Electric Zeppelin Racing League

 I was recently honored with a commission from Redmoon theater to design a kit for kids to assemble at their annual Skelebration Children's Halloween party.

What we came up with is the Electric Zeppelin Racing League.

The goal is to have (small) people compete in electric zeppelin races - electric powered vehicles that fly across the room suspended by a wire.

The inspiration for this project is the BSA's Space Derby and the Power Racing Series. We wanted higher speed, longer distances, so electric powered zeppelins were born!

Lights on

The constraints for this project were:

• <$20 retail price for the kits
• No soldering
• Target age: 6-12 years old
• Can be assembled in an hour

Included in the current kits are:

• 3.7V Motor
• propeller (color varies)
• 2xAA battery holder with switch
• One LED (color varies: red, blue, green, yellow, white)
• Three plastic cable ties
• Two paper clips
• 6" x 6" Coroplast sheet
• Three flier templates (templates vary: zeppelin, pony, dragon, car, butterfly, bird)
• Instruction sheet

Classroom packs:

• Ten kits (contents listed above)
• One reel of 100 yards of 12lb test fishing line 
• Teacher's resource sheet

We are currently beta-testing the kits with Girls Inc. and GeekBus.

Pre-order single kits and classroom packs (shipping at the end of July):

Single Kit ($14.99 - free shipping to the USA, $19.99 free shipping worldwide)

Shipping to:

USA $14.99 USD Worldwide $19.99 USD

Classroom 10-Pack ($119.99 - free shipping to the USA, $129.99 free shipping worldwide)

Shipping to:

USA $119.99 USD Worldwide $129.99 USD

Prototype #1

Challenge: Zero to Prototype in 72 Hours

The @CraftsMANhammer tweeting hammer prototype

I have a new personal challenge: 

I'm going to do four 72-hour prototype building sprints on four different projects in the next four weeks and write about the results here.

Where this idea came from:

While at a party on a recent Saturday night, I received an email from a potential client, an ad agency. They are about to pitch for the business of a major tool manufacturer, am I available to make a hammer that is motion sensitive and sends out tweets? Oh, and can I deliver it by Wednesday?

My response was 1) yes, I'm available, 2) wait, do you mean THIS Wednesday, three days from now?

By the time my estimates were approved and I was given the green light to start work (Sunday afternoon), I had almost exactly 72 hours to deliver a prototype.

Lace toggles

Here's a quick one:
Due to record cold, I've been using my insulated work boots on a daily basis for the first time. While I love them, I hate how long it takes to get them on and off, and it takes forever to adjust them when wearing gloves.

So, I downloaded and printed this file in bright green:

I'm not super happy with the results, if I get annoyed enough, I might redesign it for better printing, but for now, it works!

3D Printing: Ceiling Fan Repair

I have three matching ceiling fans in my house, but when I moved in, one of them was missing both the glass light globe and the retaining ring.

Before: ceiling fan without a globe

What the other fans look like.

Raspi Lapdock: Ready for Hacking

I've gotten my Lapdock + Raspberry Pi ready for hardware and software hacking, and I have to admit that I'm thrilled with the results.

Ingredients:

• Motorola Bionic Lapdock
• Raspberry Pi (Rev B)
• Raspberry Pi camera
• Tenda USB WiFi Adapter
• 3D printed Raspberry Pi holder
• 3D printed Raspberry Pi camera case
• Short solderless bread board + components and wires
• Cables and adapters for the lapdock <--> raspi connections
• Lots of hook and loop fasteners to keep cables and devices tamed

At the end, I have a completely portable <3 lb wireless hacktop good not only for working on the go, but for keeping my work area neat.

Bahn Bao: Hot Steamed Buns

Bahn Bao fresh from the steamer

I love knishes, empanadas, ravioli, and bahn bao (Vietnamese bao, A.K.A. steamed buns).  Essentially if you wrap something tasty in dough and cook it, I'm a happy camper.

Until spending Christmas with my in-laws, the only one of that list I didn't know how to make was bahn bao, Vietnamese steamed buns.

The recipe is surprisingly easy - it took us less than an hour to make 12 giant fluffy buns filled with tasty things.

I can't wait to experiment with the fillings!

Dough

1 bag of steamed bun flour

1 cup of water or milk

1/2 cup of sugar

1 tablespoon of vegetable oil

 

Filling

1 pound ground pork

1 green onion, chopped

1/2 cup green peas

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

2 chinese sausages, each cut into 12 round slices (24 slices total)

3 boiled eggs, each cut into 4 pieces (12 pieces total)

 

Tools

12 small squares of clean paper

Rolling pin

Steamer

 

Mix and knead dough and set aside for 15-30 minutes

While dough is resting, combine pork with green onions, salt, and pepper, then divide into 12 equal portions.

Knead dough for another 5 minutes and divide into 12 equal portions on a floured counter.

 

With a rolling pin, or by hand, press a dough portion into a 5"-6" diameter circle, place pork, an egg slice, two sausage slices, and several peas into the center.

Pinch the sides up to make a pouch, place on a piece of paper in a steamer tray.

Bahn bao with filling, ready for pinching

Repeat for all 12 dough balls, then steam the buns for 20 minutes or until pork is fully cooked.

Bahn Bao cooked (left) and raw (right)

3D Printer Cage Match

Sometimes I have dreams. Crazy dreams of my friends and me throwing a huge 3D printing dance party at a club packed with partygoers.

And sometimes those dreams come true.



Thanks to:

• Chris and Mary for helping me organize things
• Jim and Patrick for being amazing announcers
• Colin, Josh, and Brittany for judging
• Adam for dropping beats all night long
• Sara for the super cool sci-fi lighting
• Beauty Bar for hosting this ridiculous party
• SeeMeCNC, Inventables, Awesome Foundation, and SPEstes for sponsoring a hugely fun party
• Pumping Station: One for letting me borrow a car load of tables and power strips without asking questions
• Everyone who showed up - you are the people who actually made this a party, I certainly hope you had a good time