Science

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!

Soda + Mentos = The Soda fountain

Soda + Mentos = The Soda fountain

SodaHere’s a fun Google video of what happens when you put Mentos in soda (you might want to mute the sound). The video doesn’t explain how it works, but there’s an overview hereMentos contain sugar, glucose syrup (more sugar), hydrogenated coconut oil, starch, gum arabic, an emulsifier and natural flavor. The gum arabic which makes Mentos chewy, cause the surface tension of the water molecules to break even more easily, releasing more carbon dioxide gas. This effect is enhanced by the fact that, as the candy dissolves, it forms nucleation sites — tiny pits on the surface of the mint where more carbon dioxide bubbles can form. When all this gas is released, it thrusts the entire contents of the bottle skyward, in an incredible soda blast.” Link to video.

HOW TO – Building a better Tall Bike

HOW TO – Building a better Tall Bike

E2Efcf7Ad8Ee10D760A002D9.ThumbGreat bike hack on Instructables from Maxwell – “How to Build a Tall Bike, one that you can stop safely, and could be construed as street legal in most places. With this method, you’ll be able to stand over the bike, allowing you to hop down easily, have two brakes, a full complement of gears, And have a better riding position than two bikes stacked on top of eachother. You’ll only destroy one bike, The top portion is bolted to the bottom bike, so if it breaks, or you get tired of it, the bottom bike can be reverted to normal. All in all I think this makes for a suprisingly sane tall bike. Not that you’ll look any less the madman riding it through traffic.” Link.

Cheaper veggie diesel…

Cheaper veggie diesel…

051114 BiodieselIn MAKE 03 we showed you how to make your own biodiesel, and now there appears to be a big breakthrough lowering the costs to get the esters “Japanese scientists may have found a cheaper and more efficient way to produce “biodiesel.” The renewable, vegetable oil-based fuel can be used in conventional diesel engines, which are found in about 2 percent of cars currently sold in the U.S. and in about 40 percent in Europe.” [via] Link. Also – listen to our interview with a biodiesel Maker.

Making Red Lights for Astronomical Observing

Making Red Lights for Astronomical Observing

523 ThumbMike writes “While LED circuits are pretty simple by Make standards, they are essential to amateur astronomers. This is because red light affects the human eye less than other colors, allowing astronomers to see their gear without destroying their night vision. This article shows how easy it is to create red LED light sources and give some examples of how to use them, including map readers, flash lights and interior lights for an eyepiece case.” Link.

The Solar Powered Coffee Roaster

The Solar Powered Coffee Roaster

SolarbeanSaul sent this along from David Hartkop, a Solar coffee roaster inventor – “My brother Mike is a ‘classically trained’ coffee roaster, and I invented a solar-powered coffee roaster for him. We’ve been selling coffee online for a year at solarroast.com and I’m designing a bigger machine to build in the garage in Oregon for this summer. It concentrates 4.5 KW of solar thermal energy on a fully sunny day, and is manually trackable 360 degrees azimuth and 90 degrees zenith. The motors of the roaster are powered by photovoltaics, and he can crank out around 7 lb of coffee an hour. (in 2 lb batches).” Check out this awesome photo of the solar roaster!

HOW TO -Bluetooth stereo in the car

HOW TO -Bluetooth stereo in the car

No RcaChris writes “Considering how many people bought the HP Bluetooth stereo headphones and got disappointed when the headband snapped, I thought that it was time to do something useful with the ‘broken’ headphone. We’ll take you through all steps of dismantling the Bluetooth receiver and building it into a nice mouse housing with 12v in and line out. And as the device keeps its battery, you can also use this as a portable Bluetooth stereo receiver and plug in you high quality headphones or even connect it to your stereo at home.” Link.

The Space Cycle: New Way to Exercise in Orbit

The Space Cycle: New Way to Exercise in Orbit

Hf Scit Spccycle051004 01This might make a good low cost DIY centrifuge for here on Earth too – “For most space travelers, the first effect of weightlessness they feel is nausea. But over the next few days and weeks, the lack of gravity takes its toll on the rest of the body, leading to muscle and bone mass depletion and troubles regulating blood pressure…researchers at UC Irvine and the National Space Biomedical Research Institute (NSBRI) have developed a two-person, centrifuge-like, one-stop workout machine that makes its own gravity. They call it the Space Cycle.” Link.