker, easier and cheaper option. You want at least 3 or 4 values of potentiometer. I use 1k, 10k, 100k and 1M. You can do smaller increments if you want and include some 5's in there. A switch is pretty useful and then I have it all connect using two binding posts. These are good cause you can attach just about anything to them. You can use any connection terminal you want. I've used bolts before and those work fine. There are lots of ways you can trick out your sub box. One thing I'm goin... Here's a tool that's super easy to build and super useful. I call it the Bend Finder because I use it to help me find interesting glitched and bends in circuits, but really it's just a resistor sub box and it's got tons of uses other than in circuit bending. Most pro sub boxes use rotary switches to switch between set values of resistance and most pro sub boxes are expensive! For the kind of work I'm doing, I prefer using pots rather than rotary switches which works for me since using pots is a quicker, easier and cheaper option. You want at least 3 or 4 values of potentiometer. I use 1k, 10k, 100k and 1M. You can do smaller increments if you want and include some 5's in there. A switch is pretty useful and then I have it all connect using two binding posts. These are good cause you can attach just about anything to them. You can use any connection terminal you want. I've used bolts before and those work fine. There are lots of ways you can trick out your sub box. One thing I'm going to add to mine is a set of tip jacks that are wired to the connection terminals. Tip jacks are the size of standard multi meter probes. This will allow me to easily plug my meter into my box to get an accurate reading of the pots. I suggest adding a 1k or 100ohm 10 turn pot. This is great for making subtle adjustments. You can add a pushbutton in parallel with the on/off switch. This will allow you to make momentary connections. Make some banana plugs with alligator clips on the end. You can plug these into the binding posts for easy connection of test leads. Add more pots and switches. Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in DIY Projects | Digg this! Here's a tool that's super easy to build and super useful. I call it the Bend Finder because I use it to help me find interesting glitched and bends in circuits, but really it's just a resistor sub box and it's got tons of uses other than in circuit bending. Most pro sub boxes use rotary switches to switch between set values of resistance and most pro sub boxes are expensive! For the kind of work I'm doing, I prefer using pots rather than rotary switches which works for me since using pots is a quicker, easier and cheaper option. You want at least 3 or 4 values of potentiometer. I use 1k, 10k, 100k and 1M. You can do smaller increments if you want and include some 5's in there. A switch is pretty useful and then I have it all connect using two binding posts. These are good cause you can attach just about anything to them. You can use any connection terminal you want. I've used bolts before and those work fine. There are lots of ways you can trick out your sub box. One thing I'm going to add to mine is a set of tip jacks that are wired to the connection terminals. Tip jacks are the size of standard multi meter probes. This will allow me to easily plug my meter into my box to get an accurate reading of the pots. I suggest adding a 1k or 100ohm 10 turn pot. This is great for making subtle adjustments. You can add a pushbutton in parallel with the on/off switch. This will allow you to make momentary connections. Make some banana plugs with alligator clips on the end. You can plug these into the binding posts for easy connection of test leads. Add more pots and switches. Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in DIY Projects | Digg this! tag:odeo.com,2009-09-23,25172078 Wed, 23 Sep 2009 16:00:00 -0700 no MAKE Magazine DIY Projects http://www.odeo.com/episodes/25170440-Electrobike-Pi Spotted this sexy commercial electric bicycle in a back issue of Popular Science at the barber shop today. It's called Pi, and the company that makes it is based out of San Francisco. The magazine article claims it uses a Nu Vinci continuously-variable transmission but the official company specs now only mention a Shimano 8-speed. Sounds like they're still working out the kinks. Something to keep an eye on, though. Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in Bicycles | Digg this! Spotted this sexy commercial electric bicycle in a back issue of Popular Science at the barber shop today. It's called Pi, and the company that makes it is based out of San Francisco. The magazine article claims it uses a Nu Vinci continuously-variable transmission but the official company specs now only mention a Shimano 8-speed. Sounds like they're still working out the kinks. Something to keep an eye on, though. Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in Bicycles | Digg this! Spotted this sexy commercial electric bicycle in a back issue of Popular Science at the barber shop today. It's called Pi, and the company that makes it is based out of San Francisco. The magazine article claims it uses a Nu Vinci continuously-variable transmission but the official company specs now only mention a Shimano 8-speed. Sounds like they're still working out the kinks. Something to keep an eye on, though. Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in Bicycles | Digg this! tag:odeo.com,2009-09-23,25170440 Wed, 23 Sep 2009 08:00:00 -0700 no MAKE Magazine bicycles http://www.odeo.com/episodes/25160929-Book-giveaway-project-excerpt-Photojojo-by-Amit-Gupta-with-Kelly-Jensen Photojojo! Insanely Great Photo Projects and DIY Ideas by Amit Gupta with Kelly Jensen Book Site: Photojojo.com/book The best email newsletter hands down for photography crafts is Photojojo. Thanks to Amit's review one year, I found my Nikon D40 and have been in love with taking photos ever since. Now Amit and Kelly wow us again with their new book, Photojojo! Insanely Great Photo Projects and DIY Ideas filled with 50 projects so you can do more with all the cool photos you take. It's not just about printing them out and making a photo album. This book shows you how to use your photos to make cool things such as a lampshade or messenger bag (pictured below).The second half of the book is like taking a photography class. You'll learn techniques for taking better photos as well as fun ways you can experiment with different photo techniques. I love the tips on how to do digital color correcting after you've taken your photos. If you love taking photos and want to learn how to do more w... Photojojo! Insanely Great Photo Projects and DIY Ideas by Amit Gupta with Kelly Jensen Book Site: Photojojo.com/book The best email newsletter hands down for photography crafts is Photojojo. Thanks to Amit's review one year, I found my Nikon D40 and have been in love with taking photos ever since. Now Amit and Kelly wow us again with their new book, Photojojo! Insanely Great Photo Projects and DIY Ideas filled with 50 projects so you can do more with all the cool photos you take. It's not just about printing them out and making a photo album. This book shows you how to use your photos to make cool things such as a lampshade or messenger bag (pictured below).The second half of the book is like taking a photography class. You'll learn techniques for taking better photos as well as fun ways you can experiment with different photo techniques. I love the tips on how to do digital color correcting after you've taken your photos. If you love taking photos and want to learn how to do more with them, this book is for you! Book Giveaway Time! We are giving away 3 copies of the Photojojo ! book.Just leave a comment in this post and tell us why you need this book. Please make sure you include your email address in the comment form field (won't be published). All comments will be closed by Noon PST on Wednesday, September 23rd. The lucky winners will be announced next week on the site. Good luck! Project: Ginormous Photo Mosaics Even if you are living in an apartment and can't put holes in your walls, you can still get some great art up. Download the project PDF to make this stunning photo mosaic where you'll be able to see the wonderful memories you have of your friend and family. Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in Crafts | Digg this! Photojojo! Insanely Great Photo Projects and DIY Ideas by Amit Gupta with Kelly Jensen Book Site: Photojojo.com/book The best email newsletter hands down for photography crafts is Photojojo. Thanks to Amit's review one year, I found my Nikon D40 and have been in love with taking photos ever since. Now Amit and Kelly wow us again with their new book, Photojojo! Insanely Great Photo Projects and DIY Ideas filled with 50 projects so you can do more with all the cool photos you take. It's not just about printing them out and making a photo album. This book shows you how to use your photos to make cool things such as a lampshade or messenger bag (pictured below).The second half of the book is like taking a photography class. You'll learn techniques for taking better photos as well as fun ways you can experiment with different photo techniques. I love the tips on how to do digital color correcting after you've taken your photos. If you love taking photos and want to learn how to do more with them, this book is for you! Book Giveaway Time! We are giving away 3 copies of the Photojojo ! book.Just leave a comment in this post and tell us why you need this book. Please make sure you include your email address in the comment form field (won't be published). All comments will be closed by Noon PST on Wednesday, September 23rd. The lucky winners will be announced next week on the site. Good luck! Project: Ginormous Photo Mosaics Even if you are living in an apartment and can't put holes in your walls, you can still get some great art up. Download the project PDF to make this stunning photo mosaic where you'll be able to see the wonderful memories you have of your friend and family. Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in Crafts | Digg this! tag:odeo.com,2009-09-21,25160929 Mon, 21 Sep 2009 12:00:00 -0700 no MAKE Magazine Crafts http://www.odeo.com/episodes/25153227-Make-Projects-Pepakura-cast-metal-pyramid-puzzle This project began when I read the following entry [#274] in Volume 1 of Popular Mechanic's 1913 The Boy Mechanic: The round lead weight for shot-putting or hammer throwing can be cast in a hollow cardboard or pressed-paper ball, sold in department and toy stores for 10 cents. Cut a 1/2-in. hole in the ball as shown in Fig. 1 and place it with the hole up in damp sand and press or tamp the sand lightly around the ball as shown in the section, Fig. 2. Cover over about 1 in. deep. A wood plug inserted in the hole will prevent any sand falling inside. When the sand is tamped in and the plug removed, it leaves a gate for the metal. Pour melted lead into the gate until it is full, then, when cool, shake it out from the sand and remove the charred paper. A file can be used to remove any rough places. The dry paper ball prevents any sputtering of the hot lead. This idea of a hollow card or paper form buried in plain sand as a sacrificial mold for poured metal parts interested me. As the in... This project began when I read the following entry [#274] in Volume 1 of Popular Mechanic's 1913 The Boy Mechanic: The round lead weight for shot-putting or hammer throwing can be cast in a hollow cardboard or pressed-paper ball, sold in department and toy stores for 10 cents. Cut a 1/2-in. hole in the ball as shown in Fig. 1 and place it with the hole up in damp sand and press or tamp the sand lightly around the ball as shown in the section, Fig. 2. Cover over about 1 in. deep. A wood plug inserted in the hole will prevent any sand falling inside. When the sand is tamped