Blackbird is a Super-Charged Pedal-Powered Super-Cruiser!
A pedal-powered electric recumbent chopper bicycle with flashing lights capable of cruising at 20 mph. Find this project and other alterna-fuel vehicles at Maker Faire Bay Area!
Bicycles
Weekend Projects – Solar Joule Bracelet
Complete instructions for this Weekend Projects can be found at
http://makeprojects.com/Project/Solar-Joule-Bracelet/22/1
The Solar Joule Bracelet combines two separate projects, a solar battery and a “joule thief,” to build a wearable circuit that powers an LED. Solar energy flows through the photodiodes, building up a supercapacitor, which essentially acts like a battery. This energy is then delivered to the joule thief, where oscillations eventually exceed the LED’s forward voltage, making it light up. Once fully charged, these oscillations will occur so fast that the LED will appear continuously bright, visible even during daytime!
Best of all, this circuit’s design allows you to install it where and how you wish!
Pedal Power Your Way to Maker Faire Bay Area
Join over 100 bicyclists on a 20-mile caravan from San Francisco’s Mission District to the San Mateo Fairgrounds on Saturday, May 19th. Art bikes will entertain, a DJ bike will keep the beat, and bicycling to Maker Faire gets you a $5 discount on your ticket!
Cell Phone Glove
I love this project by Milwaukee artist Bryan Cera. Called Glove One, it’s a mobile phone in glove form. The project page is fairly sparse, but Bryan says a DIY tutorial is forthcoming. [via Ponoko, which has a great interview.]
Joan of Arc Armor Made from Cardboard and Bicycle Tubes
Grace Duval created this suit of armor by first hot gluing together a frame of cardboard, then priming and painting it. Atop this base she built out the exterior from upcycled bicycle tubes, stitched together with an awl and fastened with screws and capped nuts. The results are stunning and novel.
No-Weld Rail Bike Conversion
While this no-weld rail bike conversion looks like it would be unsafe at any speed, it does look like a ton of fun (isn’t that always the case?). Something like this could make the hidden corridors and seldom used easements instantly accessible to folks crazy enough to ride it.
Re-Wired Helmet Restores the Auditory Experience
DIY bone-conduction helmet restorer’s maker’s hearing in one ear.