From the Editor’s Desk
Letters and missives from readers like you.Page 06
Make: Volume 98 — Action!
Get ready to get off your screens, get outside, get together, and get pumped with Make:’s Action issue!
In this issue we celebrate the joys of building thrill machines and dialing them in for maximum fun — and the makers who show us how. Learn the mysterious arts of tuning motors, propellers, and tires for speed and performance — be it real race cars, or insane electric go-karts and acrobatic whoop quadcopter drones that you can make, or even jet-assisted ski runs. Rather fight than race? Prepare for battle by modding or making your own custom, foam-flinging extreme Nerf blasters!
Is there danger? Sure. Is it worth it? Absolutely.
On the cover: Ultralight whoop racing drone by Scott Stephenson, complete with ultra-tiny FPV camera. Photos: Mark Madeo and Saul Griffith
Table of Contents
Columns
Welcome
Dale Dougherty
A tale of two makerspaces, bringing people together to work on meaningful projects.Page 07
Making It Big With Tiny Treasures
Bob Knetzger
Jessica Oreck travels the country to share her collection of over 50,000 fascinating miniature items in a gorgeously transformed 42-foot trailer.Page 08
Future Sight
Marshall Piros
Building a futuristic, visorless helmet with built-in digital display.Page 10
Trees, Transistors, and Time
Jennifer Blakeslee
Turning a dead tree into art with a voice.Page 09
Workshop: Making in Miami
Tom Pupo and Daisy Pupo
A decade-long journey of connecting makers of all ages and abilities with opportunities to build a better future at the Moonlighter FabLab.Page 12
Features
Anatomy of an Art Car
Dale Dougherty
How the pros at Engineered Artworks build stunning rides to cruise Burning Man and beyond.Page 14
What They Do in the Shadows
Kevin Toyama
The exquisite dark magic of cinematic shadow puppetry performed by Manual Cinema.Page 20
Sound Investment
Kirk Pearson, Lexi Botkin, and Alex Botkin
Get amped and make a scene, literally, with our DIY guide to creating an all-ages live performance venue.Page 26
Special Section: Action!
Action!
Keith Hammond
Screen time is phony and lonely. Make these hands-on projects for real thrills out in the real world!Page 32
The Flywood Electric Go-Kart
Saul Griffith and Pierce O’Connor
Build a plywood electric go-kart that beats supercars off the line — and teaches kids engineering on the wayPage 34
The Lightest Whoop
Scott A. Stevenson
Build an ultralight FPV racing drone that weighs less than three nickels, with specialty parts and a few tricks.Page 44
Foam Flingers
Ryan Cho
Modding and making Nerf blasters is a blast! Plus: your extreme Nerf arsenal, from cannons to nukes.Page 50
Race Car Tire Pyrometer
Brian Smith
Coming in hot! Log your tire temperatures and tune your ride for faster track times.Page 56
If You Ain’t First, You’re Last
Keith Hammond
From Power Wheels to power tools, you don’t have to be Ricky Bobby to race in these crazy DIY leaguesPage 62
Powered Pooches
Sam Freeman
Dogs young and old can mush anywhere with this custom electric-assist dogsled.Page 64
Skiing on Jet Power
Alex / Methodical Maker
8 kilowatts of thrust under each arm? Being impractical doesn’t make it impossible!Page 65
Projects
Flame Vortex
Tim Deagan
Build a mesmerizing, 6-foot fire tornado for festivities!Page 66
Squishy Tech: Sound, Sight, and Snorkeling
Lee Wilkins
Explore undersea perception by sending sound waves via modulated light waves.Page 74
A Cyberdeck of One’s Own
Kati
Free yourself from same-y consumer tech by building a bespoke cyberdeck.Page 80
Puzzling It Out
Ivan Fisher-Owen and Benjamin Orr
How we built Éalú, a unique stop-motion video game.Page 84
Taking Physics for a Spin
Joan Horvath and Rich Cameron
Defy gravity and discover rotational energy by designing a wheel that will fall the slowest.Page 90
Amateur Scientist: Measure the Height of the Ozone Layer
Forrest M. Mims III
Earth’s “sunscreen” is vital to life. Find the peak altitude of the ozone layer with this DIY instrument.Page 96
Trick & Treat Box
Bizzaro
Shock your visitors with a spring-loaded jump scare box. Release the serpents!Page 104
Toy Inventor’s Notebook: Magnetic Mystery Maze
Bob Knetzger
Solve the unseen maze using Makey’s magnet.Page 108
My Monster and Me
Diego Fonstad
Explore the BBC micro:bit computer with our friendly Very Useful Monster kit that grows with you.Page 112
Skill Builder
Analog Computing
Mike Bedford
Why twiddling knobs and patching cables can be smarter — and faster — than programming in code.Page 116
Toolbox
Review: ChompSaw
Kathy Ceceri
Page 122
Review: xTool M2 Color Craft Laser
Sam Freeman
Page 123
Review: Cytrence Kiwi+
Sam Freeman
Page 123
Review: ELM11
James Koenig
Page 124
Review: PolyCast5
Sam Freeman
Page 124
Review: Arduboy FX-C
Sam Freeman
Page 126
Review: KeyboaStick
Sam Freeman
Page 126
Over the Top
Making Your Mark
Dale Dougherty
Building the “world’s largest mechanical pencil.”Page 128
