DIY Projects

POV kit from our gift guide!

POV kit from our gift guide!

73678875 B85Cb18C19 MReven writes “Yesterday I received my minipov kit from adafruit industries (MiniPOV 2 kit) [from the MAKE gift guide]. I just love it. It is very easy to make. Clear instructions on the web with lots of great photos (I definitively need a tripod). It’s easy to program too and all the source code files have a lot of useful comments. Overall it’s a great gadget and the price is quite good. I did have to pay $6.60 for postage, though. At least adafruit does post overseas. I did some tricks in front of a mirror. Almost had more fun taking photos than building. I’ve even set up a flickr POV set. For your pleasure.” Link.

Microcontroller interface to the iPod

Microcontroller interface to the iPod

Blog Dec 21, 2005 0-35Image1-1Here’s the latest on the iPod breakout box, now you can control it, and poke at it…Panocamera writes – “The iPod breakout dock was the first step in creating a microcontroller interface to the iPod. The next step was to create a serial command protocol testing program so that I could send the iPod command sequences and watch the responses from the iPod in order to figure out a sequence to reliably control and command an iPod externally.” Link.

Unique Plans for Hobbyists

Unique Plans for Hobbyists

7ThsojournA Make reader writes “Kleinbauer sells plans for building cnc mills from scratch, using surplus available materials. I was thinking about ordering plans for his “Brute” pcb mill. It might be an interesting feature in Make if someone were to buy one of his plans and build a mill from it, to give a feel for the cost and complexity of the project, as well as the quality of the plans.Link. Has anyone out there used these plans?

Make a Pepsi Can Stove

Make a Pepsi Can Stove

CanstoveNick writes “Hikers continue to strive for lighter equipment, and while many times this leads to buying expensive gear, several people are experimenting with making small alcohol stoves out of Soda cans. Running on plain alcohol, they can weigh only tens of grams and heat almost as good as their professional counterparts.” Link.

The DIY Multi-Level Desk…

The DIY Multi-Level Desk…

Pic00428Unsat_rbd writes “A few years ago I was unable to find a desk that fit all of my needs, so I built one using simple components from a local hardware store. The finished product was inexpensive, durable, and portable (I just moved for the 3rd time in as many years). The design was meant for 3 21″ CRT monitors, A/V equipment, rackmount computers, and a mini-fridge.” Link.

Toolbox DVD player…

BoxMake Flickr photo pool member DrewSteele writes “I went dumpster diving while at the ski resort in maine, the first dumster I hit yielded a working DVD player, so today I emptied out the insides of the DVD player and rearanged them inside this cute little red box…kinda cool.” Link. I have a couple old DVD players, I think I might give them a new shell too.

Build Your Own Projector Mount…

Build Your Own Projector Mount…

ProjectorHandy how-to from Gadgetopia “Being on a budget, we got two things for our business: the smallest conference room we could reasonably get away with, and the cheapest decent projector we could find. This means that the projector is pretty big, and takes up an entire end of the conference table. I needed a way to mount it to the ceiling, but projector mounts run between $100-$200. They typically come in two types: Spidery-Articulated-Aluminum-Dealie and Pole-With-A-Mounting-Plate. One of the Pole-With-A-Mounting-Plate products I found on the net claimed, “mates with any 1 1/2 inch pipe” in its description. That sent me to Home Depot, and I came up with this rig for about $40. Read on for a rough how-to.” Thanks Star. Link.