Arduino-controlled ball meter
Michael Klein of Saskatoon, SK, created this cool meter using a PC fan and styrofoam ball. A simple hack but a fun one.
DIY Projects
MakerBot keyfob housing
In the concluding fourth part of the car keys series on the MakerBot blog, a sturdy replacement housing for a cracked plastic keyfob is reproduced: One half has a 2mm lip and the other has a 2mm groove – the result is a case that required channel lock pliers to shut… but isn’t coming apart […]
How-To: Use crutches as stilts
From a life of recurring knee injuries, I’ve got a closet full of crutches. They’re useless as soon as I’m ambulatory, so I’ve been poking around for reuse projects. Flip those crutches upside down and you’ve got a snazzy pair of crutch stilts! And, as one commenter points out, if you injure yourself trying them […]
Motion-sensing bathroom noisemaker
Hack Factory member Mike Hord built a motion-sensing widget for a local pizzeria’s restrooms — for the purpose of annoying them while they “rest”. Recently I was approached by an architecture/design firm to help with an electronic install at a client site. The client had requested a system that interacts with users in the bathroom- […]
Chris Yates’ “Depths” puzzle
Chris Yates‘ puzzle entitled “Depths” uses 407 pieces, built up in layers to fill the pond-like base. Many more photos illuminate his build process over on Flickr. [Thanks, Sam!]
Fluid Dress is knit from plastic tubing
Fluid Dress 2.0! Lovely video of blacklight-reactive fluid being pumped through the 600 ft of plastic tubing comprising this dress by Casual Profanity. We saw an earlier prototype at Maker Faire Bay Area 2009.
Make a desktop-embedded USB hub
Wires, wires everywhere. I don’t like looking at wires, wires everywhere. Even though I have a USB hub, it’s a bit of an eyesore sitting on top of my desk, plugged into devices up top, and my computer down below. I decided it was time to embed the hub directly into the surface of the desk. Using the Dremel Multi-Max to plunge-cut the wood desktop, I fit the USB hub into the desk, and attached the hub to the underside using brackets. It’s now stable, stylish, and out of the way.