A month ago, the folks at Raspberry Pi announced that they now had access, thanks to Broadcomm, to an open driver for the BCM21553 cellphone processor chip. This meant that DIYers now had complete access to the board and would be able to access the onboard Raspberry BCM2835 chip (a similar chip to the BCM21553) with an open source driver – as long as someone ported it over from the BCM21553. Read More
The laser-crazy toymaker Patrick Priebe recently shared what he admits to be the dumbest thing he’s ever made: lasers mounted on a pair of goggles. There are actually two pairs of lasers on the goggles, with the lower-powered red beams used for aiming.
Patrick was inspired by Cyclops, but any X-Men fan will tell you that Scott’s optic blast is more of a sledgehammer than a laser beam – it won’t burn you, but it will push you through a mountain. On the other hand, anyone who’s a fan of life will tell you not to argue with a madman packing lasers and flamethrowers.
Gene Splice your browser and head to Patrick’s website for more of his custom weapons.
[via Engadget]
This clock by Instructables member dodgey99 uses an Etch A Sketch to draw the time, then flips over to erase the markings and update the time. It’s the kind of clock you would expect to find in one of Doctor Who’s TARDIS rooms, along with other strange and cool stuff. However, this one is right here and now on Earth.
Its creator adapted a pre-existing body of code that used stepper motors to write random lines on an Etch A Sketch. He rewrote the program so that it would not only compose specific lines, but reset the stylus on an analog device. The motors are directed by an Arduino. Pulleys connect the knobs to a pair of overpowered stepper motors mounted on a frame of acrylic sheets. Despite being a bit slow at drawing the time, it’s still genius.
Check out the video. Great job dodgey99. I want one.
[via Neatorama]
I actually checked to see if today was April Fool’s but, seeing as how it wasn’t and seeing as how it would be quite simple to recreate this cool piece of hardware, I figured we could check it out. Basically it’s a DIY tattoo machine that uses a Makerbot base with a needle attached to the extruder. To use it you simply strap your arm to the platform (!!!) and wait for the robot to blow some Sailor… Read More
Tinkerer Steve Hoefer found a way to put those kitschy chattering teeth toy to good use. With the help of a 555 timer chip, a servo and some soldering, you can turn the toy into a timer that automatically counts down as you start brushing.
When you remove your toothbrush from the Toothy Toothbrush Timer’s toothbrush holder, a switch activates the chattering teeth. When the teeth stop chomping, you’re done brushing. That’s all there is to it. Steve set his timer at 2 minutes and 10 seconds, but you can of course set your own time.
Floss your browser and head to MAKE for the full guide.
[via Evil Mad Scientist Labs]
Late last year I talked about the DIY Gamer Kit, which contained all the parts you need to assemble your own handheld game console. In other words, the kit introduces you to video game hardware. Aurélien Rodot’s Gamebuino on the other hand comes fully assembled and is intended to get you into video game software.
The Gamebuino has an ATmega 328 microcontroller, an 84 x 84 monochrome display with automatic backlight, six buttons, a 4-channel speaker and a 240mAh battery. It also has four ports: one microUSB, one microSD and two I2C ports. While the DIY Gamer Kit is also based on the Arduino language, Aurélien made a software library for Gamebuino, which includes a graphics engine, a game engine, sound effects, user interface and more. Coding a Gamebuino game will be easier and faster because you don’t have to start from scratch.
Aurélien says he’s already finalized the Gamebuino’s hardware, the software library and a few sample games. Right now he’s working on a browser that will let you load and switch between games from a microSD card. He’s also going to make tutorials and setup an online community to make it easier for newbies to get help. Pledge at least €35 (~$48 USD) on Indiegogo to get a Gamebuino – and priceless knowledge – as a reward.
[via Kotaku]
There are plenty of replica sonic screwdrivers out there for fans of Doctor Who to collect. The last one we talked about was the War Doctor’s Sonic Screwdriver. If you have a collection of sonic screwdrivers that you need a place to store and show off, this is the perfect DIY project for you.
One Whovian going by the name 00failure has used MDF and wood veneer to create an awesome chest that displays his collection of sonic screwdrivers. The collectables are tucked away inside foam with cutouts the perfect size to keep them in place.
The builder went so far as to laser cut Gallifreyan symbols into the veneer. The finished products is very cool. However, I must confess to not watching the show, so I see what appears to be a tube of lipstick, a pocket watch, and some odd keys inside as well that I don’t know the significance of.
[via The RPF via Nerd Approved]
It’s easy to forget on the slopes, but your speed depends on the thin film of water created by your snowboard (or skis). So it follows that more heat below your feet would mean more speed, right? Signal Snowboards’s Dave Lee just built a heated snow board to find out.
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It’s not so simple to become an electronic musician. The equipment is expensive. There’s not a good how-to book. It’s sometimes a little unclear what exactly electronic music is. That’s why the Contact musical interface is so intriguing.
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Plaid Enterprises, Inc., the company behind classic crafting goodies
like Mod Podge, FolkArt paint, and Gallery Glass, are searching for the
next big thing in do-it-yourself consumer products. If you’ve got an
invention that will make crafting easier and more fun, they might pick
up your product!
This is site is run by Sascha Endlicher, M.A., during ungodly late night hours. Wanna know more about him? Connect via Social Media by jumping to about.me/sascha.endlicher.
