Synth schematic collection 31. March 2008
Posted by Nerdmaster in : DIY Projects, Flying , add a comment
Matrixsynth points out this nice little collection of relatively simple music synthesizer schematics - hmmm, the IR/CV Light Controller looks quite interesting.
Building circuits @ home is a great way to learn about electronics. One doesn’t need to know how every component works at first - it’s a lot of fun to learn by ‘doing’.
Related:
Socratic electronics
In the Maker store:
MAKE:it - Electronic Makers Toolkit
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Power To Your Pocket
Posted by Nerdmaster in : Crafts, IT Pro, Retro , add a comment
The UMPC may have been a disappointment, but Intel plans to get it right with its new MID platform.
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RIM Source Spills BlackBerry 9000 Specs
Posted by Nerdmaster in : Crafts, IT Pro, Retro , add a comment
Shaping up to be a real powerhouse.
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Sony VAIO VGN-NR21Z/T 15.4in Notebook
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Sony gives its entry level NR Series notebook the Penryn treatment and Andy sees if it’s worth getting the chequebook out.
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Firefox Turns Ten
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Onwards and upwards.
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LG 50PG6000 50in Plasma TV
Posted by Nerdmaster in : Crafts, IT Pro, Product News , add a comment
If you’re in the market for a 50in flat TV, you should definitely check out LG’s 50PG6000 plasma.
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Arduino pocket piano synth - coming soon!
Posted by Nerdmaster in : Arts, Hacks & Mods, Robotics , add a comment
Coming soon to the Maker store - The Pocket Piano Arduino Shield, from Critter and Guitari -
This is a board for making the Arduino into a portable stand alone music synthesizer. It plugs directly into the Arduino board and provides 25 multiplexed keys (2 full octaves), 4 pots, status LED, reset switch, digital to analog converter IC, and a RCA audio jack. The Arduino board with its powerful AVR processor is more than adequate for a wide range of sound synthesis techniques. We have experimented with simple additive / wave-table synthesis, frequency modulation, ring modulation, sampling, polyphony, various arpeggiators. The whole thing can be powered over the Arduino’s USB port for convenient experimenting.
So very awesome - start planning that cool enclosure design, we’ll keep you posted as to availability.
Related:
Arduinosynth alpha
In the Maker store:
“Critter & Guitari” Cellular Automata Video Synthesizer Kit
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Piratebay saksøkes igjen
Posted by Nerdmaster in : Crafts, IT Avisen, IT Pro , add a commentPiratebay er nok en gang i søkelyset hos platebransjen, og denne gangen blir de fire bakmennene saksøkt for cirka 13 millioner norske kroner.
ITpro.no
Journal of Pyrotechnics
Posted by Nerdmaster in : Gaming, Hacks & Mods, Robotics , add a comment
I just discovered the website for the Journal of Pyrotechnics:
Issues of the Journal of Pyrotechnics [ISSN 1082-3999] appear twice a year. Early issues contained 40 to 50 pages. More recent issues contain 70 to 80 pages printed in 8-1/2×11″ format with medium-sized print. Areas of pyrotechnics addressed include fireworks, pyrotechnic special effects, propellants & rocketry, and civilian pyrotechnics. The Journal is “dedicated to the advancement of pyrotechnics through the sharing of information”. This is accomplished with a mix of different types of articles; however, most fall into two areas. One area is reports on pyrotechnic and fireworks research conducted by both professional scientists and individual experimenters. The other area is reviews of various technical and craft areas of pyrotechnics, some at an advanced level and others at a tutorial level.
At $25-40 per issue, this is clearly an industry-priced publication. PDFs of articles can be bought at .50 per page.
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DIY night vision scope
Posted by Nerdmaster in : Arduino, Crafts, Imaging , add a comment
From the MAKE Flickr photo pool
Member Jiskar built this sweet night vision scope -
Finished nightvision device. XX1080 image intensifier tube @ 10kV, powered by two 9V battery blocks, ccfl inverter and voltage multiplier. All mounted in plumbing pipe. Adapter for pentax lenses. IR flashlight mounted on top for small distance illumination.
Head over to Flickr to see more photos - Night vision scope
Related:
$35 Night vision scope, from a CVS camcorder
Technical details on Spy Gear Night Vision Goggles
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New @ MAKE — Make Robotics Workshop: Humanoids
Posted by Nerdmaster in : Imaging, LEGO, MAKE PDF , add a comment
Nothing says “robot” like an android. So lets make one of our own! This course will take you through the steps of building your own android. You’ll leave with a working, foot tall programmable android! You can use it for kung-fu matches, dancing, stair-climbing or many other events. Only 20 slots available (one or two people max per slot) Humanoid is designed to be remote controlled, but can be used autonomously by adding sensors.
Materials include all parts for one 13″ tall humanoid, an infrared controller, programming software and a bearing head screw driver. Motherboard contains 8 I/O slots for upgrades like Sonar or Bluetooth.
Parts Cost - $399
Lab Fee - $200
You will need to bring a Windows laptop (or Mac/Linux box with a windows emulator). Your laptop must have a 9-pin serial port or a USB port and a USB-to-serial adapter. Attendees might want to bring a variable-speed power-drill or power screwdriver with a 3″ long #0 Phillips head screw bit.
