Hasta La Gadget!

Geoff Milburn’s air conditioning unit isn’t pretty, but it does the trick. Photo courtesy of Geoff Milburn

If you’re living in the U.S., we don’t have to tell you it’s hot outside. Damn hot. Dog Day Afternoon hot.

Temperatures are soaring in cities across the country, reaching (and breaking) record highs not seen since the early 20th century. The smartest of us are seeking refuge in the air-conditioned Starbucks.

Coughing up the cash for a Frappuccino isn’t your only option. Geoff Milburn of Ontario created a cheap, DIY approach to the modern air condition: The “Black Beauty.”

After rooting around for parts in his school’s science department dumpster, Milburn strapped an oscillating fan to the radiator of an old freeze-drying machine. Using copper tubing to funnel cold water in from an outside garden hose, Milburn’s unit is controlled entirely from the inside of his house, with a simple valve attached to the tubing for more efficient water usage and flow regulation.

It’s a huge improvement from Milburn’s original A/C design, which involved a lot more copper tubing, a much larger fan, and a giant trash can filled with ice water instead of the feed from the hose.

Milburn’s original air conditioning model was somewhat less convenient. Photo courtesy of Geoff Milburn

Check out Milburn’s page for instructions on how to cool your place down without splurging on a proper A/C unit.

Now all that’s left is to figure out how to cool down that toasty MacBook Pro sitting on your lap.

In the mood for some homebrew iOS app-building fun? Well, Make’s got a kit just for you that bundles the Redpark Serial Cable for iOS with an RS232-to-TTL board and the 60 plus component Minitronics Survival pack for $80. Hailing it as “the first general-purpose serial cable that Apple has approved,” this limited supply pack will let you get your Arduino-tinkering hands all sorts of iPhone dirty — jailbreak not required. And if you’re the uninitiated type, the DIY magazine’s also put together a helpful, hand-holding guide to walk you through some basic first-timer projects. Hit the source to order your own Jobs-certified cable.

[Thanks, Marc]

Make’s Redpark Breakout Pack lets you build iOS apps with Arduino assistance originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 18 Jul 2011 17:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’ve seen robots that look like they’ve had one too many, but we’re pretty sure this little guy needs to check into rehab. Despite its absolutely adorable appearance, this Android seems hell-bent on destruction, literally beating itself up, and eventually falling on its face. Built using the requisite Arduino, a trash can, some LEDs, and a slew of other components, this little guy was apparently created in three days on a budget just barely exceeding $100. You can see a video of the waste-bin bot hitting rock bottom at the source link below, but please refrain from laughing; Android alcoholism is a serious issue.

Continue reading Android trash can robot begs the question: ‘Why are you hitting yourself?’ (video)

Android trash can robot begs the question: ‘Why are you hitting yourself?’ (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 16 Jul 2011 18:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Always wanted an 80’s arcade cabinet for your living room, but the square footage in your studio apartment won’t cooperate with your gaming plans? Well, a master mini craftsman has created a seven-inch replica of Space Invaders that can fit on your desktop, coffee table, or bedside stand. It was cobbled together using the guts of a Game Boy Advance, some lilliputian controls, and a custom cabinet coated in shrunken decals that’s made of medium density fiberboard. Best of all, thanks to those Nintendo internals, there’s an entire arcade’s worth of games at your tiny fingertips. Between this and its diminutive Donkey Kong cousin, perhaps mini arcade cabinets are the future of gaming. Video of the little gem in action is after the break.

Continue reading Mini Space Invaders arcade cabinet big on nostalgia, small in size

Mini Space Invaders arcade cabinet big on nostalgia, small in size originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 11 Jul 2011 17:55:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hard to believe that Microsoft’s been offering consumers the ability to customize their Zune purchases for the better part of four years now, but as they say, all unbelievable things must one day face reality. Er, something to that effect. Without so much as a heads-up, the designers in Redmond have apparently decided to shutter the Zune Originals storefront. As of this weekend, no new orders for highly personalized Zunes are being taken, with interested Earthlings encouraged to throw creativity to the wind and opt for a mass produced alternative within Best Buy or Walmart. So, you’re looking at two tidbits of import: if you placed your Originals order at 5PM PT on July 1st, you likely have quite the coveted device headed your way, and if you ever needed evidence that Microsoft was making WP7 its next Zune, well… you’re welcome.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Zune Originals shut down, humans revert to being average and uncreative originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 Jul 2011 07:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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