DIY bookscanner forums
MAKE subscriber Michael Zenner wrote in to tell us about the DIY Book Scanner community forums.
Computers & Mobile
The latest DIY ideas, techniques and tools for digital gadgetry, open code, smart hacks, and more. Processing power to the people!
IC squisher from skate bearings, acrylic scraps
Spotted in the MAKE Flickr pool, this handy homebrew jig from the UK’s oomlaut:
We’ve recently grown annoyed with the slightly bow legged stance DIP ICs ship with (it makes inserting them into sockets ever so frustrating). Rather than continue to spend longer than we liked on less than perfect results we decided to make ourselves a little jig to help out.
Details and laser-cutter files are available at the link above. This post from EMSL is cited by way of inspiration.
Apple TV 2G teardown
Curious to find out what’s inside the new Apple TV 2G? The folks over at iFixit performed a teardown recently and found what makes the little set-top box tick.
Very, very serious tic-tac-toe game
Why scratch out a game of naughts and crosses on the sidewalk when you can use a computer-controlled mill to carve a board and pieces out of solid billet aluminum and bronze? Thingiverse user hugomatic knows the answer to that question, whatever it may be.
Life-sized robotic android running Android
Check out this fantastic life-sized robotic RIC Android from RT Corporation and Brilliant Service. The arms and head are controllable, walks on two legs, and can be controlled via an Android smartphone.
Motorized iris based on Chris Schaie’s design
Thingiverse user overflo reverse-engineered Chris Schaie’s renowned mechanical iris peephole design and added a rack and pinion so that it can be operated with a motor. His is executed in laser-cut plastic, controlled by an Arduino, and opens onto an LCD display that shows a giant freaking eye staring out of it. Deets are here.
2nd-generation Raytheon exoskeleton prototype vid
I remember awhile back when video of the original XOS prototype made the rounds. Well, now, defense behemoth Raytheon is back with another somewhat cheesy testosterone-fueled video showing the new lighter, stronger XOS 2 prototype performing various feats of strength in preparation for the upcoming holiday season. There’s heavy metal music and one of the actors from Iron Man who is not, ah, actually Iron Man.
