Tag Archives: diy

Mario’s Still Fun, Even Ultra-Simplified, Extra-Pixilated 8×8 Form [DIY]

Before listening to the explanation for this project, I couldn't figure out what was going on, but once I realized that the 64 flashing squares on the Arduino-powered display would let me play Mario, it was time to get supplies. More
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DIY Cleanroom [Projects]

A few pieces of shelving. A PC fan. An air filter. A shower curtain. Some lighting. Combine, and you have a budget space fit for swapping lenses and analyzing moon rocks. [ I Heart Robotics via MAKE ] More
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MythBusters’ Adam Savage: My Lifelong Pursuit of the Perfect Blade Runner Gun [Ultimatediy]

Giz friend Adam Savage , in our estimation, can make just about anything. Here he explains the path he took to turn a toy gun into an astoundingly sharp Blade Runner pistol replica. I made my first Blade Runner pistol when I was 18, while living in Hell's Kitchen, NYC. I stared at the VHS version on pause and made sketches. Put it together from toys and model kit parts. It's lovely and terrible. (Years later the internet would teach me that the six dollar plastic gun I bought on Canal Street in NYC and cannibalized for the grip was created by Edison Giacattoli, a legendary toy gun designer.) I made a crazy accurate scratch built when I was 30, from resin and bondo. I had great picture reference but shitty size reference—it was 20% too small. Fuck! I even had it chrome plated at one point, and I weathered it. In 2006, the screen-used original surfaced after 25 some-odd years and sold at auction last year for $256,000. Supposedly to Paul Allen. The last picture is the final iteration. It's 95% finished. My hand-built baby. About 30 to 40 hours of labor spread out over (at least) 6 years. An original Steyr-Mannlicher .222 target rifle receiver and magazine and a Charter Arms Bulldog .44, both demilled and gunsmithed by me (working with hardened steel—FUN!) with custom machined aluminum and steel parts (barrel, grip, butt) and made as close as possible, in every respect, to the original. Painstaking. That is all I have to say on the subject (probably not). I can't even describe how good it feels to hold it in my hand. Follow Adam on twitter !
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Turn Your Old Computer Into A Brand New Hookah [DIY]

What, you've got a broken, old computer, but what you really want is a shiny, new hookah? Well, with a little bit of effort you can turn that old gadget into some peculiar-looking smoking paraphernalia. [ Instructables via Nerd Approved ]
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Strobeshnik: probably the most awesome hard drive clock of all time

Turning aged hard drives into clocks has been a common occurrence for years now , but there's still something magical about this rendition. Designed and crafted by Svofski, the Strobeshnik relies on the stroboscopic effect to create the illusion of a persistent numeric display. The HDD platter itself has ten digits, colon and dash marks cut all the way through it, and by carefully timing the light strobes, the illusion is perfected. Check out a video of the startup just below the break -- and be patient, the payoff is spectacularly sweet. Continue reading Strobeshnik: probably the most awesome hard drive clock of all time Strobeshnik: probably the most awesome hard drive clock of all time originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 07 Mar 2010 22:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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VU Meter Hack Turns PSP Into Something Functional [Mods]

This mod turns the PSP into a pretty cool looking little VU Meter (that's volume meter, to you non-audiophiles). So dust off that PSP kiddo, it's time to breathe life into that fledgling portable once again! The hack is the work of "foo foo" and it works as advertised. Spin up an audio track, and watch the little lights pump up in down with the levels. It's no Korg DS-10, but then again few things are. At the very least this hack would provide you with literally minutes of fun as you wait for Sony to get its act together and release the mythical PSPad , PSP Phone, or whatever it ends up being. [ Foo foo via Engadget ]
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Pixel Qi DIY kits will be out in Q2, ’slightly more difficult than changing a lightbulb’

We're going to assume that Mary Lou's bravado-filled "It's only slightly more difficult than changing a lightbulb" is in reference to working with OLPC. In fact, in Mary Lou Jepsen's most recent Pixel Qi blog post she makes quick reference of the fact that there will be DIY kits for replacing your own laptop screen (most likely a 10-inch module) with the sunlight-friendly, switchable magic of Pixel Qi, but she spends the rest of the post talking about how in Nigeria some schoolgirls started up a laptop hospital where they'd repair their XOs by swapping out parts or reseating cables. We doubt most of our laptops will be so resilient when it comes to ripping off the bezel and swapping in the Pixel Qi part, but we're dying to void our warranty and find out. Pixel Qi DIY kits will be out in Q2, 'slightly more difficult than changing a lightbulb' originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 07 Mar 2010 08:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Pixel Qi DIY kits will be out in Q2, ’slightly more difficult than changing a lightbulb’

We're going to assume that Mary Lou's bravado-filled "It's only slightly more difficult than changing a lightbulb" is in reference to working with OLPC. In fact, in Mary Lou Jepsen's most recent Pixel Qi blog post she makes quick reference of the fact that there will be DIY kits for replacing your own laptop screen (most likely a 10-inch module) with the sunlight-friendly, switchable magic of Pixel Qi, but she spends the rest of the post talking about how in Nigeria some schoolgirls started up a laptop hospital where they'd repair their XOs by swapping out parts or reseating cables. We doubt most of our laptops will be so resilient when it comes to ripping off the bezel and swapping in the Pixel Qi part, but we're dying to void our warranty and find out. Pixel Qi DIY kits will be out in Q2, 'slightly more difficult than changing a lightbulb' originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 07 Mar 2010 08:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Build a Portable Flash Tripod Out of Tent Poles [Photography]

If you'd like to experiment with studio flash configurations but you're short on the space or money to buy heavy-duty flash stands, this video tutorial details how to make portable flash stands using lightweight tent poles. The design relies on sturdy but lightweight tent poles to provide support for your flashes and/or flashes with a soft box. The creator of the design, Peter Karlsson, put together two videos demonstrating first how the stand functions and then how it is constructed: The end product is smaller, lighter, and less expensive than a traditional light stand. It does have shortcomings, though mostly due to the lightness. You can put a flash on it, for example, but you couldn't safely put a strobe on it. It's also, as he notes in the video, a poor match for an outside shoot on a windy day. For portability and ease of packing, though, it's a great stand for flash-based photography. Homegrown Ultralight Lightstands [Svarteld Form & Foto via Hack a Day ]
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