This week, I have been mostly working on… — Laser Harps, Tesla Coils, and Killer Space Robots

…Treasure Finder for MAKE:Projects

November 19, 2011

This was my favo[u]rite of all the MAKE projects I’ve been working on. This project uses 2 oscillators in a configuration very much like a Theremin to create a beat frequency (BFO) metal detector. Range is a few inches for the smaller detection coil, but the detection range can be increased by adding a larger […]

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…Fritz Lang’s Theremin Stand

November 6, 2011

(Sounds like something you’d find in Warehouse 13) For many weeks I’ve been trying to come up with a cabinet design for the vacuüm tube Theremin I built a while ago. I decided that the electronics were far too marvelous to hide away in the classic RCA “drinks cabinet” – and that something more radical […]

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Fry’s – now dealin ‘duinos…

November 6, 2011

Wow, didn’t expect that. I was lurkin’ in my local Fry’s and found a section full of Arduino clones… They seem to have a range (from Megas to Nanos) of them – prices are pretty good too.

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Air Guitar? …meet Air Piano

November 5, 2011

My buddy John Claeys sent me a link to this video of the AirPiano device being demonstrated by Jo Hamilton. I’ve not been able to find out too much about the design or origins of the instrument. It seems to use optical proximity sensing to detect the player’s hands. A neat idea, and a slick […]

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Jarre demo’s “Mini” laser harp at Hamburg concert

November 4, 2011

Ricardo Melo just sent me a link to footage of Jarre’s recent gig in Hamburg. Looks like he’s added a mini laser harp to his rig. Looks like it uses a straight “interruption” trigger built into the frame. This kind is way easier to keep under control on stage.

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DIY CO2 Laser Cutter – more test cuts…

October 11, 2011

I re-aligned the bounce mirrors, added an air-assist, and did some test cuts on acrylic, plywood and hardwood. Slowing the feedrate seems more effective than increasing the power. Need to spend some time with different materials, figuring out the cut parameters for each one. Oooh shiny!

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…555 timer “Ball Whacker”

October 10, 2011

As another Radio Shack “Great Create” challenge I put together this fun project. A 555 timer and simple optical feedback loop creates a simple cybernetic control system. The photocell in the tip of the arm responds to the light pattern falling across it – this in turn controls the position of the arm. Resulting in […]

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…making some initial cuts with the CO2 Laser

October 4, 2011

Yes! Finally, after several iterations we have the installed, aligned and focused CO2 laser wreaking some serious havoc on a piece of MDO. There are still many tests to run and various safety mechanisms to install, but the system works, and is aligned over a 24″ x 24″ area (at least). I can think of […]

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…installing the laser tube

September 28, 2011

After much wailing and gnashing of teeth I finally got the tube installed in its new home. However I’ve now realized that it’s 4″ too short and I need to build a new base and position it correctly :). Still, I hooked up the cooling system, and thankfully there are no leaks – I gave […]

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…building my Destructor(tm) beam

September 25, 2011

More progress in the laser/CNC saga. I built a cage from steel and MDO for the laser tube – fits really nicely. Next step is to add the first bounce mirror which will turn the beam straight up – into a PVC tube attached with plumbing flanges (The sales assistant at Menard’s asked me what […]

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