Nice keyboard hack- For programmers like me with wrist pain, I have made a simple keyboard modification that lets you press the Ctrl, Alt, and Shift keys with your thumbs. Just like those expensive $240 Kinesis keyboards, but made using a $30 K’nex building toy. (K’nex is like Lego but uses rods instead of bricks). Link.
Longtailer Chris Anderson posts up about using some tools to create a rocket launcher from your favorite video game. 1. Capture a scene from your favorite videogame (HijackGL). 2. Import it into a CAD program and isolate an object you’d like to have. 3. Send it to a fabricator, either a 3D printer or a computer-controlled milling machine, and watch it emerge as a physical object. We’re still a few years away from doing this easily- but home fabricating isn’t that far away at all…Link.
Build your own BBQ this weekend! Do you love tasty fresh char-grilled food but hate having to find somewhere to store the barbecue once summer’s over? Then why not build your own permanent brick version outside? You hardly need any DIY knowledge or skills so the project is quite an easy one, but bear in mind that lifting bricks can be strenuous Link. Here are a few resources to check out- Texas Griller, Backyard BBQ, About.com listings…
MAKE Flickr photo pool member abstrakone is restoring an arcade machine using a PC as the brains and adding new hardware to make it work like a regular arcade machine. Follow the photos and how he did it here. For more details and resources on making your own arcade controls, here’s a good resource that MAKE reader Jake sent in. Link.
The Das keyboard is a pretty cool geeked out keyboard without letters on the keys- oddly enough I used an unmarked keyboard in the past during a project, the CEO of the company kept wanting to change things on the server, and the IT staff used a keyboard like this so he couldn’t- any way here’s a DIY version if you don’t want to pay the $80. [via] Link.
Great list! Vendors listed on this page sell miscellaneous and surplus hardware, tools, lab supplies, motors, adhesives, Dremel bits, screws, gizmos, and whatnots. Stuff you might need for successful hardware building and hacking, stuff you’re inclined to packrat until just the right project comes along. These people aren’t your average thick-cataloged every-part-number-under-the-sun guys—they’re the other guys; the random crap purveyors of the world. Link.
An experiment in constructing an autonomous flying robot. It utilizes blimp design principles, combining a helium filled envelope with 3-channel motor control allowing it to navigate in 3 dimensions. Schematics and C Source included. Link.
