📆 Dec 30. 2025
📁 Computer StuffCalDigit TS4 Thunderbolt 4 Dock
My thoughts on the CalDigit TS4 Thunderbolt 4 dock
📆 Mar 23. 2020
📁 UncategorizedThe Shed Beast: A 12x16 Wood Frame Storage Shed
Designing and building a massive 192 sq ft workshop shed.
📆 Oct 12. 2016
📁 UncategorizedFitness Tracker Tester (& Pokemon Incubator?)
A generic device for... testing fitness trackers. Yeah, testing.
📆 Apr 21. 2016
📁 UncategorizedFitBit Contest at meltmedia - No Cheat-O-Matic
Competing in the office step challenge without the Cheat-O-Matic.
📆 Dec 12. 2015
📁 UncategorizedDesigning a New Man Cave and Workshop
Planning the ultimate detached workshop and man cave on 0.8 acres.
📆 Sep 10. 2015
📁 UncategorizedFitbit Cheat-O-Matic 2: 3D Printed Mechanical Simplicity
The 3D-printed sequel to the lazies fitness tracker hack.
📆 Jul 4. 2015
📁 pool, pvc, paint, towel, patio, yard, diyEasy DIY PVC Poolside Towel Rack
Building a sturdy, rust-proof towel rack from PVC pipe.
📆 Jul 3. 2015
📁 rescue, lizard, tipsRescue a Little Critter from Sticky Board Trap
Saving a lizard from a sticky situation with olive oil.
📆 May 7. 2015
📁 UncategorizedCAD: Now My Most Important Maker Tool
Why I stopped winging it and started modeling everything in CAD first.
📆 Apr 28. 2015
📁 UncategorizedCharlieplexing MORE LEDs (20, to be exact)
Pushing Charlieplexing to the limit: controlling 20 LEDs with an Arduino.
📆 Apr 22. 2015
📁 UncategorizedDartboard Backstop from Office Corkboard
Saving the drywall with a custom cork backstop for the dartboard.
📆 Mar 5. 2015
📁 UncategorizedWhat makes a Maker tick?
Asking the big questions about why we build things.
📆 Feb 9. 2015
📁 UncategorizedUpdated Office Chairiot Mark II Systems Schematic
Mapping out the wiring mess of the motorized chair.
📆 Feb 7. 2015
📁 UncategorizedQuick Little 3.3V and 5V Benchtop Switching Power Supplies
A compact solution for powering 3.3V and 5V breadboard projects.
📆 Dec 20. 2014
📁 UncategorizedBourbon Bottle Chandelier - Bluetooth, Dimmable, Hand-crafted
A Bluetooth-controlled, dimmable chandelier made from bourbon bottles.
📆 Dec 5. 2014
📁 UncategorizedDecember 2014 Office Chairiot Mark II Update: Electronics A Plenty!
A deep dive into the custom electronics powering the motorized office chair.
📆 Sep 15. 2014
📁 bean bag toss, cornhole, playwood, woodworkingDIY Cornhole Game Set
Building a regulation Cornhole set for the office luau party.
📆 Jul 10. 2014
📁 2x4, foam core, repurpose, woodworkingFoam Core Backdrop Support Frame
A quick and dirty 2x4 frame to support a foam core backdrop.
📆 Jul 3. 2014
📁 arduino, controller, electronics, enclosure, motor, office chairiot, panel, relayOffice Chairiot Mark II - Progress Update
Fabricating the aluminum control panel for the chair.
📆 Jun 17. 2014
📁 arduino, community, local motors, make, makerJune 18, 2014 is the National Day of Making
Celebrating the National Day of Making at Local Motors.
📆 Mar 23. 2014
📁 #whyaz, diy, exhibits, local motors, maker, makerfestThe 2014 Southwest Maker Fest in Mesa, AZ
Checking out the makers, hackers, and creators at the Southwest Maker Fest.
📆 Mar 23. 2014
📁 arduino, c++, motor, office chairiot, xcodeIntroducing: The Office Chairiot Mark II - Labor In Motion Again
Unveiling the second generation of the motorized office chair.
