The Żak Gallery in Berlin has an exhibition up with an extensive collection of 1960s Polish homemade tractors (photos only, unfortunately). - [via] Link.
Related:
MAKE: Volume 11: Alt Vehicles - Link.
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MAKE Magazine
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DIY tractors in Poland
Posted: January 31st, 2008, 11:00pm CST
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Automated SMD component cutter
Posted: January 31st, 2008, 10:00pm CST
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The Owl by David Ellis
Posted: January 31st, 2008, 9:00pm CST
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Custom playing card boxes
Posted: January 31st, 2008, 8:00pm CST
Here's a site with PDFs for making custom cardboard boxes for Poker-, Bridge-size and "big deck" playing card boxes. There's also a link to an app for generating custom-size "tuck box" templates. I have some tarot decks that could use a new home. It'll be fun to design custom art for them.Making Custom Card Boxes - [Thanks, Patti!] Link
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Mooninites, from one of the Duo
Posted: January 31st, 2008, 7:27pm CST
Here's a note from Sean, one of the people who were in the media last year for the Mooninite event, he sent this in... post in the comments with you thoughts! -Hi, I'm Sean Stevens, From the infamous Mooninite Madness of 1-31-07. Unfortunately I've been totally buried in work and other things so I didn't have a chance to "celebrate" the anniversary... But if you would, please send a heartfelt thank you to everyone who has remembered the day. It's a scary world where the people in Office don't understand the need to change things, Make them how we want. But it's a basic desire. The desire to Create. The desire to Make things Better. The fact that people have created Bushinites and Binladenites.... Even a Zebblerite! And put them all over Boston...In some of the same spots even... To me it's a real show of strength and civil disobedience. Of course, I know it's all in fun too... That's all it was ever meant as. (Though I prefer the "LOLz" spelling personally) Anyways, I hope that more people will put effort into trying to understand things that they don't... Fear of things that aren't understood that is the root cause of Terrorism. Until more people start thinking for themselves and stop letting the government/media tell them what is truth I'm afraid we are stuck with that fear. Government and Police can only write laws and try to stop those who break them. Then they can publish stories of their "Success" and hold press conferences... To make us think we are safe. But we aren't. Rely on yourself. Rely on Community. Live your life, be aware of your surroundings. The only thing worse than loosing one's life is giving it up for false safety-Sean Stevens
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Computational, generative art
Posted: January 31st, 2008, 6:00pm CST
Jared Tarbell is an artist and programmer who does gorgeous computational art, coded in the Processing language. And not only are the finished pieces amazing (and available for purchase), but you can also "run" the art, see it grown in a pop-up applet.Generative Artifacts - Computation Gallery [Thanks, Patti!] - Link
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Fuzzy logic guitar effects pedal
Posted: January 31st, 2008, 5:00pm CST
Here's a unique circuit for guitar effects builders. It uses readily available SIP sockets to allow easy transistor swapping. Experiment with different values for a personalized sound - and change it up on a whim. You can also recreate a bunch of popular pre-existing fuzz distortions with it:
Some of the fuzzes you can make after building this layout are the Basic Fuzz Face (with R.G. Keen Mods, Roger Mayer Mods, Fuller Mods), the Vox Tone Bender 5/67, runoffgroove.com's Sili-Faces, fuzzcentral.com's Axis Face Germanium and Silicon, Joe Gagan's Easy Face, Aron Nelson's Hornet, the Gus Fuzz Face, Tim Escobedo's Many Faces, the Boutique Fuzz, and the Miss Piggy.
Guassmarkov's site has some great tutorials on using op-amps and other basic electronic parts. There's a boat-load of schematics, PCB images, and Eagle CAD files on there as well.
Fuzzy logic effects pedal -Link
Related:
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Walkman guitar distortion pedal -Link -
Sports car from canoes
Posted: January 31st, 2008, 4:00pm CST
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Etched hobby train signage
Posted: January 31st, 2008, 3:30pm CST
From the MAKE Flickr pool:
Toner-transfer and PNP film transfer etching can be used for more than just circuit boards.
