August 2012

Cheap Tricopter Build and Stunt Demonstration

  Hallstudio has been flying RC planes since 1989, lots of things have changed since then. Check out this great Cheap Tricopter Build that he put together. It comprises of a bunch of inexpensive parts that total around $100 but give you the a great tricopter base that you can fly and modify. There are lots of interesting tricks that he demonstrates in the video such as the use of

MSP430 Launchpad controlling Window Blinds

  Rambo build a great way to automatically control his window blinds using a MSP430 Launchpad. It doesn’t do much more than just spin the rod in one direction or the other fully when the buttons are pressed but that is just the beginning. It would now be trivial to add things like light sensors that allow the blinds to close when the light level is too high or open

3D Printer built using a SCARA Arm

  If you have a spare SCARA Arm kicking around and need a new project this 3D Printer built using a SCARA Arm might spark some inspiration. Via: Make “This project documents the re-purposing of a ‘rescued’ 1980’s IBM 7575 SCARA Robot Arm, into a functional 3D ABS printer. The project features some motor upgrades,  documentation of encoder positioned motor control feedback theory,  the interminglings of EMC2, heated workspace construction and

Cardboard Bike in Stores Soon

  Inventor Izhar Gafni made a Cardboard Bike which is slated for mass production. The cost to produce one of these bikes is around $9 since the materials being used are inexpensive, the selling price is expected to start at $60. I was surprised to read that the weight that the bike can handle is 485 pounds, I am thinking that this is greater than the typical off the shelf

North Street Labs Light Show Project

    North Street Labs built a cool looking light show project for the Hippodrome. It is made using a large number of smart RGB LED strips. The effect sure adds a huge amount of ambiance to the party! I can see this system becoming a system that bars and clubs would want to order as a permanent installation. Read the article for lots of tips on purchasing electronic parts

RGB Arduino LED Clock

  Got an Arduino and looking for a cool project? Have a look at this RGB Arduino LED Clock over at ElectronicProjects.blogspot.ie. It has some cool specs and looks great! “180 RGB LEDs driven by TLC5925 constant current LED drivers each LED addressed separately (12x TLC5925 with 16 outputs each). each colour adressed individually 4x 7 segment LED display Atmega328P as MCU DS1307 real time clock Photoresistor (for adjusting brightness)

Fixing Corsair SP2200 Crackling Speakers

  Michael Chen from Panama wrote in about his troubleshooting and repair of his Corsair SP2200 Crackling Speakers. He has also entered this into the Instructable’s fix and improve contest so if you like it please vote for him. “Here is how I fixed a crackling SP2200 speaker However, the most interesting thing is how I troubleshooted the problem, which does not appear there since it is aimed to a