📆 Mar 23. 2014
📁 feather rock, fire pit, lava, lp, paver, pergola, propaneUpdate on Backyard DIY LP Fire Pit
Upgrading the fire pit with lava rocks and a steel pergola.
📆 Dec 16. 2013
📁 Apple, Bluetooth, iBeacons, iOS, objective-c, OS X, RetailA Maker Review on Bluetooth Smart Beacons (or Apple iBeacons)
Exploring the hype and reality of Bluetooth Low Energy beacons.
📆 Dec 5. 2013
📁 capacitive, education, history, resistive, touch, user interfaceTouch Screens: Some Interesting History and Info
A brief history of how we started poking our screens.
📆 Nov 17. 2013
📁 hack, pine, recycle, shipping box, sparkfun, tip, wireRecycled Sparkfun Shipping Box Wire Dispenser
Organizing wire spools using a cardboard box and some dowels.
📆 Nov 10. 2013
📁 avr, cheat, fitbit, meltmedia, servoHow To Compete in Your Company's FitBit Walk Competition While Injured
Building a machine to walk my Fitbit while I recover from injury.
📆 Oct 28. 2013
📁 adc, angularjs, electric imp, express, javascript, node-js, sensor, socket-io, squirreliPotti #2: After a Number One, We Had to Make a Number Two
The second version of the office bathroom availability tracker.
📆 Jun 21. 2013
📁 donate, javascript, payment, php, stripeStripe - Card Processing for Developers
Finally setting up donations using the developer-friendly Stripe.
📆 Jun 15. 2013
📁 bourbon, distilling, Kentucky, liquor, whiskeyBourbon, Yummy Bourbon!
A curated checklist for your own Bourbon Trail adventure.
📆 Apr 29. 2013
📁 atmel, avr, charlieplexing, led, microcontroller, pcbCharlieplexing LEDs with an AVR ATmega328
Controlling many LEDs with few pins using the Charlieplexing technique.
📆 Apr 9. 2013
📁 desk hack, ikea, meltmedia, office upgrade, standing deskStanding Desk Improvisation Inspiration with Little Perspiration
Hacking together a standing desk from Ikea parts.
📆 Apr 7. 2013
📁 arduino, coding, electronics, hack day, meltmedia, microcontroller, MSP430, pelican case, pizza, rotary encodermeltmedia meltHack-A-Palooza V: The Lost Pushbutton
Another Saturday spent making cool stuff with coworkers.
📆 Mar 17. 2013
📁 drawers, lamp, LED lighting, organization, workbenchElectronics Workbench LED Upgrade
Finally seeing the light by upgrading the workbench illumination.
📆 Mar 17. 2013
📁 adapter, fisheye, iphone, lens, macro, photography, telephotoiPhone Lens Adapters from Photojojo
Testing out magnetic add-on lenses for the iPhone camera.
📆 Mar 3. 2013
📁 aging, bourbon, charred oak, home age, moonshine, oak barrel, white dogHome-Aged Bourbon YUM!
Aging my own white dog whiskey in a mini charred oak barrel.
📆 Mar 3. 2013
📁 gooseneck, hacked lamp, lipstick camera, microscope, ntsc, tft lcd, videoLipstick Camera Turned Video Microscope
Turning an old skydiving camera into a soldering microscope.
📆 Feb 24. 2013
📁 Uncategorized2012 Kentucky Bourbon Festival
My second pilgrimage to the holy land of Bourbon: Bardstown, Kentucky.
📆 Feb 24. 2013
📁 bourbon, four roses, heaven hill, jim beam, kentucky bourbon festival, kentucky bourbon trail, maker's mark, rick house, rick warehouse, whiskey, white oak barrel, wild turkey, woodford reserve2012 Kentucky Bourbon Trail
Conquering the entire Kentucky Bourbon Trail in one glorious trip.
📆 Oct 31. 2012
📁 avr, Cardboard, electronics, Foam, Gorilla Tape, LEDs, PCBs, PVC Pipe, recycle, Spray PaintMaking Mad Props for meltmedia's Interactive Superhero Marketing Launch: Techno HAMMER
Building a glowing techno-hammer for our marketing superhero.
