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Geek Toys Guide
Geek Toys Guide
GEEK TOYS
THE ULTIMATE DIY
GUIDE
BUILD IT!
These are the big onesthe ambitious projects that youll want to sink some real time and cash into, and that will challenge your skills as a builder. How much time and cash, you ask? And just how challenging? The helpful rubric below will give you an idea.
COST
$ = UNDER $50 $$ = $50$300 $$ = $300$1,000 $$$$ = $1,000 AND UP
TIME
UNDER 1 HOUR 25 HOURS 5 10 HOURS 10 HOURS AND UP
MINUTE PROJECT
If youre just breaking in your screwdriver and have never even heard the word microcontroller, try out these projects first. Designed to be doable within five minutesgive or take a few seconds, depending on your dexterityand to make use of basic household items, these tech crafts are the perfect starting ground for the newbie tinkerer.
DIFFICULTY
One step up from 5 Minute Projects, these tutorials require basic builder smarts, but no electronics or coding wizardry. Slightly advanced building skills are a must for these projects. Turn on your common sense, and troubleshoot as you goits part of the fun. If you see three dots, it means an activity demands low-level electronics and coding skills, or its pretty rigorous, construction-wise. You likely need serious circuitry know-how and code comprehension to do these projects. That, or be prepared to sweat with heavy-duty assembly. Hey, if youre reading this book, we figure you like challenges. And projects marked with five dots are sure to deliver just that.
Popular Science has been doing DIY for a very long timealmost as long as the 140 years the magazine has been in print. Occasionally this book shares a DIY project from our archives so you can try your hand at the hilarious retro projects your grandfather and grandmother built back before, say, television or smartphones.
Everyone loves a good success storytales of everyday individuals who created something so wild that it makes you say . . . well, You built WHAT?! Youll find several of these stories throughout the book, and it is our hope that they will inspire you to take your projects to the next level.
WARNING
If you see this symbol, we mean business. Several of the projects in this book involve dangerous tools, electrical current, flammables, potentially harmful chemicals, and recreational devices that could cause injury if misused. So remember: With great DIY comes great responsibility. Use your head, know your tools (and your limitations), always wear safety gear, and never employ your hacking prowess to hurt others. (See our Disclaimer for more information about how Popular Science and the publisher are not liable for any mishaps.)
003
circuit. Some are normally open as a default; others are normally closed.
circuits (usually including transistors, diodes, and resistors) prepacked into a chip. Each leg of the chip will connect to a point in your larger circuit. These vary widely in their composition, and will come with a handy data sheet explaining their functions.
energy flowing to its base pin, allowing a larger electrical current to flow between its collector and emitter pins. The two basic types of transistors, NPN and PNP, have opposite polarities: Current flows from collector to emitter in NPN transistors, and flows from emitter to collector in PNP transistors.
to function. Without it, youll end up with a short circuit, in which the current flows directly from power to ground without being used, causing your circuit to overheat and otherwise misbehave. To prevent that from happening, resistors reduce the flow of electrical current. The level of electrical resistance between two points is measured in ohms. Check to make sure a components resistance matches the level indicated in the circuitry diagram.
metal are often used to connect the components in a circuit. Wire comes in various sizes (or gauges), and its usually insulated.
These devices range from thumbnail-size to house-size, and consist of coils of wire wound around a core, often a magnet. Made to transfer alternating current from one circuit to another, they can step the power of the current up or down depending on the ratio of wire windings between one coil and another.
TRANSFORMERS
to vary resistance within a circuit, use a potentiometer instead of a standard resistor. These have a controller that allows you to change the level of resistance: B potentiometers have a linear response curve, while A potentiometers have a logarithmic response curve.
circuit, and you can use more than one to increase voltage or current.
polarized to allow current to flow through them in only one direction very useful if you need to stop the current in your circuit from flowing the wrong way. The side of a diode that connects to ground is called the cathode, and the side that connects to power is called the anode. Lightemitting diodes, or LEDs, light up when current flows through them.
A photocell is a sensor that determines how much light (or other electromagnetic radiation) is presentit then varies its resistance between its two terminals based on the amount it detects.