Ed Hume shares images of these etched brass signs used to accent his recreation of the Climax 3/4" locomotive. Visit the full photo set to enjoy some maker zen.Etched hobby train signage - Link
Climax scale locomotive photo set - Link
PNP transfer film @ All Electronics - Link
From the pages of MAKE:
MAKE 09 - page 123 -Link
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Printed Circuit Boards. Step-by-step instructions for making your own PCBs at home. MAKE 02 - page 164. Subscribers--read this article now in your digital edition or get MAKE 02 @ the Maker store. -
1-31-07 Memorial throwie
Posted: January 31st, 2008, 3:00pm CST
From The MAKE Flickr Pool:
Kthxema wore this LED throwie/pendant today in support of technological awareness. - LinkRelated:
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Aqua Teen Hunger Force shuts down Boston - Link
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HTML as sound
Posted: January 31st, 2008, 2:00pm CST
Finally found a use for the NY Times from Bill Orcutt on Vimeo.Ever wondered how HTML and image data would sound as beat samples?
Bill writes:
I've written a Firefox addon that makes it possible for a monome or arduino to interact with your browser. The url below is a video of me "playing" the raw data in the NYTimes homepage using a monome 40h. The project is called Lily and its a Max/PD style patching language that hooks into the browser and allows you to build multi-media projects (including physical controllers) on top of Firefox.
Each link highlighted actually makes for a nice percussive sound. This makes sense given that many percussive voices are synthesized using noise generators - and web data sounds similarly random to our ears. Awesome project, thanks Bill!
Lily project - Link
Related:
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monomuino: Arduino-based monome compatible from JMG on Vimeo. -
Never forget 1-31-07 memorial kit - assembled (build photos)
Posted: January 31st, 2008, 1:30pm CST
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I just finished making the excellent "Never forget 1-31-07 memorial kit" from Evil Mad Scientist Laboratories - they did a great job on this unique and fun LED art panel. Complete photo set of the kit here - Link & more details on the kit. -
LED art all over Boston today
Posted: January 31st, 2008, 1:00pm CST
This is interesting - it seems that a group of artists have celebrated 1-31-07 in their own way and have created a series of political themed LED art sculptures and (you guessed it) placed them all over Boston. Pictured here, Bush & Bin Laden... Click on through to see more images and if you're in Boston the locations are listed to go on an art tour. Get there before the robots do.
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Pause button mod makes lazy gamers even lazier
Posted: January 31st, 2008, 1:00pm CST
Here's a nice project that shows you how to insert a pause button into your existing Sega Master System console game controller. Simply add a few resistors and a new button that simultaneously pushes the left and right directions at the same time to send a ground signal to a 4071 gate IC. This then grounds the new button and pauses your game. More details at the link below...
Pause Button Mod - Link
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The trials of the jet pack
Posted: January 31st, 2008, 1:00pm CST
Popular Mechanics has an informative piece on the many trials and tribulations of the fledgling "jet pack" industry, starting with the deceit in the name itself:Then there's the bad news. First, these jet packs aren't what they seem: Jet-powered devices are in development (and models were tested as early as the '60s), but all models on the verge of availability are, in fact, jet-free and called, officially, rocket belts. Second, while last year there were two commercial rocket-belt manufacturers--Mexico's Tecnologia Aeroespacial Mexicana (TAM) and Colorado-based JetPack International--there are now three: Thunderbolt Aerosystems, based in California, plans to start selling its ThunderPack TP-R2G2 rocket belt to customers this summer. Why is another entry in the fledgling human-flight business bad news? After all, three companies might be just enough to spur the kind of innovation that a healthy niche industry needs.
Well, that's the problem with so-called jet packs: everything...
