This week on Maker Update: robots at your command, the best everyday carry holster, getting the most out of a cheap miter gauge, wireless LEDs, singing sculptures, and a rotary phone for your Zoom calls.

This week on Maker Update: a boat that won’t stop, rebuilding the future, cataclysmic dioramas, DIN rails, rotary encoders and nimble squirrels.

Tool:

Outlet On/Off Switch
https://amzn.to/2GNKwJK

3-prong alternative
https://amzn.to/2GNFBbE

Transcript:

I’m Donald Bell for Cool Tools and in this video I’m going to show you this single-outlet on/off switch. I picked up a 3-pack of these for around $11 on Amazon. If you want to get these same ones, using the Amazon link in the description helps support my videos and the Cool Tools blog.

This is the Hakko FX-901 portable soldering iron (available on Amazon: http://amzn.to/2sh7g0t). It runs off 4 AA batteries that you can swap out really fast with this removable cartridge design. I use rechargeables in mine and I get over an hour of use out of it before I notice the temperature drops. Alkaline batteries will run hotter, but not last as long.

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.