From the Editor's Desk
News and tidbits from readers like you.Page 06
Make: Volume 89 — Retro Tech
As technology (seemingly) marches ever forward, makers are thirsty to get their hands on the latest gadgets and gear. But you don’t always need “new” to have fun. Whether it’s rosy nostalgia or a healthy respect for what computer engineers of old (or the late 1900s as the kids say) were able to achieve with limited resources, there’s whole megabytes to love and learn about the technology of yesterday.
In this retro-themed issue of Make: we show you how to play your favorite old-school video games by building your own DIY arcade game, from a full-size cabinet to a tiny programmable microcade. Next, 35 years later the Nintendo Game Boy is still going strong! Cat Graffam tells how she and many others fell in love with the Game Boy Camera and developed a playable art gallery to showcase photos from the community, while Nikola Whallon walks through adding the Pro-Sound Mod to your Game Boy to add more professional sound to your chiptune jams. Then, 18-year-old Daniel Bunting talks about his process for cutting custom small-batch records using polycarbonate discs. Brian Johnson reports on the serendipitous discovery of a cache of 1980s era hardware that jump-started a community around the long defunct NABU computer system. And finally, read a love letter to PC sound cards, and how maker Ian Scott has worked to recreate the unique “tracker” sound with a Raspberry Pi Pico.
Plus, 45+ projects and more! Check out the table of contents below.
On the Cover:
The playable, programmable Microcade (page 52) is dwarfed by a modified Game Boy DMG-01 with Pro-Sound mod (p. 34), blue backlight, and silicone buttons, playing Cat Graffam’s Game Boy Camera Gallery (p. 28).
Photos: GB/Microcade by Mark Madeo, Chain Chomp Lamp by Jeff Stein
Table of Contents
Columns
Welcome: Do Something
Dale Dougherty
As technology encourages passive media consumption, don’t let algorithms dictate what you find interesting in the world.Page 07
Made on Earth
Marshall Piros, Craig Couden, and Cabe Atwell
Amazing builds from around the globe.Page 08
Features
Making Makers
Debra Ansell
How teachers are using makerspaces in K–12 parochial schools.Page 12
Hack Club!
Ivoine Strachan
Thousands of teen makers worldwide connect, collaborate, and learn from each other every day with Hack Club.Page 18
Retro Zone
Old Tech, New Thrills
David J. Groom
Yesterday’s technology is a playground for enthusiastic new communities.Page 24
Game Boy Camera Renaissance
Cat Graffam
Hackers and modders have turned low-res “funtography” into an art form.Page 28
Pro-Sound Mod
Nikola Whallon
Dive into chiptune and the Game Boy modding scene with this easy first mod.Page 34
“Vinyl” Records
Daniel Bunting
The art of recording direct to polycarbonate discs.Page 38
Something Old, Something New
Brian Johnson
With an influx of new-old stock, a brand new community hacks the 1980s-era NABU computer.Page 44
Democratizing the Demoscene
Ian Scott
The PicoGUS sound card for PCs brings the 90s tracker sound to the masses.Page 46
DIY Retro Arcade
Keith Hammond
Build an arcade cabinet — from full-size to micro — to play your favorite old video games.Page 50
Projects
DIY Camera Lucida
Pablo Garcia
Build the optical gadget that lets you draw accurately by tracing real life.Page 54
Lucida 3D
Chris Borge
Print a truly portable, stand-alone camera lucida for drawing anywhere.Page 60
Cat Tracking with ChirpStack
Bryan Serinese (with Luna the Cat)
Build a GPS pet tracker that maps location via your own LoRa network.Page 62
The Clue Coffee Scale
John Edgar Park and Jan Goolsbey
Load cell + microcontroller = precision weight measurement for superior espresso.Page 70
Scary Sconce
Jeff Stein
Fabricate a favorite Mario Bros. enemy to make this fun bedside lamp.Page 80
Squishy Tech: Silicone Haptic Prosthetics
Lee Wilkins
Make stretchy, wearable haptic devices — for a tactile virtual reality.Page 84
Electronic Fun and Fundamentals: The First Digital Maker
Charles Platt
Don Lancaster explained the mysteries of logic chips for generations of DIY hobbyists.Page 90
Electronics Fun and Fundamentals: “The Groaner”
Charles Platt
Build an old-school circuit to prank your friends, inspired by Lancaster’s TTL Cookbook.Page 94
Photo Roboto
Sam Freeman
Make a thermal printing photo booth robot out of a vintage TLR camera.Page 96
Wave Hello to WVR
David Battino
Add polyphonic sound to your projects the easy way with this no-code, Wi-Fi audio board.Page 100
Amateur Scientist: Aureole Anniversary
Forrest M. Mims III
Fifteen years on, let’s photograph the solar aureole again — this time with your cellphone.Page 104
1+2+3: Stomp Rockets
Maker Camp
Make this air-powered paper rocket launcher out of PVC and a soda bottle — a favorite project from Maker Camp.Page 108
Toy Inventor’s Notebook: Tilt & Tip Puzzle Rings
Bob Knetzger
Fun to make, wear, and play.Page 110
Skill Builder
Best Burn for Your Buck
Jen Schachter
Pro tips for making the most of your laser projects with LightBurn software.Page 114
Good Cap, Bad Cap
Wayne Seltzer
Replacing old capacitors to restore vintage electronics.Page 118
Toolbox
Toolbox
Caleb Kraft, Matt Stultz
Gear up with the latest tools and kits for makers.Page 122
Over the Top
Holy Bike
Marshall Piros
Keith Young’s intricate art motorcycle is a sight to see.Page 128
