The annual Game Developers Conference in San Francisco is a wonderfully outrageous, high tech fantasy land where corporations like Microsoft, Facebook, Sony and Google, hold court with their latest zombie-blasting simulators and VR headsets. But it has a secret.

Off in the back (technically in a whole separate building), away from the buzz and hustle of the main show floor, is a small cluster of 20 curated, one-of-a-kind games under a banner labeled “alt.ctrl”. Here, the creators of these games encourage people to come over and play their project. They call themselves Developers, but I see them as Makers like myself. People who take their fun from mixing equal parts Art and Engineering. 

This week on Maker Update, an automatic dice spinner, a desktop CT scanner, what taggers can teach us about permanent markers, and powering your Raspberry Pi from lithium iron phosphate. This week’s Cool Tool is the Krink K-70 Permanent Ink Marker.

This week on Maker Update, a mechanical hummingbird, the 2018 Hackaday Prize, a tour of Fab Lab Barcelona, casting metal from 3D prints, and getting started with Arduino without an Arduino. This week’s Cool Tools is 3M Virtua CCS Protective Eyewear.

Read More

This week on Maker Update, rolling your own split-flap display, the unholy union of Furby and Alexa, customized fan grilles and a walnut box with a foam core secret. This week’s Cool Tool is the Joe Knows Electronics Resistor Starter Kit.

This week on Maker Update, levitating water with LEDs, 3D printed skull buttons, servos on Pi, a game of Twang, Arduino animatronics, and project talk with Becky Stern. This week’s Cool Tool is the EBL 18650 Rechargeable Battery.

This week on Maker Update, an animated wooden sign, new mesh boards from Particle, 3D printed QR coasters, 3D printing on fabric, and my talk with Jon-A-Tron. This week’s Cool Tool is a Retractable Cardboard Cutter.

Particle, the company behind the Internet of Things hardware and software platform of the same name, announced three new, low-cost development boards today that make use of mesh network technology. The Arduino-compatible development boards come with either a cellular (LTE/3G/2G) connection, Wi-Fi connection, or a mesh-only option. All three boards are also cable of communicating over Bluetooth Low Energy (BTLE).

Jonathan Odom from Instructables talks me through his latest creation, a flip-top table that serves as both a CNC stand and a garage worktable.

This week on Maker Update, an electric micro boat, an M&M sorting robot, Tinkercad 3.9, measuring with your saw, and the Raspberry Jam Big Birthday Weekend. This week’s Cool tool is the Makita Impact Gold Ultra-Magnetic Bit Holder.

This week on Maker Update, a virtual rocket controller, a light organ dress, 3D printed detergent hack, and casting with Lego bricks. This week’s Cool Tool is a 5″ Sanding Mouse.