What can't you do with PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride) pipe? The ubiquitous blue PVC water pipe can be seen along most streets here and appears to be one among Thailand's most ample un-natural resources. All kinds of various connectors are available and other than carrying water additionally it is used as an affordable construction material that can be used to make everything from clothes dryers to Wheel chairs (PDF), Crutches, flagpoles and store signs. Of course on the internet you may as well find some other very cool and inventive things made from (non-blue) PVC pipe together with: Halloween costumes like Ben Hallert's Matrix APU and Aliens Exo-skeleton Power Loader, another power loader costume, single and multi-guitar Guitar Hero stands, a laptop computer stand, flutes, and even a shaving stand. Below you can find, in chronological order, a few of my very own (principally original) creations made from PVC water pipe including: - a Marshmallow Shooter, Plumbing, Soccer Goals, - a Cricket Wicket, - a Basketball Hoop, Bookshelf Supports, - a Water Pipe Tron Controller, Racing Cars, Pinball Table Leg Extensions, Data Projector Mounts, - a Laptop Stand, - a Wiimote Holder, - a DIY Wii Zapper, - a Workbench, Real-Tron Controllers - a Music Stand Puzzle Bobble Coffee Grinder Controllers, - a Netbook Treadmill Hook, CD/DVD Holders, - a Nightstand/shelves, - Push Up Bar/Handles, Fake Legs, ZapZone Defender - a Hilbert Cube, - a Mario Kart steering wheel, - a Guitar Stand, Hockey Sticks, - a Tank-recreation (BZFlag) controller, - a Train Whistle, and - a Trident.
This was the project that started my love affair with blue PVC pipe. I had seen the blueprints for this marshmallow shooter whereas I used to be in Australia but the fittings have been prohibitively costly (see the picture proper). Fortunately they're very inexpensive here in Thailand. 2 x T-Pieces and 6 x elbows. Cricket (not to be confused with Brockian Ultra-Cricket) is Australia's nationwide sport performed with a bat, a ball, and two wickets. 6 x T-items, and 12 x 45-diploma elbows. The backboard is a non-regulation size piece of plywood that we discovered lying round and we used green duct tape for the markings. Although the ring is not strong enough to hang off, the facet helps make it sturdy sufficient for regular play. Additionally they give it a really Star Trek feel and I feel the ring appears to be like not in contrast to the NCC-31911 Saratoga. This is probably essentially the most straight ahead use for PVC pipe on this web page. 2 x 25mm to 18mm (1" to 1/2") reducers, 2 x customized motorbike hand-grips, Zap Zone Defender Testimonial 4 x push-buttons, and a mercury swap which are related to a pc via a hacked USB joystick.
You could find extra details about how I made the controller on this project web page and that i've additionally extended the same concept to play GL-Tron using actual motorbikes. A university student who performed with the PVC Water Pipe Tron Controller, described above, stated "That's Ok however I prefer to play driving games". It got me considering and over the subsequent week I spent my evenings building a PVC racing car controller - essentially a wheel-less, PVC go-kart body related to the pc by way of a hacked USB joystick. Some Thai university students who noticed the primary car wanted to know how all of it labored and six of them got here round one Saturday and we spent the entire day hacking joysticks and building a second car. By connecting them each to a laptop computer and a knowledge projector we have been able to play cut up-screen Daytona USA. You could find more details concerning the design and development of the cars on this venture web page. The white workplace desk I used for ZapZone Defender the virtual pinball machine wasn't excessive sufficient to be performed comfortably.
1 x T-piece, and a pair of x elbows - partially to assist air circulation but mostly to carry my screen up because the spring within the hinge has broken. As straightforward as this stand ZapZone Defender appears to be like, the "L"-formed upright part is actually a part of an air-conditioner mount for a data projector that I made for one of the virtual pinball desk installations. The T-piece isn't glued and so in a small manner (a really, very small method) I wish to assume that if the air-conditioning mount were ever needed again then the elements could re-mix in a Voltron or Captain Planet and the Planeteers or ZapZone Defender Power Rangers MegaZord-like manner. Of course if that happened my laptop screen would fall down. I do not own a Nintendo Wii however I did manage to get my palms on a Wiimote in order that I may try out a few of Johnny Chung Lee's cool initiatives. It is a Wiimote mount I built using a size of 35mm (1 and 1/4") pipe, some 18mm (1/2") pipe, three x T-pieces, and four x elbows.
The 35mm pipe has been reduce in order that it matches properly into the ridges down the side of the Wiimote which holds it securely. This is screwed onto a T-Piece which has also had its prime cut off. The joint between the two topmost elbows will not be glued so the angle of the highest part may be adjusted. These sections are merely cable-tied onto the entrance of the motorbike handlebars and the players squeeze the buttons with their index fingers to show left or proper. A mercury switch is also mounted on the proper handlebar so the accelerator can be utilized to provide boost within the game and as much as 4 bikes might be linked to the computer via a single hacked USB joystick. The centerstands keep the bikes upright throughout play and a half-round of bamboo is wedged beneath the back tires to cease them from rocking. This is a music stand made from three different sizes of pipe.