Dremel tool CNC milling machine (in progress)

See Full Progress Here!

This is my ongoing project to make a cnc out of a dremel tool.  The working area will be about 24" x 22", with 5" of vertical work space.  I have not yet decided on the rotary tool that will be used for the actual cutting bit, however i am considering the dremel as of now.  The machine is constructed almost exclusively out of wood and aluminum. The machine is still very early in the construction, stay tuned for updates! Comments and suggestions are always appreciated!

Air-Powered Nerf Rifle

Made partially for fun and partially for a game I was playing with friends, this is an improved nerf rifle. Its powered by a simple bike pump, and air is released via a sprinkler valve.  With a sliding bolt on the barrel, it takes 1-2 seconds to load a nerf dart, then after 3-10 seconds after that to pump the chamber up. At 5 pumps, a nerf dart will fly faster and straighter than many commercial nerf guns, at 12 pumps, the rifle has a usable range of 160 ft, with an accuracy of 5 in. at 30 ft.

See below for construction details!

The Zap-A-Mole Machine

My interpretation of the whack-a-mole arcade game

(See the full project here!)

With a surprisingly simple premise, i found that this project was deviously hard to construct, from conception to final touches. On top of everything else, this project was a study in miniaturization, mass production from a single design, and consumer/user interface. The whole assembly was constructed from plastic, perf-board, (and part of a coffee can). Interestingly, the primary tool used for this project was a dremel tool - which sufficed perfectly for all the cutting and drilling involved.   The whole project  cost me $14, not counting the arduino- mostly covering the display and its electronics.

Pacman on graphing calculator

The title says it all-   I was bored in math class for most of junior year, so i learned how to write programs on the ti-83 graphing calculators.  This is an imitation of the classic arcade Pac-Man game, with a small playing field, and only one ghost.  It was written completely on the calculator, and the splash image was drawn pixel by pixel with the ptOn() and ptOff() functions in the draw menu.  enjoy!

Source code is very very long,
but you can see it here if you'd like!

EDIT: This program requires Matrix [J] from internal storage to be at least 8x16.
Manually set Matrix [J] to the following in order to avoid index out of bounds errors:
1 1 1 25 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 25 1 1 1 1
1 2 2 2 2 2 1 1 1 2 2 2 2 2 2 1
1 2 1 1 1 2 2 2 2 2 1 1 1 1 2 1
24 2 1 2 2 2 1 0 1 2 2 2 2 2 2 26
1 2 2 2 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 2 2 1 2 1
1 2 1 2 2 2 1 1 1 2 2 2 1 1 2 1
1 2 2 2 1 2 2 2 2 2 1 2 2 2 2 1
1 1 1 1 1 34 1 1 1 1 1 34 1 1 1 1 

Remove RecallPic 1 line if there isn't a splash screen image saved.

ClrHome
CoordOff
GridOff
AxesOff
LabelOff
DelVar Y1
DelVar Y2
DelVar Y3
ClrDraw
RecallPic 1 //only if you have the logo downloaded as pic 1
Pause
Goto 0
Lbl 0
ClrHome
AxesOn
LabelOn
ClrDraw
Menu("    PAC-MAN!    ","PLAY",1,"QUIT",2)
Lbl 1
ClrHome
0->S                    //score
0->[ J ](4,8)
For(R,1,8)
   For(C,1,16)
      If [ J ](R,C) = 3
         2->[ J ](R,C)
      If [ J ](R,C) = 1
         Output(R,C,"0")
      If [ J ](R,C) = 2
      Then
         Output(R,C,"+")
         S+1->S
      End
   End
End
Pause
7->Y   //player coordinates
8->X   //player coordinates
5->N   //AI coordinates
8->M   //AI coordinates
5->T   //AI buffer coordinates
8->W   //AI buffer coordinates
0->D   //AI direction vector
 x-1->E   //AI direction vector y
10->A   //AI countdown
While S>0
getKey->K
X->U   //player buffer coordinates
Y->V   //player buffer coordinates
0->Z
[ J ](Y,X) -> I

If I >= 24 and I //warp point section
Then
   1->Z
   If I=24 and K=24
      16->X
   If I=25 and K=25
   Then
       If X=4
       Then
          6->X
          8->Y
      End
      If X=12
          8->Y
   End
   If I=26 and K=26
      1->X
   If I=34 and K=34
   Then
      If X=6
      Then
          4->X
          1->Y
       End
       If X=12
          1->Y
   End
   If I != K
      0->Z
End

