How-To: Work with Shape-Memory Alloy
Shape-memory alloy (SMA), metal that changes shape when heated to an activation temperature can be used in all sorts of projects.
Technology
The Modular Electronic Drums of Nick Yulman
Nick Yulman, of NY Soundworks, recently debuted debuted his Index Boogie performance piece at PS1. The piece consists of various solenoid-powered noise makers, which Yulman calls either “Surface Poppers” or “Drum Beaters”. They’re designed to be modular music devices that can easily be mated to virtually any inanimate object.
Last Weekend’s Betaspring Hackathon: Netduinos, Arduinos, and Hungry Hippos
I spent the last weekend as an advisor to Betaspring‘s Digital Meets Physical Hackathon. The participants arrived Saturday morning and organized into teams. I stayed until about midnight, and returned around 10am Sunday morning, where I was able to help a couple teams get unstuck. It wasn’t that I was any smarter than them; I […]
New in the Maker Shed: Membrane Matrix Keypad
The Membrane Matrix Keypad, available in the Maker Shed, has 12 buttons arranged in a telephone-line 3×4 grid. It’s made of a thin, flexible membrane material with an adhesive backing (just remove the paper) so you can attach it to nearly anything.
EMSL Weighs in on Power Dissipation
I loved this fascinating post by Windell of Evil Mad Scientist Laboratories, all about managing power in electronics projects: An ever-present challenge in electronic circuit design is selecting suitable components that not only perform their intended task but also will survive under foreseeable operating conditions. A big part of that process is making sure that […]
Heirloom Quality Capacitive Touch Stylus
Check out this heirloom quality capacitive touch stylus from Talking Rock, Georgia maker Stephanie McLaughlin. Each stylus Stephanie makes is hand-turned on a lathe and made from quality materials.
Smartphone-Controlled Ikea Lamp
This “Spoka” lamp from Ikea has been hacked with an ATtiny2313 and an RS232 bluetooth module, enabling you to control the lamp with an Android phone. Originally, the lamp has 2 modes, that you can select with a switch at the top (which can also turn it off): 1. slowly change between the 3 available […]