The latest DIY ideas, techniques and tools for digital gadgetry, open code, smart hacks, and more. Processing power to the people!
Interesting concept from Thingiverse user 12meyer. All kinds of potential problems here, so this is more of the “way to think outside the box” kind of shout-out than the “where can I invest in your start-up” kind. One can, of course, dim fluorescent bulbs electrically, but it turns out to be kind of a PITA. The idea here is to exploit the spiral shape of the bulb itself to make an opaque cover that screws on or off to block more or less light, respectively.
A GSM MicroSIM is pin compatible with a standard SIM. All you have to do is trim away the excess material and you’ll have yourself a DIY MicroSIM. Now you can use your $5.99 T-Mobile EDGE plan or hop on to Vodaphone if you’re abroad.
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2010/05/collins_lab_diy_ipad_stylus.html
Fingertip input is great for most touchscreen usage like typing, web-browsing – all sorts of virtual button-pushing tasks. But for many people, drawing remains an activity best approached with a pen, pencil, brush, etc.
With a bit of conductive foam and wire, it’s surprisingly easy to make your own conductive stylus, suitable for use with iPhone, iPad and similar conductive touchscreen devices – and you’ll likely find it a lot more precise compared to regular fingertip input.
“Developing Flash content for mobile devices” is top of mind for many developers and tech journals at the moment. While I spend most of my time making physical things now there was a time I spent most of my time trying to make interfaces for mobile devices, this was about 9 years ago, oddly enough […]
The latest issue of MAKE, Volume 22, contains an automated chicken coop door opener project, by Alan Graham (Portland, OR). My geek BFF, Jeri Ellsworth, sent me a link to another, clever remote-controlled coop opener, put together by her friend “Slinky.” It uses a $5 power drill as the door winch and a Seeduino as […]
Interesting dissection of a sphere from Thingiverse user VeryWetPaint. This “hemi-demi-sphere” is also cleverly designed to present the best-finished surface from the printer on the outside of the assembled sphere.
May is here, spring’s in full swing, and folks are in happy circulation. From my home office window, it’s a steady stream of people on leisurely walks, kids and adults on bikes, kids on skates n’ skateboards, and the old guy down the street who proudly rides his Segway to the 7-Eleven. With gas prices […]