in and the plug removed, it leaves a gate for the metal. Pour melted lead into the gate until it is full, then, when cool, shake it out from the sand and remove the charred paper. A file can be used to remove any rough places. The dry paper ball prevents any sputtering of the hot lead. This idea of a hollow card or paper form buried in plain sand as a sacrificial mold for poured metal parts interested me. As the internet papercraft explosion has taught us, paper is really not a bad medium for 3D design, especially for the cost. Software like Pepakura Designer will convert any 3D digital model into a papercraft one that can be printed out, cut out, folded up, and glued or taped together to make a reasonably accurate real-world replica of the original. What if, instead of using the paper as a positive representation, one were to use it simply as a negative space--a volume, supported by dry sand, that would survive just long enough to impart its form to molten metal poured inside? As a first experiment, I designed a paper template for the pieces of a classic put-together puzzle often called "The Four Piece Pyramid." The challenge is to use the four identical pieces to form a symmetrical three-sided pyramid. I chose this prototype form, first, because I think the puzzle is elegant; second, because all four pieces are identical so only one template design is required; and third, because the pieces are fairly simple, geometrically, and thus so are the templates. Tools Computer with printer Scissors or an art knife Steel or aluminum bowl Safety gear (see below) Suitable heat source Melting pot Tongs or pliers for handing melting pot Squirt bottle with water Hacksaw frame with coarse blade Materials 120 cm3 (1/2 cup) metal to melt (see below) Play sand (or table salt) The heaviest card stock you can get through your printer Printer ink Scotch tape Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in MAKE Projects | Digg this! This project began when I read the following entry [#274] in Volume 1 of Popular Mechanic's 1913 The Boy Mechanic: The round lead weight for shot-putting or hammer throwing can be cast in a hollow cardboard or pressed-paper ball, sold in department and toy stores for 10 cents. Cut a 1/2-in. hole in the ball as shown in Fig. 1 and place it with the hole up in damp sand and press or tamp the sand lightly around the ball as shown in the section, Fig. 2. Cover over about 1 in. deep. A wood plug inserted in the hole will prevent any sand falling inside. When the sand is tamped in and the plug removed, it leaves a gate for the metal. Pour melted lead into the gate until it is full, then, when cool, shake it out from the sand and remove the charred paper. A file can be used to remove any rough places. The dry paper ball prevents any sputtering of the hot lead. This idea of a hollow card or paper form buried in plain sand as a sacrificial mold for poured metal parts interested me. As the internet papercraft explosion has taught us, paper is really not a bad medium for 3D design, especially for the cost. Software like Pepakura Designer will convert any 3D digital model into a papercraft one that can be printed out, cut out, folded up, and glued or taped together to make a reasonably accurate real-world replica of the original. What if, instead of using the paper as a positive representation, one were to use it simply as a negative space--a volume, supported by dry sand, that would survive just long enough to impart its form to molten metal poured inside? As a first experiment, I designed a paper template for the pieces of a classic put-together puzzle often called "The Four Piece Pyramid." The challenge is to use the four identical pieces to form a symmetrical three-sided pyramid. I chose this prototype form, first, because I think the puzzle is elegant; second, because all four pieces are identical so only one template design is required; and third, because the pieces are fairly simple, geometrically, and thus so are the templates. Tools Computer with printer Scissors or an art knife Steel or aluminum bowl Safety gear (see below) Suitable heat source Melting pot Tongs or pliers for handing melting pot Squirt bottle with water Hacksaw frame with coarse blade Materials 120 cm3 (1/2 cup) metal to melt (see below) Play sand (or table salt) The heaviest card stock you can get through your printer Printer ink Scotch tape Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in MAKE Projects | Digg this! tag:odeo.com,2009-09-19,25153227 Sat, 19 Sep 2009 20:00:00 -0700 no MAKE Magazine MAKE Projects http://www.odeo.com/episodes/25088208-Claims-of-pnuematic-processor-full-of-air Researchers Minsoung Rhee and Mark Burns at the University of Michigan have created an 8 bit processor using logic gates made of pneumatic valves. Besides just being awesome, the processor does have a practical use- it is designed to control a microfluidic medical device. By powering both the processor and the chemical reactors using air, the group hopes to create medical devices that don't rely on electricity to run. The main article is behind a paywall, however the supplemental article describing the logic gates is available for free, as well as some neat videos of the logic gates in action. So, someone want to make a steam-powered version? [via teamdroid] Read more | Permalink | Comments | Digg this! Researchers Minsoung Rhee and Mark Burns at the University of Michigan have created an 8 bit processor using logic gates made of pneumatic valves. Besides just being awesome, the processor does have a practical use- it is designed to control a microfluidic medical device. By powering both the processor and the chemical reactors using air, the group hopes to create medical devices that don't rely on electricity to run. The main article is behind a paywall, however the supplemental article describing the logic gates is available for free, as well as some neat videos of the logic gates in action. So, someone want to make a steam-powered version? [via teamdroid] Read more | Permalink | Comments | Digg this! Researchers Minsoung Rhee and Mark Burns at the University of Michigan have created an 8 bit processor using logic gates made of pneumatic valves. Besides just being awesome, the processor does have a practical use- it is designed to control a microfluidic medical device. By powering both the processor and the chemical reactors using air, the group hopes to create medical devices that don't rely on electricity to run. The main article is behind a paywall, however the supplemental article describing the logic gates is available for free, as well as some neat videos of the logic gates in action. So, someone want to make a steam-powered version? [via teamdroid] Read more | Permalink | Comments | Digg this! tag:odeo.com,2009-09-07,25088208 Mon, 07 Sep 2009 17:00:00 -0700 no MAKE Magazine http://www.odeo.com/episodes/25047359-CRAFT-weekly-recap Here are some of my favorites from CRAFT this week: CRAFT Video: Intro to Metalworking (Subscribe to the CRAFT Podcast in iTunes, or download the m4v video) Spore Prints How-To: T-Shirt Quilt Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in Crafts | Digg this! Here are some of my favorites from CRAFT this week: CRAFT Video: Intro to Metalworking (Subscribe to the CRAFT Podcast in iTunes, or download the m4v video) Spore Prints How-To: T-Shirt Quilt Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in Crafts | Digg this! Here are some of my favorites from CRAFT this week: CRAFT Video: Intro to Metalworking (Subscribe to the CRAFT Podcast in iTunes, or download the m4v video) Spore Prints How-To: T-Shirt Quilt Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in Crafts | Digg this! tag:odeo.com,2009-08-30,25047359 Sun, 30 Aug 2009 15:00:53 -0700 no MAKE Magazine Crafts http://www.odeo.com/episodes/25043300-Planetary-Gear-Old-Fashioned-Bicycle Where do I start with this thing? It has some many elements of awesome! It's a model of an old-fashion Penny-farthing bicycle that has been brought in to the modern world with the incorporation of 3 cutting-edge technologies: It was built, layer-by-layer, using laser sintering rapid prototyping. It's a demonstration project by Italian firm CRP Technology to demonstrate their capabilities. It's made out of WindForm XT, a carbon-fiber reinforced polyimide material that's usually used to craft high-performance motorsport racing parts. It incorporates a planetary gearing system. Penny-Farthings have large front wheels so that they can travel further on one pedal stroke; by using this gearing, the front wheel can be a more-comfortable 20% smaller. Planetary gears are used in some 3-speed bicycles, but their beauty is hidden within the rear hub. I love the options that rapid prototyping allows the designer - these handlebars are simple, elegant, and formed as a single piece: The material ... Where do I start with this thing? It has some many elements of awesome! It's a model of an old-fashion Penny-farthing bicycle that has been brought in to the modern world with the incorporation of 3 cutting-edge technologies: It was built, layer-by-layer, using laser sintering rapid prototyping. It's a demonstration project by Italian firm CRP Technology to demonstrate their capabilities. It's made out of WindForm XT, a carbon-fiber reinforced polyimide material that's usually used to craft high-performance motorsport racing parts. It incorporates a planetary gearing system. Penny-Farthings have large front wheels so that they can travel further on one pedal stroke; by using this gearing, the front wheel can be a more-comfortable 20% smaller. Planetary gears are used in some 3-speed bicycles, but their beauty is hidden within the rear hub. I love the options that rapid prototyping allows the designer - these handlebars are simple, elegant, and formed as a single piece: The material used was flexible enough to make the seat, suspension spring, and the body all one piece, too: Alas, it's just a model - just 16 inches long. Here's hoping that someone builds a rideable version. More details: easy-to-read html, but small pictures more detailed paper (.pdf link) Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in Bicycles | Digg this! Where do I start with this thing? It has some many elements of awesome! It's a model of an old-fashion Penny-farthing bicycle that has been brought in to the modern world with the incorporation of 3 cutting-edge technologies: It was built, layer-by-layer, using laser sintering rapid prototyping. It's a demonstration project by Italian firm CRP Technology to demonstrate their capabilities. It's made out of WindForm XT, a carbon-fiber reinforced polyimide material that's usually used to craft high-performance motorsport racing parts. It incorporates a planetary gearing system. Penny-Farthings have large front wheels so that they can travel further on one pedal stroke; by using this gearing, the front wheel can be a more-comfortable 20% smaller. Planetary gears are used in some 3-speed bicycles, but their beauty is hidden within the rear hub. I love the options that rapid prototyping allows the designer - these handlebars are simple, elegant, and formed as a single piece: The material used was flexible enough to make the seat, suspension spring, and the body all one piece, too: Alas, it's just a model - just 16 inches long. Here's hoping that someone builds a rideable version. More details: easy-to-read html, but small pictures more detailed paper (.pdf link) Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in Bicycles | Digg this! tag:odeo.com,2009-08-29,25043300 Sat, 29 Aug 2009 18:12:51 -0700 no MAKE Magazine bicycles http://www.odeo.com/episodes/24999909-How-to-use-Pyroelectric-Passive-Infrared-Sensors-PIR Massive tutorial from Ladyada! PIR sensors allow you to sense motion, almost always used to detect whether a human has moved in or out of the sensors range. They are