Input Matrix Scanning
Open Music Labs has put up a great tutorial on how to read a matrix of switches, useful if you’re doing a project with keypads or musical keyboards.
Technology
How-To: Runner’s Odometer
Jason Gessner’s wife is an avid runner and they’ve often joked that she puts in more miles than he does in his car. This inspired Jason to create an odometer to track the miles his wife logs during training and races. Jason used a numerical readout he found at a surplus store and hooked it up to a Motor Shield. A computer with Ruby checks the DailyMile API every minute for new entries and sends a signal to the Arduino over serial to increment the counter with a satisfying click for each mile his wife has logged.
Best of MAKE: Most Controversial Posts
It’s been such a treat to look through so many heartfelt (yes, sometimes brash) comments on posts from the past year. Looking to 2012, I’m sure we’ll see more newsworthy items that whet people’s appetite for healthy debate. But first, check out these ten from the past year that cranked up the heat in the comments.
Grown-Crystal and EL-Wire DNA Lamp
Instructables user LucidMovement built this great lamp out of electro-luminescent wire covered in crystals. So, of course, all of you reading this have thought to yourself at one time or another “I would absolutely love to grow some crystals on el-wire and then encase it in silicone and acrylic.” No? Oh, well maybe it was […]
iPhone Timelapse Video App
You know those really cool timelapse videos of project builds you always thought you could do, but never really got around to making because your camera didn’t have a timelapse setting or installing custom firmware was too much of a hassle? Well, if you’re sporting an iPhone and have the means to mount it over your work area for the duration of the build, you might want to check out Honey Build app from Replicator, Inc.. Create timelapse videos from just a few seconds or minutes, to sequences that span hours or days. Just set it and get to working on your project. When you’re done, it will automatically build a video for you to share.
Gift Singularity: Floating Glow Display
Looking for a very last-minute handmade present? One of our readers, Mark Hache, just made this floating glow display for his wife (and tweeted it), using the instructions from our Weekend Projects series.
Women Want to Hack!
I recently worked with Dudette, a ladies’ DIY group here in Vancouver and with Liane Morisette of Cold Gold Contact Microphones to set up the first-ever Ladies’ Hacking Night at the Vancouver Hack Space. Liane showed us all how to make fuzz bass pedals, which proved to be a great intro to soldering for many.