I’m starting to gather interesting tips people have, from how to best clear ice from a frozen car to great websites that make your life easier. Making things is great, but sometimes the little stuff is just as good. If you have a favorite tip (the kind that gets you slaps on the back and free drinks), send to tips AT makezine DOT com….
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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. [