instructables
Latest
DIY Ripstik underbody LED kit will make you look styley at night, still get heckled by skaters
The age of the underbody lighting craze on cars passed about as quickly as a bottle of N2O lasts on bracket night at the local strip, but that doesn't mean you can't still have some fun on your man-powered means of transportation. No, we're not talking a skateboard here, it's a Ripstik, featuring two narrow inline skate wheels and a weaving motion that will get you going where you're going without kicking -- so long as you aren't in a great hurry. Now modder metsfan1938 over at instructables is showing us how to add a little underbody bling, wiring up blue LEDs that are as practical as they are stylish if you tend to ride in an area that could see you getting run over at night. A little soldering and a bit of Dremel action is all that's required here, so if you live your life a wobbly quarter-mile at a time you'll want to click on through.
DIY stereoscopic splitter takes your pictures to the third dimension
Don't feel like shelling out the cash for a 3D camera? Instructables user "courtervideo" has put together a little device that harnesses the magical, mysterious power of something called a "mirror" to let you grab stereoscopic 3D images with your regular ol' 2D camera. The method is pretty straight forward: two large mirrors places beside the camera reflect the image you're trying to capture onto two smaller mirrors, which are then photographed. The result can then be viewed through a stereoscope, which will send one half of the picture to each eye, resulting in a 3D image. We like to think of the stereoscope as the Victorian precursor to Chinavasion Video Glasses. Sounds like fun to us! Hit up the source link to get started.
Auto-lacing sneaker laces itself, is looking for a friend
In the future, even the most menial, second nature tasks will be automated, because why not? Taking a page from the book of Back to the Future II, a fashionable DIYer has gone ahead and brought a little piece of the future to us, with this autolacing sneaker. There's only one so far, but it's got a force sensor which reads the pressure of your foot when you put it in the shoe, and that activates the two servos which tighten the laces. There's also a switch to reverse the servo and loosen the laces. Check out the video of its operation below, and hit up the source if you want to make one (or two!) of your own.
Twittering Arduino-powered laser tripwire captures trespassers -- digitally (video)
Spare a thought for the modern thief. They have to face off against phones that can broadcast their location, laptops that lock themselves down, a LoJack service for iPods, and now a laser tripwire that can twitter pictures of unwanted visitors. It's a decidedly DIY Arduino-based project, but unlike many similarly powered offerings that we hit, this one is described as being very easy -- as far as Arduino-based projects go, anyway. Check out the instructions at the read link, or just enjoy the little demo video after the break if you're feeling lazy.
In-wall USB charger is as cheap as it is ingenious
What you'll require here is about 30 minutes' endurance, a $10 budget, and a good reason why you'd want to swap some good old versatile wall plugs in for USB-only power outlets. Once you've got all that sorted, it's a quick skip to the source link, where you'll get step-by-step instructions on converting to "the future" of power distribution. And hey, just to help you justify all that expenditure of effort, we've got a whole category devoted to the cornucopia of most awesome devices you can power via USB. Kudos gained for clever design, kudos lost for relatively redundant outcome.
DIY mini-fridge is just big enough for a can of soda, just odd enough to scare the FBI
Full-sized refrigerators are awfully easy to come by. Your average yard sale has one keg-sized example sitting in the corner (probably with the door removed), but what if you need something smaller? That's when you turn to instructables and learn how to put together this peltier-powered mini fridge. It has a trio of coolers (under)powered by a 55 watt, 5 volt power supply sprouting enough exposed transistors, wires, and fans to make it all look like something the Department of Homeland Security warned you about. It'll drop a can of soda down to a perfectly frosty 46F, but sadly nobody bothered to mention exactly how long that process takes -- hopefully a little less time than was required to stick the thing together with expanding foam. [Via Hack A Day]
Homebrewed Nikon D90 lens is a fish-eyed theft deterrent
It may look like just a bit of corkwood taped to the front of a pretty expensive shooter, but that's only because it is. If you're already willing to withstand gadget muggles sniggering at your mighty DSLR and its six inch frontal protrusion, surely adding this sort of a ghetto mod isn't going to dent your self-respect too much. Put together using the ultimate in ordinary household objects, this fish-eye lens manages to kick out some pretty useful-looking images and seems a viable alternative for those with more time than money. Check out the read link for the full instructions and a gallery of photos taken with the lens.
TapeScape robot borrows a page from Soundwave's audiobook
Impressive robots are basically everyday fare around here, but we're always excited to see some DIY modding action like the above. This guy, called the TapeScape Audio robot, turns an everyday, old-timey boombox (remember those?) into a truck-like robot that's pretty charming. Needing almost no parts outside of the innards of the boombox plus two servos, this rolling rover's got a tape head mounted to it that is continually dragged over the audio tape, causing the truck to make little sounds as it goes along. There's a video of the peppy dude in action after the break, and hit the read link for full instructions if you just have to construct one of your own.[Via Make]
Musical bra is not as sexy as it sounds
The fine folks over at Instructables have posted some wild mods in their time, but the musical bra you see above inhabits its own realm in terms of weirdness and lack of usefulness... unless you really want a bra that makes music of course. The speaker is on the front, with a battery pack between the shoulder blades at the back, and each cup is equipped with eight different "sounds" culled from a small keyboard, which are triggered by custom-made buttons sewn into the bra. Hit the read link for the full rundown of how to make one of your very own, but fair warning: you're going to have to be pretty adept with needle and thread to get this project done, but the final result should be fairly priceless. After all, who doesn't want a clunky, hideous sports bra that makes noise? Exactly. [Via Music Radar]
MacBook Pro Advertising Etching
When Leah Culver needed a new laptop, but had no money with which to buy it, she got creative. In exchange for $150 toward the purchase of a new machine, Leah offered local companies one square inch of advertising space on the back of the MacBook. What at first looked like a feeble attempt to raise the required funds soon evolved into a successful exercise in the power of the community at large, and Leah quickly had enough cash to buy her laptop. The final product looks pretty damn good, especially when compared to projects like The Million Dollar Homepage. Unfortunately, some of the images given to Leah were too low contrast to be rendered properly by the Epilog laser etcher. In any case, though, Leah has a shiny and unique new machine on which to work, and the companies who contributed have a presence wherever she takes the notebook out.
How to build a USB-powered vibrating apple (say wha?)
If you're looking for a minor practical joke to play on your family over the Thanksgiving holiday or are searching for something fun do do when you're off work on Friday but are strung out on turkey and stuffing, look no further than this rockin' apple mod. Our pals at Instructables have put together a series of steps on how to build a USB-powered apple (Apple Computer optional) that will vibrate when someone tries to reach for it, and will stop when the person backs away. This mod doesn't appear all that difficult, but you'll need to get a "capacitance sensor chip," some copper foil, a vibrating motor and a few other things. Still, if you know your way around a circuit board and a soldering iron, you could probably put this together in an hour or two with no problem -- that is, assuming all the apples in the house haven't already been turned into apple pie.[Via MAKE: Blog]
Make a frame out of a Powerbook
Do you have a need for a digital picture frame and own an old Powerbook you no longer want? Well then, you should craft your own digital picture frame out of your Powerbook following these directions. If only I hadn't traded in my old TiBook for an Aluminum Powerbook.[via Make]
