Intern’s Corner: MAKE Firetruck
In this installment of Intern’s Corner, the Make: Labs interns bring our iconic Mercedes hose and ladder truck back to life.
automotive
The Making of a Truck Anti-Rollaway Device
Now a mechanic with just a year of community college under his belt has unveiled a system to prevent rollaways. 44 year-old Tom Accardi managed to create the system and bring it to market without the help of venture capitalists or companies that prey on aspiring inventors.
The Switch to Electric Car Kits
Recently, I visited Switch Vehicles, which is near the MAKE office in Sebastopol. They have produce a three-wheel electric car, which will be sold as a kit later this year. I met the founders, Peter Oliver, Jim McGreen, and Mark Perlmutter in what was formerly a Ford dealership and now is occupied by a variety of makers, mechanics, and entrepreneurs.
DIY iPhone Remote Automotive Ignition
You’ll someday look back and think of how quaint it was to start your car with a key. With this clever hack, Will O’Brien shows us his working prototype for a remote automotive ignition controlled by an iPhone, an Arduino, and SMS text messaging. Source code and schematics are available on his site.
Build Your Own 65 Ford Mustang
When I was a kid, I worshiped the 1960s Ford Mustangs. I made every model of them I could get my hands on. I could still probably trace the outlines of one in my sleep and tell you what was on the sprues. So, I have to say, the idea of buying one of these full-size body repros of the 65 (for $15K) and then adding my own hunted down engine, axles, interior, etc. looks like a fun, albeit ambitious, project.
New York Times on Leaf Hackers
This past Sunday, the New York Times had a piece by Bradley Berman about owners of the Nissan Leaf and how, as with the Prius, there is a growing community of Leaf hackers who are making improvements to their cars and some who are developing products around some of these hacks.
American Speedster PVC Pedal Car
Florida maker Daniel Fleischman designs and builds pedal-powered vehicles using PVC tubing for his company American Speedster. On his site you’ll find plans and component kits available for a small fee. Pedal-powered vehicles are becoming increasingly popular. Some folks are even hot-rodding them with electric conversions.
