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FABtotum 3D prints and scans, mills, takes one step closer to self-replication
Granted, the name's a bit of a groaner (and we now have pictures of Bukowski sitting in front of a CAD program in our heads), but this box is capable of a pretty impressive array of maker activities. There's a 3D Printer, 3D scanner and CNC router on board. You can capture objects and print them out on the same device and do some subtractive manufacturing by way of a dual-head engraving / milling tool that can cut into wood and do PCB milling for circuit boards. FABtotum is currently up on Indiegogo, if you want to get in early. A final consumer version will run you a $1,099 pledge. Those units are expected to be delivered in May of next year.
MTM Snap project lets you build your own CNC machine so you can build more stuff
It may not be quite capable enough to let you build your own Weighted Companion Cube, but those looking to try their hand at a DIY CNC milling machine won't likely find many more straightforward options than the MTM Snap. Built by Jonathan Ward of MIT's Center for Bits and Atoms, the machine itself is constructed from some high-density polyethylene parts milled on a ShopBot (which simply snap together as the name suggests), and it's controlled by an Arduino board that lets you operate it from any Mac, Windows or Linux computer. Unfortunately, you can't simply buy a kit and piece it all together, but Jonathan's made all of the plans for building your own available, and says it shouldn't cost you any more than $700 from start to finish. Head on past the break for a video of the finished product in action.
CNC mill and Sixaxis controller make beautiful DIY music together (video)
Have you ever thought to yourself, "my CNC mill is pretty cool, but I really want to make it more awesomer"? Well, first, "awesomer" totally isn't word, and second, have we got a hack for you! A reader wrote in to the DIY hub Adafruit to show off his CNC being operated by a PS3 Sixaxis controller -- mimicking features found on high-end machines that allow you to trigger jobs from a distance and manually control the mill. Best of all, it's a pretty simple mod that uses a program called QtsixA to map the gamepad as a keyboard and mouse, allowing you to interact with a Linux box running EMC2, which is used for controlling the mill, lathe, plasma torch, or a number of other fun and dangerous tools. Check out the video after the break.
Gold Capped: Automating the grind
Want to get Gold Capped? This column will show you how, and is written by Basil "Euripides" Berntsen, also of outdps.com, the Hunting Party podcast, and the Call to Auction podcast. Don't forget to drop by Onyxia-US this Sunday at 7:30 PM eastern time to get ganked by one of the CtA hosts and take the money of the other one! A good time will be had by all, and we'll be sticking around after the event to chat with readers and listeners! Grinding is a pain. Avoiding grinds is why I got into the auction house in the first place. Repetitive and boring tasks are not fun for most people. Unfortunately, while some businesses are relatively grind free, certain tradeskills require us to do something like milling (inscription), prospecting (jewelcrafting), or disenchanting (enchanting). The more volume you want to sell, the more volume you need to process. I know of scribes who sell 1200g a day of glyphs at an average of 8g each. That's 150 glyphs sold, which means 150 Ink of the Sea squeezed out of northrend herbs. You get 5-6 inks per stack of herbs, so this guy mills a minimum of 25 stacks of herbs a day. Each stack of herbs requires at least 4 hardware events (clicks or keypresses).
EGM Rumor Mill: Wii Sports includes 30 games and Rez sequel coming
According to a post over on a blog at Jeux-France, the latest issue of EGM has some interesting rumors to share. The two of greatest concern to Wii Fanboys is the proposal of a Rez sequel releasing for the Wii, along with Nintendo's Wii Sports title including 30 total games. A sequel for Rez on the Wii is just about the greatest thing we've ever read. The problem with a rumor like this is that it sounds so good that it just can't be true. We want it, we want it bad, but likely could not survive the fall should it turn out to be fake. We'll remain as suspicious of this rumor as possible, for the time being.The idea of Wii Sports including over 30 different games is feasible and likely true. This could mean that Wii Sports would have a total of 24 games that we have yet to see (assuming that Wii Orchestra is included in the game and not a title in and of itself). Nintendo could get away with offering half as many games in Wii Sports and ask for full retail price, so the idea of 30 games being a part of the experience is wonderful. [Via Codename Revolution]