PHOTOCELL
009 BREAK
010 INSTALL A
SHOWER BEER CADDY
STEP 1 Buy a cup holder at an automotive parts store. (Some have a hook on the back, which you dont needremove it by gently breaking it off along the seam or cutting it off with a rotary tool.) STEP 2 Drill a hole into the back of the cup holder thats just wide enough to accommodate the tip of a suction cup. STEP 3 Insert the suction cups tip into the hole, press the suction cup to the shower wall, and load your beer of choice into the caddy.
012 DISGUISE
YOUR BREW
STEP 1 Using a can opener, remove the top and bottom of an innocent-looking soda can. STEP 2 Using scissors, cut off the soda cans bottom lip. STEP 3 Cut along the soda cans seam. STEP 4 Using a metal file, sand down the cans edges to avoid cuts and scrapes. Get it as smooth as possible. STEP 5 Wrap the soda can around your beer and enjoy your incognito beverage.
Carabiner
Beer can Fileddown hook end Soda can Can of compressed air Tape Beer cans
Suction cup
Beer can
Cup holder
Plastic container
BUILD IT!
030
IMPROVISE A PLANETARIUM
COST$$ TIME
EASY
HARD
the other piece of fabricnot the one you attached the LilyPad Arduino to.
STEP 5 Look at your pattern and decide
your computer using a breakout board and a USB cable. Then load it up with the code at popsci.com/thebigbookofhacks.
STEP 2 Sew Velcro around the edges of
where youll need the most fiber-optic bundles. Space the LEDs so the filaments can extend from them to fill the pattern.
STEP 6 Sew the buttons onto the
Arduino; each LED will light up. Then use electrical tape to secure the filament bundles over the LEDs and to the fabric.
STEP 9 Thread the filaments through
the fabric pieces, and sew the LilyPad Arduino near the edge of one fabric piece using conductive thread.
STEP 3 Strip the wire and make small
fabric piece that you sewed the LilyPad Arduino to, connecting each LED to one of the LilyPad Arduino terminals with conductive thread. Use terminals 3, 5, 6, 9, 10, and 11.
STEP 7 Cut fiber-optic filaments into
the second piece of fabric, following the pattern. It helps to use a small, sharp tool to poke holes for the filaments. When finished, remove the pattern.
STEP 10 Slide a clear bead onto each
filament and hot-glue it on the underside of the fabric. Trim the filament.
STEP 11 Use the Velcro to connect the
loops. Solder the loops to the six LEDs connectors, making buttons.
STEP 4 Create a pattern and print it out
varying lengths and gather them into six bundles of 10 to 20 strands. Then secure the ends of the filaments in each bundle together with tape.
fabric pieces together with the filaments in between them. Hang it up with small nails or hooks, lean back, and admire your new starry, starry night.
045
Bike chain Thin plywood Tape Pen Jigsaw
Those mathy whirls of color from your childhood can be yours all over again.
plywood in a perfect circle and tape it down. Faithfully trace around the chains outer rim, being careful not to move it.
STEP 2 Using a jigsaw, cut out the circle
BUILD IT!
047
MATERIALS
HARD
and discard it. Line up the chain so that it fits inside the circular hole.
STEP 3 Use superglue to secure the chain
of your choosingthink about creating the look of continuous motion by carefully changing each ones position incrementally from that of the one before it.
STEP 3 Set the record player to 33 RPM. STEP 4 Adjust your strobe light to flash ten
all the way around the inner edge of the hole in the plywood. Let it dry overnight.
STEP 4 Place the plywood frame over
paper. Put a chain ring on the paper and insert a colored pen through one of its bolt holes to make contact with the paper.
STEP 5 Keeping your pen in the chain
times per second and position it so that its pointed at the zoetrope at close range.
STEP 5 Turn out the lights, turn on the
rings bolt hole, trace around the chain to lay down a design. Experimentchain rings with different numbers of teeth will create patterns of varying complexity.
record player and the strobe, and watch those LEGO figurines start dancing, running, battling, or doing whatever else you want to make them do.
