Complete HOW TO and source code for making a barcode scanner out of LEGOs. The Barcode Scanner uses standard LEGO parts with two exceptions. The first is the laserbrick, a selfbuilt LEGO brick with a modified laser pointer connected to an output of the RCX. The second part is the barcode label from a LEGO box.Thanks Douglas! Link.
How to make the sunrise in your bedroom every morning. Many artists have used the Camera Obscura over the years, now make your own. – an optical experiment easy to do, but which, in spite of its simplicity, is able to give you a continuous marvel. What you have to do is simply mount a lens on the bedroom window. In this way, when you wake up in the morning, you will admire the outside scene projected on a wall of your bedroom. Link.
“…construction of a very simple low-cost compound microscope. As shown in Figure 1, the microscope we describe is one that just about anyone can build and will produce a magnification of about 75 times. Microscopes may be thought of as very intricate and mysterious instruments but in reality, they are not as complicated as one may think. Building this simple instrument is not only a fun project, it will help you understand how microscopes work.” Thanks Rick! Link.
Readmechs are printable (8.5″ x 11″) little paper box creatures and novelties like UK Johnny, Astro Julie, Pal 9000, Papercut of death, Skeletron and other clever designs surely to delight a drab cubicle. Link.
Excellent site for on designing and building your own miniature scale aircraft for indoor flying. This site is mainly aimed at people new to this kind of aeromodelling and those who want to design and build their own machines. Includes plans to help you get started, and you can look at the pages on indoor planes and park flyers to find something similar to what you want to build. This will give you an idea of weight, motors, rubber sizes, control systems etc based on something that works and should save you some development headaches. Thanks Rick! Link.
This guide will show you how to use a PicoSwitch in combination with a simple voice recorder to make a radio controlled voice/sound effect box. You can then mount this box into a radio controlled car, plane, boat, robot etc. and have fun triggering sounds at just the right moments. All you need to do is to take wires from the ‘play’ switch of a voice recorder, and connect them to a PicoSwitch. Link.
“A Russian booster rocket successfully carried a satellite designed by students into a low Earth orbit yesterday for the European Space Agency under a programme intended to help to inspire and train future aerospace workers.” [