The University of of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has been running a BEAM-style mechatronics program (GE100) for the last few years. The purpose of the class is to build a self-powered device that can propel itself over both smooth and rough terrain, using a pair of servos and a BEAM-style servo-controller circuit (similar in function to […]
Useless (Xmas) Machines!
Dave Hrynkiw
December 13, 2010
We're teaming up with Brett Coulthard of Saskview.com to get their version of the Useless Machine put together as a parts bundle. We just finished it Friday night, and quick-posted tweets & a few photos of it, and are shipping today!
What comes in the bundle? Pretty much everything you need to successfully build a Useless Machine of your own:
- 1 x 39300 Black acrylic "Useless Box" construction set (with nut/bolt hardware)
- 1 x SWT8 DPDT toggle switch
- 1 x SWT9 SPDT lever switch
- 2 x #2 mounting screws for SWT9
- 1 x BHoldAA 2-AA battery pack
- 1 x DSST (double sided sticky tape, for mounting the battery pack)
- 6" hookup wire
- 1 x GM4 gear motor
- 4 x "Little Rubber Feet" to protect your Useless machine from abrasive counter tops!
We're only offering the box in black acrylic at the moment (experimented with clear - ehk), but if you ask really nicely, we probably could run one in red, blue, green, orange, white and (if you really want it), clear. Call in if you want any of those options.
Speaking of cool "Useless machines", Tony Youngblood's Christmas version was just featured on the Makezine Blog. He built his with our GM8 for super-fast response (we did our bundle with the slower GM4 - we like a more deliberate "ME: OFF" response).
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Web Links Friday
A Batman Jacket Made With 10,000 Lego Bricks Lego and Batman rolled in one? Geek factor level 80. (Via Fashionablygeek.com) Japanese Scientists Artificially Pollinate Flowers with a Bee drone Lookit this electric thing smacking the poor lily up the face! Bees are much more gentle. Save the bees. Technology is cool, but bees are better. […]
BIG Solar cars in Calgary tomorrow!
The America Solar Challenge finishes here in Calgary tomorrow (July 27) betweein 11 and 3:30pm! The teams are coming up over McKnight Blvd., which isn't far from our offices. We'll be out watching them go by for a few hours tomorrow, so if the phones don't get answered for a bit, you'll know why. Go […]
Misc Tidbits, Closed for Good Friday
Well, that magical time of year where rabbits poop magical chocolate eggs is almost upon us. And, as usual, Solarbotics will be closed for Good Friday, on April the 2nd. This'd be where we talk about how you can still send emails and submit orders, and that we'll answer any correspondence/messages and resume processing/shipping orders […]
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Warning: This product contains chemicals known to the State of California to cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive harm.
Please visit www.P65Warnings.ca.gov for more information. This item was manufactured prior to August 31, 2018.