DIY Nerf Gun Darts
Follow along as YouTuber freeridemtb2 shows us how to assemble Nerf Stefan darts using some poly foam caulk saver and a hot glue gun.
DIY Projects
Hurricane Irene: What Worked, What Didn’t?
A little while ago, the utility gods smiled upon my house, renewing the electricity, telephone and internet. Hurricane Irene provided many people an opportunity to examine our cultural commitment to the systems of technology. We were without these modern amenities for about 48 hours, long enough to regain a healthy appreciation.
Thinking back upon my family’s recent technology vacation, it occurs to me that more things fell into the ‘Works Fine’ category than the ‘Doesn’t Work’ category. There’s also the ‘Works, but…’ column, which may be the most interesting to us makers. Having things stop working gives a great view into the systems that we depend on, how they work, how they fail, and what we can do to either prevent failure or deal with it when it comes our way.
Fluttering Wind Generator Lights it Up
ITP students Michell Cardona and Nelson Ramon Ramirez created several different oscillating wind generators before settling on something that works the best. Similar to the Humdinger in function, their Linear Wind Electricity Catcher works by fluttering a magnet in close proximity to a transformer, which translates kinetic energy to electrical energy after being rectified.
How-To: Build a Custom Workshop Table
The most magnificent Lish Dorset, one of our CRAFT mavens, built herself an awesome custom work table. OK, she mostly cajoled her boyfriend, Nick Britsky, into doing it. Nice job, guys!
In the Maker Shed: Poulsen’s Wire Recoder Kit
Poulsen’s Wire Recoder Kit, from the Maker Shed, uses wire and magnetism to record sound. Danish engineer Valdemar Poulsen discovered that it was possible to record electrical signals in magnetic material and invented the magnetic wire recorder (telegraphone) in 1898. This simple yet fascinating kit lets you explore this phenomenon not just on wire but anything magnetic! Save your voice on scissors, chairs, or even an escalator!
Kinect-Controlled Delta Robot
Malte Ahlers’ delta robot (site is in German) uses a Kinect as a controlling device. [Via Hacked Gadgets]
Maker Wedding Enlightenment
Earlier this summer, Brett was working on a nifty 3 LED and 2 AAA battery holder design at the Boston Area Makerbot meetup. We get together when enough people feel the need, generally at Sprout in Somerville. When we got together again this week, he was able to happily report on the project and the role his making played in the big day.
The initial plan was to use throwies, but I felt they wouldn’t give as much light as a commercial 3 LED solution. This led me to a fun, albeit time consuming project.
