DIY science is the perfect way to use your creative skills and learn something new. With the right supplies, some determination, and a curious mind, you can create amazing experiments that open up a whole world of possibilities. At home-made laboratories or tech workshops, makers from all backgrounds can explore new ideas by finding ways to study their environment in novel ways – allowing them to make breathtaking discoveries!
It’s about a bilion times smaller than our actual closest star (140 cm, the artist made sure to make this exact), but Rafael Lozano-Hemmer has managed to recreate its glowing visuals in his art piece, Flatsun.
The SunVolt Portable Power Station is a portable solar panel that can be used to charge cell phones and tablets. There are actually two models, the SynVolt and the SunVolt Max. The first outputs 10 watts under optimal conditions, while the Max is rated for 15 watts, with 8-14.4 volts juicing your device. The SunVolt […]
Today is Toolsday here at MAKE, so you know what that means – a live Google+ hangout where we will be discussing our favorite tools and workspace essentials. The main topic of the hangout will be power, in various forms. We’ll discuss a few of the many possible ways to power your projects, whether it’s with a homemade bench-top supply, a solar panel hanging out of your window, or a kit like the Mintyboost.
This weekend, my buddy Jon came over, and we used my garage chem-lab to silver-plate some brass hinge leaves for some fancy jewelry boxes he’s making. I had never electroplated anything before, and have been curious about the process since my undergraduate days. My impression, based on my survey courses, was that electroplating is messy and dangerousโone of those jobs it’s usually best to contract out to a speciality shop. Jon came prepared with a bucketful of supplies. He had the parts themselves, a benchtop power supply, a strip of stainless steel to serve as an anode, cotton plating pen tips, a strip of 0.999 silver to wrap around the pen tip and connect it to the PSU probe, copper wire to support and ground the parts during the plating operations, and three bottles of MIDAS-brand electroplating chemicals. (MIDAS, for the record, is Rio Grande’s house electroplating products brand.)
Tomorrow is Toolsday here at MAKE, so you know what that means โ a live Google+ hangout where we will be discussing our favorite tools and workspace essentials. The main topic of the hangout will be part finishing. We’ll discuss the tools and techniques required to protect and decorate your part with paint, varnish, anodizing, powder coating and more. Join us at 2pm PST/5 pm EST on the MAKE Google+ page or catch it later on the MAKE YouTube page.
Lego builder Barman makes an amazing stab at creating a fully functional Lego hand. My favorite detail is the motor that makes the fingers spread apart, which is a humanlike feature that most robot builders neglect. The hand holds 4 NXT motors to control the fingers and thumb. The 4 fingers are controlled by the […]
I Spy DIY has all kinds of fabulous DIYs to share, and this pom pom sweater is one of my favorites. It’s a great way to add some fun to an old sweater OR even save a favorite piece of knitwear. I have a sweater or two that have a bad pull or a tiny hole, and this would be a great way to hide the problem and create a solution!