If Z=0         //Basic Player Move Section
Then
   If K=24
   Then
      If [ J ](Y,X-1) != 1
         X-1->X
   End
   If K=25
   Then
      If [ J ](Y-1,X) != 1
         Y-1->Y
   End
   If K=26
   Then
      If [ J ](Y,X+1) != 1
         X+1->X
   End
   If K=34
   Then
      If [ J ](Y+1,X) != 1
         Y+1->Y
   End
End
A-1->A             //AI start-up section
If A=2
   N-1->N
If A=1
Then
   1 -> [ J ](N,M)
   Output(N,M,"0")
   N-1->N
End
If A=0               //Main AI section
Then
   1->A
   M->W
   N->T
   If (X-M)!=0
      ((X-M)/abs(X-M))->R
   If(Y-N)!=0
      ((Y-N)/abs(Y-N))->C
    2->H
   If E!=0
      1->H
   If H=1
   Then
      R->D
      0->E
      If [ J ](N,M+R) = 1
      Then
         0->D
         C->E
         If [ J ](N+C,M) = 1
         Then
            -R->D
            0->E
            If [ J ](N, M-R) = 1
            Then
               0->D
               -C->E
             End
          End
       End
    End

   If H=2
   Then
      0->D
      C->E
      If [ J ](N+C,M) = 1
      Then
         R->D
         0->E
         If [ J ](N,M+R) = 1
         Then
            0->D
            -C->E
            If [ J ](N-C, M) = 1
            Then
               -R->D
               0->E
             End
          End
       End
    End
    M+D->M
    N+E->N
End
If [ J ](Y,X) = 2
Then
   S-1->S
   3-> [ J ](Y,X)
End
If X=M and Y=N
   Goto L
Output(1,14,S)
Output(V,U,"_")
Output(Y,X,"e")
Output(T,W,"_")
If [ J ](T,W)=2
   Output(T,W,"+")
End
ClrHome
Disp "YOU WIN!"
Pause
Goto0
Lbl L
ClrHome
Disp "LOOOOOSERRR!!!"

The wooden clock

(See the full project here)

This project actually started out as a school assignment, which asked us to make a device to accurately keep track of time, but i decided to take the opportunity to try to make a working wooden clock.  Whats notable about this project is that unlike most of my other creations, i put aside a large amount of time for calculating dimensions and designing before actually starting work.  The clock was able to accurately keep track of time to within 0.5 seconds, and depending on the height on which it was placed, it could run for an average of 45 seconds before the weight hit the floor.  The clock is entirely made out of wood and screws, with some metal weights.  My friend helped me finish the pendulum and base, as well as calibrate the whole device.

Altoids speakers

See Full Project Here!

The Altoids tin speakers was my first attempt at making a portable sound system. I made it in 8-9th grade, and this was my first venture into audio/amplifier circuits, so naturally this iteration wasn't very good.  With fresh batteries and full volume, when held up to the ear, it could match the volume of cheap earbuds at half volume...  All in all, the sound was indeed a bit tinny.  The best part about these speakers is that somehow, i managed to use a voltage regulator as a transistor... even better, it works better with a voltage regulator than with a transistor.  The light changes intesity with music volume, and i figured out it could also measure resistance in skin if you put your finger across the audio jack.  The speakers also had a port on the side, where you could connect a larger speaker, which was louder.  And yes, the two speakers worked as stereo!

altoids speakers MK II

See Full Project Here!

Unhappy with the first iteration, and with a bit more knowledge in electronics, i decided to go back and improve upon the original altoids speakers.  This project was neater, cleaner, louder, and more reliable. The biggest change is in the circuitry, however- instead of a single transistor powering the speaker, i used a low voltage op-amp, which allowed for much louder sound output.  It even has a gain knob on the inside!

Pocket Pinball

"A surprising amount of fun can be had with a mardis gras bead..."

The pocket pinball machine was one of my oldest projects, i believe i made it when i was 12.  One of the most surprising things about this little thing is how well it works, despite its apparent flimsy construction.  Made entirely out of cardboard, paper, various bits of plastic, and odds and ends i found lying around, this (manual) pinball machine did indeed fit in your pocket (a quarter is placed for scale).  A mardi gras bead was used for the ball, and score had to be kept manually via a roller in the backboard. The ball would catch in little niches fitted around the board, and flippers controlled manually could launch the ball throughout the board.