Mechanical Color Picker Types Hex Codes For You

September 21, 2022 by Zoe Skyforest 18 Comments

Hex codes are a simple, unambiguous way to designate colors in digital media. However, going from a color in your head to a hex code can be difficult for the unpracticed. [Guy Dupont] built a little gadget by the name of the Dial Toner to do it for him (Nitter).

The Dial Toner has two dials for each color channel – Red, Green, and Blue. By turning the dials, one can choose a given color in the 8-bit RGB color space, and that color is then displayed on the device’s included RGB LED. Once selected, the button can be pressed to type the selected color’s hex code into a text box. The Dial Toner runs on a Xiao RP2040 microcontroller board, and is coded in CircuitPython.

[Guy] hopes to sell the Dial Toner on Etsy in future, and is even working on a CMYK version for print addicts. We’ve featured [Guy]’s work here before, too, in the form of his extended-play HitClips cartridges. Video after the break.

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3D Printed String Vase Shows What’s Possible

September 20, 2022 by Zoe Skyforest 15 Comments

Overhangs are the bane of the melty-plastic 3D printing world. Often, we try to avoid them with creative print alignments, or we compensate with supports. However, [3DPrintBunny] decided to embrace overhangs in the extreme in the design of her creative 3D-printed string vase.

The design is intended to be printed with a larger nozzle, on the order of 0.8 mm or so, at a layer height of 0.6 mm. Under these conditions, the printer nozzle bridges the gap between the vase’s pillars with a single string of molten filament. With the settings just so, the molten filament stays attached during the bridging operation, and creates a fine plastic string between the pillars. Repeat this across the whole design, and you get an attractive string vase.

Amazingly, [3DPrintBunny] didn’t have to do any fancy slicer tricks to achieve this. Stock slicer settings got the job done just fine, and she reports that the model should print on most FDM printers. For her own examples, she printed in a special silver/bronze dual color PLA filament.

It recalls us of efforts to create synthetic hair-like fibers by taking advantage of stringing in 3D printers. Video after the break. Continue reading “3D Printed String Vase Shows What’s Possible” →

Ride-on Star Wars Land Speeder Gets A Real Jet Engine

September 20, 2022 by Zoe Skyforest 11 Comments

When it comes to children’s ride-on toys, the Star Wars Land Speeder is one of the cooler examples out there. However, with weedy 12-volt motors, they certainly don’t move quickly. [Joel Creates] decided to fix all that, hopping up his land speeder with a real jet engine.

First, the original drivetrain was removed, with new wheels installed underneath. Initially, it was set up with the front wheels steering, while the rear wheels were left to caster freely. A RC jet engine was installed in the center engine slot on the back of the land speeder, and was controlled via a standard 2-channel RC transmitter.

The jet engine worked, but the wheel configuration led to the speeder simply doing donuts. With the speeder reconfigured with rear wheels locked in place, the speeder handled much more predictably. Testing space was limited to a carpark, so high-speed running was out of the question. However, based on the limited testing achieved, it looks as though the speeder would be capable of a decent clip with the throttle maxed out.

It’s not a practical build, but it sure looks like a fun one. [Joel Creates] has big dreams of adding two more jet engines and taking it out to a runway for high-speed testing, and that’s something we’d love to see.

RC jet engines are a bit of a YouTube fad right now, showing up on everything from RC cars to Teslas. Video after the break.

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Hand-Cranked Doodler Made Using A 3D Printer

September 16, 2022 by Zoe Skyforest 20 Comments

3D printers are great at creating complex geometry out of plastic, and that geometry can often pull off some impressive tricks. [DaveMakesStuff] found a way to generate geometry that draws 2D shapes with a pen and some fancy cams, and it’s really fun to watch.

The build is relatively simple. It consists of a frame which holds a 3D-printed cam turned by a hand crank. That cam controls the movement of a pen in two dimensions, letting it draw all manner of shapes. Videos on Reddit demonstrate it drawing squares, figure eights, and stars, while on YouTube, it writes the phrase “CAM I AM.”

