Author Archives: Michael

Classroom Wind Turbine Model

The class I’m working with for my GK-12 fellowship was studying energy last semester. [Paulo] (partner teacher) and I have put together several labs that teach students about energy and power, but wanted something fun to do with renewable energy. … Continue reading

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DIY 3rd Hand

Here’s fun project that I did over the winter and just added some upgrades to. It’s an improved version of the “3rd hand” tool that is on many a workbench. I was frustrated by the all-metal one I was using … Continue reading

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Hydroelectric Generator Model

I built this model of a hydroelectric generator a year ago as a visual aid for a middle school science class. I’ve gotten a couple of comments on my YouTube channel about it, so here are some more details in … Continue reading

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Sonic Screwdriver of the 10th Doctor

Around the beginning of October, a friend contacted me about making a Sonic Screwdriver prop for his Halloween costume. We kicked around ideas for a couple weeks and wound up with this: We took a bit of artistic license with … Continue reading

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Arc Reactor Halloween Prop

The night before a Halloween party I was browsing [Hackaday] and came across a last minute arc reactor prop. Having spent the last couple of weeks working on a sonic screwdriver for a friend’s costume, I figured I had to … Continue reading

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Quick Review: Maker Beam

I was super excited to get a shiny new kit of Maker Beam today, so I thought I share my first impressions of it. Read on for the details!

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Mote Build Log 5: Pogo Pin Jig

If you’re familiar with embedded electronics like Arduino, you might have noticed that the Cirque (which is what I decided to call the mote just now) does not have the usual ISP header found on other AVR boards like the … Continue reading

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Mote Build Log 4: 2nd Generation

The first generation of senor boards were a great proof-of-concept, but they had a few problems. For one, they were big. It’s easier and cheaper to make small cases. Second, the pin headers weren’t round, nor were the mounting holes … Continue reading

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Mote Build Log 3: Enclosures

In this installment of the Mote Build Logs, I’m making enclosures for the first generation prototypes. I wanted to keep the enclosures round to mirror the design of the mote and make them clear so you could see all the … Continue reading

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Mote Build Log 2: MK1 boards

Assembling and programming first batch of manufactured mote boards:

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