Learn the Secrets of Matching Bottle Cap Threads To One Another

Do you want to design something to match existing threads on a bottle, or a cap? It turns out there’s an easier way than reaching tiredly for the calipers and channeling one’s inner reverse-engineer. Bottle cap threads — whose industry term is the neck finish — aren’t arbitrary things; they …read more

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3D Printering: Selling Prints, and Solving the Pickup Problem

After getting a 3D printer up and running, it’s not uncommon for an enterprising hacker to dabble in 3D printing to make a little money on the side. Offering local pickup of orders is a common startup choice since it’s simple and avoids shipping entirely. It’s virtually tailor-made to make …read more

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Analog Noise Generator, Fighter Of Other Noises

A chaotic drone of meaningless sound to lull the human brain out of its usual drive to latch on to patterns can at times be a welcome thing. A nonsense background din — like an old television tuned to a dead channel — can help drown out distractions and other …read more

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New (mis)Use for Lithophanes: Miniature Diorama Backgrounds

What’s better than a well-lit photo of a 3D-printed miniature? A photo of the miniature in a mini diorama, of course. [OrionDeHunter] shows off a clever technique that has something in common with old-timey photo stages and painted backgrounds, and (mis)uses 3D-printed lithophanes to pull it off. What [OrionDeHunter] does …read more

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DIY Filtered Positive Pressure Suit Shows Fine Workmanship

[Andrew]’s Air filtering unit & positive pressure supply might look like something off the set of Ghostbusters, but it’s an experiment in making a makeshift (but feasible) positive pressure suit. The idea is to provide an excess of filtered air to what is essentially an inflatable soft helmet. The …read more

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Watch Conway’s Game of Life Flutter Across a Flip-Dot Display

Like many of us, [John Whittington] was saddened with the news that John Horton Conway passed away a little earlier this year, and in honor of his work, he added the Game of Life to a flip-dot display that he has been working on. The physicality of an electromechanical display …read more

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Mini Library for Kids Gets Blinky Lights and Solar Upgrade

Reading is big in Québec, and [pepelepoisson]’s young children have access to a free mini library nook that had seen better days and was in dire need of maintenance and refurbishing. In the process of repairing and repainting the little outdoor book nook, he took the opportunity to install a …read more

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How To Retrofit a Pick and Place Machine For OpenPnP, in Detail

[Erich Styger] owns a Charmhigh CHM-T36VA pick and place machine, which he describes as well-built and a great value of hardware for the money. However, the software end is less impressive, with a proprietary controller that is functional but not great. The good news is that it is possible to …read more

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Great Badge Concept: A “Geiger Counter” for WiFi Deauthentication Frames

[Nick Price] had a wonderful concept for a DEFCON badge: a device that worked a lot like a directional Geiger counter, but chirped at detecting WiFi deauthentication packets instead of radiation. That’s a wild idea and it somehow slipped past us last year. Why detect such a thing? Well, the …read more

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Boston Dynamics’ Spot Robot Gets a Price Tag

Not long ago, Boston Dynamics’ Spot finally went on sale, meaning the dog-like robot can now be purchased online. Previously it was available only to be leased by early adopters willing to pay to see what the robot had to offer. Pricing was tucked behind an NDA, and Spot could …read more

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