Make:

Table of Contents

We're All Alright by Shawn Connally in Welcome
MAKE's managing editor Shawn Connally welcomes you to Volume 10: Home Electronics. Page 11

Stuff Like Software by Tim O'Reilly in News from the Future
The future of mass customization is in hardware that prototypes like software. Page 13

Agree to Disagree by Cory Doctorow in Make Free
Bogus agreements are everywhere. Void them. Page 15

Hardcore Laser Tag by Steve Lodefink in Made on Earth
It's not the Family Fun Center. Meet Mike Yates and his Scorpion. Page 16

Sound Effects by Megan Mansell Williams in Made on Earth
Sound sculpturist Jeroen Diepenmaat has a bird that plays records. Page 18

Star Trails by Shawn Connally in Made on Earth
Josch Hambsch shows off star trails with digital photography. Page 19

Mortar Shells to Coffee Grounds by Amber Henshaw in Made on Earth
Azmeraw Zeleke makes coffee machines from spent weapons. Page 20

Hot Copy by Megan Mansell Williams in Made on Earth
Steve Barker makes some crazy backyard BBQ grills. Page 21

Eight-Step Program by David Battino in Made on Earth
An 8x8-button USB controller that's also a display, from the designers and musicians at Monome. Page 22

Rolling Mountain Thunder by Dave Sims in Made on Earth
Frank Van Zant's monument in the desert. Page 23

The Real Renaissance Man by Bruce Sterling in Hands On
Benvenuto Cellini rejected human limitations to prove his valor. Page 24

Tips and Tricks: Drugstore Specials by Arwen O'Reilly Griffith
From Maker to Maker. Page 27

Illuminated Circuits by Douglas Repetto in Art Work
Artists are using circuit design as both a functional and an expressive medium. Page 28

Downhill Makers by Jason Verlinde
Garage ski builders are outdoing the pros. Page 30

Lucid Dreaming Mask by Nathan True
Timed LEDs prompt your brain to direct your dreams. Page 33

Fail Early! Fail Often! by Tom Jennings
Mistakes are synonymous with learning. A mental toolkit to sharpen your skills. Page 34

"Wealth Without Money" by Matt Sparkes
A machine that can make almost anything, including copies of itself. Page 38

Tire Sandals by Tim Anderson in Heirloom Technology
Solve multiple global problems at once when you make your own sandals from an old tire. Page 40

Burn to Learn by David Pescovitz in Proto
The Crucible industrial arts school's community of practice. Page 42

Happy Blastoff by William Gurstelle in Maker
Smoke, sound, and fury at the Large Dangerous Rocket Ship launchpad. Page 48

Makers vs. Shakers by Saul Griffith in Making Trouble
Make it beautiful, make it last, or don't make it at all. Page 54

Maker's Corner by Dan Woods in Maker's Corner
Advice and news for MAKE readers. Page 56

Your Electronics Workbench by Charles Platt
What you need to get started in hobby electronics. Page 58

The Biggest Little Chip by Charles Platt
An introduction to the versatile 555 timer. Page 62

Roomba Hacks by Tod Kurt, Phillip Torrone
Don't let your Roomba just collect dust when you can hack, mod, and take over the world with your own (cleaning) robot army. Page 67

Nice Dice by Charles Platt
Build a pair of electronic random number generators. Page 68

RoboHouse by Andrew Turner
Easy-to-implement home automation. Page 72

Propeller Chip by Dale Dougherty
BASIC Stamp's Chip Gracey puts a new spin on microcontrollers. Page 76

The Spin Zone by Ken Gracey
A whole system of possibilities -- even an entire computer -- awaits you in the simple Propeller chip. Page 83

Shots from a Revolution by Mark Frauenfelder
Digital photography of those massive, beautiful early computers. Excerpted from Mark Richards' book Core Memory. Page 84

The Brain Machine by Mitch Altman
Get altered states of consciousness with this microcontroller-driven sound and light device. Page 88

