Archive for the ‘Maker Shed Store’ Category
How-to: Building a compressed air rocket launcher
July 18th, 2010 | 
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Summer is here, and I was looking for something to do with the kids. They raved about how much fun the rocket launching was at Maker Faire in San Mateo, and I wanted to bring a little bit of that fun home. All I needed to do was build my kids the kit version of Rick Schertle's compressed air rocket launcher that was featured in MAKE Volume 15.
This is a really easy build, and the rockets go amazingly high! How high? That's a great question that I can't answer. Why? Because the rockets went so high, that I could barely see them anymore. I guess that's high enough! If you know a way to measure the height, let me know in the comments. I know of a few ways, but I'd like to hear your suggestions too!
Note: You can build the launcher from Rick Schertle's plans in MAKE Volume 15, or you can pick up a kit from the Maker Shed. The kit includes a copy of MAKE Volume 15, all the electronics, and the PVC parts cut to length. All you need are a few simple tools, glue, and tape.
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New in the Maker Shed: PowerSwitch Tail
The PowerSwitch Tail allows you to safely control a standard wall outlet (120VAC) device with almost any micro controller. Simply connect 2 wires and your ready to go! It's perfect for use with an Arduino. Just connect 1 wire to ground, and the other to a free pin on the Arduino (or on almost any other micro-controller) and now you can safely control most standard 120VAC 3-prong outlets.
In the Maker Shed: Open Heart kit V2.0
The Open Heart kit V2.0 is a matrix of individually addressable LEDs that allow you to create customizable animations when connected to your favorite micro controller. Attach it temporarily to fabrics with headers that you simply push through, or sew it into a project with conductive fabric for a more permanent setup.
How does it all work? Charlieplexing!
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Detailed photos of Make: Electronics Components Pack 2
Looking for detailed photos of the Make: Electronics Components Pack 2? You're in luck! John Park uploaded this lovely set of photos cataloging the contents.
In the Maker Shed
The Make: Electronics Components Pack 2 is the second companion pack to our wildly popular Make: Electronics book. It covers the experiments from Chapters 3 & 4. We've spent hours sourcing these (sometimes very) hard to find parts! This pack continues where Components Pack 1 left off and delves into integrated circuits, digital electronics and soldering skills. All parts are spec'd directly from the book and author Charles Platt.
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