The Turbo Entabulator: A 3D-Printed Mechanical Computer
Chris Fenton’s 3D-printed mechanical computer can do simple calculations with the help of punch cards, also 3D-printed.
Technology
Open-Source Microscope Illuminator
Stephen Richardson of Tangent Audio built the AZIZ light ring for his Bausch & Lomb stereo microscope. AZIZ is an LED microscope illuminator that I designed and built from scratch. It is designed around a Texas Instruments TLC59116 constant-current PWM LED driver chip, and an Atmel ATTiny1634 AZIZ has 64 LEDs, half super-bright and half […]
New Video Series: Making Fun with Jeff Highsmith
Today we’re launching a new video series: Making Fun with Jeff Highsmith. Jeff is a North Carolina-based maker who says he’s guided by curiosity and a passion for learning. He says his ideal project would lead him to learn new things, make good use of his existing skills, involve the creative use materials (too much MacGyver growing up), and result in a fun contrivance that the world has yet to see. He was introduced to electronics through amateur radio at age 11, but didn’t start the hard-core tinkering until his first son was born and he realized he wouldn’t be spending as much time outdoors hiking and backpacking. In the Making Fun video series, Jeff hopes to inspire folks to cultivate their own creativity by showing them how easy it is to make fun toys and gadgets. With two boys aged 3 and 5, he has toys on the brain, and most of his projects involve creating or enhancing play possibilities.
Make a Solar Panel Using Diodes
A diode made from a semiconductor can generate electricity in the presence of light. Instructables user nevdull shows how to generate a modest amount of power by arranging four 1N4148 diodes in parallel.
Lego Segway
Simon “Burf” Burfield built a Lego wheelchair and now he’s tackling a Lego Segway that supports the weight of an adult. His prototype can’t self-balance, but does a great job of moving around just with toy motors.
Neuro Knitting
Artist duo Varvara Guljajeva and Mar Canet collaborated with MTG researcher Sebastian Mealla to produce custom scarves featuring brainwave activity recorded with a non-invasive EEG headset. Brain activity such as relaxation, excitement, and cognitive load were measured while listening to Bach’s “Goldberg Variations” and the data was converted into knitting patterns with Knitic, their open-source knitting machine.
Controlling a Telescope with a RasPi
Cristos Vasilas added a Raspberry Pi with camera board to his telescope, and took great video! My rPi camera board arrived from Element14 this week. I was anxious to get it connected to my rover, but once I saw the quality of the image it produced, I decided to use it as a wireless image/video […]
