Intern’s Corner: RFID Door Unlocker
New Make: Labs intern, Paul Mundell, talks about his latest project — adding an automatic door unlocker to his 98 Toyota Tacoma.
Technology
In the Maker Shed: RFID Starter Pack
Who doesn’t love RFID? It unlocks doors, helps you find lost pets, and even helps you pay for coffee. Want to experiment with this incredible technology at home? Check out what the Maker Shed has to offer!
In the Maker Shed: Mintronics – MintDuino
Do you want to learn what makes an Arduino tick? Check out the MintDuino, available exclusively in the Maker Shed! It’s perfect for anyone interested in learning or teaching the fundamentals of how microcontrollers work.
MAKE Flickr Pool Weekly Roundup
This week in the MAKE Flickr pool we saw: “POW!” from lookseeseen, “Creeper” from adopt-a-bot, “The Whisker – firefighters gasmask project” from KoeneoK, “corner joint” from davidrockdan, “2nd-order Voltage-Controlled Filter” from johngineer, “Friday Night Drawbot at the Art Jamboree” from Pete Prodoehl, and “Uber Tripedo Rides Again!” from whymcycles.
Automated Grapefruit Slicer
Never risk a squirt of grapefruit juice in the eye again, thanks to Kevin Martin and Hyundo Reiner. The two created this automatic grapefruit slicer as a final project for their Designing with Microcontrollers class at Cornell University. Be sure to check out the incredibly detailed documentation for the project, complete with schematics, source code, and a thank you to their local supermarket for donating the grapefruit.
NEWS FROM THE FUTURE – Tech Companies Mum On Factory Audits
…the massive maker community could help put the pressure on these companies as well. Makers tend to care about the origin of things, how they’re made and by who. We’re also willing to a pay a few bucks more if it’s made better, lasts longer and is repairable – and most of all, I think we care about the conditions in which something is made. At some point an agreed upon indicator will sought after by more and more customers, right now Apple is leading they way, they’re the easy target being #1 in a few arenas – and they’re turning this to the standard that other gadget makers may be held to.
Antique Crank Phone Modded as a Music Player
Simon Jansen wanted an authentic prop to go with the decor of his workshop while he rebuilds an antique Austin 7 car. He got his hands on an old bakelite generator telephone with a hand crank and decided to mod it to play music while he worked.