According to [DaveMakesStuff], he figured out how to create the cams with “hours and hours of tedious CAD work.” We imagine there’s a way to do this with maths instead in parametric modelling software, and await such a build on the Hackaday tipsline. Those eager to recreate the build can explore the files on Thingiverse.

We’ve seen some great 3D-printed mechanisms before, too, like this zig-zag cam for a sewing machine. Video after the break.

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A Pokemon Silver Cartridge Made Of Pure Silver

September 16, 2022 by Zoe Skyforest 51 Comments

The big problem with Pokemon Silver is that it came in a cartridge made of only-slightly-sparkly grey plastic. [Modified] decided to fix all that, making an all-silver cartridge instead.

The cartridge was first modeled to match the original as closely as possible, and 3D printed for a fit check. From there, a test cartridge was machined out of a block of aluminium to verify everything was correct. It’s a wise step, given the build relies on a 1-kilogram bar of silver worth roughly $750.

With everything checked and double-checked, machining the silver could go ahead. Every scrap of silver that could be saved from the CNC machining was captured in a box so that it could be recycled. Approximately 28 grams of silver was lost during the process. WD40 was used as a coolant during the machining process, as without it, the silver didn’t machine cleanly. The final cart weighed 164 grams.

It’s not a particularly hard project for an experienced CNC operator, but it is an expensive one. Primary expenses are the cost of the silver bar and the Pokemon cart itself, which can be had for around $50 on the usual auction sites.

However, the “heft and shine” of the finished product is unarguably glorious. Imagine handing that over to a friend to plug into their Game Boy! Just don’t forget to ask for it back. If you’re rich enough to do the same thing with Pokemon Gold or Platinum, don’t hesitate to drop us a line.

We love a good casemod, and this one reminds us of a brilliant crystal PlayStation 2 from years past.

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Making Variable Capacitors By Stretching Aluminium Cans

September 15, 2022 by Zoe Skyforest 34 Comments

Sometimes when you need a component, the best way to get it is by building it yourself. [North Carolina Prepper] did just that, creating his own trombone-style variable capacitor by stretching some aluminium beverage cans.

The requirement was for a 26 pF to 472 pF capactitor, for a radio transmitting from 7 MHz to 30MHz. The concept was to use two beverage cans, one sliding inside the other, as a capacitor, with an insulating material in between.

To achieve this, a cheap exhaust-pipe expanding tool was used to stretch a regular can to the point where it would readily slide over an unmodified can, plus some additional gap to allow for a plastic insulating sheet in between. Annealing the can is important to stop it tearing up, but fundamentally, it’s a straightforward process.

The resulting trombone capacitor can readily be slid in and out to change its capacitance. The build as seen here achieved 33 pF to 690 pF without too much hassle, not far off the specs [North Carolina Prepper] was shooting for.

Radio hams are very creative at building their own equipment, especially when it comes to variable capacitors. Video after the break.

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Mechanical Relay Percussion In A Eurorack Format

September 15, 2022 by Zoe Skyforest 5 Comments

There are plenty of analog and digital synthesis modules available in Eurorack format. But how about one that actually does physical percussion while capturing the output at the same time? The VU Perc Relay module does just that.

The concept is simple. Eurorack control voltages are fed to a VU meter, which swings about and makes noise when the needle hits a copper strip. This strip is connected to a piezo element which captures the sound. There’s also a relay that gets triggered under such conditions, with that sound also captured by a piezo element. Thus, the input control voltages create real percussion noises with the VU meter and relay, and then capture them for output to the rest of the rack.

Having actual physical sound devices in a compact Eurorack module is neat. The fact that it’s transparent is even cooler, as it lets you see the percussion in action. Notably, the physical nature of this module means you’ll want to place some bubble wrap or other isolating material under your rack when performing on stage with a PA. Otherwise, you risk getting feedback through the piezos.

We see plenty of good Eurorack gear around these parts, like this useful wireless MIDI connection. Video after the break.

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