Make: DIY Projects and Ideas for Makers |

ColorHug: Open Source Display Colorimeter

Because color can differ wildly from one monitor to another, many designers and publishers rely on proprietary colorimeters to calibrate their displays. Software developer and electrical engineer Richard Hughes has been working on his own open source colorimeter he calls ColorHug. Along with the Linux software (also open source), it takes about a minute for ColorHug to take several hundred measurements and create an ICC color profile, which can be read by other operating systems.

Continue Reading November 14th, 2011 Matt Richardson6

iPhone Acoustic Ruler

Here’s a novel way to take measurements using sound waves with an iPhone. German developer Florian Student’s Acoustic Ruler Pro for iOS will measure distances up to 25 meters by clocking the time delay of emitted sound waves. You can use the app with either a pair of headphones or with another iPhone to measure the distance between the two handsets.

Continue Reading November 14th, 2011 Adam Flaherty12

Egg-Bot

The Egg-Bot is an art robot designed by Bruce Shapiro that’s fun to watch as it draws intricate designs on eggs or any other round objects 3cm–10cm in diameter, including ornaments, golf balls, and light bulbs. You design the patterns in the free app Inkscape, and the bot draws them using fine-point Sharpies, engraving tools, […]

Continue Reading November 13th, 2011 Paul Spinrad12

The Dice Kit

This is a fantastic introductory electronics kit that comes with your choice of large red or green LEDs and everything else needed (aside from a soldering iron, solder, and flush cutters) to make one electronic 6-sided die. (The manufacturer says: “The name Dice Kit sounds a great deal better than ‘Die Kit’, so we bent […]

Continue Reading November 13th, 2011 Mark Frauenfelder6

3-in-1 All-Terrain Robot

I’ve been building OWI robot kits since the mid-1980s. Some have been good, a few not worth the box they came in. Every once in a while, OWI does a kit that’s great — their 3-in-1 All Terrain Robot (ATR) is one of these. This entertaining kit, suitable for kids 12 and up, lets you […]

Continue Reading November 13th, 2011 Jake Spurlock4

X2 Mini Mill CNC kit #2 with X-Y-Z BALLSCREWS

What to do when you want to machine precise custom parts but don’t have room or funds for a professional CNC? Invest in a manual mill that can convert into a CNC. Considered a great tool for the price, the X2 Mini Mill is the kit builder’s top choice, and Probotix offers complete conversion kits (see […]

Continue Reading November 13th, 2011 Nick Raymond2

RoadTech H3 Toolkit

Most hobbyists neglect to get the good basic pieces you need to work on everyday machinery like counterfeit printing presses, getaway cars, and the trap doors on elevator ceilings. Instead, they get the $20 all-in-one checkout-line kit featuring tools made from an alloy of sawdust, soda cans, and rat droppings. RoadTech H3 tools absolutely don’t […]

Continue Reading November 13th, 2011 Jake Spurlock

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