Force Sensitive Resistors, How Do They Work?
My buddies over at Open Music Labs have posted an excellent tutorial on how Force Sensitive Resistors (FSRs) work, as well as how to use them effectively in circuits.
DIY Projects
New In the MakerShed: MakeDo
MakeDo, now available in the Maker Shed, is a unique set of reusable connectors for creating things from the stuff around you. Reuse items like cardboard, plastic and fabric to create structures, costumes, furniture, and decorations. When you are done, just pull your creation apart and reuse the connectors to make something else.
HackPGH’s Ping Pong Ball Drop
Pittsburgh hackerspace HackPGH used leftover helium from their LEAD Balloon project to facilitate another project: the Aerial Ping Pong Drop. They filled biodegradable party balloons and launched origami butterflies and ping pong balls into the atmosphere. What for, you ask? They used Egg-Bots to write a URL on each ball, so that when it was […]
NYC 2.0 on PBS
Rick Karr hosts a PBS series called NYC 2.0 to air Sunday nights (and online) for the next six weeks. The first episode features hackerspace NYC Resistor, MakerBot, and Boxee. Rick visited my studio and other dear friends so I’m looking forward to the NYC 2.0 lineup! The Hackers (Air date: Sunday, September 18, 8:30pm) […]
Camera + Turntable + Laser = 360° Scanner
Sebastian Korczak hacked together a 360° rotating 3D scanner using little more than a record turntable modified with Arduino, digital camera, and a laser pointer. Korczak’s laser was mated with a special lens to create a linear beam. The distortion of this beam as it scanned the room coupled with the video data is put into a Python script, which outputs a point cloud of whatever is scanned. In this manner he is able to get full real-time scans of entire rooms. Fortunately for us, he’s provided extensive documentation on his homepage.
Fire Jam – Saphira: Alex Jacobson, John Boyer, and Sam Frank (video)
The Young Makers Program at Maker Faire Bay Area 2011 produced two interesting projects by Alex Jacobson, John Boyer, and Sam Frank. Saphira is an animatronic fire-breathing dragon, and Fire Jam is a visualization device for the Rock Band video game that selectively shoots five jets of flame that correspond to the buttons on the guitar controller.
DIY Egg Timer Time-lapse Panning Mount
Check out these dead simple time-lapse panning mounts made from IKEA egg timers.