MINUTE PROJECT
046
+ + +
STEP 1 Cut a strip of
=
STEP 4 Let the pencil
and draw lines every 20 degrees on the sacrificial record. Space out the LEGO figures around the edge of the record according to these marks, and glue them down.
paperwith colors or a pattern that you like so its 16 inches (42 cm) in length and 5 inches (12.5 cm) in width.
along a long edge and apply a piece of mechanical pencil lead to it, then roll your paper snugly around the pencil lead.
STEP 3 Continue
applying glue every 1 inch (2.5 cm) and rolling up the paper little by little.
049
MINUTE PROJECT
050
Anthony Le has been a fan of Iron Man since he was a kid. When he heard that the comic-book superhero was hitting the big screen in 2008, he was inspired to build his own Iron Man suit. That version was more of a costume, but his next editionfinished just in time for the movies sequeledges much closer to the real thing. With its dent-proof exterior, motorized faceplate, and spinning mock Gatling gun, his take on the movies War Machine suit could easily frighten a supervillainnot to mention the kids in the theater.
BORA X
=
STEP 3 Introduce a magnet
of basic craft glue and 1 cup (240 ml) of water in a plastic bag, then add 1 tablespoon of borax. Squeeze to make the putty.
a face mask, spread out the putty and sprinkle about 2 tablespoons of iron oxide powder onto it. Work it in for about 5 minutes.
051
COOK UP FERROFLUID
STEP 5 Let cool, and then add 100 ml Coffee filter Household ammonia Oleic acid Kerosene
Believe it or not, this spiky stuff is a fluid. Put it on a magnet and it goes nuts.
MATERIALS
Syringe Ferric chloride solution Distilled water Steel wool
of kerosene. Stir until the black color attaches to the kerosene. layer in a bowl.
STEP 6 Pour off and collect the kerosene STEP 7 Place a magnet under your bowls
The material Le used for the armor is thin but takes stress well. You can throw it against the wall, and it wont even be damaged, he says. Le has a cult following among fans of the movie featuring Iron Manhe wore the suit to the theater to see Iron Man 2.
HARD TO MISS
Stir or swirl the solution until it turns bright green, then filter it through a coffee filter.
solution to your filtered green solution. While stirring, add 150 ml of ammonia.
STEP 4 In a well-ventilated area, heat
the solution to near boiling. While stirring, add 5 ml of oleic acid. Keep heating until the ammonia smell is gone (about an hour).
BUILD IT!
057
buzzers wires and those of your battery holder, then connect the buzzers positive end to the battery packs positive end.
STEP 5 Twist each positive leg of the
This classic kids game may be all grown up, but itll still leave you in stitches.
MATERIALS
Large, flat box Paint Seven body parts Box cutter Disposable tin oven trays Tape Gray paper Wire strippers Buzzer Three AA batteries and holder Threaded electrical wire Five red LEDs Five 100-ohm resistors Soldering iron and solder Metal tongs Multimeter Clear ping-pong ball, cut in half
the tongs, then twist the other end of the wire thats attached to the buzzers negative wire around the bare space. Tape the wire in place.
STEP 9 To wire the oven tins, cut a long
HARD
five LEDs to a resistor, then wire all five resistors to a length of threaded electrical wire. Solder this wire to the battery holders positive wire.
STEP 6 Twist the buzzers negative wire
electrical wire for each, making sure that it will reach the battery packs location near the head. Tape each wire to an oven tin, then connect it to the battery packs negative wire.
STEP 10 Tape the red LEDs in the hole for
surgically removing. Add at least inch (1.25 cm) around the outlines, then use a box cutter to cut them out. Cut a hole for the nose that can fit all five LEDs, and a hole in the side of the box so you can easily access its interior.
STEP 3 Cut up and/or combine the oven
enough to extend from underneath the patients head to outside the box, where the players will pull it all over the board. Attach one end of this wire to the buzzers negative wire.
the nose and glue half of a ping-pong ball over the LEDs. Tape the battery pack and buzzer nearby. parts into the tins, and page your friends to come operate.
trays so that they fit closely around each body part, then tape them under the holes. Line the trays bottoms with gray paper.
Tin trays wired to the battery pack Tongs wired to the buz zer and LED nose
particleboard, and arrange them in a 12-foot (3.6-m) square. (Using segments will allow you to store and transport the board.)
STEP 2 Mark a grid of squares that each measure
1 foot (30 cm). Paint the squares in alternating colors of your choice.
