With the Solar TV Remote project from MAKE Volume 25, you’ll never have to replace your remote control’s batteries again. Instead, just leave it in the sun to charge up! This project is fairly easy and you may already have most of the tools and supplies you’ll need. It might also make you feel slightly […]
The global hackerspace cupcake challenge is a great idea for a contest.
Science on the SPOT: Open Source Creativity – Hackerspaces
Well, OK, admittedly Tal Golesworthy had a team of respected doctors and medical imaging experts to consult with, but, as he puts it, “[w]hen you’ve got the scalpel of Damocles hanging over your sternum, it motivates you into making things happen and so they do.” Only two years elapsed between his fateful diagnosis and his recent successful surgery. The implant itself was designed on a computer based on digital imagery of Golesworthy’s heart, and fabricated on a form made using a rapid prototyping technique. Check out all the details at The Engineer. [via Boing Boing]
Back in October 2010 Ben Heckendorn discovered that a hand-cranked LED flashlight had enough juice to recharge his smartphone. He recently revisited this idea on his show and updated the hack by adding a simple voltage regulating circuit using a Zener diode and a 100hm resister. He also added a USB port to plug in a microUSB recharging cable.
If you can’t find a reasonably-priced LED replacement for that burned-out appliance bulb, you might do what Andy Brockhurst did: Wire up an LED cluster, yourself, and embed it in resin cast into a mold taken from the original bulb. Looks like he even painted it to match. Check out the Flickr set.
In the summer of 2002, Heineken introduced its 24 oz. “mini keg” can in the US. Besides having twice the volume of a normal aluminum beverage can, the “mini keg’s” unusual design includes a number of ridges and rings that make it much more rigid. Sometime around 2004, so far as I can tell, ultralight backpacking enthusiasts began experimenting with using the new can design as a cooking pot.
The community has evolved the design of these cooking pots to a remarkable extent, and although there seem to be as many variations as there are builders, a few common features seem to be emerging:
1. The top of the can is removed with a side-cutting can opener and preserved for use as a lid. The tab may be bent up to provide a handle, or a small knob may be attached.
2. The side of the can is wound with 1/16″ fiberglass wick to provide an insulated gripping surface
3. An elastic silicone wristband is stretched around the rim of the can for drinking comfort.
I’m sure to screw it up if I try to give any particular person “credit” for any of these ideas, but the embedded video overview from Minibulldesign Cult gives the best general overview of the idea I can find. And Rick of Wilderness Survival Forums has produced a good phototutorial describing the fiberglass winding process.
