Omegas writes in about the DIY Minimoog – “If you want to get started with analog synth building but Minimoog seems too complicated, see the instructions at Music From Outer Space on how to build your first synth. The Weird Sound Generator, as it’s called, familiarizes you with the basics of analog sound generation and creates wicked sounds too.” See previous.
This is an update to the underwater ROV submarine built a while back. It has an improved design, and is more versatile. Maker Jason writes “…the build process, and parts, I used to build an Underwater ROV with camera – This will be version 2 of my ROV adventures, I plan to take things I learned from version 1 and fix them, plus I will be adding features later. The plan is to make this a flexible platform that will allow me to add things like temp/pressure sensors, air lift balloons, torpedos, sonar, grabbing arm. But stage one is going to be working the bugs out the main platform.” [via] Link.
“The Bell Model 500 desk phone manufactured for decades by Western Electric is an icon of Twentieth Century product design. The evolution of the Model 500’s receiver begun with the first telephones produced in the late 19th Century and it’s longevity has taken it into the 21st. I have always found it to be ergonomically designed and comfortably to use, It is the embodiment of “form follows function”.” Here’s how to make it a cell phone handset. Thanks Jake! Link.
Folks trying to keep a Maker’ down! – “Albert Swank Jr., a 55-year-old civil engineer in Anchorage, Alaska, is a man with a mission. He wants to install a nuclear particle accelerator in his home. But when neighbors learned of plans to place the 20-ton device inside the house where Swank operates his engineering firm, their response was swift: Not in my backyard. Local lawmakers rushed to introduce emergency legislation banning the use of cyclotrons in home businesses. State health officials took similar steps, and have suspended Swank’s permit to operate cyclotrons on his property.” [via] Link.
Excellent project – “After playing on many different synths and copying several designs. I decided that I had to have a minimoog… Unfortunately the cost of a second hand minimoog is anything between 1000-2000 Euros depending on age and condition. So the only choice I have is to look at doing my own copy with the aim of keeping the circuits and design as original as possible. Having never played one, or seen one until a few months ago I have managed to amass a reasonable collection of circuits and pictures in order to help me in my quest.” [via] Link.
“There’s a super article in Popular Electronics, May 1996, pp 48-52, 78, titled “Build a Magnetic Ball Levitator”, by James Cicon. It describes how to build an electromagnet with an optical sensor which will keep a hollow steel ball floating in the air about 1/4″ below the electromagnet. This is like the globe of the earth which is suspended in air under an electromagnet that can be purchased for about $125. The material costs for this project is only about $20.” Link.
“What you see before you is an OPEN DSP system. People are currently using it to create some of the most ORIGINAL-SOUNDING EFFECTS and INSTRUMENTS in the world, since its architecture is open. Its users tweak, modify, CUSTOMIZE, improve and develop the software it comes with. It’s inexpensive and can be quite portable. It runs MIDI or connects to your Palm Pilot. Some programs don’t require either to make fun and useful effects.” [via] Link.
