The latest DIY ideas, techniques and tools for bikes, rockets, R/C vehicles, toys and other diversions.
Mobile gaming mastermind ZodTTD has updated his mame4iPhone app to use BTStack, allowing the use of a Wii remote as a controller. I could see using this with the iPhone app video out hack as a low-cost casual gaming console.
The amazing “Big Daddy” costume build from Volpin Props that we covered back in September is up for auction on eBay. The listing closes just after 9:00 PM PST on December 3rd which, incidentally, is my birthday (hint hint hint). The image shown above is actually a photograph of the costume (admittedly one that’s been run through a PhotoShop filter or two) taken at the Georgia Aquarium. You can view the entire photo-set here. [Thanks, Phil!]
Over the past few years, I have been fascinated by Michael’s Halo armor project. The piece that first caught my eye was his M6G pistol made of foam. Insulating foam is a fascinating material, due to its’ consistency, low cost and ease of tooling. Machined foam can be cut quickly, and can be finished with a variety of surface treatments from diluted white glue to some paints. He’s been posting to the MAKE Flickr pool for quite a while, allowing us to see what he’s up to as the projects evolve. Recently, we’ve had an email exchange where he has shared some of the process and techniques that he is employing on this masterful personal project.
Although it can’t be a terribly accurate way to make polycube puzzle pieces, I must admit I am charmed by Qiao Chang’s origami soma cube blocks. [via Neatorama]
SensorFly, a prototype from the Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University shows just how robust the current crop really is. Knock down one of these sensor-packed hovering whirlygigs and it reorients itself to take flight again in a matter of seconds
My buddy Jon makes these awesome little puzzle boxes from acorns. There are four shown in the video: one pair consisting of a smaller hinged acorn that nests, matryoshka-style, inside a larger one with a wire spring latch; a larger, locking nut that is opened by removing a small pin; and, finally, a large hinged version that is unlatched by knocking it against a surface from a certain angle.
usbddr is firmware for the Atmel ATMega8 which implements a usb controller (“dance pad”) for games such as stepmania. In contrast to other homebrew dance pads, it uses capacitive sensing, eliminating mechanical wear and allowing adjustable sensitivity
