Month: January 2013

Engadget’s Guide to 3D Printing

Engadget’s Guide to 3D Printing

This past summer when we were putting together our Ultimate Guide to 3D Printing we sought to test a representative sample of available consumer-class 3D printers. Given the dynamic nature of the market, we were sure many new printers would start popping up. And that’s definitely what’s happening. So it’s cool to see Endgadget has come out with its own 3D printer buyer’s guide: The Shape of Things to Come.

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How-To:  Mobile Phone Projector

How-To: $5 Mobile Phone Projector

The folks at Photojojo just posted a neat low-tech tutorial on how to make a mobile phone projector using a shoebox, a paperclip, and a magnifying glass. MacGyver would be proud. They were able to find the magnifying glass at a dollar store for, well, a dollar (so they called it the $1 projector), but let’s […]

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Optical Tremolo: Extended Play

Optical Tremolo: Extended Play

With this Optical Tremolo Box you are hearing are patterns of light, created by a spinning disk translated into rapid electrical fluctuations to produce a warbling audio effect. Audio enters the circuit via the input jack, passes through the variable resistor — the light-sensitive photocell — and outputs to the amplifier, creating the effect known as tremolo.

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Maker Shed Microcontroller Quick Reference Chart

Maker Shed Microcontroller Quick Reference Chart

With all the microcontrollers and single board computers on the market, sometimes it’s hard to see all your options. That’s why we made up this quick reference sheet for the 8 most popular boards we sell in the Maker Shed.

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Lovely Lego Ball Clock

Lovely Lego Ball Clock

Jason Allemann, who created these Lego mazes last year, built this beautiful and elegant Lego ball clock. The video shows how the rail system works with one ball being hauled up the chain every minute, then tipping the balance once enough balls have accumulated. [via Brothers Brick]

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How-To: Hand-Lettering on a Balloon

How-To: Hand-Lettering on a Balloon

I love the classic feel of hand-lettered signs and decorations, don’t you? Bring a bit of that old time-y whimsey to your next party with a hand-lettered balloon!

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