Features:
- April 12, 10-6pm
- April 13, 10-6pm
- Includes lunch both days (specify in order comments if vegetarian)
- Please include you Make Subscriber ID in the comments field at checkout.
- Bring a copy of your printed order confirmation with you as proof of registration.
- San Francisco State University, 19th and Holloway in San Francisco, CA.
- Further details will be emailed to registrants.
More details and sign up here.
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April Fools contest
Posted by Nerdmaster in : Announcements, Computers, Imaging , add a comment
As you know, tomorrow is April 1st. So be prepared to prank and be pranked. Instructables is running a contest (through the 13th) to find the best in April Fools shenanigans. Check out the entries so far — you might find something worth torturing friends and coworkers with tomorrow.
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GAMES: Week in video-game news (AP)
Posted by Nerdmaster in : Cellphones, Notebook and Laptops, The Register , add a commentAP - News from the virtual world:
YahooTechNews
Ant Farm retrospective
Posted by Nerdmaster in : Arts, Computers, Imaging , add a comment
We make money not art has a piece about a retrospective on Ant Farm, the American media art collective from the 1970s. Ant Farm is most famous for their Cadillac Ranch installation in Amarillo, Texas.
I had the pleasure of meeting and becoming friends with Ant Farm co-founder Doug Michels in the early ’90s. He was as delightfully crazy as ever, drawing up designs for spheres of water floating through space filled with dolphins, a Japanese sex theme park, a giant couch, called the National Sofa, in the park across from the White House, where people could come and interact with the First Family via the National TV set. This was definitely not a guy who liked to paint inside the lines. Sadly, Doug died in a freak climbing accident in 2003.
The Ant Farm retrospective is at The Centro Andaluz de Arte Contemporaneo in Sevilla, Spain.
Ant Farm retrospective in Sevilla
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Al Jaffee's fold-ins for Mad Magazine
Posted by Nerdmaster in : Cellphones, Electronics, Imaging , add a comment
Al Jaffee’s fold-ins for Mad magazine, from the 1960s to the present via Boing Boing.
Related:
MAKE visits MAD Magazine.
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40 ganger dyrere bredbånd
Posted by Nerdmaster in : IT Avisen, Technology, The Register , add a commentKjempeforskjell mellom Oslo og Måløy.
ITAvisen
Wiimote to Arduino Hack adds thumb navigation to Processing
Posted by Nerdmaster in : Imaging, Robotics , add a commentThis is a pretty cool Arduino to WiiMote NunChuck hack from Jeremy Keith to control 3D visuals in Processing on an iMac. Simple but effective.
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Made in Japan - Volume 8
Posted by Nerdmaster in : DIY Projects, Events , add a commentThis week:
MIDIfied finger piano hack, Interaction 2008, an impalement simulation belt, a safety-first robot paper shredder, the Sociable Trash Box, a long-distance drinking device, the Limonect ambient footstep network, Kazuya Kanemaru, a rotary remote control, a robot controlled by a TV remote, a young girl rocking out to Max/MSP/Jitter, edible rice tableware, and a very stylish paper clip holder.
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Top articles in MAKE 1 - 12 - What you're reading in MAKE!
Posted by Nerdmaster in : Cellphones, Flying, Imaging , add a comment
Here are the most read articles in MAKE 1 - 12!
If you’re a MAKE subscriber, you get the digital edition for free - MAKE Digital Edition is a vivid replica of the print edition of MAKE, it offers an experience very much like the print magazine plus many additional benefits, such as online searching, embedded multimedia and printing. Please note that MAKE Digital Edition can be viewed from any web browser (i.e. Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari etc.) and requires NO DOWNLOADING of software NO weird DRM’ed PDFs - you get instant access to your entire MAKE collection!
Because MAKE has a digital edition, we can actually see what people like and are reading the most — I’m pretty sure we’re the only, if not one of the few magazines that actually do this - so we’re sharing the results with you!
Click any of the links after the jump and start reading MAKE now. Or subscribe and get started a little later! Use the code CMAKE to get $5 off (USA only).
MAKE 12 - Beetlebot. By Jerome Demers. Ultra-Simple Bugbot navigates obstacles with feelers and switches. page 140 - Read it in MAKE Digital Edition. MAKE Volume 12: Upload - Make, Vol 12 features our special section on digital arts and crafts called “Upload,” where you’ll learn how to take infrared photographs, shoot movies with custom backgrounds, and make fun-to-watch slideshows of your digital family photos. You’ll also learn how to make an extremely loud air whistle, a solar-powered xylophone, and a TV remote control that’s powered by your muscles. As usual, you’ll find plenty of other exciting how-to projects inside. MAKE Volume 12 & Get it at the Maker Store.
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Garbage Reader makes your trash a bit less hazardous
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The Garbage Reader 1.0 (aka G.R 1.0 or Grone), is the first of a series of robots by Ireland-based, French artist Ben Gaulon that analyzes the contents of garbage bins. The bot senses its immediate environment for toxicity, temperature, and humidity levels and remotely reports the data over a network while it’s head-mounted camera streams back live images. I guess its true what they say about making sure you have a paper shredder for those important documents you don’t want others reading after you trash them.