The latest DIY ideas, techniques and tools for bikes, rockets, R/C vehicles, toys and other diversions.
Quadcopters rely on computer stabilization to fly. They can be radio controlled, but with an onboard computer, why not let it fly itself? The community at DIY Drones developed the open source ArduPilot Mega (APM), an Arduino-based autopilot that lets you control multi-rotor (and other) aircraft autonomously, or via R/C. The ArduCopter 3DR Quad Kit […]
Desktop battering ram? I think yes. This small kit is a lot of fun to build and use. It takes some time to put together and uses a fair amount of wood glue, but the instructions are clear and easy to read. The kit comes with two ½”-thick boards that are CNC’ed out with all […]
A look at ten of our favorite flamethrowers covered here on Make:.
You can’t hear me, but I’m giving Gustavo, the creator of this mechanical version of Out Run, a slow clap for such an impressive build. Made in over a month using spare time, he managed to capture all the features of this classic Sega arcade game in an Arduino-driven, servo-spinning tabletop console.
I’m out at MAKE HQ in Sebastopol (from Arlington, VA) with much of the MAKE team this week as we do our 2012 planning. I’ve been having fun geeking out with Jason Babler, our new senior art director, over garage figure modeler. He just showed me this amazing sculpt and resin cast he did of the Diablo III Unburied figure.
If you want a more challenging high-power build experience, I like the Hi-Tech H45 kit. It’s big (2.63″ diameter and 49″ tall), with sturdy plywood fins and a durable plastic nose cone, and it can handle motor types F through I. I got my first high-power certification on this model back in 1990. Good times!
A few rungs up the ladder toward high power is Estes’ Big Daddy, a chunky, 3″- diameter model. While designed for D and E solid rocket motors, it can easily handle AeroTech’s 24mm F motors. It’s not much more difficult to build than the Astra, but bear in mind that an E motor has up to […]
