Time Twister, a Lego Mindstorms Digital Clock
Hans Andersson, whose Tilted Twister was one of the first (if not the first) Lego Rubik’s cube solvers, created this elegantly engineered Mindstorms clock. [Via The NXT Step]
Technology
Nail Polish Resistor Value Mnemonic
Redditor Quilbert painted her fingernails from left to right, zero to nine, black to white, to remind her of the resistor value color codes before a test (and, probably, forever afterward). No, she assures the predictable hecklers, it wasn’t cheating, as she was allowed a color code chart to refer to during the test, anyway. [via adafruit]
ComBots Cup, This Weekend! (Tickets Discount)
Our pals over at RoboGames are already…um… gearing up for another great robot bash-up next year and they want you to be there when the bolts burst and the wheels come flying off (’cause isn’t that what it’s really all about?). Once again they’re generously offering MAKE readers discounted advanced tickets to their 2012 games, their eighth annual international robot olympics.
Jeri Reverse Engineers an HC55564 Chip from an Old Pinball Machine
In her latest Intersil “Academy of Analog Pinball Wizardry” video, Jeri Ellsworth replaces an HC55564 Continuous Variable Slope Delta (CVSD) codec chip with one she reversed engineered into an FPGA. What in blue-blazes is a CVSD modulator? Watch the vid and find out — as usual, Jeri does a great job of showing how it works, how she reversed engineered it, and what the result are.
Strait Power: Anthony Reale (video)
Downriver Detroit native Anthony Reale shows us around the Downriver area, which is a major source of inspiration for his art and engineering projects. His most recent endeavor is an innovative hydrokinetic turbine system called Strait Power, which looks towards a brighter, and greener, future for Detroit.
Senseless Drawing Bot is Senseless
Combining a double pendulum, spray paint, and motorized wheels, So Kanno and Takahiro Yamaguchi created a Senseless Drawing Bot, which chaotically paints a gallery wall. See it in action below: [via Creative Applications] UPDATE: Check out this blog, where the artists documented the construction and testing of The Senseless Drawing Bot. More: Pendulum Pr0n Weekend […]
Apple I Replica Kit
Hobbyists are rediscovering the appeal of classic microcomputers from the 70s and early 80s, eager to tinker with computers at their fundamental level. Vince Briel designed the Replica I with permission from the Apple I’s original creator, Steve Wozniak. He sells it assembled ($199), as a kit ($149), or just the motherboard and specialized chips ($79). (Alternatively, […]