[BTW: Here's a piece I did on the original Bell Rocket Belt many moons ago.]
The Inside Story of When Jet Packs Really Are Coming [via] Link
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1-31-07 LED display--soon to be a Make article
Posted: January 31st, 2008, 12:35pm CST
Dhananjay V. Gadre, author of the Kinetic Remote Control article from Make 12, has posted a teaser video of a project he's working on for an upcoming issue of Make. Look for it in an upcoming issue!
Check out Dhananjay's Kinetic Remote Control article in Make Volume 12 -- Digital Edition subscribers can read it here.
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Remembering 1-31-07
Posted: January 31st, 2008, 12:30pm CST
Last year around this time of the morning I was getting calls and emails from people asking "why did MAKE put LED sculptures all over Boston??? CNN says you did!!" it turned out that we (MAKE) had written about LED art projects on MAKE and when CNN Googled (or Ask Jeeves'd) they assumed it was us. It wasn't, and eventually the city of Boston was shut down because of an advertising campaign which used LED panels that looked like the cartoon Aqua Teen Hunger Force. I've rounded up all the coverage from last year here - it's interesting to read the comments and questions brought up. Some say the reaction wasn't appropriate, some were surprised how anyone could have thought the simple project could have been considered so dangerous - others wanted to give the guys who did this the death penalty (or worse). Post your thoughts in the comments.One year later-- Today we have MAKE NYC meeting and I'm building a kit from Evil Mad Scientists, an LED panel that will be displayed in my office. I think this date for many people represents a chance to show that electronics can be art, not something to be feared or immediately considered a "hoax device" - it's up to us to show how great electronics can be and be responsible.
Boston Mooninite story as it happened last year on MAKE - Link.
Aqua Teen Hunger Force shuts down Boston - Link.
Mooninite-inspired LED projects - Link.
HOW TO - Make a LED T-shirt - Link.
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Pocket Ignignokt - Make your own Mooninites - Link.
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Pocket Electronics - MIDI controllers, including the MIDI gun!
Posted: January 31st, 2008, 12:00pm CST
Check out the great gallery of projects that used this MIDI controller kit -Pocket Electronic (abbreviation: "PE" in the following) is an universal electronics DIY kit to built your own MIDI control box. Up to 16 controlling elements can be connected to PE transmitting 16 different MIDI messages on different (or even the same) MIDI channels.
Pocket Electronics- Link.Essentially it contains the electronics core of Pocket Control resp. Pocket Fader but without the 16 controls (i.e. without rotary potentiometers resp. faders).
Instead of this PE is used to connect up to 16 controlling elements (e.g. rotary potentiometers, fader/slider potentiometer, touch switches, toggle switches, foot switches, foot controllers). The controlling elements are not included but have to be added by the customer. The MIDI data range is 0...127 with 7 bit resolution.
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Web-based AVR interface for the non-wireless crowd
Posted: January 31st, 2008, 12:00pm CST
Here's a how-to on building a networked AVR interface called "the beast". Nevermind the tangle of wires in the picture, I'm sure they are working on a wireless version as well..
Web-based AVR Interface - Link
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The Slåttberg - Linux iPod'ed and cranked Norwegian music
Posted: January 31st, 2008, 11:00am CST
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Here's a preview of a custom built musical instrument by Espen Sommer Eide, artist and member of Alog and Phonophani. The Slåttberg will premiere at the Borealis Festival for contemporary music Bergen, Norway late february 2008 - Link. -
Circular bikes
Posted: January 31st, 2008, 10:00am CST
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Robert Wechsler made these circular bikes from nine salvaged bikes. They were reassembled into a carousel formation, the bikes are modular and can be dismantled and reassembled. It is normally left in public places where it can attract a variety of riders - [via] Link.
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6 legged boat
Posted: January 31st, 2008, 9:00am CST
This is pretty neat, the boat has 6 legs and can "stand up" and can plant a windmill in place -Most boats do not have legs. But a jack-up barge has six, protruding high into the air when the ship is in transit.
