Maker Faire NYC

Posted: September 18th, 2011 | Author: | Filed under: Blog | Tags: , | Comments Off on Maker Faire NYC

Just came home from NYC Maker Faire at the NY Hall of Science. Some highlights…

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MakerBots were in full force – they were everywhere, not just at the MakerBot Industries booth  (seen here) but at the booths of many designers.

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Bamboo bikes by Bamboo Bike Studio. Only metal parts are forks, rear drops, bottom bracket, seat, and head tubes. All else is bamboo, epoxy, and carbon fiber tape.

Ultimaker (web pic – mine from Faire were too blurry!)

Though Makerbot (MB) obviously had the most presence at the Faire, I was impressed by the Ultimaker, made by a Dutch team. Elegant design (no electronics hanging off the sides) and a nice large bed over 64 sq in. Unfortunately it costs more than the MB (€1200 ) and they have to ship from the Netherlands. Curious to see where this thing goes.

 


Trash Hack

Posted: June 20th, 2011 | Author: | Filed under: Blog | Tags: , , , | Comments Off on Trash Hack

I’ve been away from the blog for a bit – been doing some nifty stuff which I’ll relate when I can. In the meantime this is one thing I did over the weekend:

Sometimes I even make things for my own home. I’ve been slowly renovating our new apartment in Brooklyn, including making all the kitchen cabinetry. In a small kitchen its a challenge to design for best space use, and the question “what to do with all those friggin corner cabinets?” always comes up. After long debate I put a lazy susan in one and a slide-out trashcan in the other. See how fancy that drawer is? Yes there will be a front finish panel over it (maybe white – or a shade of red…)

For some reason we got a trash can that has an infrared lid opener. This was partly because it fit PERFECTLY and partly because a friend has one and after thinking it a bit silly we decided it was kind of nifty. So we ordered one from Amazon – a Nine Stars DZT-42-1. (as an aside I would like to mention how expensive simple trash cans can be if you need very particular dimensions to fit in cabinets – so I didn’t feel bad with the price of this one)

Trash can worked right out of the box fine & dandy – wave your hand in front and the lid opens smartly (inside is an IR distance sensor with circuitry). Only problem was (and I have to say I anticipated this) that when it is put in the drawer and slid closed, the electronics senses the cabinet closing around it and tries to open the lid. Well, nothing is easy so out comes my Arduino and assorted electronics gear to try to fix this. Its really a simple problem so I was able to come up with several working ideas which are not worth going into but my basic premise is as it always is when I do a project:

Find the simplest solution that will look awesome.

So first of all, it has to be all contained in the lid of the trash can. No wires coming out, nothing to get caught or broken when changing trash bags. Also – it has to work from the 6V battery pack in the trash unit. And of course power consumption should be kept to a minimum and it should look seamless.

The more I thought about it the more I was over-designing with the Arduino. Why use 600,000 – 1 MILLION transistors to do the job that ONE transistor can do? So I threw it away (not really!) and turned to a good old analog circuit. The most basic thing straight out of a Forrest Mims electronics workbook from my childhood: a simple light sensitive switch with a few resistors, a diode, a photoresistor and an NPN Transistor. Pull out the drawer, light hits the can and turns on the hand sensor with a relay. Bada bing:

Wilsonbuilt Trash Hack Detail

See the photoresistor to the left of the interface. There is also a hole in the side to adjust a trim pot for light/dark sensitivity.

I’d be very happy if I was doing this for a client, simple solution and seamless integration.


Leafy Zip Ties

Posted: September 3rd, 2010 | Author: | Filed under: Blog | Tags: | Comments Off on Leafy Zip Ties

Lufdesign’s Leaf Tie – simple & fun.

via Make


120 Bikes on the Wall

Posted: August 20th, 2010 | Author: | Filed under: Blog | Tags: | Comments Off on 120 Bikes on the Wall

Bike Shop  in Altlandsberg, Germany.

via notcot


Make Flowers Not War

Posted: June 4th, 2010 | Author: | Filed under: Blog | Tags: | Comments Off on Make Flowers Not War

From design you can trust


Handmade Tops from Germany

Posted: June 4th, 2010 | Author: | Filed under: Blog | Tags: | Comments Off on Handmade Tops from Germany

Aren’t these tops beautiful? Handmade by German manufacturer Mader Kreiselmanufaktur. Check out the site to see them being made!

via notcot


Crayon Rings from Designboom

Posted: December 7th, 2009 | Author: | Filed under: Blog | Tags: | Comments Off on Crayon Rings from Designboom

crayon rings

Fun!


Motif Cubes

Posted: November 20th, 2009 | Author: | Filed under: Blog | Tags: , , | Comments Off on Motif Cubes

Motif Cubes
I like wood, I like games, I like colors, I like clever.
Motif Cubes – what’s not to like here?

via swissmiss


Big Rabbit’s Bad Mood

Posted: November 20th, 2009 | Author: | Filed under: Blog | Tags: , , , | Comments Off on Big Rabbit’s Bad Mood

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DurandA

Okay – enough of inventions developed for a messy world.

This book looks super awesome.

nuff said.

via swissmiss


LED Necklace

Posted: November 9th, 2009 | Author: | Filed under: Blog | Tags: , , | Comments Off on LED Necklace

A few months ago I put together a LED string for an award designed by Largent Studios. I liked the way the LEDs connected & thought they might look good just like that. This necklace is my first attempt. Neat thing is, the LEDs are powered by coin batteries that are just slipped in between the + and – LED terminals.

LED Necklace LED Necklace Detail