Hacks – Page 13 – NerdBeach

Electronic Airplane Launcher Kit

Have you ever built what you thought was the perfect paper airplane, only to have flounder about for a few brief seconds in the air before crashing to the ground in a miniature re-creation of a major air disaster? At those times, were you sure that it was a design problem or a launch problem? Well, maybe the Electronic Plane Launcher can help you with that ever burning question.

The Electronic Plane Launcher ($22, iwantoneofthose.com) comes as a kit, designed by Middlesex University. Basically it is two wheels spun by independent motors which grab the paper airplane and throw it forward, launching it into the great blue yonder in the process – at least that is the theory. Now, if you have ever played with the power drive unit from a hot wheels track you already know the mechanics involved, only thinner for paper airplanes (and other customed designed projectiles of varying deviousness).

The launcher is reported to launch at speeds of around 31 MPH, so if your paper rocket (well, glider) has much lift in the design, it should launch pretty well with the device. Other wise it will probably function somewhat like a paper wad thrower, all guts but no glory.

Another interesting way to use the launcher is to have quite a few paper airplanes lined up on the virtual taxiway, and feed them into the launcher in a quick manner. Bam – you have a flying brigade performing aeronautical assaults on the ~~victim~~ target of your choice. You can imagine the cloud of paper bombers as they take to the tiny skies, bent on a mission to provide you with air superiority or fold up trying.

The actual kit itself appears to be simple enough to assemble, and the 18 x 13cm (approx) launcher requires 2 AA batteries for its power source. This means that, once constructed, you can take the launcher into the field (or up on a high launching vantage point) and get into the game properly. The project should go fast, and it should be a project that gives back a lot of fun for its builder, if you are so inclined to build paper airplanes.

Of course, we suggest that you use such a device with caution, not launch projectiles (including planes) with hard pointed tips, and watch where you are point it. Naturally, within reason.

The Classic Dart Paper Airplane

To use the Electronic Airplane Launching Kit properly, a paper airplane design that can fly fast and far is probably a good starting design. The Classic Dart might be a good choice for a start.

The folder should leave a middle mark. This can be accomplished by putting the paper vertically and bending the left part of the paper to the right so that it overlaps the other side completely. The folder should then mark the fold.
The folder then should un-crease the sides again and fold the top-left corner of the plane so that it and what was formerly the top edge left of the centre crease touches the centre crease. Repeat but now on the right side of the plane. Do this again to both sides, folding the diagonal edges towards the mark.
Re-fold the central crease, and lay the plane flat on its side. Fold so that the top edge on the top side is folded down towards the centre crease, so that they touch and a crease runs from the tip of the plane to the area between the centre crease and the edge of the plane on the trailing (back) edge. Flip over the plane and repeat on the other side.
Because this plane has a pointed front and may be damaged by repeated flying, you may decide to fold the front tip so that it is inside the fuselage. Add wing flaps if needed.

source: wikipedia

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Light up pumpkin project makes for creepy good fun

Greg Chaffins

Evil mad scientist has a great project for the electronic do it yourselfer. The concept is that a pair of yellow LEDs are placed in an otherwise inconspicuous pumpkin, and a photo sensor allows the circuit to turn on the lights at night.

The circuit itself is very straightforward, incorporating minimal components. There are two schematics listed on the project site, but we suggest using the one above with an adjustment pot so that you can adjust the lighting for your given conditions.

In the project, which definitely looks to be fun, they drill holes for the LEDs. I would suggest trying to drill a whole partially through the pumpkin, leaving a thin layer on the outer skin so that in the daytime there is no hint of the creepy effects that come out at night. Plus it is a safe effect to have on, no power cords or candles required.

The Evil Mad Scientist project website includes step by step details, so we suggest going to have a look see if you are interested in creating such a project.

Are home video game consoles a dying breed?

Greg Chaffins

When video games are mentioned the first thought is typically of the home console, and for good reason. This has been the prevailing market for quite a number of years, and the market is huge. If you go back a few years a lot of people would think of PC game at first. If you go back a decade or two, the mention of a video game would bring to mind an arcade machine. It would seem that the concept of a video game is sticking with our society, even though the physical concept has changed.

Now, let’s take a look at the current home console market. On the surface things are great. Nintendo has penetrated the market deeper than ever with the Wii, hitting a new group of casual gamers. Microsoft’s Xbox 360 has deeply penetrated a market that was previously served by well equipped PCs. Sony’s PS3 has continued to sustain its market quite well, if not its market share from the previous generation.