📆 Oct 31. 2012
📁 555 timer, LEDs, propmakingMaking Mad Props for meltmedia's Interactive Superhero Marketing Launch: The HAT
Constructing a telepathy helmet with blinking lights for the boss.
📆 Oct 31. 2012
📁 UncategorizedMaking Mad Props for meltmedia's Interactive Superhero Marketing Launch: The Rest of the Props
Capes, boots, and utility belts for the office superheroes.
📆 Sep 16. 2012
📁 Buckyballs, CSPC, Desk Toys, Nanny StateSave Buckyballs Rare Earth Magnet Desk Toys!
A plea to keep our dangerous magnetic desk toys legal.
📆 Aug 4. 2012
📁 UncategorizedPC Power Supply Repurposed for Bench/Breadboard/Tinker Use
Converting an old ATX power supply into a benchtop workhorse.
📆 Aug 1. 2012
📁 Uncategorizedmeltmedia Hack Day July 2012!
Pizza, code, and soldering irons at the office hack day.
📆 Jul 8. 2012
📁 batteries, capacitive touch, Disney magic, flexible PCB, IR receiver, led, microcontroller, MSP430, RGB, Texas InstrumentsDisney Glow With The Show Ears Teardown
Taking apart Disney's glowing ears to see how the magic works.
📆 Jun 24. 2012
📁 backyard, fire pit, propane, regulatorBackyard Propane Fire Pit, Pavers and Outhouse Project
Transforming the backyard with a custom gas fire pit and a quirky outhouse.
📆 May 1. 2012
📁 benchtop power supply, cabinets, drawers, esd foam, glass, organization, storage, workbenchElectronics and Hack Workbench
A tour of my chaotic but functional electronics workbench.
📆 Apr 26. 2012
📁 concentration, focus, inspiration, techniques, tipsFocus, Dammit! Or, How I've Learned to Control A.D.D.
Channeling the maker mindset to tame the Squirrel! instinct.
📆 Apr 25. 2012
📁 UncategorizedAC Current Detection with Allegro AC756 Linear Current Sensors
Detecting current flow without cutting wires using a Hall effect sensor.
📆 Dec 29. 2011
📁 arduino, avr, christmas stocking, ir motion, jingle bells, lexan, mechanical, motor, pop-up santa, sensor, servoRoboStocking - AVR, Servo, Motor, IR Sensor, and BOOM!!! Merry Christmas!
An animatronic Christmas stocking powered by Arduino.
📆 Oct 27. 2011
📁 UncategorizedSolenoid-Powered 6 Brass Bell
Building a ridiculously loud doorbell for the back patio.
📆 Aug 25. 2011
📁 arduino, avr, element14-com, newark-com, rf, xbee, zigbeeAVR Serial Communications Using XBee RF Modules
Extending the doorbell range with ZigBee wireless modules.
📆 Aug 5. 2011
📁 UncategorizedDesktop Warp Core - The SMD LED Strip Years
Upgrading the warp core with blindingly bright SMD LED strips.
📆 Aug 5. 2011
📁 fix, notepad theme, php, wordpressFix Missing Comments Problem in Notepad WordPress Theme
Squashing a bug that made comments disappear in a WordPress theme.
📆 Jul 31. 2011
📁 disk storage, diy, ethernet, FreeNAS, iSCSI, NAS, Open Source, OS X Lion, repurpose, SATAMac OS X Lion and iSCSI Using FreeNAS and globalSAN
Wrestling with iSCSI connections on Mac OS X Lion.
📆 Jul 21. 2011
📁 12V, avr, desk toy, electronics, fiberglass, lathe, LEDs, microcontroller, MOSFETs, Next Generation, Star Trek, transistors, warp core, woodworkingDesktop Warp Core - The Early Years
The humble beginnings of building a warp core for my office desk.
📆 Apr 24. 2011
📁 domo kun, hack, rc, remote control, Robot, wobblyDomo Wobbly Balancing Robot Thing
Turning a cheap RC car into a self-balancing Domo robot.
📆 Mar 3. 2011
📁 ambient light, arm, atmel Sam7, ethernet, mac, make controller, objective-c, sensor, temt6000, udpiPotti™ Released!
