Projects
ELECTRONICS
The Counting Box, Version Two
Pumpktris
Pumpktris is a fully playable version of Tetris into a pumpkin, with 128 LEDs for the display and the stem serving as a game controller.
iPhone-Charging USGI Flashlight
This surplus USGI flashlight can charge my phone and light my way down a darkened path.
The Counting Box
My son loves numbers and counting, so I made this educational toy to indulge his interests. Choose the increment value, then push one button to add and the other button to subtract that amount from the total.
Snap Circuits Repair
As resilient as they are, sometimes the components in a Snap Circuits kit can break. Here’s how I repaired mine.
Backlit Skeeball Marquee
How can I make the house more like an arcade? Day-glo carpet, spilled soda, and gangs of surly teenagers were all ruled out, so instead I made a light-up Skeeball backglass.
WOODWORKING
The Abacus Bracelet
Hey, hipsters! That 1980s calculator wristwatch you’re wearing isn’t retro enough for you anymore? Time to go waaaaay back in time with your wrist-worn calculating devices, all the way to the abacus.
Bamboo Prototyping Board
A laser-cut prototyping board that holds an Arduino, a full-sized breadboard, and has a tray for components.
The Big Chair – Building Your Own
Plans and instructions for building your own version of the giant Adirondack chair.
Screen Printing Press
This t-shirt screenprinting press I designed and built is fully adjustable to help get the best prints possible.
The Big Chair
Honey, I blew up the lawn furniture! When you double the scale for a classic adirondack chair so that it’s eight feet tall, everyone can lounge like Edith Ann.
Railroad Crossing
My two year old son loves trains and all things train-related. What could I give him for Christmas a little more special than another Thomas the Tank Engine? A railroad crossing sign to hang on his wall!
SEWING
Stormtrooper Neckwarmer
Have you ever said “These aren’t the snowmen we’re looking for.”? If so, then this cozy Stormtrooper neckwarmer is just the thing to keep you warm while you’re hunting down enemies of the Empire on a crisp winter night.
Sewing the Core
A headband and a coin purse I made from the magnetic core memory fabric I designed.
A Memorable Fabric
This is my first attempt at designing a fabric pattern. It was inspired by the grid of magnetic core memory planes.
Deodorizing Laser Cut Wool
Laser-cut wool stinks of burnt hair (because that’s what it is). Here’s what I do to deodorize it and clean the charred edges.
Mustachioed Neckwarmers – Now With More Lasers
I started laser cutting the mustaches from my neckwarmers
The Coloring Kit
This self-contained kit carries paper, pencils, and crayons in a soft, kid-friendly package, so a child always something to entertain himself with at restaurants or on the road.
Mustachioed Neckwarmers
Stay warm and stylish on the slopes or the streets in this cozy fleece neck warmer that features a better mustache than you could ever grow yourself.
MISCELLANEOUS
USB Mix Tape
Combining the storage of a flash drive with the form factor of a cassette tape.
Other Posts
These are posts unrelated to projects.
Decline and Fall of the Pumpktris Empire
That Old Computer Smell
Nostalgia for the sweet perfume of old electronics.
Organizing the Resistance
The Inadvertent Shipping Test
A package returned from Australia provides a test of shipping material.
My First Craft Show
The first showing of my ‘StacheWarmers isn’t the runaway success I was hoping for.
HaHa Way Back When
The origins of the HaHa Bird.
Ponoko Order Timeline
My experience ordering laser-cut materials through Ponoko.