Made at theCO: Watering Raspberry Pi
Have you ever left for vacation and come back to dead or dying plants in your living room?
It happened to me last month, and I was frustrated with feeling like I would never have a green thumb despite my best efforts. Then I heard about Watering Raspberry Pi, a robot built and created by Dev Catalyst students from Lexington High School. The robot is designed to automatically water your plant via a soil moisture sensor, meaning you could go on vacation and not have to worry about your plants!
Made at theCO: Magnetic Calendar
For a few years now, we’ve been using three magnetic boards in theCO’s hallway to display photos of our members and more information about what each of them has to offer our community. While we love sharing about our folks, we decided it was time for a hallway makeover so that we can better keep CO:members and visitors in the loop about upcoming events. After seeing the finished piece, we realized this would be the perfect project for anyone to put in their own homes or offices to plan their schedules in a fun and reusable way. Here’s how we did it and how you can use theCO’s tools to do the same.
Made at theCO: Monitor Stand
Whether you frequent theCO, work in an office space, or use a computer for anything on any desk, a common problem remains. There comes a point in time when space simply restricts productivity by creating an inevitable nest of clutter. Like birds making their nests in the spring, we try to fit an impossible amount of lunch menus, paper clips, pens, and sometimes trash onto a finite desk space.
Made at theCO: Mystery Block Lamp
Anyone who has walked into theCO the last couple of weeks may have experienced a flash of childhood nostalgia—memories of sitting on the living room couch, game controller in hand, leading an Italian plumber past a giant, turtle-like being to rescue a kidnapped princess.
To illuminate the new shop at the front of theCO, Austin Thompson, founder and owner of Random Pieces of Wood, has built and installed a light shaped like the Mystery Block in Super Mario games.
Made at theCO: How to Make a Giant Lite Brite
It didn’t start with a plan, but with a 55-inch TV hitting the ground.
About two years ago, Ben Ferguson, one of theCO’s CO:founders, helped his dad pick out a new television at Best Buy. They brought it to his house, set it up on the mantle, and were celebrating in the kitchen when they heard the sound of something heavy falling with a resounding smash.
The television had toppled over and shattered on the ground.
Best Buy couldn’t take the broken TV back, so Ferguson brought the monitor, which still glowed when turned on, to theCO.
A couple months ago, Lisa Garner, executive director, had the idea to turn the TV into a giant Lite Brite.
Made at theCO: Wooden Chess Set
This week’s Made at theCO is a simple guide on how to make a wooden chess set. Chess is one of the most played games on this planet. It comes in many shapes, sizes, and colors. However, there is something intriguing about a handcrafted chess board made out of wood that makes you want to play over and over again . . . even if you don’t really play chess (like me)!
Made at theCO: Multi-Layered Wooden Sign
There is something so mesmerizing about a computer-motorized machine like the CNC router we have in theCO’s makerspace, and we’ve been getting a lot of fun use out of it lately. It might be the super smooth curves or the sheer precision of the cuts, but one thing is for sure: it allows you to make some cool custom signs! This week’s Made at theCO article is all about multi-layered wooden signs.
Made at theCO: Puzzle Nook
It’s probably safe to say that we as humans think very highly of our individual ability to solve puzzles when challenged. Recently one of our interns, Jeremiah Marcellino, has been designing and building his own puzzles for his business, Puzzle Nook.