Seeing this old Connect 4 game took me on a nostalgic trip back to the early 80s, sprawled out on our old brown carpeting, spending hours strategizing, stacking the chips, then pulling the lever and watching them all fall. And the fact that three classmates thought to convert it into a binary clock and share the build instructions on Make: Projects made me all kinds of happy. From the intro: This is a great weekend project that will provide you with a sleek and nostalgic binary clock all at once. We focused on recycling every part of the Connect 4 game to exemplify our “green” standards, and be as creative as possible. The Connect 4 works superbly in displaying a binary clock because it has perfectly rounded holes to showcase the LED-based binary numbering system. You don’t need many supplies to make this binary clock, and it’s a great way to utilize an old Connect 4 game if you’ve lost some of the pieces, or simply want to show off your mad creative skills. And don’t worry about the coding – which we struggled against in an epic battle between sanity and madness – we already have it laid out for you!
Filed under: DIY Projects, Remake, Retro, Toys and Games         
 
Marielle Riley is a freshman in college pursuing the field of architecture of computer science. I recently meet her father and he told me about a cool Arduino-driven costume Marielle made that had movable antennae. I asked her to tell me about it. Here’s what she wrote: 
Making costumes has always been one of my favorite hobbies. Another favorite hobby of mine is attending anime conventions. I primarily became interested in anime conventions because of the aggregation of creative people and their collection of homemade costumes of inspired media characters. These costume gatherings are known as “Cosplays.” 
Of all the fashionable styles to emulate, I prefer generic and American media characters, such as the generic Irken invader from the popular old Nickelodeon show “Invader Zim.” Having tinkered with Arduino-driven animatronics in the past, I decided to go beyond simple blinking LEDs and by exploring the realm of flex resistor-driven servos. 
Inspired by videos of people’s theatric mechanical wings and robotics that mimic the movements of the controller, I decided to create a way to seamlessly control the antennas of my costume. To do so, I took one flex sensor for each antenna and stitched them into the fingers of my alien glove. Every time I bent one of my fingers in the glove, the associated antenna would bend in unison via a small servo affixed to a headband. The most difficult part of the process was writing the code and determining the right mapping values for the servos to bend accordingly. Then I had to find a material light enough so the servos could move without being bogged down by the fabric. Eventually I settled on a lightweight cardboard wrapped in thin black cloth. Thankfully, my generic character has a “PAK” (kind of like a backpack) in which I could store the Arduino, circuit board and batteries. In the end everything worked out as expected. Of course, there is always room for improvement. My next revision will incorporate lighter wires and also fine tuning of the programming and servo motion. I hope to have a renovated version available for the big annual anime convention called ACen. Even though making Cosplays is just a side hobby, I want to explore even more ways to improve my work using digigrade limbs, mechanics, audio integration, and the use of prosthetics.
Filed under: Fashion, Halloween, Uncategorized         
 In each episode of DiResta, artist and master builder Jimmy DiResta (Dirty Money, Hammered, Against the Grain, Trash for Cash) will let us into his workshop, to look over his shoulder while he builds whatever strikes his fancy. In this episode, Jimmy finds a slab of locust wood at a flea market and has a brainstorm. -Gareth Branwyn   My sketch for the bench. My other idea was to make big rusty nails and have them poke through at the corners. I have a second slab of pine, so this could still happen.
Materials: - Slab of Locust wood, flea market find, Livingstonville, NY. Cost $22
- Tung oil
- 0.5″ x 1″ Hot rolled steel
- 0.25″ rod “cable ties”
Tools: - Millermatic MIG (metal inert gas) welder
- Handheld belt grinder
- 400 grit black sand paper
Notes:
The moment I saw the wood, I saw this video in my head. I am always looking for interesting materials and tools to feature in videos. Filed under: Art & Design, Woodworking         
 
We’re thrilled to announce that Jimmy DiResta has joined the MAKE family. You may know Jimmy as the co-star of the Discovery Channel’s Dirty Money, or from DIY Network’s Against the Grain, HGTV’s Hammered, and Fox’s Trash to Cash. Jimmy is an artist, designer, and master builder. His new MAKE video series, called simply DiResta, will showcase Jimmy in the shop doing what Jimmy does best, following his muse and making magic with a shop-full of power tools, artisan’s skill, and lots of flourish. Jimmy doesn’t say much. He doesn’t have to. He lets the the build process speak for itself. Watching Jimmy work is captivating, and looking over his shoulder, you learn a lot about the tools, materials, and processes he employs. We will also include his sketchbook images and some of his build notes in each of the video postings. So please join me in welcoming Jimmy DiResta. And if you have any questions for Jimmy, please leave them in the comments below. [Photo by Taylor Forrest] Filed under: Art & Design, Woodworking         
 
Jason Poel Smith demonstrates four ways to use a power drill for everyday kitchen tasks, by attaching a cheese grater, whisk, scrubbing sponge, and my favorite, a pepper mill. I get a kick out of imagining the waiter at a fancy restaurant, power drill in each hand, speedily delivering freshly ground pepper and grated cheese to restaurant patrons. More: Filed under: Food and Beverage, MAKE Projects, Mods, Tools         
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