makezine.com: Make 28: Toys and Games

Volume 28: Toys and Games

MAKE Volume 28 hits makers' passion for play head-on with a 28-page special section devoted to Toys and Games, including a toy "pop-pop" steamboat made from a mint tin, an R/C helicopter eye-in-the-sky, and a classic video game console. You'll also build a gravity-powered catapult, a plush toy that interacts with objects around it, and a machine that blows giant soap bubbles. Play time is a hallmark of more intelligent species-- so go have some fun!

View a list of all links referenced in this volume

Toy Stories by Dale Dougherty in Welcome
This Toys and Games issue of MAKE is filled with fun projects to make that just might inspire you to see the world differently — as something you can shape, mold, shrink, and hack. Page 11

Happy Holidays from the Maker Shed! by Dan Woods in In the Maker Shed
How cool would it be if people could take home a slice of Maker Faire in the form of a kit? Page 16

Machine Soul by Thomas Walker Wilson in Made on Earth
German designer and furniture maker Frank Buchwald creates creature-like lamps out of burnished steel, brushed brass, textile cables, and blown glass. Page 18

Gnarly Biogenesis by Goli Mohammadi in Made on Earth
Greek artist Achilles Kapsalis breathes wicked new life into animal bones, resurrecting them as fierce, bionic creatures born of his imagination. Page 20

Dolphin Car by Jerry James Stone in Made on Earth
EV enthusiast Dave Cloud created the Dolphin car, an electrified version of a 1997 Geo Metro. Page 21

Big Wheels Turnin' by Laura Kiniry   in Made on Earth
Friends Fred Abels and Maik ter Veer made the Dicyclet - a bicycle with wheels that ride parallel instead of in a line, with the driver suspended below the axle. Page 22

Bus(t) a Move by Jerry James Stone in Made on Earth
Superbus is a 49-foot-long, astronautdesigned carrier that hauls more than 20 passengers and tops out around 155mph. Page 23

Beer Wheel Drive by William Gurstelle in Made on Earth
Designed to hold fourteen 250lb people and their beverage of choice, City Cycle was built to support more weight than a Dodge Ram 2500 pickup. Page 24

Colossal Camera by Adam Flaherty in Made on Earth
Darren Samuelson takes amazing, ultralarge-format photographs with a gigantic, handmade bellows camera. Page 25

Let the Games Begin by Gareth Branwyn in Tales from the Web
We’ve posted oodles of articles and projects on makezine.com related to gaming, from tabletop wargames to video game console hacks to such outdoor geek pastimes as geocaching. Here are a few of our favorites. Page 26

A Curriculum of Toys by Saul Griffith in Making Trouble
Until our school system is reformed, I think the burden falls on parents, guardians, and friends to teach children the skills of life. Page 27

Is It Time to Retool Public LIbraries as TechShops? by Phillip Torrone in Soapbox
Unless libraries are seen as the future, we might just lose them. Page 28

Record Your World from a Picture Post by Forrest Mims III in Country Scientist
All that’s necessary is a digital camera and a platform to place it on, so that it can be used to collect images at regular intervals. Page 30

What My Wife Taught Me About Toys Today by Cory Doctorow in Make Free
Can 3D printing bring toy making back home? Page 33

Balsa Dreams in Maker
Paul K. Guillow’s model airplanes have been buzzing over parks since 1926. Page 34

Science in Your Cereal Bowl! by Bob Knetzger in Maker
These famous cereal premiums were tiny — but packed with mighty scientific principles! Page 38

Strumming up a Business by Rafael Atijas in Maker
How a kids’ bike inspired the creation of a cool new guitar kit. Page 44

Coffee Table MAME Console by Adam Wolf, John Baichtal
Emulate the raw fun of classic arcade games, wirelessly on your TV. Page 48

Eye in the Sky by I-Wei Huang
Hack a hobby copter and see what the birds and bugs see. Page 53

Chinese Checkers for Two by Charles Platt
Chinese checkers can be more strategically complex than regular checkers as long as you follow one simple rule: never play against more than one opponent! Page 56

Mastering 3D Views by Bob Knetzger
William Gruber put the magic of stereoscopic photos in our hands. Page 58

Toys from Trash by Rohit Srivastwa
Arvind Gupta’s playful educational mission. Page 64

