Projects

ELECTRONICS

finished

Moon Phase Purse

A small clutch that uses an EL panel and laser cut masks to show the phase of the moon.

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Molotov Cocktail LED Lantern

LED candles not radical enough for you? How about some revolutionary chic in the form of an LED molotov cocktail!

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Change-O-Matic

How to interface an Arduino with an automated change dispenser. Cha-ching!

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The Counting Box, Version Two

Step by step instructions for building your own counting box similar to the one seen in my article in MAKE magazine.

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Pumpktris

Pumpktris is a fully playable version of Tetris into a pumpkin, with 128 LEDs for the display and the stem serving as a game controller.

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iPhone-Charging USGI Flashlight

This surplus USGI flashlight can charge my phone and light my way down a darkened path.

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The Counting Box

My son loves numbers and counting, so I made this educational toy to indulge his interests. Choose the increment value, then push one button to add and the other button to subtract that amount from the total.

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Snap Circuits Repair

As resilient as they are, sometimes the components in a Snap Circuits kit can break. Here’s how I repaired mine.

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Backlit Skeeball Marquee

How can I make the house more like an arcade? Day-glo carpet, spilled soda, and gangs of surly teenagers were all ruled out, so instead I made a light-up Skeeball backglass.

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The Laboratory Lamp

An Erlenmeyer flask becomes part of a laboratory-inspired lamp.

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The Giant Spirograph

What’s eight feet across, has 90 teeth, and makes beautiful designs? Not a shark with an art degree, but this giant version of the classic Spirograph drawing toy. Chalk is the medium, and streets and sidewalks are the canvas.

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The Abacus Bracelet

Hey, hipsters! That 1980s calculator wristwatch you’re wearing isn’t retro enough for you anymore? Time to go waaaaay back in time with your wrist-worn calculating devices, all the way to the abacus.

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Bamboo Prototyping Board

A laser-cut prototyping board that holds an Arduino, a full-sized breadboard, and has a tray for components.

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The Big Chair – Building Your Own

Plans and instructions for building your own version of the giant Adirondack chair.

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Screen Printing Press

This t-shirt screenprinting press I designed and built is fully adjustable to help get the best prints possible.

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The Big Chair

Honey, I blew up the lawn furniture! When you double the scale for a classic adirondack chair so that it’s eight feet tall, everyone can lounge like Edith Ann.

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Railroad Crossing

My two year old son loves trains and all things train-related. What could I give him for Christmas a little more special than another Thomas the Tank Engine? A railroad crossing sign to hang on his wall!

SEWING

finished

Moon Phase Purse

A small clutch that uses an EL panel and laser cut masks to show the phase of the moon.

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Stormtrooper Neckwarmer

Have you ever said “These aren’t the snowmen we’re looking for.”? If so, then this cozy Stormtrooper neckwarmer is just the thing to keep you warm while you’re hunting down enemies of the Empire on a crisp winter night.

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Sewing the Core

A headband and a coin purse I made from the magnetic core memory fabric I designed.

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A Memorable Fabric

This is my first attempt at designing a fabric pattern. It was inspired by the grid of magnetic core memory planes.

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Deodorizing Laser Cut Wool

Laser-cut wool stinks of burnt hair (because that’s what it is). Here’s what I do to deodorize it and clean the charred edges.

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Mustachioed Neckwarmers – Now With More Lasers

I started laser cutting the mustaches from my neckwarmers

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The Coloring Kit

This self-contained kit carries paper, pencils, and crayons in a soft, kid-friendly package, so a child always something to entertain himself with at restaurants or on the road.

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Mustachioed Neckwarmers

Stay warm and stylish on the slopes or the streets in this cozy fleece neck warmer that features a better mustache than you could ever grow yourself.

MISCELLANEOUS

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Garbage In, Garbage Out

“It holds your trash… and we think you’re going to love it.” Turning an old Macintosh into a trash bin.

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Konami Code Necklace

Up up down down left right left right B A Start… This laser-cut mirror necklace won’t get you extra lives, but it will get you some extra attention.

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Easy Star Wars Paper Snowflakes

Some super-simple cut paper snowflakes inspired by Star Wars

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Abacus Wristwatch

Further explorations in archaic wearable computing: an abacus in the style of a classic calculator wristwatch.

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PONG Halloween Costume

A simple and fun Halloween costume honoring the classic video game PONG.

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Nixie Clock

A nixie tube clock kit and the custom maple enclosure I built for it.

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Snap Circuits Multimeter

A few tweaks make a multimeter friendlier for a child and his electronics kit.

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Drive It Like You Stole It

Turn a screwdriver into a car key so you can emulate the car-stealing thug life.

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USB Mix Tape

Combining the storage of a flash drive with the form factor of a cassette tape.



Other Posts

These are posts unrelated to projects.

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That Old Computer Smell

Nostalgia for the sweet perfume of old electronics.

It's pretty smooshed up. Good thing there's only fabric inside.

The Inadvertent Shipping Test

A package returned from Australia provides a test of shipping material.

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My First Craft Show

The first showing of my ‘StacheWarmers isn’t the runaway success I was hoping for.

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HaHa Way Back When

The origins of the HaHa Bird.

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Ponoko Order Timeline

My experience ordering laser-cut materials through Ponoko.