But with this rosy picture there are numbers that could paint a different picture. The total number of portable game devices is already greater than the home console market, with 108 million installed units versus 57 million. This could be interpreted to show that there is a very addressable market segment that does not, and probably will not, own a home console. This is true for today’s generation, which admittedly is not a direct threat to the home console.

So, if it is not a threat, what is the issue? Well, we have to factor in technological advances, some not as far off as you would think. It may sound odd to talk about a gameboy threatening the home console, after all the playing experience is so much different. On a home theater setup you have Dolby surround, HD screens, and nice controllers, all nicely integrated to an online service. You cannot get that from your DS or PSP.

However, consider the home stereo. We have people with recording collections that would make any serious audiophile of the past green with envy, yet they do not even own a home stereo. Instead these new music lovers have an Ipod, a Zune, or other MP3 player, and they buy a large portion of their music online or move it to their device quickly when physical media is purchased. For home listening the ownership of a dock with speakers is fairly common among these new music lovers. This gives them a more or less quality experience at home with the capability to take it with them. Their music/audio collection becomes a point of identity for a lot of these people, and a surprising number partake of extended uses beyond just music, many branching out to video.

So, what would it take for this shift to happen with Video Games? Well, as I said the technology is not that far off, although it may take a couple generations to be mainstream. The first is storage; a portable game system must contain all of your games in order to be truly convenient. This is a lesson learned early on by Apple with its Ipod, convenience sells. So far we have not had a portable game system with a mass storage device, but the capability is obviously there. As for purchasing games online this is already happening, and fits well into this paradigm. It could be a market just waiting. Already people are loading up their cell phones with much less capable games, so the concept is proven.

The next technological requirement for portable video games to take dominance is a presentation on an improved home experience. This is analogous to sticking your portable player in a home dock so that it sounds better. In this case you would place your portable device in a dock and it would be instantly playable on the big screen, complete with the surround sound and the sub woofer (purchased separately, of course). This is not a new concept; Nintendo had somewhat similar capabilities with the gameboy generations back, predating a lot of the music player docks of today. The concept is again proven, even if it may have been introduced too early. Multiple screen resolution chips are already available that could serve a local screen and the dock.

Another technological requirement that could be a real bonus to a portable device is the inclusion of an online service. Already we have eBook readers (Amazon's Kindle ) that are equipped with such capability at a minimal cost, so it could be more than palatable to all parties. This would allow you to get your games from practically anywhere, anytime, for only a small fee of course. Also this feature of being online and gaming would be an area that the home consoles could not compete. For instance, if you are in the middle of a game with an online friend and need to leave, simply take it with you. You leave the big screen behind, but the game is with you.

Beyond that, a contributing factor may not be the portable machine itself but the cost of development. Today it costs on average 9 million dollars for a major company to bring out a video game, as compared to roughly 1 million for a portable game. These are different development efforts for a similar title, often being done by different companies. Having the capability of writing for both the portable and home console market with a single effort would lead to increased profits.

As it stands I feel confident that Home Consoles are not going anywhere today, nor do I think they will become obsolete any time soon. But as video gaming becomes more and more accepted and portable devices become more capable (especially if they get a home user expansion dock), a home console may be the CD player of today. Yes, it works, and everyone has had them, but why bother?

DIY – Stand Alone Portable Compatibility Calculator

Greg Chaffins

This is a toungue in cheek Nerd Beach exclusive, and it could be handy for those who go out on a date, yet are not the most tech savvy (or just like the ideal of dedicated devices). The ideal is that you whip out the handy Portable Compatibility Calculator when out on a date or meeting someone, and you go through a round of questions to determine if you should continue on the date or bail out early. Of course, there is no way you can quantify attraction or feelings, but at least it can give you a possible caution light.

Mechanically, the project consisted of a re-purposed desktop calculator which had the inner workings removed. The display has been changed to a single line alphanumeric display, and the buttons are relabeled but left as input (along with the modified original circuit board for the button contacts). A basic stamp is now at the heart of the device, along with its custom code.

When you press start, the calculator prompts you with a series of questions to answer with numeric input or yes/no. You can skip questions (which then the program ignores in its calculation, although accuracy may suffer a bit) in case it is hard to work one into the conversation.

Don't like the answer, but the smile wins you over? Good news – You can flip back through the questions and change selected answers, in case you think it might be a worthwhile project to undertake (ladies take note).

While we feel it would be a handy aid in the dating jungle, we regret to inform that it was a concept one-off project, so it is not available at this time. But trust your first impression, and always sit close to the door.