Plastic Fantastic Desk Set by Charles Platt
Saw, drill, and bend your own objects made of ABS plastic. Page 100

Tabletop Biosphere by Martin John Brown
The Tabletop Shrimp Support Module (TSSM) is a fun demonstration of the ecological cycles that keep us alive. Page 110

Vibrobot by Mark Frauenfelder in 123
Make a twitchy, bug-like robot with a toy motor and a mint tin. Page 119

Lady Bends the Tubes by Arwen O'Reilly Griffith in Workshop
See inside Shawna Peterson's neon workshop. Page 120

Puzzle This by Michael H. Pryor in Aha!
MAKE's favorite puzzles. Page 122

Sketchup Workbench by John Edgar Park in DIY: Workshop
Design your own work area with Google's free drawing application. Page 123

Tight-Fit Workbench by Todd Lappin in DIY: Workshop
Make an inexpensive workspace for crowded quarters. Page 128

Cool Photo Websites by Mark Frauenfelder in DIY: Imaging
Use these online services to enhance your digital photographs. Page 130

The Sweet Sound of Particleboard by David Battino in DIY: Music
Beef up the tone of open-back amps with a little thrift shop help. Page 132

Solar-Powered Bike GPS by Brian Nadel in DIY: Outdoors
Green handlebar navigation from recycled parts. Page 134

Bare Metal Game Design by Kipp Bradford, Brian Jepson in DIY: Circuits
Introducing the XGameStation Pico. Page 137

Mini High-Power Laser by Stephanie Maksylewich in DIY: Circuits
Liberate a 200mW laser from a DVD burner. Page 140

Making It with the MAKE Controller by William Gurstelle in DIY: Circuits
Our board does art, robotics, music, and more. Page 145

Radar Speed Detector by Ken Delahoussaye in DIY: Circuits
Turn a Hot Wheels toy into a versatile radar gun. Page 148

Das Bottle by Nick Dragotta, Saul Griffith in Howtoons
Make a submarine from an empty plastic bottle. Page 154

MakeShift by Lee D. Zlotoff in MakeShift
The creator of MacGyver challenges you to retrieve your keys from the bottom of a 15-foot crevice in the desert. Page 156

Electronic Test Equipment by Tom Anderson, Wendell Anderson in Primer
See and understand what's happening inside a circuit. Page 158

Voltage, Current, and Resistance by Joe Grand in Primer
Voltage, current, and resistance are three staple quantities you'll encounter with anything that has electrons running through it. Here's how they all tie together. Page 164

Origami Flying Disc by Cy Tymony in 123
Understand Bernoulli's principle of flowing fluids and gases with a paper flyer. Page 167

Toolbox by Gareth Branwyn, Matt Coohill, Matthew A. Dalton, Dale Dougherty, Brian Jepson, John Krewson, Jake McKenzie, Ross Orr, McKinley Rodriguez, Donald E. Simanek, Andrea Steves, Phillip Torrone in Toolbox
Get started in electronics, eliminate red eye the old-school way, and touch up your walls with the screw of a lid. Page 168

Reader Input in Reader Input
Where makers tell their tales and offer praise, brickbats, and swell ideas. Page 176

In the Beginning Was the CRT by George Dyson in Retrospect
Once upon a time, there was no distinction between memory and display. Page 178

Retrocomputing by Tom Owad in Retrocomputing
Antique computers run the world. Page 181

Maker's Calendar by William Gurstelle in Maker's Calendar
Our favorite events from around the world. Page 186

Penny Buttons by Tom Parker in Make Money
Shirt buttons for mere pennies! Page 189

Nerds in Space by Bre Pettis in Tales from the MAKE: Blog
Makezine.com's Weekend Projects shoots for the stratosphere. Page 190

Homebrew by Michael Wernecke in Homebrew
Michael Wernecke's 5-foot radio-controlled submarine. Page 192