6 legged boat - Link.Extending to a length of 48m from the bottom of the ship, and penetrating up to 5m into the sea bed, the "legs" of these ships provide a stable "ground" in a place where there is only roiling water.
As the legs push down, the ship is lifted above the waves. Purpose-built at a Chinese shipyard, the £60m jack-up barge MPIO Resolution is an extraordinary piece of engineering in itself.
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Neural network sculpture looks like an electronics lab gone mad
Posted: January 31st, 2008, 8:00am CST
Phil Stearns created "AANN" during only a 2 week residency at Amsterdam's STEIM. "AANN" stands for "Analog Artificial Neural Network" and is a neural network installation consisting of 50 identical handmade sculptures that react to their immediate surroundings. Two microphones pick up sounds in the space while photocells detect light changes eventually triggering a chain reaction of pulses through the layers of LEDs and speakers embedded in the sculpture. Two "ear-like" microphones pick up sounds and "eye-like" photocells also detect changes in light, which then trigger a chain reaction of pulses through the many layers of the piece. Pretty cool example of a feedback machine.
Phil Stearns AANN project report - Link
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Make:NYC Meeting 3 - Thursday, January 31st, 6:00PM - TONIGHT!
Posted: January 31st, 2008, 7:00am CST
REMINDER, tonight is the night! - The next Make:NYC Meeting 3 is Thursday, January 31st, 6:00PM -Back from holiday shenanigans and even feistier than before! Make:NYC is gonna turn up the heat this winter. The fourth Make:NYC Meeting includes:
Make:NYC Meeting 3 - Thursday, January 31st, 6:00PM - Link.Seminar: Mastering Pipe Mechanics and Assembly (6PM)
This seminar covers using home improvement store variety pipe and fittings to incorporate into your own DIY projects. Covering mostly PVC pipe construction and use, with dabbles in ABS, galvanized and copper pipe use. You'll see live demonstration of technique and instruction on selecting the right materials for the job. Learn how to utilize these versatile and easy to use parts to enhance your building repertoire. Free for all who attend.Lab: Build A Potato Shooter (7PM)
Ten dollars buys you parts, tools and instruction for building your own mini potato shooter. Safe and fun!You must RSVP to attend the lab. You can RSVP here.
Contest Judging: Holiday Recycling
We hope you've been hard at work! We'll be judging our Holiday Recycling contest and we're excited to see what New York City Makers have come up with! Bring your project and be prepared to show it off. Remember, top prize is $100 in CASH!Show and Tell
Meet your fellow NYC Makers and show off your creations! Bring your gadgets, gizmos, sketches, ideas... anything you'd like to put in the spotlight. We encourage NYC Makers to collaborate on and discuss DIY projects. If you're planning to bring a project, drop us a note at meetings@makenyc.org.If you'd like to attend we have plenty of space for everyone, but please RSVP!
Location:
Make Offices, 2nd Floor (Google Map)
325 Gold St. at Flatbush Ave.
Brooklyn, NY 11201Bikes can be parked in the building.
A/C/F to Jay St-Borough Hall
B/Q to Dekalb Avenue
M/R to Lawrence Street
2/3 to Hoyt StreetMeeting time is 6:00PM. Lab time is 7:00PM.
See you there!
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HOW TO - Remove shake and motion blur from photos
Posted: January 31st, 2008, 6:00am CST
Jason @ HACKSZINE writes -
It's a real drag when you think you've taken a great picture, only to load it up in photoshop and discover that your hands weren't as steady as you thought they were. Depending on the magnitude of your error, chances are you can correct most small camera bumps or pans using a deconvolution filter. The particular technique used depends on which package you use, but they are all built around manipulating the image in the frequency domain to reduce the photo's linear blurring.