small, inexpensive, low-power, easy to use and don't wear out. For that reason they are commonly found in appliances and gadgets used in homes or businesses. They are often referred to as PIR, "Passive Infrared", "Pyroelectric", or "IR motion" sensors. PIRs are basically made of a pyroelectric sensor (which you can see above as the round metal can with a rectangular crystal in the center), which can detect levels of infrared radiation. Everything emits some low level radiation, and the hotter something is, the more radiation is emitted. The sensor in a motion detector is actually split in two halves. The reason for that is that we are looking to detect motion (change) not average IR levels. The two halves are wired up so that they cancel each other out. If one half sees more or less IR radiation than the other, the outp... Massive tutorial from Ladyada! PIR sensors allow you to sense motion, almost always used to detect whether a human has moved in or out of the sensors range. They are small, inexpensive, low-power, easy to use and don't wear out. For that reason they are commonly found in appliances and gadgets used in homes or businesses. They are often referred to as PIR, "Passive Infrared", "Pyroelectric", or "IR motion" sensors. PIRs are basically made of a pyroelectric sensor (which you can see above as the round metal can with a rectangular crystal in the center), which can detect levels of infrared radiation. Everything emits some low level radiation, and the hotter something is, the more radiation is emitted. The sensor in a motion detector is actually split in two halves. The reason for that is that we are looking to detect motion (change) not average IR levels. The two halves are wired up so that they cancel each other out. If one half sees more or less IR radiation than the other, the output will swing high or low. Along with the pyroelectic sensor is a bunch of supporting circuitry, resistors and capacitors. It seems that most small hobbyist sensors use the , undoubtedly a very inexpensive chip. This chip takes the output of the sensor and does some minor processing on it to emit a digital output pulse from the analog sensor. For many basic projects or products that need to detect when a person has left or entered the area, or has approached, PIR sensors are great. They are low power and low cost, pretty rugged, have a wide lens range, and are easy to interface with. Note that PIRs won't tell you how many people are around or how close they are to the sensor, the lens is often fixed to a certain sweep and distance (although it can be hacked somewhere) and they are also sometimes set off by housepets. Experimentation is key! Read on for more! Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in DIY Projects | Digg this! Massive tutorial from Ladyada! PIR sensors allow you to sense motion, almost always used to detect whether a human has moved in or out of the sensors range. They are small, inexpensive, low-power, easy to use and don't wear out. For that reason they are commonly found in appliances and gadgets used in homes or businesses. They are often referred to as PIR, "Passive Infrared", "Pyroelectric", or "IR motion" sensors. PIRs are basically made of a pyroelectric sensor (which you can see above as the round metal can with a rectangular crystal in the center), which can detect levels of infrared radiation. Everything emits some low level radiation, and the hotter something is, the more radiation is emitted. The sensor in a motion detector is actually split in two halves. The reason for that is that we are looking to detect motion (change) not average IR levels. The two halves are wired up so that they cancel each other out. If one half sees more or less IR radiation than the other, the output will swing high or low. Along with the pyroelectic sensor is a bunch of supporting circuitry, resistors and capacitors. It seems that most small hobbyist sensors use the , undoubtedly a very inexpensive chip. This chip takes the output of the sensor and does some minor processing on it to emit a digital output pulse from the analog sensor. For many basic projects or products that need to detect when a person has left or entered the area, or has approached, PIR sensors are great. They are low power and low cost, pretty rugged, have a wide lens range, and are easy to interface with. Note that PIRs won't tell you how many people are around or how close they are to the sensor, the lens is often fixed to a certain sweep and distance (although it can be hacked somewhere) and they are also sometimes set off by housepets. Experimentation is key! Read on for more! Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in DIY Projects | Digg this! tag:odeo.com,2009-08-21,24999909 Fri, 21 Aug 2009 11:57:30 -0700 no MAKE Magazine DIY Projects http://www.odeo.com/episodes/24998556-Weekend-Project-Stun-Gun-Potato-Cannon Launch potato projectiles 200+ yards with this stun-gun triggered, high-powered potato cannon with see-thru action. Thanks go to William Gurstelle for the original article in MAKE, Volume 03. To download The "Nightlighter" Stun Gun Potato Cannon video click here or subscribe in iTunes. Check out the complete "Nightlighter" Stun Gun Potato Cannon article in MAKE, Volume 03 "Nightlighter" and you can see that in our Digital Edition. Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in Weekend Projects | Digg this! Launch potato projectiles 200+ yards with this stun-gun triggered, high-powered potato cannon with see-thru action. Thanks go to William Gurstelle for the original article in MAKE, Volume 03. To download The "Nightlighter" Stun Gun Potato Cannon video click here or subscribe in iTunes. Check out the complete "Nightlighter" Stun Gun Potato Cannon article in MAKE, Volume 03 "Nightlighter" and you can see that in our Digital Edition. Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in Weekend Projects | Digg this! Launch potato projectiles 200+ yards with this stun-gun triggered, high-powered potato cannon with see-thru action. Thanks go to William Gurstelle for the original article in MAKE, Volume 03. To download The "Nightlighter" Stun Gun Potato Cannon video click here or subscribe in iTunes. Check out the complete "Nightlighter" Stun Gun Potato Cannon article in MAKE, Volume 03 "Nightlighter" and you can see that in our Digital Edition. Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in Weekend Projects | Digg this! tag:odeo.com,2009-08-21,24998556 Fri, 21 Aug 2009 06:01:00 -0700 no MAKE Magazine Weekend Projects http://www.odeo.com/episodes/24998557-Weekend-Project-Stun-Gun-Potato-Cannon-PDF Launch potato projectiles 200+ yards with this stun-gun triggered, high-powered potato cannon with see-thru action. Thanks go to William Gurstelle for the original article in MAKE, Volume 03. View the PDF of this project. and then subscribe to MAKE Magazine for other great projects you can do over the weekend. Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in MAKE PDF | Digg this! Launch potato projectiles 200+ yards with this stun-gun triggered, high-powered potato cannon with see-thru action. Thanks go to William Gurstelle for the original article in MAKE, Volume 03. View the PDF of this project. and then subscribe to MAKE Magazine for other great projects you can do over the weekend. Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in MAKE PDF | Digg this! Launch potato projectiles 200+ yards with this stun-gun triggered, high-powered potato cannon with see-thru action. Thanks go to William Gurstelle for the original article in MAKE, Volume 03. View the PDF of this project. and then subscribe to MAKE Magazine for other great projects you can do over the weekend. Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in MAKE PDF | Digg this! tag:odeo.com,2009-08-21,24998557 Fri, 21 Aug 2009 06:00:00 -0700 no MAKE Magazine MAKE PDF http://www.odeo.com/episodes/24980835-MAKE-Volume-19-Robots-Rovers-and-Drones MAKE, Volume 19 features a special section on robots. Learn how to make a model plane with an autopilot and a small built-in robot brain. We also show you how to make a comfortable plywood chair, a bicyclist's vest that shows how fast you're going, and projects that introduce you to servomotors. MAKE, Volume 19, on newsstands today! Subscribe to MAKE, or log in to check out the Digital Edition. Subscribe to the MAKE Podcast in iTunes, or download the m4v video. Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in Announcements | Digg this! MAKE, Volume 19 features a special section on robots. Learn how to make a model plane with an autopilot and a small built-in robot brain. We also show you how to make a comfortable plywood chair, a bicyclist's vest that shows how fast you're going, and projects that introduce you to servomotors. MAKE, Volume 19, on newsstands today! Subscribe to MAKE, or log in to check out the Digital Edition. Subscribe to the MAKE Podcast in iTunes, or download the m4v video. Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in Announcements | Digg this! MAKE, Volume 19 features a special section on robots. Learn how to make a model plane with an autopilot and a small built-in robot brain. We also show you how to make a comfortable plywood chair, a bicyclist's vest that shows how fast you're going, and projects that introduce you to servomotors. MAKE, Volume 19, on newsstands today! Subscribe to MAKE, or log in to check out the Digital Edition. Subscribe to the MAKE Podcast in iTunes, or download the m4v video. Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in Announcements | Digg this! tag:odeo.com,2009-08-18,24980835 Tue, 18 Aug 2009 08:00:54 -0700 no MAKE Magazine Announcements http://www.odeo.com/episodes/24973262-Foam-walk-along-glider I know my kids would have a lot of fun playing with this project from instructables user 'walkalongaviation'. The glider works best indoors, so it's perfect for those rainy [or just too hot] summer days. This instructable shows you how to make a walkalong glider by thermoforming a styrofoam sheet. The foam sheet used here was obtained from the Owens Corning Raft-R-Mate product available in the insulation department of most home building supply stores. More about making a Foam walk-along glider Related: From the pages of MAKE: Building an Ornithopter - For millennia, men and women have studied birds, bats, and beetles, observing and experimenting, attempting to determine what humans must do to fly by flapping. MAKE 08 - Page 90. Subscribers--read this article now in your digital edition & movie. Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in Instructables | Digg this! I know my kids would have a lot of fun playing with this project from instructables user 'walkalongaviation'. The glider works best indoors, so it's perfect for those rainy [or just too hot] summer days. This instructable shows you how to make a walkalong glider by thermoforming a styrofoam sheet. The foam sheet used here was obtained from the Owens Corning Raft-R-Mate product available in the insulation department of most home building supply stores. More about making a Foam walk-along glider Related: From the pages of MAKE: Building an Ornithopter - For millennia, men and women have studied birds, bats, and beetles, observing and experimenting, attempting to determine what humans must do to fly by flapping. MAKE 08 - Page 90. Subscribers--read this article now in your digital edition & movie. Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in Instructables | Digg this! I know my kids would have a lot of fun playing with this project from instructables user 'walkalongaviation'. The glider works best indoors, so it's perfect for those rainy [or just too hot] summer days. This instructable shows you how to make a walkalong glider by thermoforming a styrofoam sheet. The foam sheet used here was obtained from the Owens Corning Raft-R-Mate product available in the insulation department of most home building supply stores. More about making a Foam walk-along glider Related: From the pages of MAKE: Building an Ornithopter - For millennia, men and women have studied birds, bats, and beetles, observing and experimenting, attempting to determine what humans must do to fly by flapping. MAKE 08 - Page 90. Subscribers--read this article now in your digital edition & movie. Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in Instructables | Digg this! tag:odeo.com,2009-08-17,24973262 Mon, 17 Aug 2009 02:00:00 -0700 no MAKE Magazine instructables http://www.odeo.com/episodes/24959948-Weekend-Project-Electric-Cigar-Box-Guitar Build your own 3-string, electrified cigar box guitar and make some sweet sounds. Thanks go to Ed Vogel for the original article in MAKE, Volume 04. To download The Cigar Box Guitar MP4 click here or subscribe in iTunes. Check out the complete Cigar Box Guitar article in MAKE, Volume 04 "Cigar Box Guitar" and you can see that in our Digital Edition. Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in Weekend Projects | Digg this! Build your own 3-string, electrified cigar box guitar and make some sweet sounds. Thanks go to Ed Vogel for the original article in MAKE, Volume 04. To download The Cigar Box Guitar MP4 click here or subscribe in iTunes. Check out the complete Cigar Box Guitar article in MAKE, Volume 04 "Cigar Box Guitar" and you can see that in our Digital Edition. Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in Weekend Projects | Digg this! Build your own 3-string, electrified cigar box guitar and make some sweet sounds. Thanks go to Ed Vogel for the original article in MAKE, Volume 04. To download The Cigar Box Guitar MP4 click here or subscribe in iTunes. Check out the complete Cigar Box Guitar article in MAKE, Volume 04 "Cigar Box Guitar" and you can see that in our Digital Edition. Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in Weekend Projects | Digg this! tag:odeo.com,2009-08-14,24959948 Fri, 14 Aug 2009 06:01:00 -0700 no MAKE Magazine Weekend Projects http://www.odeo.com/episodes/24959949-Weekend-Project-Electric-Cigar-Box-Guitar-PDF Build your own 3-string, electrified cigar box guitar and make some sweet sounds. Thanks go to Ed Vogel for the original article in MAKE, Volume 04. View the PDF of this project. and then subscribe to MAKE Magazine for other great projects you can do over the weekend. Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in MAKE PDF | Digg this! Build your own 3-string, electrified cigar box guitar and make some sweet sounds. Thanks go to Ed Vogel for the original article in MAKE, Volume 04. View the PDF of this project. and then subscribe to MAKE Magazine for other great projects you can do over the weekend. Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in MAKE PDF | Digg this! Build your own 3-string, electrified cigar box guitar and make some sweet sounds. Thanks go to Ed Vogel for the original article in MAKE, Volume 04. View the PDF of this project. and then subscribe to MAKE Magazine for other great projects you can do over the weekend. Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in MAKE PDF | Digg this! tag:odeo.com,2009-08-14,24959949 Fri, 14 Aug 2009 06:00:00 -0700 no MAKE Magazine MAKE PDF http://www.odeo.com/episodes/24923833-Weekend-Project-DIY-Teleprompter Get rid of those cue cards and make a low-cost teleprompter for pro results Thanks go to Brian Lawler for the original article in MAKE, Volume 02. To download The DIY Teleprompter MP4 click here or subscribe in iTunes. Check out the complete DIY Teleprompter article in MAKE, Volume 02 "No More Cue Cards" and you can see that in our Digital Edition. Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in Weekend Projects | Digg this! Get rid of those cue cards and make a low-cost teleprompter for pro results Thanks go to Brian Lawler for the original article in MAKE, Volume 02. To download The DIY Teleprompter MP4 click here or subscribe in iTunes. Check out the complete DIY Teleprompter article in MAKE, Volume 02 "No More Cue Cards" and you can see that in our Digital Edition. Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in Weekend Projects | Digg this! Get rid of those cue cards and make a low-cost teleprompter for pro results Thanks go to Brian Lawler for the original article in MAKE, Volume 02. To download The DIY Teleprompter MP4 click here or subscribe in iTunes. Check out the complete DIY Teleprompter article in MAKE, Volume 02 "No More Cue Cards" and you can see that in our Digital Edition. Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in Weekend Projects | Digg this! tag:odeo.com,2009-08-07,24923833 Fri, 07 Aug 2009 06:00:00 -0700 no MAKE Magazine Weekend Projects http://www.odeo.com/episodes/24904162-Home-science-projects-from-Exploratorium Julie Yu, a post-doc at San Francisco's Exploratorium, has a really good collection of unusual home lab activities on her page, including a home column chromatography experiment using common materials, which is the first of its kind I've seen. Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in Education | Digg this! Julie Yu, a post-doc at San Francisco's Exploratorium, has a really good collection of unusual home lab activities on her page, including a home column chromatography experiment using common materials, which is the first of its kind I've seen. Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in Education | Digg this! Julie Yu, a post-doc at San Francisco's Exploratorium, has a really good collection of unusual home lab activities on her page, including a home column chromatography experiment using common materials, which is the first of its kind I've seen. Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in Education | Digg this! tag:odeo.com,2009-08-03,24904162 Mon, 03 Aug 2009 09:00:00 -0700 no MAKE Magazine Education http://www.odeo.com/episodes/24890145-Humans-bees-wasps-living-together From the MAKE Flickr pool Looks like Rob Cruickshank chills with bees on the daily!A series of trap nests for solitary bees and wasps, mounted in plexiglas on our back window. The nests are open to the outside, and have plexiglas covers, alowing us to observe the activity from inside the house, as well as piezo transducer contact mics, allowing us to hear the activity inside, via the speakers on the right. Wonder if he ever has to ask them to keep it down? Oh, I suppose he could just disconnect the speakers. I used to shared a place with a praying mantis ... nice guy, very religious. ... What? Check out the trap nest window on Flickr. More: DIY Bee Box Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in DIY Projects | Digg this! From the MAKE Flickr pool Looks like Rob Cruickshank chills with bees on the daily!A series of trap nests for solitary bees and wasps, mounted in plexiglas on our back window. The nests are open to the outside, and have plexiglas covers, alowing us to observe the activity from inside the house, as well as piezo transducer contact mics, allowing us to hear the activity inside, via the speakers on the right. Wonder if he ever has to ask them to keep it down? Oh, I suppose he could just disconnect the speakers. I used to shared a place with a praying mantis ... nice guy, very religious. ... What? Check out the trap nest window on Flickr. More: DIY Bee Box Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in DIY Projects | Digg this! From the MAKE Flickr pool Looks like Rob Cruickshank chills with bees on the daily!A series of trap nests for solitary bees and wasps, mounted in plexiglas on our back window. The nests are open to the outside, and have plexiglas covers, alowing us to observe the activity from inside the house, as well as piezo transducer contact mics, allowing us to hear the activity inside, via the speakers on the right. Wonder if he ever has to ask them to keep it down? Oh, I suppose he could just disconnect the speakers. I used to shared a place with a praying mantis ... nice guy, very religious. ... What? Check out the trap nest window on Flickr. More: DIY Bee Box Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in DIY Projects | Digg this! tag:odeo.com,2009-07-31,24890145 Fri, 31 Jul 2009 06:30:30 -0700 no MAKE Magazine DIY Projects http://www.odeo.com/episodes/24890146-Weekend-Project-Covert-Wireless-Listening-Device Install a sneaky bug in a book or any small covert object. I used an old vcr tape to capture secret surveillance. Thanks go to David Simpson for the original article in MAKE, Volume 16. To download The Covert Wireless Listening Device MP4 click here or subscribe in iTunes. Check out the complete Covert Wireless Listening Device article in MAKE, Volume 16 "Covert Wireless Listening" and you can see that in our Digital Edition. Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in Weekend Projects | Digg this! Install a sneaky bug in a book or any small covert object. I used an old vcr tape to capture secret surveillance. Thanks go to David Simpson for the original article in MAKE, Volume 16. To download The Covert Wireless Listening Device MP4 click here or subscribe in iTunes. Check out the complete Covert Wireless Listening Device article in MAKE, Volume 16 "Covert Wireless Listening" and you can see that in our Digital Edition. Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in Weekend Projects | Digg this! Install a sneaky bug in a book or any small covert object. I used an old vcr tape to capture secret surveillance. Thanks go to David Simpson for the original article in MAKE, Volume 16. To download The Covert Wireless Listening Device MP4 click here or subscribe in iTunes. Check out the complete Covert Wireless Listening Device article in MAKE, Volume 16 "Covert Wireless Listening" and you can see that in our Digital Edition. Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in Weekend Projects | Digg this! tag:odeo.com,2009-07-31,24890146 Fri, 31 Jul 2009 06:01:00 -0700 no MAKE Magazine Weekend Projects http://www.odeo.com/episodes/24890147-Weekend-Project-Covert-Wireless-Listening-Device-PDF Install a sneaky bug in a book or any small covert object. I used an old vcr tape to capture secret surveillance. Thanks go to David Simpson for the original article in MAKE, Volume 16. View the PDF of this project. and then subscribe to MAKE Magazine for other great projects you can do over the weekend. Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in MAKE PDF | Digg this! Install a sneaky bug in a book or any small covert object. I used an old vcr tape to capture secret surveillance. Thanks go to David Simpson for the original article in MAKE, Volume 16. View the PDF of this project. and then subscribe to MAKE Magazine for other great projects you can do over the weekend. Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in MAKE PDF | Digg this! Install a sneaky bug in a book or any small covert object. I used an old vcr tape to capture secret surveillance. Thanks go to David Simpson for the original article in MAKE, Volume 16. View the PDF of this project. and then subscribe to MAKE Magazine for other great projects you can do over the weekend. Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in MAKE PDF | Digg this! tag:odeo.com,2009-07-31,24890147 Fri, 31 Jul 2009 06:00:00 -0700 no MAKE Magazine MAKE PDF http://www.odeo.com/episodes/24885227-How-To-Build-BEAM-vibrobots The following article is reprinted from my old personal-tech website, Street Tech. I thought these vibrobots would make perfect family projects for the "Teach Your Family to Solder" MAKEcation. If you have kids too young to solder, you could build a mint-tin vibrobot [PDF] with them (which doesn't require soldering) and these solar-powered vibrobots with the rest of the makers in your family. - Gareth In MAKE, Volume 08, I wrote a piece on pummers, a type of solar-powered robotic plant life. I've known about pummers for years, but my inspiration for the MAKE article was finding Zach Debord's gorgeous pummer set on Flickr. Being an artist and designer, Zach understands the value of making miniature robots that are as beautiful as they are functional. Mark Tilden, the "Big God" of BEAM robotics, has a wonderful adage that a human is a way that a robot makes a better robot. One "evolutionary strategy" here is centered on aesthetics. Aesthetics help drive human interest. The pummer piec... The following article is reprinted from my old personal-tech website, Street Tech. I thought these vibrobots would make perfect family projects for the "Teach Your Family to Solder" MAKEcation. If you have kids too young to solder, you could build a mint-tin vibrobot [PDF] with them (which doesn't require soldering) and these solar-powered vibrobots with the rest of the makers in your family. - Gareth In MAKE, Volume 08, I wrote a piece on pummers, a type of solar-powered robotic plant life. I've known about pummers for years, but my inspiration for the MAKE article was finding Zach Debord's gorgeous pummer set on Flickr. Being an artist and designer, Zach understands the value of making miniature robots that are as beautiful as they are functional. Mark Tilden, the "Big God" of BEAM robotics, has a wonderful adage that a human is a way that a robot makes a better robot. One "evolutionary strategy" here is centered on aesthetics. Aesthetics help drive human interest. The pummer piece is a prime example. I saw Zach's bots, I was wowed by their beautiful designs, and I wanted others to see them. The piece got published, and now, if you search on pummer in the MAKE Flickr pool, you see other people are making them. The robots are replicating themselves. In the realm of behavior-based robotics, BEAM, bio-mimics, and other bottom-up, bug-brained approaches to robotic design, nearly every conceivable form of motility has been explored. There are bots on wheels, two-, four-, six-, eight-legged bots, bots with whegs (wheel/leg crossbreeds), snakebots, spinnerbots, swimmers, fliers, climbers. You name it. One of the less documented types of robotic motility is found in the vibrobot, a type of robot that gets around by shimmying, shaking, and scooting. It's not the most graceful or accurate way to explore the world, but it's very easy to build a vibrobot and they're really fun (and funny) to watch. Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in Robotics | Digg this! The following article is reprinted from my old personal-tech website, Street Tech. I thought these vibrobots would make perfect family projects for the "Teach Your Family to Solder" MAKEcation. If you have kids too young to solder, you could build a mint-tin vibrobot [PDF] with them (which doesn't require soldering) and these solar-powered vibrobots with the rest of the makers in your family. - Gareth In MAKE, Volume 08, I wrote a piece on pummers, a type of solar-powered robotic plant life. I've known about pummers for years, but my inspiration for the MAKE article was finding Zach Debord's gorgeous pummer set on Flickr. Being an artist and designer, Zach understands the value of making miniature robots that are as beautiful as they are functional. Mark Tilden, the "Big God" of BEAM robotics, has a wonderful adage that a human is a way that a robot makes a better robot. One "evolutionary strategy" here is centered on aesthetics. Aesthetics help drive human interest. The pummer piece is a prime example. I saw Zach's bots, I was wowed by their beautiful designs, and I wanted others to see them. The piece got published, and now, if you search on pummer in the MAKE Flickr pool, you see other people are making them. The robots are replicating themselves. In the realm of behavior-based robotics, BEAM, bio-mimics, and other bottom-up, bug-brained approaches to robotic design, nearly every conceivable form of motility has been explored. There are bots on wheels, two-, four-, six-, eight-legged bots, bots with whegs (wheel/leg crossbreeds), snakebots, spinnerbots, swimmers, fliers, climbers. You name it. One of the less documented types of robotic motility is found in the vibrobot, a type of robot that gets around by shimmying, shaking, and scooting. It's not the most graceful or accurate way to explore the world, but it's very easy to build a vibrobot and they're really fun (and funny) to watch. Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in Robotics | Digg this! tag:odeo.com,2009-07-30,24885227 Thu, 30 Jul 2009 05:30:00 -0700 no MAKE Magazine Robotics http://www.odeo.com/episodes/24871423-Open-source-3D-DNA-origami So. Incredibly. Cool. What is DNA Origami? DNA origami is a powerful method for constructing DNA objects. It involves taking a long, single-stranded DNA backbone (usually about 7000 bases in length) and forcing it to adopt an arbitrary shape using hundreds of short, single-stranded DNA oligonucleotides (each usually 20 to 50 bases long). This method was developed by Caltech scientist Paul Rothemund and published in the 16 March 2006 Nature cover story Folding DNA to create nanoscale shapes and patterns. In a process that is not yet well-understood, DNA origami structures are typically assembled through a process of heat denaturation followed by gradual cooling. More details about the method can be found in various publications. caDNAno is made for designing DNA origami. caDNAno is open-source software based on the Adobe AIR platform for design of three-dimensional DNA origami nanostructures. It was written with the goal of providing a fast and intuitive means to create and modify DN... So. Incredibly. Cool. What is DNA Origami? DNA origami is a powerful method for constructing DNA objects. It involves taking a long, single-stranded DNA backbone (usually about 7000 bases in length) and forcing it to adopt an arbitrary shape using hundreds of short, single-stranded DNA oligonucleotides (each usually 20 to 50 bases long). This method was developed by Caltech scientist Paul Rothemund and published in the 16 March 2006 Nature cover story Folding DNA to create nanoscale shapes and patterns. In a process that is not yet well-understood, DNA origami structures are typically assembled through a process of heat denaturation followed by gradual cooling. More details about the method can be found in various publications. caDNAno is made for designing DNA origami. caDNAno is open-source software based on the Adobe AIR platform for design of three-dimensional DNA origami nanostructures. It was written with the goal of providing a fast and intuitive means to create and modify DNA origami designs. You can learn how to use it, download a copy of the program and some example designs, or even modify the source code. The software makes heavy use of several fantastic open-source libraries and resources, especially Papervision3D for 3D rendering, Michael Baczynski's AS3 data structures and tutorials, the Tango Desktop Project for icons, and the Blueprint CSS framework for this website. caDNAno [via @timoreilly] Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in Biology | Digg this! So. Incredibly. Cool. What is DNA Origami? DNA origami is a powerful method for constructing DNA objects. It involves taking a long, single-stranded DNA backbone (usually about 7000 bases in length) and forcing it to adopt an arbitrary shape using hundreds of short, single-stranded DNA oligonucleotides (each usually 20 to 50 bases long). This method was developed by Caltech scientist Paul Rothemund and published in the 16 March 2006 Nature cover story Folding DNA to create nanoscale shapes and patterns. In a process that is not yet well-understood, DNA origami structures are typically assembled through a process of heat denaturation followed by gradual cooling. More details about the method can be found in various publications. caDNAno is made for designing DNA origami. caDNAno is open-source software based on the Adobe AIR platform for design of three-dimensional DNA origami nanostructures. It was written with the goal of providing a fast and intuitive means to create and modify DNA origami designs. You can learn how to use it, download a copy of the program and some example designs, or even modify the source code. The software makes heavy use of several fantastic open-source libraries and resources, especially Papervision3D for 3D rendering, Michael Baczynski's AS3 data structures and tutorials, the Tango Desktop Project for icons, and the Blueprint CSS framework for this website. caDNAno [via @timoreilly] Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in Biology | Digg this! tag:odeo.com,2009-07-27,24871423 Mon, 27 Jul 2009 14:01:00 -0700 no MAKE Magazine biology http://www.odeo.com/episodes/24856425-Weekend-Project-Head-Mounted-Water-Cannon Make the ultimate soaking weapon for this summer's water warfare! No squirt gun even comes close. Thanks go to John Young for the original article in MAKE, Volume 07. To download The Head Mounted Water Cannon MP4 click here or subscribe in iTunes. Check out the complete Head Mounted Water Cannon article in MAKE, Volume 07 "Head Mounted Water Cannon" and you can see that in our Digital Edition. Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in Weekend Projects | Digg this! Make the ultimate soaking weapon for this summer's water warfare! No squirt gun even comes close. Thanks go to John Young for the original article in MAKE, Volume 07. To download The Head Mounted Water Cannon MP4 click here or subscribe in iTunes. Check out the complete Head Mounted Water Cannon article in MAKE, Volume 07 "Head Mounted Water Cannon" and you can see that in our Digital Edition. Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in Weekend Projects | Digg this! Make the ultimate soaking weapon for this summer's water warfare! No squirt gun even comes close. Thanks go to John Young for the original article in MAKE, Volume 07. To download The Head Mounted Water Cannon MP4 click here or subscribe in iTunes. Check out the complete Head Mounted Water Cannon article in MAKE, Volume 07 "Head Mounted Water Cannon" and you can see that in our Digital Edition. Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in Weekend Projects | Digg this! tag:odeo.com,2009-07-24,24856425 Fri, 24 Jul 2009 06:01:00 -0700 no MAKE Magazine Weekend Projects http://www.odeo.com/episodes/24856426-Weekend-Project-Head-Mounted-Water-Cannon-PDF Make the ultimate soaking weapon for this summer's water warfare! No squirt gun even comes close. Thanks go to John Young for the original article in MAKE, Volume 07. View the PDF of this project. and then subscribe to MAKE Magazine for other great projects you can do over the weekend. Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in MAKE PDF | Digg this! Make the ultimate soaking weapon for this summer's water warfare! No squirt gun even comes close. Thanks go to John Young for the original article in MAKE, Volume 07. View the PDF of this project. and then subscribe to MAKE Magazine for other great projects you can do over the weekend. Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in MAKE PDF | Digg this! Make the ultimate soaking weapon for this summer's water warfare! No squirt gun even comes close. Thanks go to John Young for the original article in MAKE, Volume 07. View the PDF of this project. and then subscribe to MAKE Magazine for other great projects you can do over the weekend. Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in MAKE PDF | Digg this! tag:odeo.com,2009-07-24,24856426 Fri, 24 Jul 2009 06:00:00 -0700 no MAKE Magazine MAKE PDF http://www.odeo.com/episodes/24851315-Cool-pop-up-paper-display This video from the awesome British toy store Grand Illusions demonstrates a cool collapsing mechanism, which involves only paper and elastic bands, and allows a rigid display to be set up in about a second and easily folded away again for storage. The French company that makes these is called Marin's. (Beware, their site is flash-based.) Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in Paper Crafts | Digg this! This video from the awesome British toy store Grand Illusions demonstrates a cool collapsing mechanism, which involves only paper and elastic bands, and allows a rigid display to be set up in about a second and easily folded away again for storage. The French company that makes these is called Marin's. (Beware, their site is flash-based.) Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in Paper Crafts | Digg this! This video from the awesome British toy store Grand Illusions demonstrates a cool collapsing mechanism, which involves only paper and elastic bands, and allows a rigid display to be set up in about a second and easily folded away again for storage. The French company that makes these is called Marin's. (Beware, their site is flash-based.) Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in Paper Crafts | Digg this! tag:odeo.com,2009-07-23,24851315 Thu, 23 Jul 2009 09:00:00 -0700 no MAKE Magazine Paper Crafts http://www.odeo.com/episodes/24851316-Catching-satellites-on-ham-radio My favorite ham activity is making contacts via satellites. Not only is there the romantic notion of sending messages into outer space, but you have to trace the orbit of the satellite with your antenna while tuning the radio, to compensate for the Doppler effect. The satellites AO-51, SO-50, and AO-27 orbit the Earth acting as repeaters. Repeaters are automated relay stations that allow hams to send signals over a greater distance using low-power hand held transceivers. The satellites allow hams to relay messages from Earth to space and back to other hams somewhere on the planet. The International Space Station (ISS) also has a repeater, but occasionally, if you're lucky, the astronauts turn on their radios to make contact directly with hams on the ground. The following instructions will get you started listening to birds (satellites) on FM, which can be done with a simple VHF/UHF FM radio with a whip antenna, without the need of a ham license. For better coverage, you can use a Ya... My favorite ham activity is making contacts via satellites. Not only is there the romantic notion of sending messages into outer space, but you have to trace the orbit of the satellite with your antenna while tuning the radio, to compensate for the Doppler effect. The satellites AO-51, SO-50, and AO-27 orbit the Earth acting as repeaters. Repeaters are automated relay stations that allow hams to send signals over a greater distance using low-power hand held transceivers. The satellites allow hams to relay messages from Earth to space and back to other hams somewhere on the planet. The International Space Station (ISS) also has a repeater, but occasionally, if you're lucky, the astronauts turn on their radios to make contact directly with hams on the ground. The following instructions will get you started listening to birds (satellites) on FM, which can be done with a simple VHF/UHF FM radio with a whip antenna, without the need of a ham license. For better coverage, you can use a Yagi antenna (like the one pictured above) connected to a mutli-mode radio and a license (if you want to transmit). A Yagi antenna can also be used to improve the signal of your hand held radio. Materials All you need is a VHF/UHF FM receiver (like a police scanner) or a VHF/UHF transceiver (like a Yaesu VX-7) and an antenna. 1. Specifying your location Start by visiting Heavens-Above.com to check the orbit of the satellite you want to listen to and specify your location. 2. Specifying a satellite Check the passes of your specific satellite or the ISS. AO-51, SO-50, AO-27, ISS. Make sure that the passes are shown for your correct location. 3. Reading the chart This pass chart shows the Start (when/where the satellite enters on the horizon), the Max. Altitude (when/where the satellite is at its highest point in the sky), and the End (when/where the satellite finishes it's pass). Alt. is the altitude, the angle of the satellite from the observer's horizon. 0 degrees is exactly on the horizon, and 90 degrees is directly above the observer. Az. is the Azimuth, the cardinal direction of the satellite from the observer's point of view. 4. Picking a good pass Satellites orbit the Earth at all sorts of angles, some that are very close to the horizon and some that are directly overhead. It is much easier to hear a satellite that passes directly overhead. To find a good sat pass, check the Max. Altitude Alt. for a pass that is 45 or higher (the higher the better). In our example, the second pass at 7:28 looks like a good one since the Max. Altitude Alt. is 77. The first pass at 5:52 has a Max. Altitude Alt. of only 12 which is very close to the horizon and difficult to pick up. 5. Finding the frequency Satellite repeaters work with two different frequencies, an uplink and a downlink. You will listen to signals received on the downlink. If you wish to transmit, you'll need to program in the uplink frequency as well. Follow the corresponding links to find the FM repeater frequencies of the satellites. The frequencies often change, so be sure to check the websites for the latest updates. AO-51, SO-50, AO-27, ISS. Tune your radio to the downlink frequency and you're ready to go outside and listen (example: 435.300 MHz FM). 6. Aiming a whip antenna If you're using a whip antenna, you will not aim the antenna directly at the satellite. Instead, you'll keep it perpendicular to the satellite. You can rotate the antenna by rotating your wrist to try and get a clearer signal. 7. Following the pass with the antenna You will trace the path of the satellite orbit with the antenna using the Heavens-Above pass chart as a guide. At the Start Time, start with the antenna perpendicular to the Az. direction at the given Alt. For example, at 7:28, aim the antenna perpendicular to north at 10 degrees above the horizon. Trace the path of the satellite so that at the Max. Altitude Time the antenna is pointed in the corresponding location. For example, at 7:33, the antenna should be perpendicular to west northwest at 77 decrees above the horizon. Finish tracing the path of the satellite so that at the End Time the antenna is perpendicular to the corresponding location. For example at 7:39, the antenna will be perpendicular to south southwest at 10 degrees above the horizon. It can be very difficult trying to catch the satellites and you may spend a lot of time not hearing anything. As you trace the general path of the satellite with the antenna, move the antenna around in small side to side and up and down motions until you hear a bit of audio. Adjust the antenna to make the audio clearer. 8. Tuning the radio for the Doppler effect The Doppler effect makes the frequency vary by .010 MHz. As you trace the path of the satellite with the antenna, you will also need to tune the radio back and forth plus or minus .010 MHz until you hear a good signal. Early in the pass, you will add .010 MHz, for example, if you're listening on 435.300 MHz, you'll need to tune the radio back and forth between 435.300 MHz and 435.310 MHz. Later in the pass, you will subtract .010 MHz, for example, you will tune the radio back and forth between 435.300 MHz and 435.290 MHz. Here is an audio clip from my first satellite contacts. The contacts seem to be going pretty slowly, but while I was making them, I remember everything happening very quickly. It was a lot to tune the radio and maneuver the antenna while trying to write down the call signs of the contacts. Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in Science | Digg this! My favorite ham activity is making contacts via satellites. Not only is there the romantic notion of sending messages into outer space, but you have to trace the orbit of the satellite with your antenna while tuning the radio, to compensate for the Doppler effect. The satellites AO-51, SO-50, and AO-27 orbit the Earth acting as repeaters. Repeaters are automated relay stations that allow hams to send signals over a greater distance using low-power hand held transceivers. The satellites allow hams to relay messages from Earth to space and back to other hams somewhere on the planet. The International Space Station (ISS) also has a repeater, but occasionally, if you're lucky, the astronauts turn on their radios to make contact directly with hams on the ground. The following instructions will get you started listening to birds (satellites) on FM, which can be done with a simple VHF/UHF FM radio with a whip antenna, without the need of a ham license. For better coverage, you can use a Yagi antenna (like the one pictured above) connected to a mutli-mode radio and a license (if you want to transmit). A Yagi antenna can also be used to improve the signal of your hand held radio. Materials All you need is a VHF/UHF FM receiver (like a police scanner) or a VHF/UHF transceiver (like a Yaesu VX-7) and an antenna. 1. Specifying your location Start by visiting Heavens-Above.com to check the orbit of the satellite you want to listen to and specify your location. 2. Specifying a satellite Check the passes of your specific satellite or the ISS. AO-51, SO-50, AO-27, ISS. Make sure that the passes are shown for your correct location. 3. Reading the chart This pass chart shows the Start (when/where the satellite enters on the horizon), the Max. Altitude (when/where the satellite is at its highest point in the sky), and the End (when/where the satellite finishes it's pass). Alt. is the altitude, the angle of the satellite from the observer's horizon. 0 degrees is exactly on the horizon, and 90 degrees is directly above the observer. Az. is the Azimuth, the cardinal direction of the satellite from the observer's point of view. 4. Picking a good pass Satellites orbit the Earth at all sorts of angles, some that are very close to the horizon and some that are directly overhead. It is much easier to hear a satellite that passes directly overhead. To find a good sat pass, check the Max. Altitude Alt. for a pass that is 45 or higher (the higher the better). In our example, the second pass at 7:28 looks like a good one since the Max. Altitude Alt. is 77. The first pass at 5:52 has a Max. Altitude Alt. of only 12 which is very close to the horizon and difficult to pick up. 5. Finding the frequency Satellite repeaters work with two different frequencies, an uplink and a downlink. You will listen to signals received on the downlink. If you wish to transmit, you'll need to program in the uplink frequency as well. Follow the corresponding links to find the FM repeater frequencies of the satellites. The frequencies often change, so be sure to check the websites for the latest updates. AO-51, SO-50, AO-27, ISS. Tune your radio to the downlink frequency and you're ready to go outside and listen (example: 435.300 MHz FM). 6. Aiming a whip antenna If you're using a whip antenna, you will not aim the antenna directly at the satellite. Instead, you'll keep it perpendicular to the satellite. You can rotate the antenna by rotating your wrist to try and get a clearer signal. 7. Following the pass with the antenna You will trace the path of the satellite orbit with the antenna using the Heavens-Above pass chart as a guide. At the Start Time, start with the antenna perpendicular to the Az. direction at the given Alt. For example, at 7:28, aim the antenna perpendicular to north at 10 degrees above the horizon. Trace the path of the satellite so that at the Max. Altitude Time the antenna is pointed in the corresponding location. For example, at 7:33, the antenna should be perpendicular to west northwest at 77 decrees above the horizon. Finish tracing the path of the satellite so that at the End Time the antenna is perpendicular to the corresponding location. For example at 7:39, the antenna will be perpendicular to south southwest at 10 degrees above the horizon. It can be very difficult trying to catch the satellites and you may spend a lot of time not hearing anything. As you trace the general path of the satellite with the antenna, move the antenna around in small side to side and up and down motions until you hear a bit of audio. Adjust the antenna to make the audio clearer. 