A useful hack can be a wonderful lifesaver, but sometimes an utterly pointless hack can be just as great. For no other reason than they could (and maybe to celebrate International Arduino Day), the folks at Just Add Sharks hacked a laser cutter to be controlled by an Etch A Sketch.
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To celebrate the 10th birthday of Arduino, the folks at laser cutter shop Just Add Sharks decided to make a laser cutter run by an Arduino Pro Mini. To make things more fun, they made it so their laser cutter is controlled using two knobs just like an Etch A Sketch. They even made the controller look just like the toy.
As with the Etch A Sketch, one of the knobs moves the laser vertically while the other makes it move horizontally. The laser cutter can not only etch, it also has a high powered mode that actually cuts through an object. That sounds awesome, but on the other hand you can’t erase or undo the process – no matter how hard you shake it.
Turn the knobs on your browser and head to Just Add Sharks’ blog for more on the hack.
[via Hacked Gadgets]
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]
The Etch a Sketch has been used for many things in the past, but I think this is the first time that we have ever seen a TV show recap drawn out on one. Hey, drawing on the Etch a Sketch sure beats cooking meth.
Well, it is not nearly as lucrative of course. Not nearly as adventurous. But it’s an honest toy, that won’t get you into any trouble. I don’t think. Anyway, I present to you this awesome Breaking Bad recap of seasons 1-5 as told by Etch a Sketch drawings and narration. And it goes without saying… SPOILER ALERT…
Todd’s Sketches is a web series that draws everything “from pop culture to news to whatever happens to be on his mind” using his Etch a Sketch.
This is the premiere episode. Enjoy.
[via Laughing Squid]
What Andre Cassagnes thought of today’s beeping and whirring playrooms we don’t know. We do know that the former electrician, born on September 23, 1926, created his iconic toy after noticing how graphite clung to a thin film of plastic while he was marking up a light switch decal. He tinkered with the idea for a while and created the L’Ecran Magique in 1959. Ohio Art licensed his idea in 1960 and the red-framed device was born.
The inventor died on January 16th of unknown causes.
The toy went on to great acclaim. Named one of the top 100 toys of the 20th century it played an integral role in many of our lives. Its limitations gave it glory and one shake is all it took to get rid of our transgressions. For many of us it was our first experience in mechanical drawing and what was LOGO but an electronic Etch A Sketch? That we, as pre-digital kids, could put something on a screen was a mesmerizing proposition and that kids still love this toy is a wonder.
The toy played an integral part in the life of Bryan, Ohio residents where, until 2003, the Etch A Sketch was built. The town moved manufacturing to Shenzhen, devastating the employees who brought the Etch A Sketch to life year after year.
“Etch A Sketch has brought much success to the Ohio Art Company, and we will be eternally grateful to Andre for that. His invention brought joy to so many over such a long period of time,” said Ohio Art president Larry Killgallon.
Cassagnes attempted to recreate his success and built a toy with a globe-shaped screen and a car game. Nothing received quite the same acclaim. In his later years took up kite-flying. Some would say it’s sad to be remembered for only one creation but, I would wager, Cassagnes’ gentle, quiet toy is a noble memorial to its creator. In an era of distraction, there is something beautiful about a toy that can create anything you can imagine using two simple dials and a blank screen and something important about a toy that will forgive your mistakes with a few soft shakes.
When I was a kid, I never thought much of the Etch-A-Sketch. But a tool is only as good as the one using it. Did I just insult myself? I think I just praised Jane Labowitch, who calls herself Princess Etch-A-Sketch. And for good reason.
Now that’s Pokémon Black-and-White. Below are her other Pokémon Etch-A-Sketches:
I wonder how long it would take to animate one battle sequence on an Etch-A-Sketch. Check out Jane’s deviantART page for more of her work, including her awesome business card.
[via albotas]
The Etch-a-Sketch reminds me of the days when I was a kid and didn’t have the day-to-day worries that I have right now (like how I’m going to find time to write two papers for this class I’m taking when I have to work for the most part of the day, among others.)
So when I saw this Playtime Belt Buckle on Etsy (aka the Etch-a-Sketch Belt Buckle), let me say I did more than just do a double take.
While I’m not in the market for a new buckle, you might be.
As its name obviously suggests, you can now wear a miniature and fully functional Etch-a-Sketch around your waist. It might be hard to draw stuff while you’re wearing it and it might be weird if someone else were using it to draw stuff while it’s around your waist, but hey, it’s still a pretty cool and funky belt buckle.
The Playtime Belt Buckle is available from iFind Industries’ Etsy shop for $80 (USD). Of course with a hot glue gun and one of these, you could DIY one for a whole lot less money.
[via Dude I Want That]
We’ve seen a variety of hacks and mods based on the Etch-a-Sketch, but none of them messed with the way it makes images. That’s exactly what Christopher Monaco did. He built his own take on the drawing toy, but instead of aluminum powder he used LEDs.
Because Monaco built his toy from scratch, the project is quite complicated. He used a variety of electronics from Sparkfun and Digikey, including an ATmega328P microcontroller, four 8×8 LED matrices and a MintyBoost kit. Then he designed the logic and the drivers for the board and the matrices, wrote custom software and made his own enclosure. Here’s the product of his efforts:
The funny thing is that the toy is more technically advanced, yet functionally worse than the original. But as with most hacks and mods, half the fun is in building it. Plus Monaco can always improve on his model, maybe make a larger one with different colored LEDs and so on, and before you know it he’ll have an LED version of Photoshop.
[via Instructables via MAKE]
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