MakerFaire
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Homebrew PC features 2MHz hand-wrapped CPU
BMOW (Big Mess O' Wires) is a DIY PC, complete with a hand wrapped 8-bit CPU. Built by a game developer named Steve Chamberlain, this bad boy operates at 2MHz and sports 512KB memory, two-color video output, and a 512 x 480 display. According to Wired, the processor is closest in design to the MOS Technology 6502 (previously seen in such classic machines as the Apple II, Commodore 64, and some early Atari game consoles), and it took him about a year and a half from design to finish. Visitors to the Maker Faire in San Francisco can see the machine in person (and play chess on it, to boot) over the weekend. The rest of yinz can feel free to hit the read link for meticulous build details and lots of colorful pictures.[Via Wired]
Disney, WowWee, and Thinkway Toys team up on cute killer bots for the ironic uprising
Need some irony with your angst-battered diet this morning? Swell, try some of this. Disney and Pixar are set to release their latest animated blockbuster, WALL-E, this summer. The premise of the film finds WALL-E (Waste Allocation Load Lifter - Earth-Class) cleaning up the Earth's trash after rampant, unchecked consumerism made the planet uninhabitable. So how do they promote the film? You got it, they launch a new line of plastic WALL-E robots developed in partnership with Thinkway Toys which no child could possibly live without. Ultimate WALL-E will list for $190 when launched sometime this summer and feature 10 motors, a remote control, and plenty of sensors to avoid obstacles, respond to touch, and feel the mocking satire of its own existence. The bot will be joined by a $25 iDance WALL-E (think i-Species) and a $40 WowWee FlyTech Tinker Bell when they make their May 29th debut in San Mateo at the Maker Faire.
Mary had a little...Pleo?
From now on, when we can't sleep at night, we'll be counting Pleos.[Via Robots Rule]
Maker Faire, Austin: you going?
Austinites and Texans near and far, we hope you're headed out to your local Maker Faire this weekend -- wish we could be there, too. Seriously, where else in the world are you going to see a skinned Sega Dream Pony? Do us a fave, put your pictures on up the Engadget Flickr group, would ya?
Woz at Maker Faire
Steve Wozniak showed up at Maker Faire this week - there he is zipping around on his Segway at right - and was classically "Woz." He said very little of Apple, according to Infinite Loop, but instead spoke about his love of mathematics, his old dial-a-joke line and told the young electronics geeks in the audience how they can "...feel good about doing what you are good at." In other words, he displayed the brilliance and charm that make him such an interesting person.
Maker Faire 2007 - robots. Lots of robots. And other fun stuff.
There was a lot to see at Maker Faire 2007 -- too much, really -- but if you're obsessed with robots like we are, this was THE place for you. Seriously, the last time we saw this many robot kits, sculptures, warriors, and automatons, we woke up in a cold sweat fearing the very destruction of mankind. Anywho, being that there is literally just too much to cover at the Faire, we've gone the lazy route and put up a mammoth photo gallery. The highlights: EepyBird debuting the Mentos/Diet Coke bottle nozzle (plus the 102 bottle show they put on) SparkFun's DIY cellphone and rotary cellphone Evil Mad Scientist Labs's DIY 3D sugar printer (writeup here) Hacked Nabaztags Half-lane electric cars Wired's NXT-powered flight drones Multiple drumbots If you get a chance to make it out this weekend, we highly recommend!P.S. -For last year's Maker Faire coverage, see here and here.%Gallery-3319%
Build your own YBox for free at the Maker Faire
We caught the nifty YBox last year when it was still just a proof-of-concept, and now the folks at Uncommon Projects are ready to unleash their televised-widgets-in-an-Altoids-tin wonder on the world -- for free. There's a catch, though: you have to show up at the upcoming Maker Faire in San Mateo, California, and build it yourself. Yahoo is sponsoring free workshops with parts for all, and all the skills you need to get one together will be taught at the 'shops. No worries if you can't make it out to San Mateo, however, as you can still get the schematics and parts list from the YBox website and build one at home, but you'll be doing a little more work -- Uncommon Project's Kent Brewster has already milled 80 Altoids tins for Maker Faire participants. Peep a vid of YBox assembly after the jump. [Thanks, Wasabi]
Maker Faire (Part 2)
We've got more odd creations and far out gadgets from our leisurely Saturday and Sunday at the Maker Faire. If you liked round one, check out round two to see more from the Faire and find out about this robot made from scrounged and garage sale parts. See you next year, Maker Faire!
