Technology
Filed under the “don’t try this a home” Maker project. Someone seems to have replaced some of the hand electronics in a Robosapien robot and added a flame thrower, since that’s exactly what it was missing. [
Simple monitor hack.. 3 monitors on their side!
Ric writes “I came up with a simple hack that makes a lot of sense… everyone wants more desktop space but can’t afford expensive hi res monitors… well I ran across this when tinkering with my new video cards…I placed three monitors on their side and used rotation software to make them into one workspace… 3000 pixels by 1280 pixels… view whole web pages in one view… see US letter docs at 100% in one screen… its just magic and cheap.” Link.
Make your own wearable LED display
Chris writes “In a 7 page article Leah Buechley will show you from a-z how she put together a wearable led display perfect for club hopping! (Or maybe NOT!) The purpose of the whole display is to show off the “Game of life” which is a mathematical simulation of life. The project contains a lot of good close ups on her work in progress, and even a short movie where you can see the simulation running.” Link.
DIY CO2 laser? The Blake Laser
The Blake Laser is a computer controlled C02 laser for cutting and engraving, it looks like it’s all homemade too – while there isn’t a HOW TO, it appears, in operation, to be cutting some 3mm thick red perspex. Thanks Chris! Link.
PCB Creation – Printed Circuit Boards for the Masses
Creating PCB’s at home has always been a hassle. The basic methods available include manually laying out the traces with trace transfers (not recommended), photoreproduction (specialized, and expensive), or the use of a laser printer using the toner transfer method. This latter has been somewhat hit or miss for me, with variable results, until I did a bit of internet research and discovered an absolutely dynamite paper. Link. Also check out our primer in MAKE 02.
Experimentalists Anonymous
Colin has a great collection of electronics projects for musicians over on Experimentalists Anonymous, he writes – “I’ve been building and modifying effects and other audio devices for quite some time now, anything from a simple circuit bend to a ground-up-my-own-design box. I’m ready to do just about anything analog within reason, from an expression pedal jack to a completely made up custom box.” Thanks Jason! Link and a lot of schematics here.
TOOLBOX: PhotoPlug for WM phones
Make pal Jason Striegel is looking for testers for his new app – PhotoPlug allows your Windows Mobile phone to display photo slide shows right on your home screen. It’s a very cool, must-have for Smartphone owners. If you own a working, unlocked 2002 or 2005 Smartphone, please contact me at inquiries at virtuoffice dot com. I need a couple of testers and in exchange I’ll send you a free copy of the latest version. Link.
