About 13 years ago I learned of some military research into a satellite- and missile-defense device that would propel projectiles using Lenz’s law, which governs the direction of electrical current induced by a changing magnetic field. I decided to make a little gadget based on the same principle for my kids, to get them interested […]
When assembling a proper laboratory, the gentleman or lady experimenter should be sure to include a Wimshurst electrostatic generating machine. This device will serve tirelessly in investigations into the field of natural philosophy, and provide interesting parlor games such as the “electric kiss.” Herein we will demonstrate the construction of such a spectacular device, with […]
What is the fun in making robots if you can’t make your own circuit boards? This PCB etching tutorial describes a step-by-step process to MAKE your own circuit board. There are many tutorials already available on etching. Each method uses different materials and I have used hydrochloric acid and hydrogen peroxide. Did you read acid? […]
By Kathreen Ricketson, Rob Shugg, and Orlando Shugg As a boy, my partner Rob Shugg always had a bow and arrow. He was quite a little ragamuffin and had a wonderfully free and adventurous childhood, very different from all the cautionary parenting of today. With the resurgence of books about adventures for kids and 19th-century […]
There’s energy all around us, just waiting to be tapped. Whether it’s a hot cup of coffee on a cold day, light from the sun, scented candles, or waste heat wafting from electronics, it’s all potential power waiting to be harnessed! This is the world of the Stirling engine. Have you ever tried this fun […]
The Stirling engine has long captivated inventors and dreamers. Here are complete plans for building and operating a two-cylinder model that runs on almost any high-temperature heat source.
If you’re familiar with tabletop product photography and video, you know what a pain it can be to shoot overhead shots while working on your subject. Tripods just get in the way. The usual remedy is a document camera, the modern equivalent of the overhead projector. These cameras let you display close-up shots with an […]