8. Tuning the radio for the Doppler effect The Doppler effect makes the frequency vary by .010 MHz. As you trace the path of the satellite with the antenna, you will also need to tune the radio back and forth plus or minus .010 MHz until you hear a good signal. Early in the pass, you will add .010 MHz, for example, if you're listening on 435.300 MHz, you'll need to tune the radio back and forth between 435.300 MHz and 435.310 MHz. Later in the pass, you will subtract .010 MHz, for example, you will tune the radio back and forth between 435.300 MHz and 435.290 MHz. Here is an audio clip from my first satellite contacts. The contacts seem to be going pretty slowly, but while I was making them, I remember everything happening very quickly. It was a lot to tune the radio and maneuver the antenna while trying to write down the call signs of the contacts. Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in Science | Digg this! tag:odeo.com,2009-07-22,24851316 Wed, 22 Jul 2009 10:31:00 -0700 no MAKE Magazine Science http://www.odeo.com/episodes/24842094-Dog-days-of-summer-sale-Truth-Wrist-Band-kit So there I am in my studio about to solder up another kit, and all my solder is gone! Who could have used it all up? It's happened before, and this time I'm going to find out exactly who did it. I had a really good idea who it was, but I needed to know for sure, so I broke out my Truth Wrist Band and started my inquisition. As you can see, it worked perfect, no more soldering for this mutt. Please Note: Don't use the Truth Wrist Band on your dog, it won't work through fur, and they just don't like it. Besides, everyone knows dogs don't lie! This week's dog days of summer deal is the Truth Wrist Band Kit kit. The kit sells for $44.95, but for the next week, it's only $33, that's 25% off! Only while supplies last. More about the Truth Wrist Band Kit The dog days of summer are upon us, and you know what that means? Time to hit the beach? Well, maybe. But, it also means that it's time for some special deals in the Maker Shed. Each week we will feature a kit at a special "dog days" disco... So there I am in my studio about to solder up another kit, and all my solder is gone! Who could have used it all up? It's happened before, and this time I'm going to find out exactly who did it. I had a really good idea who it was, but I needed to know for sure, so I broke out my Truth Wrist Band and started my inquisition. As you can see, it worked perfect, no more soldering for this mutt. Please Note: Don't use the Truth Wrist Band on your dog, it won't work through fur, and they just don't like it. Besides, everyone knows dogs don't lie! This week's dog days of summer deal is the Truth Wrist Band Kit kit. The kit sells for $44.95, but for the next week, it's only $33, that's 25% off! Only while supplies last. More about the Truth Wrist Band Kit The dog days of summer are upon us, and you know what that means? Time to hit the beach? Well, maybe. But, it also means that it's time for some special deals in the Maker Shed. Each week we will feature a kit at a special "dog days" discount. The deal will last about a week, so take advantage of the savings while you can. Related: To download The Truth Wristband MP4 click here or subscribe in iTunes. Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in DIY Projects | Digg this! So there I am in my studio about to solder up another kit, and all my solder is gone! Who could have used it all up? It's happened before, and this time I'm going to find out exactly who did it. I had a really good idea who it was, but I needed to know for sure, so I broke out my Truth Wrist Band and started my inquisition. As you can see, it worked perfect, no more soldering for this mutt. Please Note: Don't use the Truth Wrist Band on your dog, it won't work through fur, and they just don't like it. Besides, everyone knows dogs don't lie! This week's dog days of summer deal is the Truth Wrist Band Kit kit. The kit sells for $44.95, but for the next week, it's only $33, that's 25% off! Only while supplies last. More about the Truth Wrist Band Kit The dog days of summer are upon us, and you know what that means? Time to hit the beach? Well, maybe. But, it also means that it's time for some special deals in the Maker Shed. Each week we will feature a kit at a special "dog days" discount. The deal will last about a week, so take advantage of the savings while you can. Related: To download The Truth Wristband MP4 click here or subscribe in iTunes. Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in DIY Projects | Digg this! tag:odeo.com,2009-07-21,24842094 Tue, 21 Jul 2009 14:53:00 -0700 no MAKE Magazine DIY Projects http://www.odeo.com/episodes/24826305-CRAFT-Video-DIY-soda It's summer and all I want to do these days is relax with a fizzy beverage, but I can't stand too-sweet soft drinks! In this CRAFT Video, I show you how easy it is to make your own soda at home, and it's inexpensive, too! I use brewer's yeast to produce carbon dioxide, and whatever flavors come to the imagination. In the video I used honey, green tea, strawberries, and grated ginger, but you can use any combination of fruits, juices, fresh herbs, and sweeteners that you like. Thanks to Matt Mets for the tea recipe inspiration. Subscribe to CRAFT in iTunes or download the m4v video. Check out the complete tutorial with recipe ideas over on CRAFT. Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in MAKE Podcast | Digg this! It's summer and all I want to do these days is relax with a fizzy beverage, but I can't stand too-sweet soft drinks! In this CRAFT Video, I show you how easy it is to make your own soda at home, and it's inexpensive, too! I use brewer's yeast to produce carbon dioxide, and whatever flavors come to the imagination. In the video I used honey, green tea, strawberries, and grated ginger, but you can use any combination of fruits, juices, fresh herbs, and sweeteners that you like. Thanks to Matt Mets for the tea recipe inspiration. Subscribe to CRAFT in iTunes or download the m4v video. Check out the complete tutorial with recipe ideas over on CRAFT. Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in MAKE Podcast | Digg this! It's summer and all I want to do these days is relax with a fizzy beverage, but I can't stand too-sweet soft drinks! In this CRAFT Video, I show you how easy it is to make your own soda at home, and it's inexpensive, too! I use brewer's yeast to produce carbon dioxide, and whatever flavors come to the imagination. In the video I used honey, green tea, strawberries, and grated ginger, but you can use any combination of fruits, juices, fresh herbs, and sweeteners that you like. Thanks to Matt Mets for the tea recipe inspiration. Subscribe to CRAFT in iTunes or download the m4v video. Check out the complete tutorial with recipe ideas over on CRAFT. Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in MAKE Podcast | Digg this! tag:odeo.com,2009-07-18,24826305 Sat, 18 Jul 2009 13:00:18 -0700 no MAKE Magazine MAKE Podcast http://www.odeo.com/episodes/24823457-Collin-s-Lab-Notes-Exploratory-IC-torching After a recent post on the topic, I decided to experiment with a bit of IC decapping by way of propane torch. My first chip roast went relatively well allowing access to the precious chip within. I imagine a more evenly distributed & thorough torching would have made the hammer unnecessary - but I was happy with it as a first try. Now I find myself in need of better optics - anyone have any microscope recommendations? Download the m4v file or subscribe in iTunes Update:Already some very helpful tips rolling in! - Marc writes -The hottest part of a flame is the tip of the inner cone (blue part). You should never touch the cone to the work-piece. (sorry, I majored in product design - metals)Duely noted & Thnx! Keith writes -Boy Scout tip -- be careful heating porous rock and concrete. If it has a high moisture content and the water boils faster than it can be driven out, the rock could potentially explode. It certainly doesn't look like that was an issue here, but one might recommend ... After a recent post on the topic, I decided to experiment with a bit of IC decapping by way of propane torch. My first chip roast went relatively well allowing access to the precious chip within. I imagine a more evenly distributed & thorough torching would have made the hammer unnecessary - but I was happy with it as a first try. Now I find myself in need of better optics - anyone have any microscope recommendations? Download the m4v file or subscribe in iTunes Update:Already some very helpful tips rolling in! - Marc writes -The hottest part of a flame is the tip of the inner cone (blue part). You should never touch the cone to the work-piece. (sorry, I majored in product design - metals)Duely noted & Thnx! Keith writes -Boy Scout tip -- be careful heating porous rock and concrete. If it has a high moisture content and the water boils faster than it can be driven out, the rock could potentially explode. It certainly doesn't look like that was an issue here, but one might recommend baking the moisture out at Another reason I should've stayed in scouts - good point. Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in Electronics | Digg this! After a recent post on the topic, I decided to experiment with a bit of IC decapping by way of propane torch. My first chip roast went relatively well allowing access to the precious chip within. I imagine a more evenly distributed & thorough torching would have made the hammer unnecessary - but I was happy with it as a first try. Now I find myself in need of better optics - anyone have any microscope recommendations? Download the m4v file or subscribe in iTunes Update:Already some very helpful tips rolling in! - Marc writes -The hottest part of a flame is the tip of the inner cone (blue part). You should never touch the cone to the work-piece. (sorry, I majored in product design - metals)Duely noted & Thnx! Keith writes -Boy Scout tip -- be careful heating porous rock and concrete. If it has a high moisture content and the water boils faster than it can be driven out, the rock could potentially explode. It certainly doesn't look like that was an issue here, but one might recommend baking the moisture out at Another reason I should've stayed in scouts - good point. Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in Electronics | Digg this! tag:odeo.com,2009-07-17,24823457 Fri, 17 Jul 2009 07:30:32 -0700 no MAKE Magazine electronics http://www.odeo.com/episodes/24819765-Weekend-Project-Noisemusick-Kit Make some crazy musical noise with this 555 Timer-based Noisemusick Kit. Watch the video to see it in action and pick up your own at the Maker Shed. In the Maker Shed: In the Maker Shed: 555 Noisemusick Kit To download The Noismusick Kit MP4 click here or subscribe in iTunes. Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in Weekend Projects | Digg this! Make some crazy musical noise with this 555 Timer-based Noisemusick Kit. Watch the video to see it in action and pick up your own at the Maker Shed. In the Maker Shed: In the Maker Shed: 555 Noisemusick Kit To download The Noismusick Kit MP4 click here or subscribe in iTunes. Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in Weekend Projects | Digg this! Make some crazy musical noise with this 555 Timer-based Noisemusick Kit. Watch the video to see it in action and pick up your own at the Maker Shed. In the Maker Shed: In the Maker Shed: 555 Noisemusick Kit To download The Noismusick Kit MP4 click here or subscribe in iTunes. Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in Weekend Projects | Digg this! tag:odeo.com,2009-07-17,24819765 Fri, 17 Jul 2009 06:00:01 -0700 no MAKE Magazine Weekend Projects http://www.odeo.com/episodes/24808934-Lost-Knowledge-Stick-chart-navigation The twice-monthly 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 This week, we look at an awesome, indigenous type of ocean mapping and navigation technology known as stick charts (aka Marshall Islands stick charts, Micronesian stick charts, or Polynesian stick charts). The Wikipedia entry for Marshall Islands stick chart starts: Marshall Islands stick charts were made and used by the Marshallese to navigate the Pacific Ocean by canoe off the coast of the Marshall Islands. The charts represented major ocean swell patterns and the ways the islands disrupted those patterns, typically determined by sensing disruptions in ocean swells by islands during sea navigation. St... The twice-monthly 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 This week, we look at an awesome, indigenous type of ocean mapping and navigation technology known as stick charts (aka Marshall Islands stick charts, Micronesian stick charts, or Polynesian stick charts). The Wikipedia entry for Marshall Islands stick chart starts: Marshall Islands stick charts were made and used by the Marshallese to navigate the Pacific Ocean by canoe off the coast of the Marshall Islands. The charts represented major ocean swell patterns and the ways the islands disrupted those patterns, typically determined by sensing disruptions in ocean swells by islands during sea navigation. Stick charts were typically made from the midribs of coconut fronds tied together to form an open framework. Island locations were represented by shells tied to the framework, or by the lashed junction of two or more sticks. The threads represented prevailing ocean surface wave-crests and directions they took as they approached islands and met other similar wave-crests formed by the ebb and flow of breakers. Individual charts varied so much in form and interpretation that the individual navigator who made the chart was the only person who could fully interpret and use it. Use of stick charts and navigation by swells apparently came to demise after World War II, when travel between islands by canoe halted. An article on Jaime Morrison's wonderful blog, The Nonist, identifies three basic types of stick charts: The "MATTANG" or "WAPPEPE" is a small, square-shaped chart which shows wave patterns around a single island or atoll and was used for teaching purposes only. The "REBBELIB" is a general wave navigational chart mapping an entire chain, showing the relationships between the islands and the major ocean swells. The "MEDO" covers only a few islands and is useful for specific voyages. Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in Retro | Digg this! The twice-monthly 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 This week, we look at an awesome, indigenous type of ocean mapping and navigation technology known as stick charts (aka Marshall Islands stick charts, Micronesian stick charts, or Polynesian stick charts). The Wikipedia entry for Marshall Islands stick chart starts: Marshall Islands stick charts were made and used by the Marshallese to navigate the Pacific Ocean by canoe off the coast of the Marshall Islands. The charts represented major ocean swell patterns and the ways the islands disrupted those patterns, typically determined by sensing disruptions in ocean swells by islands during sea navigation. Stick charts were typically made from the midribs of coconut fronds tied together to form an open framework. Island locations were represented by shells tied to the framework, or by the lashed junction of two or more sticks. The threads represented prevailing ocean surface wave-crests and directions they took as they approached islands and met other similar wave-crests formed by the ebb and flow of breakers. Individual charts varied so much in form and interpretation that the individual navigator who made the chart was the only person who could fully interpret and use it. Use of stick charts and navigation by swells apparently came to demise after World War II, when travel between islands by canoe halted. An article on Jaime Morrison's wonderful blog, The Nonist, identifies three basic types of stick charts: The "MATTANG" or "WAPPEPE" is a small, square-shaped chart which shows wave patterns around a single island or atoll and was used for teaching purposes only. The "REBBELIB" is a general wave navigational chart mapping an entire chain, showing the relationships between the islands and the major ocean swells. The "MEDO" covers only a few islands and is useful for specific voyages. Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in Retro | Digg this! tag:odeo.com,2009-07-15,24808934 Wed, 15 Jul 2009 12:00:00 -0700 no MAKE Magazine retro http://www.odeo.com/episodes/24795237-Solar-sunflowers-at-Austin-s-Mueller-development Austin's new development at the site of the old Robert Mueller airport includes a small solar farm consisting of fifteen of these lovely blue "solar sunflower" collectors, designed by Cambridge's Harries/Héder Collaborative, whose concept was selected from a pool of 37 applicants to Austin's Art in Public Places program. Details of the project are available here. The collectors, which have been installed but aren't yet active, will collect energy during the day and release it at night as light for the nearby hike-and-bike trail. Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in Arts | Digg this! Austin's new development at the site of the old Robert Mueller airport includes a small solar farm consisting of fifteen of these lovely blue "solar sunflower" collectors, designed by Cambridge's Harries/Héder Collaborative, whose concept was selected from a pool of 37 applicants to Austin's Art in Public Places program. Details of the project are available here. The collectors, which have been installed but aren't yet active, will collect energy during the day and release it at night as light for the nearby hike-and-bike trail. Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in Arts | Digg this! Austin's new development at the site of the old Robert Mueller airport includes a small solar farm consisting of fifteen of these lovely blue "solar sunflower" collectors, designed by Cambridge's Harries/Héder Collaborative, whose concept was selected from a pool of 37 applicants to Austin's Art in Public Places program. Details of the project are available here. The collectors, which have been installed but aren't yet active, will collect energy during the day and release it at night as light for the nearby hike-and-bike trail. Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in Arts | Digg this! tag:odeo.com,2009-07-13,24795237 Mon, 13 Jul 2009 09:00:00 -0700 no MAKE Magazine Arts http://www.odeo.com/episodes/24777724-Weekend-Project-Kinetic-Remote-Control Get rid of your batteries and power your remote control with just a shake. Thanks go to Dhananjay Gadre for the original article in MAKE, Volume 12. To download The Kinetic Remote Control MP4 click here or subscribe in iTunes. Check out the complete Kinetic Remote Control article in MAKE, Volume 12 "Kinetic Remote Control" and you can see that in our Digital Edition. Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in Weekend Projects | Digg this! Get rid of your batteries and power your remote control with just a shake. Thanks go to Dhananjay Gadre for the original article in MAKE, Volume 12. To download The Kinetic Remote Control MP4 click here or subscribe in iTunes. Check out the complete Kinetic Remote Control article in MAKE, Volume 12 "Kinetic Remote Control" and you can see that in our Digital Edition. Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in Weekend Projects | Digg this! Get rid of your batteries and power your remote control with just a shake. Thanks go to Dhananjay Gadre for the original article in MAKE, Volume 12. To download The Kinetic Remote Control MP4 click here or subscribe in iTunes. Check out the complete Kinetic Remote Control article in MAKE, Volume 12 "Kinetic Remote Control" and you can see that in our Digital Edition. Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in Weekend Projects | Digg this! tag:odeo.com,2009-07-10,24777724 Fri, 10 Jul 2009 06:01:00 -0700 no MAKE Magazine Weekend Projects http://www.odeo.com/episodes/24777725-Weekend-Project-Kinetic-Remote-Control-PDF Get rid of your batteries and power your remote control with just a shake. Thanks go to Dhananjay Gadre for the original article in MAKE, Volume 12. View the PDF of this project. and then subscribe to MAKE Magazine for other great projects you can do over the weekend. Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in MAKE PDF | Digg this! Get rid of your batteries and power your remote control with just a shake. Thanks go to Dhananjay Gadre for the original article in MAKE, Volume 12. View the PDF of this project. and then subscribe to MAKE Magazine for other great projects you can do over the weekend. Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in MAKE PDF | Digg this! Get rid of your batteries and power your remote control with just a shake. Thanks go to Dhananjay Gadre for the original article in MAKE, Volume 12. View the PDF of this project. and then subscribe to MAKE Magazine for other great projects you can do over the weekend. Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in MAKE PDF | Digg this! tag:odeo.com,2009-07-10,24777725 Fri, 10 Jul 2009 06:00:01 -0700 no MAKE Magazine MAKE PDF http://www.odeo.com/episodes/24746692-Day-planner-clock-erases-itself Il-Gu Cha's Trace of Time clock incorporates a whiteboard-esque erasable face and an eraser built into the hour hand - See a video of it in action here. [via Tinker.it ] Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in Arts | Digg this! Il-Gu Cha's Trace of Time clock incorporates a whiteboard-esque erasable face and an eraser built into the hour hand - See a video of it in action here. [via Tinker.it ] Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in Arts | Digg this! Il-Gu Cha's Trace of Time clock incorporates a whiteboard-esque erasable face and an eraser built into the hour hand - See a video of it in action here. [via Tinker.it ] Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in Arts | Digg this! tag:odeo.com,2009-07-06,24746692 Mon, 06 Jul 2009 05:00:16 -0700 no MAKE Magazine Arts http://www.odeo.com/episodes/24746693-Thermographic-camera-on-the-cheap Jörn Loviscach shares strategies for thermographic imaging using an infrared thermometer and custom software. Impressive results considering IR thermometers can be had for less than a hundred bucks while the cameras cost several thousand. [via Hack a Day ] Update: There's also a related discussion in our forums, where Bill Beatty points out an interesting strategy. Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in Imaging | Digg this! Jörn Loviscach shares strategies for thermographic imaging using an infrared thermometer and custom software. Impressive results considering IR thermometers can be had for less than a hundred bucks while the cameras cost several thousand. [via Hack a Day ] Update: There's also a related discussion in our forums, where Bill Beatty points out an interesting strategy. Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in Imaging | Digg this! Jörn Loviscach shares strategies for thermographic imaging using an infrared thermometer and custom software. Impressive results considering IR thermometers can be had for less than a hundred bucks while the cameras cost several thousand. [via Hack a Day ] Update: There's also a related discussion in our forums, where Bill Beatty points out an interesting strategy. Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in Imaging | Digg this! tag:odeo.com,2009-07-03,24746693 Fri, 03 Jul 2009 08:00:41 -0700 no MAKE Magazine imaging