Solving the office bathroom queue with a networked sensor system.
📆 Jan 9. 2011
📁 arduino, atmega168, avr, gift, lamp, led, pcb, woodworkingLED Mood Lamp
Building a geometric, color-shifting LED mood lamp from scratch.
📆 Jan 8. 2011
📁 button, dome, hack, led, sparkfun, upgradeHack the SparkFun Big Red Dome Button!
Upgrading a big red button with better LEDs and lower power.
📆 Jan 7. 2011
📁 atmega, avr, darts, hack, launcher, man cave, upgrade, usbUSB Foam Dart Launcher Assimilated (Partially)
Teardown of a USB missile launcher for parts.
📆 Dec 6. 2010
📁 12V, hack, lighting, power, salvage12VAC Power Supply from Ikea Wall Wart Light Power Supply
Salvaging an Ikea wall wart to power a workbench experiment.
📆 Dec 6. 2010
📁 amplifier, audio, breadboard, circuit, lm386My First Amplifier Circuit: LM386 Easy Amp
Learning audio electronics by building a simple LM386 amp.
📆 Nov 1. 2010
📁 atmega, avr, lamp, led, lighting, pcb, reading lightUpdate: LED Reading Lamp Materializing
Progress on the custom PCB for the bed reading light.
📆 Oct 27. 2010
📁 casting, costume, halloween, led, pcb, propmaking, resin, smd, wearableTony Stark for Halloween 2010: The Arc Reactor (RT Mark II)
Building a movie-accurate Iron Man Arc Reactor prop.
📆 Oct 20. 2010
📁 china, gift, incandescent, lamp, lightingSwanky Chinese Lamp
Showing off a retro plastic lamp inherited from grandma.
📆 Oct 14. 2010
📁 cocoa, code, ipad, iphone, mac, objective-c, programming, softwareObjective-C/iOS/iPhone: UIColor from NSString
A handy code snippet for converting hex strings to UIColors.
📆 Oct 12. 2010
📁 atmega, atmega328, avr, lamp, led, pcb, readingLED Reading Lamp
A custom PCB reading light to keep the peace at bedtime.
📆 Aug 10. 2010
📁 brass, engraving, finishing, gift, servo, useless machine, woodworkingMy Very Own Useless Machine Ever!!! (Finally!)
Building the classic box that turns itself off.
📆 Jul 21. 2010
📁 air conditioning, hack, office, sewing, silly, upgrade, ventilationVentilation Upgrade
Redirecting A/C airflow to survive the Arizona summer.
📆 Jun 10. 2010
📁 24V, office chair, scooter parts, speed controller, stainless steel, weldingOffice Chair Land Speed Record?
Testing the top speed of the motorized office chair in an empty suite.
📆 Apr 29. 2010
📁 automatic, cigars, fridge, hack, humidor, spanish cedar, upgrade, wine, woorworkingCigar Coolidor (Wine Cooler + Humidor = Coolidor)
Turning a wine fridge into a precision-controlled cigar humidor.
📆 Apr 29. 2010
📁 12V, car, diy, garage, pc power, speakers, stereo, woodworkingDIY Workshop Stereo Boombox Kinda Thing
Repurposing a car stereo and PC power supply for garage tunes.
📆 Apr 29. 2010
📁 hack, servo, upgradeTurn a Servo Into an Inexpensive Geared Motor
Modifying a continuous rotation servo for simple DC motor use.
📆 Apr 29. 2010
📁 cigars, holder, magnets, woodworkingAdjustable Workbench Cigar Holder
A magnetic, adjustable cigar holder for the garage workbench.
📆 Apr 28. 2010
📁 broken, destruction, golf cart, iphone, shattered glassWhat happens when a fat guy on a golf cart parks on my iPhone?
The sad, crunchy demise of my iPhone 3GS on the golf course.
📆 Apr 24. 2010
📁 clock, garage, ink stamp, recycle, saw bladeSharp Clock (Saw Blade Recycling)
Making a clock out of an old table saw blade. Watch your fingers.
📆 Apr 8. 2010
📁 UncategorizedWelcome!
The very first post. Hello, world.
