Welcome
Mark Frauenfelder
George Jetson’s wild ride.Page 11
Make: Volume 30 – Smarter Homes
Until recently, home automation was gimmicky, finicky, and user-hostile. But today, thanks to a new crop of devices and technology standards, home automation is useful, fun, and maker-friendly. In the special section of MAKE Vol 30, we’ll show you: how to flip any switch in your home with a smartphone, home automation without programming, controlling your HVAC with an Arduino, a webcam security system, and a wall-mounted Notification Alert Generator (NAG) that plays timely reminders as you walk by. Plus, you’ll build a build a finger gesture door lock, Arduino thermostat control, and more!
SNAPPY “TOWEL”: It’s the powerful, highly maneuverable R/C flying wing that’s easy to make, fly, and fix. Photography by Gregory Hayes. Art direction by Jason Babler. Plane built by Daniel Spangler.
Table of Contents
Columns
Reader Input
Soapy peril, Nerf newbies, and real-life heroes.Page 12
Maker’s Calendar
William Gurstelle
Events from around the world.Page 15
Make It Legal
Ryan P.C. Lawson, Esq.
Makers, what’s in your legal toolbox?Page 17
Soapbox
Phillip Torrone
Zen and the art of making.Page 28
SMARTER HOMES
Smarter Homes
Bob Parks
Learn the elements of intelligence for automated homes, from communication protocols to physical interfaces.Page 40
Homemade Home Security
David Bodnar
Build a complete 4-camera surveillance system and view it over the web.Page 44
The Electronic Nag
George Tempesta
Build a Notification Alert Generator that pesters you verbally to do your chores.Page 50
Networked Smart Thermostat
Eric Merrill
Control your home’s heating and cooling system from anyplace, using Arduino and Ethernet.Page 54
Notify Me Now!
Goli Mohammadi
One young maker’s smart home security system.Page 59
X10 Arduino Macro Module
Jim Newell
Give classic X10 controllers a new Arduino brain and tap into a powerful open source code library.Page 60
12,000-Mile Universal Remote
Jordan Husney
Open your garage from a smartphone! Use XBee networks and the cloud to flip any switch at home, from anywhere. Page 66
Keybanging
William Gurstelle
Enjoy code-free home automation using prop controllers.Page 72
Home Smart Home
Inspiration for your automation, from cool makers, projects, and products.Page 76
PROJECTS
The Towel
Breck Baldwin
Make a robust R/C flying-wing airplane that’s fun to fly and great to learn on.Page 82
Pipe Dreams
Larry Cotton and Phil Bowie
Build sturdy, great-looking furnishings with PVC pipe and a few tricks.Page 96
Yakitori Grill
Bob Knetzger
Get cookin’ with thisJapanese-style skewer grill.Page 108
IR REMOTE HACKING
Tom Lauwers
How to capture, view, clone, and generate infrared signals. Page 118
Toys
New: Supercap Racer kit.Page 126
Home
iPad monopod stand.Page 130
Circuits
Tough LED lanterns, coffee-maker salvage.Page 132
Vehicle
iPhone car ignition.Page 136
Science
Microbial fuel cell, hydraulic ram pump.Page 140
MAKER
Made on Earth
Snapshots from the world of backyard technology.Page 18
Hobbits of Trout Gulch
Jon Kalish
These cutting-edge animators are creating a live-in hackerspace in a California forest.Page 30
My TV Stinks!
Alex Kauffmann
Scratch-and-sniff TV: incorporating smell into digital projects.Page 36
1+2+3: Stain PVC Any Color
Sean Michael Ragan
Permanently dye your PVC projects.Page 117
1+2+3: Sound Sucker
William Gurstelle
Try this weird acoustic trick.Page 125
Country Scientist
Forrest M. Mims III
Using sensors with data loggers.Page 146
What I Made
Scott Bedford
Turn a dimmer switch into a cool day-and-night dial. Page 150
Toys, Tricks, and Teasers
Donald Simanek
Simple tricks of illusion make the impossible a reality. Page 152
Danger!
Gever Tulley with Julie Spiegler
Harness the superheat of fire and melt glass.Page 155
Howtoons: The Measure of a Man
Saul Griffith and Nick Dragotta
Page 156
Electronics: Fun and Fundamentals
Charles Platt
Use rotary encoders and LEDs to make your own Magic 8 Box fortune-teller.Page 158
Toolbox
Kits, books, and tools to paint your couch, get hypnotized, control your robot army, and design in 3D for free.Page 162
Remaking History: The Oliver
William Gurstelle
Build the treadle hammer that helped build medieval Europe.Page 170
Make Money
Tom Parker
Silver bells from pre-1965 coins.Page 172
Homebrew: My DIY Gravity Balancer
Gilles Robin
Gilles RobinPage 176
