Check out JaGe090879’s amazing time-lapse video of a Gecko being eaten by ants. A lot of times when I build something or do a tear down I want to record the entire process the same way. That way when I need to put it back together I can remember the steps. Using my PC and a simple script I automated my setup to record a snapshot every few seconds. It’s a bare bones setup and I’ve tested it to work on most windows Xp and 7PCs. Feel free to use it for your projects. [download after the break]
Author Archive for dye
Lego bricks are great for making models, but sometimes you can make real tools with them. If you want to work with foam you should definitely consider building this hot wire cutter. It’s a great tool because it doesn’t leave any dust and it cuts through foam like butter. A few years back I didn’t have any scrap wood but I had plenty of Lego pieces.
One of my hobbies is taking out the Airsoft gun and picking off innocent Lego bricks from a shelf. Eventually I got tired of picking up my fallen victims and decided to turn the Lego’s into a self resetting target range. Continue reading ‘Lego Self Resetting Target Range’
I got bored and decided to make a BB gun using my air compressor. The secret sauce is a one way valve that blocks air from the firing chamber but allows air in the other direction to rapidly propel ammo into the gun. This allows me to tube fed BB’s, even when the gun is inverted. It’s also much faster than gravity feed versions. Watch the video for some action shots and how to make the valve.
So I’ve been working on a new CNC mill and I’m using ACME rods to drive the x and y axis. An ACME rod has fewer turns per inch and allows the machine to move twice as fast. The only downsides are ACME couplers and nuts are expensive and difficult to make without $40 ACME taps. Continue reading ‘Homemade ACME Tap’
We took the Mega Claw to Maker Faire on Friday and it was amazing. We had a great time in the pre-events, plenty of free food, free beer and samples, yum! We also got to play in the hall of science’s playground without those pesky kids in the way. The machine took us hours to setup, but it was all in good shape. Things didn’t break until Saturday.
Continue reading ‘The Mega Claw – Summary (9 of 9)’
So we made it though our first day of Maker Faire. It was insane how many people were there. We quickly realized we had a lot to learn! People loved the 3D models of the claw game and got such a kick out of seeing the giant claw move. Sadly the machine was broken 50% of the time. All the dust was ruining the belts and end stops. We even broke the u joint for the controller three times, sparks were flying, literally, as we grinded parts back into shape. We’re really sad we barely got any time to visit the other stands since we were repairing so much.
We’re 25% of the way to recouping the cost of the machine, hopefully we kicked most of the kinks out of it. The motors are starting to act funny, so signs are pointing to some catastrophic failure midday tomorrow. Get there early if you’re still interested in playing. We’ve changed the rules so it’s gonna be even more fun.
Also Wii Raffle holders, your chances of winning are 1 in 40 as of Sept 25th 11:24 pm. Be sure to check back here on Monday the 27th when we announce the winner.
The Night Before Maker Faire
‘Twas the night before Maker Faire, when all through the house
Not a motor was spinning, not even gauss;
The sensors were mounted, on the joystick with care,
In hopes that Bre Pettis soon would be there;
The engineers were nestled all snug in their beds,
Whiles visions of tesla coils buzzed in their heads;
The prizes were ready, some were wizard caps,
Some were inflatables, but none are pure crap.
Happy Maker Faire!
So what kind of prizes does a massive claw machine have? Well we all chipped in and bought over $700 in prizes for Maker Faire. All the earnings will be used to power Splitreaction’s web fees, projects and cost of the machine. We certainly like the prizes. We hope you guys will too! Also since we hate unfair claw machines, the MEGA CLAW will be a PRIZE EVERY TIME!
