Join How to make the Apple Logo on a MacBook into an LCD Screen
You have to admire the people who make laptops. Every time you use one, you prominently display the logo of the laptop maker every time you use it. So every time I am using my laptop at a coffee shop or library, I am a sitting advertisement for Toshiba!
MacBooks may not have the word “Apple” written on them, but that picture of the fruit with a bite taken out of it is probably better than any company name. In today’s society, images are more powerful than words.
Designer Eddie Zarick has found a way to put that Apple logo on the front of a MacBook to good use by figuring out how to make the logo into an LCD screen. This is a total DIY project, but he has posted instructions for any DIYer on his Ed’s Junk site.
Continue reading » How to make the Apple Logo on a MacBook into an LCD Screen
DIY Electronics Design & Projects Kit
Want to teach yourself the basics of electronics circuit design without having to go to school? Well, you can now do so with the DIY Electronics Design & Projects Kit.
The DIY Electronics Design & Projects Kit contains everything you need to learn the basics of electronics circuit design. It contains all of the most common electronics components as well as a prototyping breadboard for you to get started right away. Make a light detector, work with IC chips, create an interactive noise maker and more. Hours of amusement and intrigue for students, professionals, hobbyists, artists, and geeks of all types. No soldering is required and the included illustrated manual guides you through each of the projects. After you build all of the projects you can use the parts for your own designs. Includes over 130 parts.
Among the projects that can be churned out include creating your own light/dark detector or a light sensitive noise maker to impress friends and family alike. The DIY Electronics Design & Projects Kit will retail for $49.99 from ThinkGeek.
DIY Scrabble Keyboard
If you have a great love for the game of Scrabble and want something unique to commemorate your hobby, why not check out this DIY Scrabble keyboard? It is a beauty no matter how you look at it, featuring both wood Scrabble tiles as well as brushed aluminum for that elegant look. The points on individual letters have been modified though in order to display the key’s secondary function. Having one of this clearly beats the rush of making a word out of your initial rack. Too bad this isn’t going to be mass produced, otherwise it would rake in a handsome amount for the manufacturer.
Source: Gizmodo
Washing Machine project lets it Twitter when finished
Everyone has dealt with those days where you’re running around and doing other things so much that you forget all about the load of laundry you put into the washer or dryer. Then you come back and they’re either overly wrinkly or mildewed. Now luckily dryers do have buzzers, however, if you have a house where the washer and dryer are away from the main living area, then that’s really not helpful. Frankly, leaving your laundry to sit might be a rare occurrence, or one that happens every single time you do a load of laundry. Either way, someone has decided to create a hi-tech fix that will work on even the most archaic dryer.
Continue reading » Washing Machine project lets it Twitter when finished
The Black & Decker Ll4000 3.6-Volt Lithium-Ion SmartDriver
The older we get, the less coordinated we’re going to be. Eventually our hands will likely shake and it’ll be difficult to do certain tasks. Frankly, I already am overly clumsy and lack coordination at times. Well if you’re either just clumsy or getting up there in years, but still want a way to be independent with your DIY projects, this is the way to go. Magnetic screwdrivers are always incredibly helpful, well this SmartDriver takes things one step further.
Continue reading » The Black & Decker Ll4000 3.6-Volt Lithium-Ion SmartDriver
Wearable Toy Piano Shirt
This next device is currently not available at any particular catalog or website, but it really should be. After all, ThinkGeek is already offering the Electric Drum Kit Shirt, so why not one that is a Piano?
The DIY Wearable Toy Piano shirt is designed for a DIY Festival that was held in Zurich last weekend. You can go to the Instructables site for some step-by-step instructions on how to make this homemade gift.
Continue reading » Wearable Toy Piano Shirt
Cool Gift Ideas for People to Make
Our next gift guide is aimed at the techie that enjoys making stuff before playing with it.
Magna-Bones includes the skeletal remains of a Triceratops. Once you dig out your bones, assemble and pose Tri-Tops. Learn about their history and life on the collectable tin card.
- Feel like a real paleontologist!
- Build cool models with bone shaped rods.
- Endless hours of construction!
- An excellent way to develop scientific knowledge and social development.
The Magna-Bones 32 pcs is available from Amazon for $14.99.
Wooden War Engine Kits – $19.99+
These kits let you bring back all the fun of flinging. Each one can assemble in just a few hours, and provides a fantastic scale model of an actual war weapon of yore. The catapult is perfect for chucking balls of paper and other small objects over cubicle walls. The trebuchet is better for long range targets (like the water cooler or networked printer). And, all you need to put them together are some strong fingers (or pliers), a cutting tool, and glue (not included). Both kits are perfect for showing your love of retro weaponry.
The Wooden War Engine Kits is available from Think Geek for $19.99+.
Classic Video Table Tennis Kit – $19.99+
Blocky table tennis with a ball and two paddles was one of the first real video games to make it into mainstream culture. It took an awful lot of high-tech electronics in 1972 to create this classic game. Now however you can cobble together your very own Classic Video Table Tennis Game with a little determination and some basic soldering skillz. This kit contains a pre-printed circuit board and 39 various resistors, diodes, and capacitors. Solder everything together (following the instructions we hope) and plug the audio and video into any standard TV for instant Table Tennis action. You can play against another lowly human or challenge the computer at four different skill levels.
The Classic Video Table Tennis Kit is available from Think Geek for $19.99+.
Continue reading » Cool Gift Ideas for People to Make
Unibind Photobook Creator Preserves Memories
I have a wife who is an avid scrapbooker, so we have several books full of our memories ready to be perused by guests. Scrapbooking, if done well, takes a lot of time. However, with devices like the Unibind Photobook Creator, the time is significantly reduced, and the user has the option of binding their own scrapbooks.
The Unibind Photobook Creator is very simple to use. The user takes his or her photos, then prints them on any type of paper. The user then stacks them into a pile, and then puts the stack into the Photobook Creator binder itself. This binder device works like a miniature oven, and it melts the binding into place. Within minutes, the user now has a permanently bound book that he or she can prominently put on display.
Continue reading » Unibind Photobook Creator Preserves Memories
