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!
Complete instructions for this episode of Weekend Projects can be found at
http://makeprojects.com/Project/Sun-Logger/2275/1
Our second Arduino project in this series of Weekend Projects, the Sun Logger is a device that gathers data about sunlight. Hack a light-sensitive photoresistor to a homemade “shield” to record data to an SD card, and then examine this data later on your computer to see how light changes in an area over time.
Complete instructions for this Weekend Projects can be found at
http://makeprojects.com/Project/Solar-Joule-Bracelet/22/1
The Solar Joule Bracelet combines two separate projects, a solar battery and a “joule thief,” to build a wearable circuit that powers an LED. Solar energy flows through the photodiodes, building up a supercapacitor, which essentially acts like a battery. This energy is then delivered to the joule thief, where oscillations eventually exceed the LED’s forward voltage, making it light up. Once fully charged, these oscillations will occur so fast that the LED will appear continuously bright, visible even during daytime!
Best of all, this circuit’s design allows you to install it where and how you wish!
I love this idea: If you have a broken fountain and you can’t afford to fix it — or don’t want to — plant a succulent garden! Above photo, of a Balboa Island succulent fountain, found on Rock Rose. More: Molded Concrete Planters Succulent Pallet Table Hanging Succulent Terrariums
Guilherme Pena Costa created a lighting system for a standard childs’ swing that uses the motion of the swinger to power strips of LEDs.
Seth Horowitz is a neuroscientist and assistant research professor in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at Brown University as well as a maker and a 3D printing enthusiast. He shares this report on some ways that he has been using his 3D printer, including a new research method. Three years ago I had […]
We had a great time in April, with concrete month! Now it’s time for “reclaimed materials.” If you’ve got resources, requests, or recommendations, please click through and leave ’em in the comments. Cheers!
By the Museum of Mathematics If you’ve never made a set of the Platonic solids from paper, perhaps it’s time to try it. These shapes are the foundation for many aspects of three-dimensional design. Here is a set made with open faces, but the openings are strictly optional. You can just cut out regular polygons […]
