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Project Ideas

Infrastructure ideas:

• RFID door lock (I think Ben has an RFID reader for this project?) -- SimonDorfman - 15 Apr 2009
  • I have the following which can be used RFID Reader Module #28140, PhidgetRFID, or touchatag (aka tikitag) -- MarkAnderson
  • I have the same Parallax RFID reader. I put the reader and a piezo speaker [for authentication results feedback] in a small enclosure which connects to an Arduino. I wrote Arduino code to safely "register" and "authenticate" RFID tags. Right now, I am using a servo motor which controls a bolt lock for locking and unlocking. We could easily use an electric strike to make it more professional/secure. I was also thinking it would be cool to connect this system to the network via some kind of ethernet shield, we could do all the administration [register and authenticate keys] and logging there. These statistics could easily available on the web [either through a service like Twitter or if we have a public web server we can create a custom site/application], so you could log in and see who is currently at the space or access a particular user's statistics. I could write code to do either of these things very quickly using either python or Ruby. BenjaminEckel
• Bob's Easy Assembly Surface-Mount Table -- An assembly table for surface mount circuits with video magnification and hot air soldering described in the Feb 2009 issue of QST (Official Journal of Amateur Radio Relay League) -- MarkAnderson - 14 Apr 2009 Mark, do you think you could scan that article and link to it here? -- SimonDorfman - 15 Apr 2009 -- I'll look to see if I can find an electronic copy, but don't want to bring their IP lawyers to the site. -- MarkAnderson
• paint all the walls with idea paint? (paint that transforms any surface into a dry-erase writing surface. basically a way to turn any wall into a whiteboard.) -- SimonDorfman - 15 Apr 2009 (actually BenjaminEckel mentioned this after the meeting last night)

Misc (art) ideas:

• Motion-based remote control for slide-show/film. Mount remote control inside a shekere (percussion instrument). Program remote to advance one slide every time the shekere is shaken left to right. Program the remote to go back one slide every time the shekere is shaken up and down. Probably make the remote out of an arduino with a motion sensor. Probably make the slide projector a video projector showing images with processing or flash (whatever is easiest to get working with the arduino, I'm guessing processing).-- SimonDorfman - 15 Apr 2009
• I am very interested in creating a modular MIDI system. It would allow users to connect unusual sensors to it and route the measurements to MIDI compatible electronic instruments and software. BenjaminEckel, MarkAnderson
• I would also like to make some general synthesizers based of osciallators like this one: http://www.elecfree.com/circuit/Oscillator-Generator/triangle-and-squarewave-generator-by-ic-40106/ . BenjaminEckel
• Electric Instruments. Electric guitar like instruments. Experimenting with pickups and amplifiers. MichaelDeese, MarkAnderson
• Burming Man project - I will be attending Burning Man this year (First week of September) - I am interested in putting together some kind of art/technology project to bring to the event and welcome any help from HH. It could be something as simple as decorating clothing with el-wire or something more elaborate such as an art installation. One idea I'm toying with is creating a "drumcycle" - figuring out a way to mount a full drum set onto a trike and allow it to be collapsable for transport - I'd love to collaborate with anyone interested in helping and will fund all materials. MikePerry
• develop an augmented reality app for the iphone (and possibly the gphone and other mobile platforms with sufficient hardware: gps, video camera, color screen, compass) (hmmm, looks like someone already made something like this for the iphone: http://i.document.m05.de/?p=530 ) and use it to make 3d installation art like this: -- SimonDorfman - 15 Apr 2009
  • At the "tree of life" (the big tree in audobon park (or rather "the fly")), when you stand under the big tree and look at the ground with your iphone video camera, instead of seeing the ground, you'll see the roots of the tree. I'll build the 3d image of the roots with some sort of x-ray photography technique like this Roots Inspection. -- SimonDorfman - 15 Apr 2009 [I want to get in on this, I have some AR/3D knowledge] BenjaminEckel
  • (on a lighter note) when you point your iphone video camera at the Crescent City Connection, you'll see the Loch Ness Monster's head arching over the bridge. -- SimonDorfman - 15 Apr 2009
• I have several photography related projects on my do someday list. flatbed scanner camera, DIY gigapan, Kite Aerial Photography, and Canon point and shoot hacking. I have kite and auto rotating harness, but would like to add wireless features like preview and download. -- MarkAnderson
  • I bought a Canon PowerShot expressely for using the CHDK firmware stuff. One thing I'd like to use it for is time-lapse photography of bike rides along the levy. And other time-lapse photo/video stuff. (I used to do a lot of this kind of thing with super-8 film) -- SimonDorfman - 16 Apr 2009
  • those DIY gigapan & flatbed scanner camera ideas look awesome! -- SimonDorfman
  • i have a wireless video transmitter that might work for the preview feature with the kite photography. a lot of digital cameras have VGA video out, which could be plugged the video transmitter and then viewed from the ground on a monitor or tv -- SimonDorfman
• I'd like to construct a pole climbing bot. Sometimes it would be nice to place something up high (camera, radio transmitter) and there are all these poles placed all over the place. -- MarkAnderson - 21 May 2009
• i'd like to do some sort of art project incorporating found unsecured video camera feeds on the internet. some notes/links: -- SimonDorfman - 16 Apr 2009
  • screensaver made with found camera footage
  • axis network cameras search -this doesn't seem to work any more, hmmm
  • axis camera search -this one works better

