DIY Projects

iTrip install on a  Mac Mini…

iTrip install on a Mac Mini…

91317049 B9Dfc63683MAKE flickr photo pool member Zapwizard writes “I don’t have enough money or time to replace my headunit, or buy the Radioshark. So instead I am integrating a iTrip FM transmitter directly into the Mini. The iTrip was wired up, I choose to wire it to +5volts from the USB, as I couldn’t find a reliable source of 3.3volts. A dummy headphone jack allows the iTrip to turn on. Later when I replace my headunit I can just jack into the headphone jack and get straight audio.” Link.

Tao of motion control…

Tao of motion control…

Bssis1 200I met Bruce from “The Tao of motion control” he makes incredible X,Y machines “The purpose of this site is to suggest that motion control is also an emerging medium for artistic expression. Despite the universal use of motion control in industrial settings, its use by artists has been hampered by the enormous cost of commercial equipment. Because access to the tools of this medium is crucial for its exploration, one strategy open to motivated artists is building their own equipment from scrapped components flowing out of industrial sources.” This one moves a metal ball over sand to make a zen garden. Link.

Mark Rehorst’s projects page…

Mark Rehorst’s projects page…

Interior Of Finished Amp SmallMark writes “I have a lot of different interests and I love to figure out how to make things myself.” Here are his project, lots to check out! – DIY Electrostatic Loudspeaker Construction, Tree House, Loft Bed Made From PVC Water Pipe, Stroboscopic Microscope Illuminator, Stereo Amplifier Based On LM3886 Chips, Stretched Membrane Mirror – a work in progress, DIY Full Suspension Carbon Fiber Recumbent Bicycle, DIY Binaural Microphone, Insect Photos and an Allied Radio SX-190 Short Wave Radio Receiver Link.

Newton MP3 player…

Newton MP3 player…

91374328 5Eb0A1312B MMAKE Flickr photo pool member MH2 made an Apple Newton MP3 player, he writes “I download carefully prepared mp3 files to my outdated Newton MP 2100… I set up the 2100 to shut down after 10 minutes. Ten minutes each night, then I sleep. Of course the 2100 is no iPod. Music can’t be cut up as conveniently in two minute pieces as large audio book files, but above 900 KB (which is approx. 3,5 min @ 22050 Hz mono 32 kbps) transfer to the Newton gets complicated. Of course the internal speaker has only poor audio quality compared to an iPod. Or any other decent mp3 player, that is.” Link.

Food hacking with Marc Powell

Food hacking with Marc Powell

86328126 C17Cb2B9C6 TMarc Powell gave an AMAZING talk (and made hacked up dessert for over 100 people at his Food Hacker’s Guide to Molecular Gastronomy at Dorkbot SF. Mark has a hacker’s skill and tinkering mindset with organic chemistry and enthusiastically uses liquid nitrogen, low cost materials and centrifuges for his kitchen. He showed how to use “meat glue”, make powdered yogurt and reveled all the crazy things restaurants are doing. Marc is a hacker chef based out of San Francisco’s only hacker bed and breakfast, Unicorn Precinct XIII. He apprenticed in the research kitchen of Heston Blumenthal’s Michelin starred restaurant The Fat Duck. Dorkbot-SF. Link. Flickr photos from his site and from the talk. Update: More photos from Scott Beale.

Fixing a dying power supply…

Fixing a dying power supply…

SupplySid on the Hacks site writes up a good simple how to/tip – “My LCD display wouldn’t come on, it would just flicker. The LED on its external power supply was steady on when it wasn’t plugged into the monitor. When I did plug it in, the LED blinked at the rate of 2x per second. Measuring the power coming out of this supply using my multimeter, I saw that the power level wasn’t steady — it was pulsing slightly (about 2x per second). This was while unplugged from the monitor. Found a new power supply on eBay, and now everything’s fine.” Link. On a related note, the RSS feed on hacks site is awesome.

Phoning It In From ETel – Radio Handi Makes Its Debut

Phoning It In From ETel – Radio Handi Makes Its Debut

Letterbox2Brian McConnell on the Etel blog writes “Radio Handi enables people to create voice communities around any subject, place of interest or peer group, and to telecast live audio from MP3 feeds or conference phones. You can create a message board and party line for your club, for people who share an interest, or for your friends. With it, you can create an open party line that people can dial into from all over the world (30+ countries and 1 VoIP network to start with, much more to come). It’s also a great platform for ad hoc broadcasting. Just hook a microphone up to a Mac running Gizmo, and you can beam a live audio feed into a conference room that people can then dial into from all over the world (watch for a series of how-tos on ad hoc telecasting and other topics later this week).” [via] Link.