Clothesline Races by John Baichtal
This high-flying contest tests robotic prowess, creativity, and sense of humor. Page 66

Pop-Pop Steamboat by William Abernathy
Build a toy steamer that runs only on heat and the water it’s floating in. Page 70

Permission to Play
A roundup of delightful toys and games.
Magnificent Mousetrap, Magnified
PING! Augmented Pixels
Blow Your Mind
Long-Distance Doodling
Roll Out the Barrel
High Roller
Go Twitch
One Drop Yo-Yos
Tiny Diver
Bot Blocks
Whiskeydrome
DIY Playgrounds
JediBot
Billboard Swing Set
Hivemind for Kids
Up, Up, And Away!
Page 76

Mini Foosball Game by Cy Tymony in 123
With just a few straws, paper clips, and a common 3-bag microwave popcorn box, you can quickly put together your own Sneaky Mini Foosball Game. Page 82

Gravity Catapult by William Gurstelle
Get medieval with this portable, stowable, gravity-powered trebuchet. Page 84

Gigantic Bubble Generator by Zvika Markfeld
Arduino-controlled Bubblebot blows enormous, undulating soap bubbles. Page 94

Charlie's Bear by David Harris
Make a plush toy that talks to other objects — and you. Page 106

Burnt Cookie Deflector by Thomas R. Fox in 123
To avoid burnt cookie bottoms, make this infrared radiation deflector. Page 115

Beatjazz Controller by Onyx Ashanti in Build Notes
Wearable, wireless control network adds movement to musical performance. Page 116

Simple Van de Graaff Generator by Adam Wolf in DIY: Science
Shoot electrical sparks with a soda can, rubber band, and PVC pipe. Page 124

Watch Case Wrench by Thomas Arey in DIY: Workshop
Make a custom tool in minutes to open your watch. Page 128

Copper Tool Tidy by Andrew Lewis in DIY: Workshop
Build a desktop stand for your essential small tools. Page 130

Plant Light Stand by Thomas R. Fox in DIY: Outdoors
Shed some light on a growing problem. Page 132

Solar Wax Melter by Josie Moores, Abe Connally in DIY: Outdoors
Purify beeswax with a simple sun-powered oven. Page 136

Water Leak Detector by J. Tregre in DIY: Home
This simple circuit saved the day when an attic water heater failed. Page 141

Toddler Swing by Josie Moores, Abe Connally in DIY: Home
Make an indoor/outdoor swing for your little one in 30 minutes. Page 144

Solar Pendulum by Owen Tanner in DIY: Circuits
Sunshine is all you need to get this easy-to-build pendulum swinging. Page 146

Bubble Trouble by Saul Griffith in Howtoons
Bubbles are a great way to fight boredom. Page 150

The Slow Fall by Donald E. Simanek in Toys, Tricks, and Teasers
Dropping a magnet through an aluminum tube takes longer than you’d think. Why? Page 152

"Level Best" 3D Camera Slide-Bar Hack by Bob Knetzger in Toy Inventor's Notebook
You can make a DIY camera slide bar fast and cheap that’ll work just as well as a professional one. Page 155

Toolbox in Toolbox
Arduino meets iPhone at last! Plus top tools, tech toys, model makers’ mags, gastronomy, gardening, and gaming geeks. Page 158

Phfft! in Eureka!
Page 160

Electronic Rock-Paper-Scissors by Charles Platt in Electronics: Fun and Fundamentals
Emulate the classic game using switches and LEDs. Page 166

Sneaky UV Ink Password Protector by Cy Tymony in 123
Write your computer passwords with an ultraviolet (UV) invisible ink pen so the information can’t be seen by the naked eye, and hide the UV light. Page 169

Archimedes and the Water Screw by William Gurstelle in Remaking History
Re-create the invention that quenched the Egyptian desert. Page 170

My Home-Built Chairlift by Jeff Johnson in Homebrew
My lovely wife and I built a chairlift to get from our lake house down to the dock. Page 176

MAKE: Amends Errata for this volume.

Where it appears	Clothesline Races, Page 69
The error	In Volume 28's "Clothesline Races," page 69, the racer attributed to Brandon Paplow (pictured) was actually created by David Bryan. We apologize to both for the error.

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