HOW TO - Remove shake and motion blur from photos - Link.Nathan Willis dissected three applications for removing the effects of camera movement from your photos. Two of them, Refocus and Iterative Refocus, are open source Gimp plugins. The third, Unshake, is a closed source Java application that is capable of producing high-quality results with little user effort (though your CPU will be hurting for a minute or two).
The above photo is from the Unshake site. It seems to work well for predominately straight-line blurs over the range of 8 pixels or less. I haven't tried the two Gimp plugins, but I have a feeling the Iterative Refocus package could produce the best results given enough tweaking of the setting.
It's all Fast Fourier Transforms and way over my head, but it works (and frankly, if it was good enough for the Hubble, it's good enough for me).
Related:
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Electronic sewing kit
Posted: January 31st, 2008, 5:00am CST
Aniomagic has a great electric sewing kit that lets you easily create your own conductive fabric switch that powers an LED sequin. The kit contains everything you need, even a battery, and is only $15. There are a bunch of great examples on the site too!The Electronic Sewing Kit™ is a set of materials that let you stitch electrical circuits into fabric. Silver-coated threads and tin coated fabrics feel just like traditional thread and fabric, but conduct electricity! These novel materials let you build soft, squishable and washable circuits that can decorate personal artifacts like clothes, caps and bags.
Electronic sewing kit - Link
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Full size Electric Plane
Posted: January 31st, 2008, 4:00am CST
Electric cars, and conversion kits, can be found all over the Internet. But when was the last time you saw a full size electric plane? Yeah, me neither. This is not an RC toy, it's a full size, human carrying, electric plane powered by an 18 kW, 25hp, brushed "industrial" motor. It flew for 48 minutes and went 50 km, that's about 31 miles. I would love to know what kind of noise it made as it flew by.On Sunday, December 23, 2007 at 11:50 took place, the first flight of F-WMDJ ELECTRA, equipped with an electric motor of 25 hp and Lithium-polymer batteries.
The website was originally published in French, but there is a translated version that has some interesting information and more pictures. - Link [Via]
Related:
- An Amazing electric car - Link
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Parallel port logic analyzer
Posted: January 31st, 2008, 3:00am CST
Adrian posted a step-by-step tutorial on how to build an inexpensive logic analyzer for your PC. He even has the schematics and software to download. Having an oscilloscope or simple logic analyzer can save you a lot of time when troubleshooting your electronics project.A logic analyzer is a like a recorder for digital signals. During a certain (small) period of time, the state of a few digital lines can be recorded to a file. An event can be specified to signal the start of the recording, i.e. line 1 toggling from 0 to 1.
This looks like a really easy way to view some logic signals, but I would be a little concerned that the test probes are not isolated. You've been warned! - Link [Via]
Related:
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MovieBeam hardware and software hacking...
Posted: January 31st, 2008, 2:00am CST
Here's a wiki dedicated to opening up the MovieBeam player, a Linux-based set-top-box recently obsoleted by the demise of the MovieBeam service -The MovieBeam service was a unique system for delivery of movie rentals to the home. It was based on a set-top-box using a special over-the-air data receiver, a hard drive and secure playback software. The terrestrial broadcast data transmissions would continually "beam" new movies and promotional material to the box where they would be stored for subsequent playback. The system would keep somewhere between 80-100 titles on the hard drive available for instant rental. While some of the hardware is quite specialized, the underlying system runs a variant of the Linux operating system and theoretically the box can be used for other purposes than its original design.
MovieBeam wiki, thanks Dexter! Link. [Read this article] [Comment on this article]Purchased by Movie Gallery in early 2007, operations for the MovieBeam service ceased on or about December 15, 2007 and their website went down shortly after that. Inquiries with what was left of customer support regarding what to do with the player were met with "you can do as you please with the player." This wiki is intended as a repository for information regarding hacks and exploits on the MovieBeam player in the hopes that a few of them can be saved from a landfill.
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