• Gumbolabs Float -Take a vehicle/frame and customize it with technology, rent the float out during Carnival Season and other special events. This could be a great platform to show off technology (i.e. "throw guns" that propel throws to the crowd, or cool lighting and video effects). - MikePerry

Engineering/Fabrication ideas:

• Homebrew projector from a 14.1" WUXGA + controller board + lenses + bulb and ballast system from lumenlab. The big advantage is you get 1080i projection quality, the bulbs are ~$65 and last a lot longer -- MikeHeckman, MichaelDeese, SimonDorfman (OMG this sounds so awesome!)
• CnC machine, perhaps a micRo, a RoGR or a Reprap. -- MikeHeckman, SimonDorfman, MarkAnderson, MikePerry
  • Dean (who is a friend of Nick, who is a friend of DavidRobinson ) has a Stratasys 1600 series FDM machine (about 10 years old). I told him about our group when he showed me his warehouse space. he may come to the next meeting. the 1600 series is very similar to the 1650. Nick says 1650 documentation is easier to find. -- SimonDorfman - 20 Apr 2009
• Solar powered Stirling Heat Engine (start with a model, then work up to a 1kWh unit, possibly with a grid intertie). -- MikeHeckman, MichaelDeese
• DIY electric bike MichaelDeese, MikeHeckman, MikePerry
• Build a Vacuform Table, could be done really inexpensively. -- MikeHeckman, MarkAnderson
• Convert a gasoline powered vehicle into a plug-in electric vehicle MichaelDeese
• "DrumCycle" - For Burning Man I'm working on modifying a trike frame, turning it into a two person vehicle with one person steering and one in the back with a full drum kit and misc. percussion, also decorated with lights and EL wire. I welcome any input and help with this - hope to have it completed by mid-August. - MikePerry
• DasDerelicht Seeking defective CFL bulbs to create HAM radios. -- MarkAnderson - 03 Jun 2009

Tools in search of ideas:

• I have a Roland Modela 15 which I use to mill PCBs. Can also mill and scan soft materials. Don't think I'm ready to donate it, but willing to share it from time to time. -- MarkAnderson - 14 Apr 2009
• I have a XBee development kit with a USB development board, RS-232 development board, half dozen XBee modules, some Sparkfun.com XBee breakout boards. -- MarkAnderson
• I have a Lego Mindstorm NXT kit. -- MarkAnderson
• I have a FPGA if anyone else would like to join me in learning more about Programmable Gate Array hardware. -- MarkAnderson, BenjaminEckel [uh...yes]
• I picked up a ceramic kiln at an auction awhile back and haven't done anything with it. I added a pyrometer and have been thinking about slumping glass or creating some type of project with it - right now it's just taking up space -- MikePerry
• I have a Parallax digital oscilliscope, a Weller variable temp soldering iron, various Atmel chips, AVR programmer, Microchip PIC chips and programmers, Arduino, Boarduino, GPS module, old but working computers, and various sensors, ICs, components, etc. BenjaminEckel
• Picked up a bunch of electronic goodies at the auction of a retired Southwestern Bell Employee: case of books on electronics and boxes of resistors, ICs and other equipment. MikePerry

Group Study/Play/Explore Topic Ideas (not exactly projects, but could lead to projects)

• NodeBox is a Mac OS X application that lets you create 2D visuals (static, animated or interactive) using Python programming code and export them as a PDF or a QuickTime movie. NodeBox is free and well-documented.
• vvvv is a toolkit for real time video synthesis. It is designed to facilitate the handling of large media environments with physical interfaces, real-time motion graphics, audio and video that can interact with many users simultaneously.
  • _why has a nice post that is kind of an intro to vvvv
• iphone/mobile Sketching physical computing apps on the iPhone w/Dashcode and sensors