Nils had the idea to make some oversized Jenga-like blocks for this year’s Georgetown Carnival in Seattle. So we made ‘em. This is video taken at the tail end of working on the blocks, as well as the first couple games played.
Idea
Bils Christian
Worker Bees
Tom Hall
Sebastian Kimura
Ben Flaster
Ian Page-Echols
Nils Christian
Video
Ian Page-Echols
Nils With Oversized Jenga-Like Blocks
Visuals Controller (LED numbers turned on)
This is a controller that I have put together for the purpose of controlling visuals software, and probably sequencers and synthesizer software as well. I hacked together a bunch of different controllers as a way to test out what works and what I would really use.
Here is a track I put together using just Apple’s Logic and my Minime as a basic midi controller.
A time lapse of putting together the electronics for my Soundlab Mini Synth.
Playing with Kaos DS for a second made me want to switch over from even touching my computer when I do visuals to using something like this. I’ve gotten it mostly set up the way I like but I had ideas to change the Kaos app.
My ideas are from a lot of sources, but lately there has been so much amazing new gear coming out. The ideas for this are mostly from the last link (check out the videos in the gallery).
DSMidiWifi (home of the Kaos DS demo program),
Jeff Han Multitouch, and
Jazzmutant’s Lemur (check out the video gallery)
I acquired a Sansui VX-99 (NTSC) video mixer a while back. It didn’t seem to be fully working when I got it. Which is fine, it was in an as-is pile. I was just hoping to be able to use it to add some extra static and noise to live footage for visuals if nothing else. After opening it up to fix a broken fader with some hot glue, I still couldn’t get both channels of video to display at the same time. I eventually figured out that in order to mix the two video sources, you have to press the gen-lock mix button. After doing this, the mixer mostly works. I still have yet to figure out how to get the thing to display any changes when you press on the RGB color buttons. I’m assuming that these allow you to fade to a color instead of black, which I wouldn’t usually want, but could be interesting if you were doing some sort of video feedback.
I made a little cheapo kids laptop toy into something useful. It’s now got an LCD panel from a PSOne, and I wired up the buttons as a USB keyboard. Makes a nice 40 button clip launcher.
I have been creating visuals for various dj, band, and electronic music gigs since late 2003. I always bring various different video, data, and USB devices to play with and interact with the software. But I tend to have a few regulars. One very useful device is a video preview monitor. You can plug this in to your video mixer to see either the final product if you can’t see the screen easily from where you are located, or you can preview the different feeds before you mix them in with or from whatever is currently playing.
Another thing I bring with me is a MIDI controller with a bunch of dials on it. I use this to control the software that I use. I can use it to change the hue and saturation of the clips, I can use it to mix between the different effects that I currently have available to me. I find more uses for this thing all of the time. This plugs in either via MIDI or through USB.
Another thing that most visual programs can do is take triggers from either music keyboards or standard computer keyboards. It would be nice to have a bigger key to hit.
What I need is a custom device that includes these features and others down the road. And I just happen to have a little kids laptop sitting around waiting to be hacked apart.
Ingredients:
Apple USB Keyboard (just the circuit board and USB cable)
PSOne LCD Monitor (out of casing)
VTech Little Smart Letter Fun
Directions:
1) Take all electronics out of the original toy laptop, making sure to remember where all the screws went.
2) Figure out where all of the various wires lead to inside of the toy. Do this also for the USB keyboard. Below are also a chart and a visual representation of where all these leads need to connect to for my specific devices.
3) You are going to have to create your own board like in figure 2, but instead, match the wires to what the USB keyboard is expecting. It’s a fair amount of work.
4) Finish the LCD monitor part first, as this is easy compared to the rest and you can have something useful while you work on the new circuit board.
Related Links:
PSone LCD – VDR Wiki
bit-tech Forums – PSOne Mod
Audionic Videotronic Electronic Robotic, eh!
I’ve been wanting to make a robot costume for Halloween for quite some time. For Halloween of 2004, I finally went ahead and did it. Instead of building a cumbersome cardboard box to wear and do the robot, I decided to just build a helmet and wear a shiny silver jogging outfit. Funny thing is that I didn’t finish the costume until well into the morning, missing any parties that were happening. Or at least all of them I knew of. That’s ok though, I had fun. Next year, I plan to actually wear it.
