Technology
Here’s an incredible case mod made to look like the iconic droid, R2-D2 – the Maker used a white plastic barrel for R2’s body and a weber grill for R2’s head. It’s not Jawa junk though, the unit cools a 3.2Ghz P4 running at 3.7Ghz to -38 degrees celsius. [
Tutorial for LEDs and transistors
One of the most asked questions when I venture out to meet other Makers or folks just getting in to making things usually is – “Are there any simple how-tos that explain transistors, LEDs (Light Emitting Diode), etc..” so, here’s one I dug up from my bookmarks to check out. If you have others that we haven’t covered, post up in the comments or via our “suggest a site”. Link.
Bell Labs science experiment kits…
Wonderful way to learn about computing – these ought to be on the back of cereal boxes. CARDIAC (cardboard illustrative aid to computation) illustrates the operation of a computer without actually being a computer. It is a very practical aid to understanding computers and computer programming. [via] Link. We have a ton of great Maker-like kits on Make 04 too.
DIY Monitor riser
Homemade ergo-monitor riser made from a half-inch thick piece of 24″ x 48″ birch plywood, some ABS plastic drain pipe (1 1/2″ diameter), and some plastic spray paint. Very simple, under $20 and might save some neck pain. Link.
John Wiseman rounds up all the details from the Darpa 2005 Grand Challenge and then some. If you’re curious on how the computer driven cars were able to finish the course, along with the comparisons from last year, videos and the course data file – check it out. [
Segway Smart Motion comes to robots…
Looks like the Robosapien folks will be adding the Segway balancing technology to their product offerings. Press snippet – WowWee Ltd, parent company of WowWee Robotics, the #1 consumer entertainment robotics company, and Segway Inc., maker of the Segway Human Transporter (HT), today announced they will co-develop a range of WowWee products that will incorporate Segway Smart Motion technology. The best part of this will be picking up a fairly low-cost toy robot that uses Segway Smart Motion, and making something with else with it. Link.
The HiFiMac
Rob has a great Mac mod – He turned an old hifi system he got from a prop clearance from the local actor’s workshop for $10 bucks in to a rocking Mac stereo system complete with the Sonic Impact Portable T-Amp. If you like this project, in MAKE 04 we also have Mr. Jalopy’s LP-to-MP3 convertor cabinet. Link.
