make projects

Introducing the Dish-O-Tron 6000!

Introducing the Dish-O-Tron 6000!

You may remember Quinn Dunki’s LED Heart Pendant project that she did last month, inspired by Charles Platt’s Make: Electronics book. Quinn has struck again, this time creating a device that attaches to her dishwasher to tell her what state the contents are in. She writes: I’m absentminded in general, but especially when it comes […]

Make: Projects – Micro FM Transmitter

Make: Projects – Micro FM Transmitter

This transmitter is commonly credited to Japanese multimedia artist Tetsuo Kogawa. It takes audio input through a 1/4? phono jack and, constructed as shown, without the optional antenna connections, will broadcast an FM radio signal about 30 feet.

This is the standard model of Mr. Kogawa’s simplest FM transmitter, which is slightly more complex than his most basic design in that it includes a trim capacitor to adjust the transmitting frequency. It can be powered by a 9V battery and uses a hand-turned copper coil.

Make: Projects – CD / Suction Cup Status Dial

Make: Projects – CD / Suction Cup Status Dial

When I tried Jason’s trick for myself, however, I found that, while the hole in an optical disc does fit nicely over the hub of a hardware-store suction cup, all the cups I could find had this molded-in groove to accommodate a wire hook. This groove prevents the CD from fitting snugly around the hub, and allows it to spin too freely. If you only have two states you want to indicate (e.g. clean or dirty dishes), it’s really not a problem. But if you want better resolution, the fit needs to be snug so the dial can’t “drift.”

So I’ve added a bit of craft foam that fits down in the groove and secures the CD in place, and doubles as a pointer. This design adds just enough friction: The CD is easy enough to turn, but not so easy that it won’t stay where you put it.

I’ve included a printable version of the label I made for my own “returning at” sign, which can accurately indicate 96 separate states (any 15 minute interval in the 24 hours of a day), but the design could easily be adapted to other purposes.

Make: Projects – Bulletproof Binder

Make: Projects – Bulletproof Binder

OK, so it’s not, actually. Bulletproof, that is. But with 3/32? aluminum sheet covers, nickel-plated steel piano hinges, and all-riveted construction, it’s a damn sight tougher than just about any other 3-ring binder you’re likely to encounter in the wild. Especially those crappy cardboard-shrinkwrapped-in-vinyl models most of us had to make do with as schoolkids.