Hack this by john baichtal

Hack This:
24 Incredible Hackerspace Projects from the DIY
Movement

John Baichtal

800 East 96th Street
Indianapolis, Indiana 46240 USA


HACK THIS: 24 INCREDIBLE HACKERSPACE
PROJECTS FROM THE DIY MOVEMENT
Copyright © 2012 by John Baichtal
All rights reserved. No part of this book shall be
reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted
by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying,
recording, or otherwise, without written permission
from the publisher. No patent liability is assumed with
respect to the use of the information contained herein.
Although every precaution has been taken in the
preparation of this book, the publisher and author
assume no responsibility for errors or omissions. Nor is
any liability assumed for damages resulting from the use
of the information contained herein.
ISBN-13: 978-0-7897-4897-3
ISBN-10: 0-7897-4897-5
The Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
is on file.
Printed in the United States of America

First Printing: October 2011


EDITOR IN CHIEF
Greg Wiegand
ACQUISITIONS EDITOR
Rick Kughen
DEVELOPMENT EDITOR
Rick Kughen
TECHNICAL EDITOR
Mark Reddin
MANAGING EDITOR
Sandra Schroeder
PROJECT EDITOR
Mandie Frank
COPY EDITOR
Megan Wade
INDEXER
Lisa Stumpf
PROOFREADER
Leslie Joseph
PUBLISHING COORDINATOR


Cindy Teeters
DESIGNER
Anne Jones
COMPOSITOR
Studio Galou, LLC
Trademarks

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capitalized. Que Publishing cannot attest to the accuracy
of this information. Use of a term in this book should not
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Warning and Disclaimer
Every effort has been made to make this book as
complete and as accurate as possible, but no warranty or
fitness is implied. The information provided is on an “as
is” basis. The author and the publisher shall have neither
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respect to any loss or damages arising from the
information contained in this book.


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Contents at a Glance
Introduction: The Bleeding Edge of the DIY

Movement
Project 1: Karate Champ Game
Project 2: Sudo Make Me a Sandwich Robot
Project 3: Networked Geiger Counter
Project 4: Glass Block LED Matrix
Project 5: Bronze Melting Blast Furnace
Project 6: Milkymist VJ Console
Project 7: White Star TransAtlantic Balloon
Project 8: Twitter-Monitoring Christmas Tree
Project 9: Live Wire Go Game
Project 10: Hack Signal
Project 11: TARDIS Photobooth
Project 12: Interactive Space Invaders Mural
Project 13: Telepresence Robot
Project 14: The Polyplasmic Arcophone


Project 15: DIY CNC Router
Project 16: LED Matrix Gaming System
Project 17: MAME Cabinet
Project 18: Book Scanner
Project 19: OpenDuino
Project 20: Project-a-Sketch
Project 21: Power Racing Car
Project 22: Party Land Pinball Game
Project 23: Store Front Music
Project 24: Wheelchair Robot
Do It Yourself
Hackerspeak
Index

Table of Contents
Foreword
Introduction: The Bleeding Edge of the
DIY Movement
It’s All About the Community
Hackerspace U
The First Wave of Hackerspaces
Hackers on a Plane
The First Hackers
Hackers and Crime
Pranks
A Love of Community
Project 1: Karate Champ Game
Hackerspace Profile: The Hack Factory
The Hack Factory Space Details
The Project
Project 2: Sudo Make Me a Sandwich Robot


Hackerspace Profile: NYC Resistor
Space Details
The Project
Basic Building Steps
Further Reading
Project 3: Networked Geiger Counter
Hackerspace Profile: Tokyo Hackerspace
Tokyo Hackerspace Details
The Project

Further Reading
Project 4: Glass Block LED Matrix
Hackerspace Profile: Hive13
Space Details
The Project
Project 5: Bronze-Melting Blast Furnace
Hackerspace Profile: Quad City Co-Lab
The Project
Project 6: Milkymist VJ Console


Hackerspace Profile: /tmp/lab
Space Details
The Project
Further Reading
Project 7: White Star Trans-Atlantic Balloon
Hackerspace Profile: LVL1
Space Details
The Project
Further Reading
Project 8: Twitter-Monitoring Christmas Tree
Hackerspace Profile: Alpha One Labs
Space Details
The Project
Project 9: Live Wire Go Game
Hackerspace Profile: BrmLab (Hackerspace
Prague)
Notable Equipment
Space Details

The Project
Project 10: Hack Signal
Hackerspace Profile: Hack Pittsburgh
Space Details
The Project
Project 11: TARDIS Photobooth
Hackerspace Profile: Pumping Station: One
Space Details
The Project
Project 12: Interactive Space Invaders Mural
Hackerspace Profile: Metalab
Space Details
The Project
Further Reading
Project 13: Telepresence Robot
Hackerspace Profile: XinCheJian
Space Details
The Project


