Category: Technology

Amazing LEGO Motor FAQ

LEGO motor FAQIf your LEGO construction skills have progressed past the point of building stuff out of the instruction booklets then you have undoubtedly had the desire to play with the versatile LEGO motors. The LEGO motors are amazingly handy, I can’t say enough good things about that really. The biggest question is what one to use? As they are a bit pricey (hey, these are LEGOs after all) picking and choosing the style might save you some valuable cash. I personally like the 8735 motors myself, but that’s because I have a few from my old Mindstorm kit.
The list give you important info like motor RPM, stall current, torque, and even efficiency. Just the stuff you need to maximize your project. I guess it goes without saying that you can use these motors for non-LEGO applications as well. Just let your creative mind go wild.

Lego 9V Technic Motors compared characteristics

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8735 Technic motor from Amazon.com
Revised LEGO Mindstorms NXT from Amazon.com

DIY Video Camera – The VanceCam VC25P

I like the idea of building something that fits your needs as opposed to going out and buying it. Building your own video camera is a little exteem but hey, I like that even more.

This is a one-of-a-kind "film-look" digital camcorder custom-built specifically to shoot the independent feature film, Cold Day in Hell. The camera module is based on a Hitachi HV-C20A/E, 1/2" format, 3 CCD industrial PAL camera with 700 lines of resolution.

I love the fact that they used a mechanical shutter in the camera. I bet the camera operator even got to yell ‘speed!’ when there were doing a take.

[via retrothing]
VanceCam VC25P Camcorder

Atari 2600 Joystick TV Remote Control

Alan over at Hacked Gadgets just told me about his latest project:

I wanted a simple remote that could be used to easily control the volume and mute the TV when the phone rings. I have replaced all of my remotes with a single Harmony 880 control which works great, but I wanted something a bit more cool to compliment it. Building the retro remote was fun and simple since the mini remote that I used was very easy to hack.

It looks pretty slick, and he even used a modern Atari Flashback case so no vintage 2600 controllers were harmed in the making of this project.

Atari 2600 Joystick TV Remote Control

Variable Polychromatic Sunglasses

Electrochromic sunglassesResearchers have come up with sunglasses that can change hue and density at the flip of a switch. It works by altering the charge of an electrochromic polymer that is sandwiched between the lenses of the glasses. So far the researchers have created glasses with stable elements that change from clear to dark blue and less stable glasses that are in green or orange. A multi colored unit is in the works.
I’m quite happy to see research like this being done. Although I have to admit that I had an idea like this almost 20 years ago. My idea was not as simple as single variable density lenses but incorporated a LCD matrix and sensors to provide a high dynamic range of vision that we can currently enjoy. Oh well, I have lacked the funding to pursue this project but if any venture capitalists are out there looking for an investment drop me a line.

Smart Sunglasses Change Color on Demand

Skiing Conditions On Mars, Not So Hot…

Sharp views of Martian ground iceThis throws a wrench into my summer vacation plans…

Using observations by NASA’s Mars Odyssey orbiter, scientists have discovered that water ice lies at variable depths over small-scale patches on Mars.
The findings draw a much more detailed picture of underground ice on Mars than was previously available. They suggest that when NASA’s next Mars mission, the Phoenix Mars Lander, starts digging to icy soil on an arctic plain in 2008, it might find the depth to the ice differs in trenches just a few feet apart. The new results appear in the May 3, 2007, issue of the journal Nature.
"We find the top layer of soil has a huge effect on the water ice in the ground," said Joshua Bandfield, a research specialist at Arizona State University, Tempe, and author of the paper. His findings come from data sent back to Earth by the Thermal Emission Imaging System camera on Mars Odyssey. The instrument takes images in five visual bands and 10 heat-sensing (infrared) ones.

NASA – Sharp Views Show Ground Ice on Mars Is Patchy and Variable

Classic DIY Rubberband Plane Kits

Hishou rubber band aeroplaneI remember building one of these from scratch when I was a kid. Much to my amazement it flew pretty well. I wonder if this kit was available back then, probably not.

This rubber band propeller airplane kit is from Yoshida in Japan. The Hishou, with its 2 reverse propellers, dates from 1911, when it crossed the Sumida River in a model plane contest. The kit uses balsa wood, ultra-light Styrofoam, rubber bands and 125mm reverse pitch propellers. Illustrated instructions and glue are included. The kit is packed in a box with appealing graphics in Japanese and some English.

There is also a version called the ‘Crow‘ that only has one propeller but it’s still a classic design.
 
via Better Living Through Design]
Rubberband Plane Kit, Hishou