MAKE Magazine and Instructables.com's Blog, page 825
December 14, 2013
Make a 9V Battery Powered Function Generator
Often in synth-DIY trouble-shooting and/or circuit experimentation, a signal source with variable frequency and amplitude is just what you need to test a circuit's behavior. If the signal source has a variety of wave-shapes, it will serve in more scenarios. This article will present a 9V battery-powered function generator that outputs sine, square, and triangle waveforms. The frequency is adjustable from about 20 Hertz to about 11KHz and the output level can be varied from 0 to about 3V, peak to peak.
New Review: Tool Review: All-in-One Eshears
Vampire Tools recently sent me a pair of their All-in-One Eshears, and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed using them in a variety of settings so far. Vampire has a reputation around the office for creating tools with gorgeous grips, great attention to detail and a finished product with high tolerances and unwavering durability. Thankfully, the Eshears stood up to our high expectations.
December 13, 2013
New Project: Data Dial Dashboard
The Data Dial Dashboard brings back the fun of old-school analog dial gauges while updating them with internet connectivity. In this project we will use an Arduino, Ethernet shield, and 3 servos to create a system for tracking global earthquake activity. The data is pulled from the USGS Real-time Data Feeds page. With a little hacking, it is easily adapted to track your unanswered e-mail count, the speed of your internet connection, the price of rice in Rhode Island, or any other data you can scrape off the 'net! 
Maker Pro Newsletter – 12/12/13
“The secret to excellent design is excellent process.” From the editors of MAKE magazine, the Maker Pro Newsletter is about the impact of makers on business and technology. Our coverage includes hardware startups, new products, incubators, and innovators, along with technology and market trends. Please send items to us at makerpro@makermedia.com. […]
UAVs in South African Game Reserves: Lack of Regulations Impedes Protection
Wildlife conservation in South Africa encompasses two main realms, the government-run national parks service and private game reserves. Both require strong counter poaching programs to protect their animals but only government-owned parks can legally fly UAVs without special exception. To investigate the difference, we ventured nearly 1500km south from Kruger to the Amakhala Game Reserve in the Eastern Cape. Similar to the U.S.'s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), South Africa's Civil Air Authority (CAA) has yet to produce the UAV regulations private game reserve owners need to legally fly UAVs for counter poaching. Like the U.S., the CAA says they will begin integrating UAVs into civil aviation by 2015. Owners are delaying investment in UAV technology as a result.
DIY Super Humans and the Cyborg Frontier
You meet all kinds of interesting people at Maker Faire. One of my highlights from World Maker Faire New York was hearing Dr. Adventure hold a standing room-only crowd enthralled as he discussed new frontiers in prosthetics and human enhancements. Will super powers be available to mere mortals? Dr. Adventure says they already are and more are on the way. 
Regina Dugan and Jason Chua at Maker Faire New York
MAKEwithMOTO is a velcro-covered van traveling the U.S., visiting hackerspaces and maker faires. It packs 3D printers, unlocked and hackable phones, and electronic prototyping equipment, allowing visitors to design and create something and stick it on the velco if they want.
Pneumatic Lego Turing Machine
A group of students at the Computer Science department at Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon built a working replica of a Turing Machine out of Lego bricks
Weekend Projects HOA – Touchless 3D Tracking Interface Live Today at 3:30pm PT/6:30pm ET
Join us at 3:30pm PT/6:30pm ET LIVE on Google+ Hangouts On Air to discuss the Touchless 3D Tracking Interface with MAKE contributor Steve Hobley. This project turns everyday materials into a virtual interface controlled by an Arduino.
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