8 inches (20 cm) in circumference. Paint half the discs one color, half another color.
Holograms arent just for the holodeck. Make a 3D image of an object near you.
MATERIALS
Class 3A laser diode with an output of 3 to 4 mW Tweezers Battery pack Wooden clothespin Holography processing and development kit Distilled water A small solid object PFG-03M 2-by 2-inch (6.35-by-6.35-cm) holographic plates Cardboard Matte black spray paint STEP 4 Set up the object that you want
073
BUILD IT!
074
a hologram of 15 inches (40 cm) from the laser. Glue or tape it down if youre concerned about movement.
EASY
adjust the laser in its holder so that the beam spreads out horizontally. The object should be centered in the lasers light.
STEP 6 Place cardboard in front of the laser
string of LEDs into the tube through the other end, thread its wire through the hole, and tie it off.
STEP 5 Place the batteries next to each
HARD
other with their polarities facing opposite directions. Attach a piece of wire across their ports with aluminum-foil duct tape.
STEP 6 Solder two wires to the on/off
a pair of tweezers, remove the lens and the small tension spring. Hook the diode up to a battery pack.
STEP 2 Secure the clothespin in an
upright position, and prop the laser diode between the clothespins prongs.
STEP 3 Prepare the chemical processing
holographic plate from its container and (after immediately closing the container) lean the holographic plate against the object so that the sticky, emulsion-coated side touches it.
STEP 8 Request that everyone in the room
switch and thread it through the hole for the switch in the handle, first bringing it up through the hole in the bottom.
STEP 7 Insert the tube into the handle so
solutions using distilled water and lay out and fill the trays according to the holography processing and developing kits instructions.
hold still, and lift the piece of cardboard to expose the holographic plate to the laser light for about 20 seconds. Then replace the cardboard.
STEP 9 Process the exposed holographic
that the wires from both the LED string and the switch dangle out of the handles end. Tape the handle and tube together.
STEP 8 Solder the negative wires from
plate according to the holography kits instructions, and then spray-paint the sticky side of the plate black.
STEP 10 When the plate is dry, place it
LEDs down the first wire, evenly spacing them. Then attach the LEDs negative leads to the other stripped wire. Use pliers to crimp the LEDs legs, securing them to the wires.
STEP 4 Drill a hole in the
the switch and LED string to the battery packs negative port, and the positive wires from both to the positive port.
STEP 9 Duct-tape the handles bottom
in front of any incandescent (unfrosted) light sourcea flashlight or the sun, for instanceto see the hologram take shape.
On/of f switch
PVC-pipe handle
President, CEO Terry Newell VP, Sales Amy Kaneko VP, Publisher Roger Shaw Senior Editor Lucie Parker Project Editors Emelie Griffin, Jess Hemerly Creative Director Kelly Booth Designer Michel Gadwa Image Coordinator Conor Buckley Production Director Chris Hemesath Production Manager Michelle Duggan 415 Jackson Street, Suite 200 San Francisco, CA 94111 Telephone: 415 291 0100 Fax: 415 291 8841 www.weldonowen.com Popular Science and Weldon Owen are divisions of Copyright 2013 Weldon Owen Inc. All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form Library of Congress Control Number is on file with the publisher. ISBN 13: 978-1-61628-490-9 ISBN 10: 1-61628-490-0 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 2013 2014 2015 2016 Printed in China by 1010 Printing. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Weldon Owen would like to thank Jacqueline Aaron, Katie Cagenee, Andrew Jordon, Katharine Moore, Gail NelsonBonebrake, Jenna Rosenthal, Katie Schlossberg, and Marisa Sols for their editorial expertise and design assistance. Wed also like to thank our technical editors, Michael Rigsby and Tim Lillis, and our in-house builder and circuity diagram consultant, Ian Cannon. Popular Science would like to thank Matt Cokeley, Todd Detwiler, Kristine LaManna, Stephanie OHara, Thom Payne, and Katie Peek for their support over the years. We would also like to thank Gregory Mone for penning the You Built What?! entries included in this book. And a big thanks to Mark Jannot and Mike Haneythe How 2.0 columns first editorfor getting it all started.