Month: October 2011

Hand-cranked Toy Piano Hack Keeps the Tunes Coming Forevermore

Hand-cranked Toy Piano Hack Keeps the Tunes Coming Forevermore

When a battery operated device runs out of juice, most of us reach for a fresh pair of AA’s. But when his daughter’s electronic toy piano had drained its batteries, Dominik instead installed a hand-cranked dynamo to power the instrument ad infinitum. He hacked apart an Ikea flashlight to co-opt its cranked generator and installed it inside his daughter’s plaything. Now a little bit of elbow grease keeps the tunes coming while saving the environment and a little bit of money to boot.

Continue Reading Matt Richardson12

Baby Sushi Costume

I fell in love with Carolyn Caffelle’s sushi costume she made for her son and showed off on The Martha Stewart Show yesterday. You can make a version of this using a onesie you might already have at home. …and because I can’t resist, check out her set of twin Super Mario Brothers onesies.

Continue Reading Bridesmaidlish6
How-To: Variable DC Power Supply

How-To: Variable DC Power Supply

Hobbyist electronics projects need robust, reliable power supplies for prototyping and testing. I learned how to build this circuit from the Basic Analog Circuits class at ITP taught by Eric Rosenthal, but took it several steps further in building a solid enclosure and integrating a voltage meter. Now it lives on my desk, ready to power most small projects I’m working on, ranging from 0 – 24 volts and up to two amps. You can learn all about how to make one yourself using this Make: Projects tutorial.

Continue Reading Michael Colombo34

How-To: Paper Buttons

If you’re a paper crafter, then you know how frustrating it is when you’re almost done with a project, but you just can’t find the right decorative button to pull everything together. But, with this paper button tutorial from Splitcoast Stampers, you can make your own incredibly realistic-looking buttons using a clear-drying glaze and paper […]

Continue Reading Haley Pierson-Cox4