What cannot you do with PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride) pipe? The ubiquitous blue PVC water pipe might be seen along most streets here and appears to be certainly one of Thailand's most ample un-pure sources. A wide variety of different connectors can be found and aside from carrying water it's also used as an affordable development material that can be utilized to make every little thing from clothes dryers to Wheel chairs (PDF), Crutches, flagpoles and shop indicators. In fact on the web it's also possible to find some other very cool and inventive things made from (non-blue) PVC pipe including: Halloween costumes like Ben Hallert's Matrix APU and Aliens Exo-skeleton Power Loader, one other energy loader costume, single and multi-guitar Guitar Hero stands, a laptop stand, Zap Zone Defender flutes, ZapZone Defender and even a shaving stand. Below you will discover, in chronological order, a few of my own (largely original) creations made from PVC water pipe together with: - 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, Zap Zone Defender Device - a Wiimote Holder, - a DIY Wii Zapper, - a Workbench, Real-Tron Controllers - a Music Stand Puzzle Bobble Coffee Grinder Controllers, insect zapper - a Netbook Treadmill Hook, Zap Zone Defender Device CD/DVD Holders, - a Nightstand/shelves, - Push Up Bar/Handles, Zap Zone Defender Device Fake Legs, - a Hilbert Cube, - a Mario Kart steering wheel, - a Guitar Stand, Hockey Sticks, - a Tank-sport (BZFlag) controller, - a Train Whistle, and - a Trident.
This was the undertaking that started my love affair with blue PVC pipe. I had seen the blueprints for this marshmallow shooter while I used to be in Australia however the fittings were prohibitively costly (see the image right). Fortunately they're very affordable right here in Thailand. 2 x T-Pieces and 6 x elbows. Cricket (not to be confused with Brockian Ultra-Cricket) is Australia's national sport performed with a bat, Zap Zone Defender Device a ball, and two wickets. 6 x T-items, and 12 x 45-diploma elbows. The backboard is a non-regulation dimension piece of plywood that we found mendacity around and we used green duct tape for the markings. Although the ring is not robust sufficient to hold off, the facet supports make it sturdy enough for insect elimination regular play. In addition they give it a really Star Trek really feel and I think the ring appears not unlike the NCC-31911 Saratoga. This is probably essentially the most straight ahead use for PVC pipe on this page. 2 x 25mm to 18mm (1" to 1/2") reducers, 2 x custom motorbike hand-grips, four x push-buttons, and a mercury change which are connected to a computer via a hacked USB joystick.
You will discover extra details about how I made the controller on this venture web page and that i've also extended the identical idea to play GL-Tron using real motorbikes. A university pupil who played with the PVC Water Pipe Tron Controller, described above, said "That's Ok however I wish to play driving games". It bought me considering and over the next week I spent my evenings constructing a PVC racing car controller - primarily a wheel-much less, PVC go-kart body linked to the computer by way of a hacked USB joystick. Some Thai university students who saw the primary car wished to know the way it all worked and six of them came round one Saturday and we spent the whole day hacking joysticks and building a second automotive. By connecting them both to a laptop and a knowledge projector we have been in a position to play cut up-display screen Daytona USA. You'll find more particulars in regards to the design and construction of the vehicles on this challenge page. The white office table I used for Zap Zone Defender Testimonial the virtual pinball machine wasn't high enough to be performed comfortably.
1 x T-piece, and Zap Zone Defender Device a pair of x elbows - partially to help air circulation however largely to hold my display screen up because the spring within the hinge has broken. As simple as this stand appears, the "L"-formed upright part is definitely a part of an air-conditioner mount for a data projector that I made for one of the virtual pinball table installations. The T-piece is not glued and so in a small way (a very, very small means) I like to suppose that if the air-conditioning mount have been ever needed again then the elements could re-combine in a Voltron or Captain Planet and the Planeteers or Power Rangers MegaZord-like means. Of course if that happened my laptop computer screen would fall down. I don't personal a Nintendo Wii but I did manage to get my arms on a Wiimote in order that I may check out a few of Johnny Chung Lee's cool tasks. This is a Wiimote mount I built utilizing a length of 35mm (1 and 1/4") pipe, some 18mm (1/2") pipe, 3 x T-pieces, and 4 x elbows.
The 35mm pipe has been lower so that it matches nicely into the ridges down the aspect of the Wiimote which holds it securely. That is screwed onto a T-Piece which has additionally had its high cut off. The joint between the two topmost elbows shouldn't be glued so the angle of the top section could be adjusted. These sections are simply cable-tied onto the front of the motorbike handlebars and the gamers squeeze the buttons with their index fingers to show left or right. A mercury swap can also be mounted on the right handlebar so the accelerator can be used to provide increase within the game and Zap Zone Defender Device as much as four bikes may be connected to the pc through a single hacked USB joystick. The centerstands keep the bikes upright throughout play and a half-round of bamboo is wedged beneath the again tires to stop them from rocking. This can be a music stand made from three completely different sizes of pipe.