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Weekend Projects – Monkey Couch Guardian

Weekend Projects – Monkey Couch Guardian

makemagazineuser

By makemagazineuser

makemagazineuser

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Complete instructions for this episode of Weekend Projects can be found at
http://makeprojects.com/Project/Monkey-Couch-Guardian/2232/1

Combine an Arduino with a proximity sensor, and make an obnoxious device to discourage cats and other fur-shedding pets from jumping on beds and couches. This project will also introduce you to the SPDT relay, a fundamental component of hobbyist electronics projects.

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Turning A Cheap Optical Mouse Into A Robot Odometer

Turning A Cheap Optical Mouse Into A Robot Odometer

By Brian Jepson

Brian Jepson

I'm a tinkerer and finally reached the point where I fix more things than I break. When I'm not tinkering, I'm probably editing a book for Maker Media.

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John Graham-Cumming (JGC), author of The Geek Atlas, wrote in to let us know about a fun conversion he did with a cheap optical mouse: For a small robot project I’m working on I needed a way to measure the robot’s progress across the floor. There are various possibilities, such as: use stepper motors (expensive […]

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Player Piano Takes Song Requests Over Twitter

Player Piano Takes Song Requests Over Twitter

By Michael Colombo

Michael Colombo

In addition to being an online editor for MAKE Magazine, Michael Colombo works in fabrication, electronics, sound design, music production and performance (Yes. All that.) In the past he has also been a childrens' educator and entertainer, and holds a Masters degree from NYU's Interactive Telecommunications Program.

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Stanley is a converted player piano that interacts with Twitter users to play their favorite songs. Users tweet at Stanley to request a tune, a computer searches through a vast MIDI library to find it, then the MIDI information is sent to a set of solenoids on the piano that plunk out the notes.

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Details of C64 Bass Guitar Hack

Details of C64 Bass Guitar Hack

By Gareth Branwyn

Gareth Branwyn

Gareth Branwyn is a freelance writer and the former Editorial Director of Maker Media. He is the author or editor of over a dozen books on technology, DIY, and geek culture. He is currently a contributor to Boing Boing, Wink Books, and Wink Fun. His free weekly-ish maker tips newsletter can be found at garstipsandtools.com.

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The always inspired Jeri Ellsworth outdid herself at this year’s Maker Faire Bay Area. Jeri is known for the phrase “Did you bring a hack?” and she lives by such sentiment — Jeri always brings a hack. This year, at Maker Faire, it was a Commodore 64 Bass “keytar” that makes use of the original […]

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Steve Hobley's Workbench

Build Notes: Workbench from Scrap Wood

By Goli Mohammadi

Goli Mohammadi

I'm a word nerd who loves to geek out on how emerging technology affects the lexicon. I was an editor on the first 40 volumes of MAKE, and I love shining light on the incredible makers in our community. In particular, covering art is my passion — after all, art is the first thing most of us ever made. When not fawning over perfect word choices, I can be found on the nearest mountain, looking for untouched powder fields and ideal alpine lakes.

Contact me at snowgoli@gmail.com or via @snowgoli.

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One of our favorite MAKE sayings is “Never buy what you can make, and never make what you can find.” Adhering to that logic, maker Steve Hobley was using a repurposed dining room table as a workbench, and it just wasn’t working — taking up more space that it was worth and lacking means of […]

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Proverbial Tails Studios by OtakuSquirrel

Plastic Pony Wigs

By Goli Mohammadi

Goli Mohammadi

I'm a word nerd who loves to geek out on how emerging technology affects the lexicon. I was an editor on the first 40 volumes of MAKE, and I love shining light on the incredible makers in our community. In particular, covering art is my passion — after all, art is the first thing most of us ever made. When not fawning over perfect word choices, I can be found on the nearest mountain, looking for untouched powder fields and ideal alpine lakes.

Contact me at snowgoli@gmail.com or via @snowgoli.

View more articles by Goli Mohammadi
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My Little Pony enthusiasts are serious about their ponies. Apparently there’s a whole community of folks who lament the fact that the dolls have actual doll hair that you can brush and style, which looks nothing like the pony cartoon characters. Purists were up in arms. Leave it to a maker to answer their distress […]

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