Category: Do-It-Yourself

Challenge Coins & Cheesy Trophies

For me, the wheels started turning when we set the dates for our product zone’s Chicago HQ onsite and decided to make a hackathon the focus of our 2 days together. I wanted to make this meetup a memorable one and create some kind of tangible reminder of the occasion. I also knew that our hackathon teams would work hard on their self-selected projects and that everyone who participated would deserve a fun reward.

Building Simon for Arduino Uno

A couple of weeks ago I decided it was time to build something fun. My kids and I enjoy tinkering with maker projects here and there, but we haven’t made anything lately quite like our epic Twang LED Strip game build from last year. I really wanted another project that required some 3D printing and made use of an Arduino Uno and some Arduino starter kit parts we had sitting idle.

TWANG! Building an Arduino-Based LED Strip Game

My kids and I have spent many a weekend afternoon playing, learning, and exploring at Orlando Science Center. There is so much to see there that it’s easy to miss a little permanent exhibit in the hallway outside “The Hive” Makerspace on the 3rd floor. There you’ll find a pedestal against the wall with a spring on top and a little red button. People walk past it all the time, but tap the spring and the dark hallway comes to life with 8-bit sounds and light from an LED strip on the opposite wall.

Open Floor Surgery

So relieved! About a month ago, our AC drain line backed up, the shutoff failed, and quite a bit of water leaked into our return vent. I thought I caught it in time and vacuumed up the water. A week or so later, the floors in the hall and living room started buckling. That laminate flooring runs through most of the house. It’s not available anymore and we only had a few salvage pieces from when we renovated the kitchen.

Office Shed Budget Breakdown

It’s been over a month now since I moved my desk from the master bedroom, into our new office shed in the back yard. I’ve been dragging my feet on this wrap up post as, well, there are still a few details left to wrap up. Even without transom window trim, decking in front of the sliding glass door, or a rear gutter though, having 160 sqft of detached office/living space for our family of 4 has been a game changer.

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