Fun & Games

The latest DIY ideas, techniques and tools for bikes, rockets, R/C vehicles, toys and other diversions.

In the Maker Shed: Thumb Stadium kit

In the Maker Shed: Thumb Stadium kit

Thumb Stadium is one of my favorite kits in the Maker Shed. I really enjoyed making this kit. The instructions are very clear, and it’s easy to solder together. My favorite game is SlapJack, although ThumbWar is a close second. Thumb Stadium is a 2-player hand-held game kit which features four (4) totally different games […]

360-ified SG

Photo from adcurtin This tip came in from the comments: Here’s my mod from back in the day before GH3 for x360 (I preferred the sg to the xplorer): He goes on: I hate the X-plorer with a passion, mostly the fret buttons, but the whammy bar and the part that gets in the way […]

Guitar game controller mods

Guitar game controller mods

TJ says that the best place for info on modding game controllers is ScoreHero’s forums. I poked around a bit and dug up some interesting stuff. Here is one for jamming a Strat into an Explorer. So I imported Rock Band recently, and while the drums are ace the Stratocaster is sub-par. Sticky nasty frets, […]

Updated Power Glove with Bluetooth and Arduino

Updated Power Glove with Bluetooth and Arduino

Power Glove 20th Anniversary Edition — Build Video from Matt Mechtley on Vimeo. Matt Mechtley is responsible for this maker’s dream project: getting a classic Nintendo Power Glove to work with custom games by replacing it’s brain with an arduino, implanting an accelerometer for motion detection, and using a bluetooth modem for wireless connectivity. He’s […]

Cob flywheel

Cob flywheel

From the comments: Our friend Rachel just took these pictures last week near Oaxaca (Mexico), and she shared them with us while staying at the Eco Village on her way to Portland. this “bici-maquina” (bike-machine), as they are called in Mexico, is used to power a water pump. i love the technological contrast, claypunkish.

TouchTable map

This is a neat Touchable map via Wired Science. I wonder if Apple has a patent on the multitouch for non-portable applications. He says it was designed for kids to learn geography, but it appears that the Department of Education was not paying the bill. It’s kind of like the interactive LED table from EMS, […]