Jim K writes in to share this fun-looking project, a DIY handheld projector. Similar to the larger homebrew video projectors we have covered in the past, this one uses the screen from a portable TV screen to make a handheld micro projector.
British camera restorer Rayment Kirby has a cool tutorial on how (and why) to make your own antique-style field camera from wood and brass. Mr. Kirby seems to follow the convention that the “Field” of “field camera” is an eponym and should be capitalized, whereas the Wikipedia article does not. Can anyone clarify? Was there a “Mr. Field?” Or a “Mrs. Field?” [Thanks, Billy!]
Instructable user incoherent, shared an intelligible explanation of his thorough PCB fabbing process along with a bit of background on how it came about. After experimenting with home PCB fabbing for a while, I’ve finally worked out a process that produces reasonably consistent results that actually look pretty good. I spent lots of time trying […]
Now it’s time to build the Y-stage. This only takes about 30 minutes and goes together fairly easily. One thing to note, some of the parts are laser etched on the wrong side. Take a close look at the pictures and make sure everthing is going together the proper way.
It’s finally time to build the enclosure! All the parts have been sitting there, patiently waiting for me to unpack them, and it’s taken far to long to get to this point. Not that the build has taken too long, but rather all my other work has delayed the entire build process. So lets get on with the build!
First up is Dan Hemingson’s “ambisonic” (Wikipedia) recording work. Shown above is the tetrahedral microphone array Dan uses to record his soundscapes, three of which he played back on the ACTlab’s surround-sound system. The tetrahedral microphone arrangement makes it possible to mathematically derive any number or spatial arrangement of surround-sound channels from the raw audio. Professional ambisonic microphones cost thousands of dollars; Dan put his together for nine bucks. He played amazing recordings of a babbling river, a clowder of feeding cats, and a pipe organ recital at UT’s Bass Concert Hall, while the audience milled about the room to experience the spatial simulation of sound. The realism was absolutely uncanny.
From the MAKE Flickr pool Swinz built a rather convincing elevator-style control panel just for the heck of it – I’ve recently completed a device that I’ve been idly threatening to make for years. This is a device that has no purpose other than entertainment, and it’s fairly limited in that regard too. It was […]
