I was looking for something to do with the kids. They raved about how much fun the rocket launching was at Maker Faire, so I brought some of that fun home with this kit, which is based on Rick Schertle’s project from MAKE Volume 15. The kit is an easy build, one or two hours […]
LeoneLabs on Instructables posted this fantastic how-to on adding 14 lasers to a regular tennis ball to make a Laser Ball. Why? He says that it’s fun to build, it can be done in an afternoon, and “lasers are cool.” The lasers are driven by a Teensy USB Development Board, which is stuffed inside the ball and controlled from outside with an infrared remote control. The Instructable shows you how to make your own in painstaking detail, but you can also follow the build step-by-step in this fun video.
This beautiful engine teaches you the basics of thermodynamics as its power comes from an external heat source, which can be anything from fuel to solar to geothermal energy. The instructions are in Japanese, but the Maker Shed page has an English translation. MAKE is proud to be the exclusive distributor in North America for […]
People my age remember red plastic toy rockets from childhood that you filled with water, pumped with air, and watched as they leaped dozens of feet into the air. Well, things have gotten far more serious in the world of water-powered model rocketry, and hobbyists are reaching heights upwards of 800′ using plastic soda bottles, thin […]
I’ve built my share of catapults (see MAKE Volume 28, “Gravity Catapult”), and this floating-arm kit has thoroughly impressed me. The parts come pre-cut in solid ash, and you clip off tabs to remove them, just like the plastic models I built as a kid. A file will help clean up the tabs. It’s put […]
The Rainbow Cube is a nerdy but gorgeous accent light consisting of a 4×4×4 cube of red-green-blue LEDs. Depending on how it’s programmed, colors appear to move, pulse, or wash through the cube in all directions, which is fascinating to watch. The LEDs connect to the PCB base via an ingenious structure consisting of thin […]
Owwwww, my head. I am still recovering from what will almost certainly be the best Elevensday celebration of my life. Unless I make it to 11/11/2111, that is. Fingers crossed. Anyway, to commemorate the event, and because Gronk think rainbows pretty, our featured image this week is johngineer’s 11.11.11. But it was a hard choice, because…