Further Reading and Viewing
Project 14: The Polyplasmic Arcophone
Hackerspace Profile: The Perth Artifactory
The Project
Project 15: DIY CNC Router
Hackerspace Profile: Harford Hackerspace
Space Details
The Project
Building the Model

Converting the Model to Toolpaths
Further Reading
Project 16: LED Matrix Gaming System
Hackerspace Profile: Forskningsavdelningen
Space Details
The Project
Additional Resources
Project 17: MAME Cabinet


Hackerspace Profile: theTransistor
Space Details
The Project
Project 18: Book Scanner
Hackerspace Profile: Ace Monster Toys
Space Details
The Project
Further Reading
Project 19: OpenDuino
Hackerspace Profile: syn2 cat
Space Details
The Project
Further Reading
Project 20: Project-a-Sketch
Hackerspace Profile: HAC:Manchester
Space Details
The Project


Project 21: Power Racing Car

Hackerspace Profile: Milwaukee
Makerspace
Space Details
The Project
Project 22: Party Land Pinball Game
Hackerspace Profile: Garoa Hacker Clube
Space Details
The Project
Further Reading
Project 23: Store Front Music
Hackerspace Profile: Collaborative
Research Association of Social Hacktivity
Notable Equipment
Space Details
The Project
Further Reading
Project 24: Wheelchair Robot


Hackerspace Profile: Noisebridge
Space Details
The Project
Conway’s Game of Life
Additional Resources
Do It Yourself
Spread the Word
Decide on an Organization Type
Name Your Group
Hold Meetings
Create Bylaws and Rules

Choose Leaders
Raise Money
Find a Space
Equip the Space
Make Improvements
Keep It Clean
Secure the Space
Be Safe


Resolve Conflicts
Share Everything
Recruit New Members
Teach Classes
Help the Community
Now What?
Hackerspeak
Index


About the Author
John Baichtal is the founding member of Twin Cities
Maker, a hackerspace organization that has been
collaborating for almost two years. Twin Cities Maker
has its own rented warehouse, the Hack Factory,
complete with a welding station, a woodshop, a
classroom, and an electronics area. John is currently
writing The Cult of Lego, a book about adult Lego
builders for No Starch Press. He has written dozens of
articles for print, including pieces for MAKE Magazine,

Kobold Quarterly (a D&D magazine), and 2600: The
Hacker Quarterly. He has blogged for Wired.com
(GeekDad blog) for four years and Make: Online for a
year, with more than 1,000 posts published during that
time.


Dedication
To hackers everywhere, for expanding the realm of
the possible;
to Eileen Arden, Rosie, and Jack, for their limitless
interest in the mysteries of the world; and to Elise,
for making it all worth it.


Acknowledgments
I want to thank Gareth Branwyn for his assistance and
encouragement in this project, and to all the hackerspace
members who contributed projects and photos to this
book.


We Want to Hear from You!
As the reader of this book, you are our most important
critic and commentator. We value your opinion and want
to know what we’re doing right, what we could do
better, what areas you’d like to see us publish in, and
any other words of wisdom you’re willing to pass our
way.
As an editor in chief for Que Publishing, I welcome your

comments. You can email or write me directly to let me
know what you did or didn’t like about this book—as
well as what we can do to make our books better.
Please note that I cannot help you with technical
problems related to the topic of this book. We do have a
User Services group, however, where I will forward
specific technical questions related to the book.
When you write, please be sure to include this book’s
title and author as well as your name, email address, and
phone number. I will carefully review your comments
and share them with the author and editors who worked
on the book.
Email:




Mail:

Greg Wiegand
Editor in Chief
Que Publishing
800 East 96th Street
Indianapolis, IN 46240 USA


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Foreword: Support Your Local
Hackerspace
At Maker Faire Detroit in the summer of 2011, I found a
maker exhibit inside the Henry Ford Museum where a
medium-sized helium balloon was rising and falling
gracefully. When I talked to the group of makers, I
learned that the five of them were members of the LVL1
Hackerspace in Louisville, KY. Their project was called
White Star Balloon (whitestarballoon.com). As they told
me proudly, the goal of their project was to accomplish
the first successful trans-Atlantic crossing by a small
robotic weather balloon. With perfect irony, they
explained that the name “White Star” came from the
shipping company that built the Titanic. As makers, they
anticipated some failure before eventually succeeding.
As much as the project itself excited me, I was happy to
know that this project had come from the LVL1
hackerspace. In 2009, three people from Louisville, two
of whom were teachers, came to the Maker Faire Bay
Area where they first learned about hackerspaces and
interacted with others who had organized them.