R14 Light Bulb Salt-and-Pepper Shakers
Light bulb salt-and-pepper shakers made from reclaimed R14 mini reflector bulbs found burned out in an old china cabinet. The discovery that standard Edison bulb bases screw perfectly into 16 oz. PET...
View ArticleGorgeous Antique British Light Switch
They don't make 'em like they used to. This is a Crabtree model A15051 single-gang AC light switch, with cast iron body, that I recently scored on eBay. It was likely manufactured in the 30s, 40s, or...
View ArticleSeek Thermal Imager HTC DNA Hack
Possibly the best gift I received in 2014 was this Seek thermal add-on imager for my phone. Unfortunately, the device comes with a non-reversible micro-USB plug attached, and the single jack on my HTC...
View Article“Drains to Creek,” 2014
This is a small manhole cover rubbing I took with my then-girlfriend Dr. Suzanne Stambaugh at a storm sewer on the corner opposite my old house. The three-fishes design indicates a sewer that empties...
View ArticleOCD Bristlebot
I made this little robot sometime in mid-2014 from a plastic toothbrush head, some fuse clips, a pager motor, a toggle switch, a scrap of copper-clad board, some double-stick tape, and a CR2032 coin...
View ArticleMSE-5: The Weekend Project That Wasn’t
This is a Herbie-style BEAM photovore with a reversing relay. But instead of a bump switch, the “retreat” reflex is triggered by a sharp, loud sound like a clap. It was developed for MAKE’s RadioShack...
View ArticleStyrofoam Plate Hovercraft: My Debut in Popular Science
Of course I knew for months in advance that this was coming, but what I did not know, until I actually received my copy of the March 2015 print issue, was that I also got a coverline. This project...
View ArticleRetrofitting a Classic Desk Fan With Leather Blades
When my cheap plastic box fan recently self-destructed, I “retrograded” to this lovely model 94646-E “Northwind” oscillating electric fan by Emerson Electric. Within ten minutes of turning it on for...
View ArticleFlameless Hack-o’-Lantern Featured in Popular Science
Fun fact: Halloween magazine content has to be in bed in the summer, when nobody is selling pumpkins. There is, however, a high quality brand of carve-able fake pumpkin, called a Funkin, which is...
View ArticleMy Breadboard Brings All The Boys to The Yard
Damn right, it's better than yours. Continue reading →
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