For those of you do-it-yourself types, this could be an interesting project for you to look into. Called MB Led, it’s a game and animation platform using blocks of LEDs that can interact with each other. Inspired by the GLiP project (Great LED Interactive Puzzle), it was developed by students at Telecom ParisTech as a […]
DIY unmanned airship soars 95,000 feet above Earth, lays claim to new record (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 02 Nov 2011 07:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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The collectives behind the Tweephone, UP digital Bureau and Unteleported tech agency, claim that it’s the first analog Twitter client. We find that hard to believe but, while we’ve seen rotary phone-based Twitter tools before and analog meters that measure microblogging activity, we couldn’t come up with a single example of a client that lets you punch in messages through non-digital means. Even if it’s not the first of its kind, the Tweephone is still a pretty neat hack. Inside the old-school chassis is the ubiquitous Arduino, which interprets your pulls of the dial as letters. Like a phone with only a dial pad, you’ll have to ring up numbers multiple times to get the right letter (i.e. dial “2” three times to get a “c”). It definitely not the most efficient method for sending out 140-character missives, but certainly one of the more unique. Check out the video after the break to see it in action.
Continue reading Tweephone is a rotary phone Twitter client, even your grandma could love
Tweephone is a rotary phone Twitter client, even your grandma could love originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 01 Nov 2011 19:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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When it comes to all things DIY we tend to be drawn in by odd, internet-connected esoterica and Arduino-powered beer distributors. But, we won’t lie, nothing gets us going like a home-crafted instrument of destruction. And, in that vein, may we present you with the wrist-mounted crossbow from homebrew weapon artisan Patrick Priebe. Usually Priebe sticks with lasers but, for this project, he went old school — as in medieval. The bolt firing wristband isn’t without its modern accouterments, though — a pair of AA batteries and toggle switch are hidden in the palm which power a laser sight for better targeting. We won’t waste any more of your time, everything you want to see is contained in the video after the break.
DIY wrist-mounted crossbow gets you one step closer to being a super hero (or villain) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 01 Nov 2011 17:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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In Insert Coin, we look at an exciting new tech project that requires funding before it can hit production. If you’d like to pitch a project, please send us a tip with “Insert Coin” as the subject line.
We’re more than a little enamored with Arduino and its DIY microcontroller ilk. But we’ll admit, there are a few limitations that the compulsive prototyper might find bothersome. Chief amongst them is the lack of modularity, Now, sure, you can easily add all sorts of sensors, ports and radios to your Uno (or Duemilanove if you’re old school) but that generally requires piling shield, upon shield, upon shield, until you’ve got a stack of boards three-feet high. And, if you want to use an ARM chip instead of an AVR for a project? Well that’s a whole other set of boards. Kevin Greene has decided to address these perceived “weaknesses” with BoardX — a modular, open-source prototyping platform.
Continue reading Insert Coin: BoardX is an open-source, modular motherboard for prolific prototypers
Insert Coin: BoardX is an open-source, modular motherboard for prolific prototypers originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 01 Nov 2011 13:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Plenty of tales have cropped up through the years focusing on the roots of Arduino — a tiny circuit board that holds a special place in the heart of every modern-day DIYer — but a recent expose from the folks at Ieee Spectrum has a behind-the-scenes look that’ll impress even historians. Massimo Banzi is the name, and Bar di Re Arduino is the place. The former is hailed as an Italian cofounder of the project he dubbed Arduino in honor of the latter, and in time, four more folks would join him to create what would become a complete gamechanger in the universe of homegrown electronics. We’ve covered initiatives built on Arduino for years here at Engadget. Everything from sigh collectors to early warning systems for pastry chefs has been built around the platform, and the story of how we got to the place we are now is a fascinating one. We won’t introduce any spoilers here — tap that source link below to enjoy at your own pace.
How Arduino got its start: a behind the scenes revelation originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 28 Oct 2011 12:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
In Insert Coin, we look at an exciting new tech project that requires funding before it can hit production. If you’d like to pitch a project, please send us a tip with “Insert Coin” as the subject line.
You’ve scoped that little laser dot on the cabinet at the far end of the room, right? Well, don’t worry, you’re not about to see an innocent stationery cupboard get perforated by a sniper. Nope, this episode of Insert Coin is actually about measuring distances using PhaserTape — a peace-loving iOS- and Android-compatible peripheral that needs your help over at Makible. We think it could be a sweet little investment, and you only have to click past the break to discover why.
Continue reading Insert Coin: PhaserTape turns your smartphone into a rangefinder (video)
Insert Coin: PhaserTape turns your smartphone into a rangefinder (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 26 Oct 2011 13:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Do all dead washing machines go to meet that lonely Maytag repairman in the sky? Nope, some of’em get their guts repurposed for use in hipster transportation, otherwise known as bicycles. At least that’s what one fed up, frugal Munich denizen did to avoid that German’s city costly PT fees. It’s not what you’d call an elegant hack, as our DIYer’s had to haphazardly rig up his washer’s 300W motor to the bike’s frame and stuff two clunky 12Ah batteries into a sidebag off the back tire. Still, it appears to get the job done, spinning at a max of 3000rpms with an ejector button on / off switch affixed to the right hand brake. We’re not sure how well or reliably this modjob fares on busy roadways, so for the time being we’ll just stick to Vespas. Check out the video after the break for an unmoving portrait of this eFahrrad.
DIY e-bike hack gets washing machine motorization, stuck on permanent spin cycle (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 25 Oct 2011 03:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Arduino-powered glove brings real sound effects to your make believe gun show (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 24 Oct 2011 14:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
If you’re going to go to the trouble of sending a camera to the edge of space, you might as well send one capable of doing the trip justice, right? That hasn’t always been the case with similar DIY attempts (for obvious reasons), but the team behind the so-called Cygnus “spacecraft” decided to go all out when they sent their weather balloon / beer cooler contraption aloft this month to photograph the curvature of the Earth. In this case, going all out meant sending a Nikon D300s DSLR equipped with Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 lens, which managed to capture some stunning pictures like the one you see above — although some got a bit obscured by ice build-up. There’s more where that came from at the Flickr link below, and you can check out a video of the launch after the break.
[Thanks, Udi]
Continue reading Nikon D300s travels to the edge of space, survives to share the results
Nikon D300s travels to the edge of space, survives to share the results originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 23 Oct 2011 14:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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