Simple, handy hack from Flickr user Malowz to overcome the common autofocus problem many cameras have when shooting dark subjects. The lamp mounts on his camera’s hot shoe, and spotlights the subject when the shutter button is half-pressed, giving the autofocus plenty of light to work with, and then turns the lamp off, on the full press, for the duration of the exposure.
The New Arduino UNO Revision 3 has arrived in the Maker Shed! This is a refresh of the wildly popular Arduino UNO that has been updated to allow for for additional functionality and future shields.
I just love projects like this. Sun Boxes are an environment to enter and exit at will. It’s comprised of twenty speakers operating independently, each powered by the sun via solar panels. There is a different loop set to play a guitar note in each box continuously. These guitar notes collectively make a Bb chord. […]
New in the Maker Shed are two new, low cost, wireless products from the good folks at Wicked Device. The MintyMote is an Arduino remote control that fits in an Altoids Smalls gum tin (not included.) The Wireless Sensor Node / Receiver Shield Bundle includes everything you need to create a simple, low cost sensor network with a range of about 150ft (but has tested farther.)
Although it should not difficult to get sketches written for previous Arduino versions working with Arduino 1.0, that release has important changes you need to be aware of. The first thing you will notice when launching the software is the look of the IDE. Some icons are different from previous versions of the software and there are changes and additions in the menus. The error messages when dealing with selecting boards have been improved and the new ADK and Ethernet boards have been added.
More significant are changes in the underlying core software and libraries. The stated purpose of 1.0 is to introduce disruptive changes that will smooth the way for future enhancements but break some code written for older software. New header files mean that older contributed libraries will need updating. Methods in Ethernet and Wire have been changed and there are subtle differences in the print functionality.
Using a custom rig with a fixed lens, a remote controlled helicopter rig, various articulated mounts and a Nokia N8 smartphone, an independent film crew captured an entire feature-length movie they hope will make it into theaters.
Here’s a clip of Liquid Robotics founder and CTO Roger Hine talking, at the most recent Bay Area Maker Faire, about the innovative design of his company’s Wave Glider robot boat, which converts the up-and-down motion of waves at the surface into energy for propulsion. More technical details are available on Liquid Robotics’ site. On November 17, Liquid Robotics launched four…
