Clicktastic Customizable Gaming Keyboard
1Up Keyboards, maker of mechanical keyboards and DIY keyboard and USB cable kits, brought its clicky A-game to Maker Faire.
We chose this display because it was one of the clickiest keyboards we’ve ever felt. Starting at $200, the TKL Skeleton Kit uses a GON NerD TKL PCB, with seven different Gateron switch options, five different Cherry MX choices and four different Zealios with actuation forces ranging from 62-78g. Keycaps come in three varieties, and you can pick between Sandblasted Stainless Steel, Carbon Fiber Black or Carbon Fiber Silver for the case.
Did we mention how clicky this keyboard is?
3D Print Fallout T-45 Power Armor Helmet
Noelle Riguad and her husband Frank Magaletti made this 3D print version of the T-45 Power Armor helmet, as well as other pieces of the armor, from Fallout by using EVA foam. They even went as far as to give it an Atom Cat paint job.
Upcycled Space Invaders Redux
PrintCade is a coin-operated interactive sculpture and tribute to the 1980s arcade game Space Invaders. It’s made of recycled printers, and it lights up and makes noise when you move its joystick, while shooting virtual laser beams at the aliens when you press the joystick’s buttons.
Fully Functional R2-D2
Long Island’s R2-D2 Builders Club brought this fully functioning droid to the Maker Faire. He rolled around, beeping and lighting up at guests like a true social butterfly. C-3PO would be proud.
Shoe Charger
This shoe is equipped with piezoelectric disks to charge a lithium ion battery as a person walks. The two child inventors are hoping to use it as a solution to the world’s energy problem, or at least as a way to charge a phone during long hikes with fellow Boy Scouts.
Interactive Home Hologram
Waiik is a holographic screen that you can interact with. You can touch the “hologram” to pause or play images. The trio of makers consists of a computer scientist, graphic designer and mechanical engineer.
Telekinesis-Friendly Wall
Presence is a wall that makes you feel like you have telekinetic powers. Using a webcam and machine learning, the wall moves in the direction of the user’s waving arm. The wall is fueled by a 5V 8A power supply and uses a Mini Maestro 24-Channel USB servo controller to control 21 Futaba S3004 servos. This all connects via USB to a PC running an Nvidia GTX 970 GPU. No expensive RTX cores needed here!
Nosy Wall
The Eavesdropping Wall is a little less chill. When people speak near its microphone, it projects what it hears onto a screen, along with some fun GIFs.
Briefcase Apple-1
Vintage Computer Federation displayed this amazing Apple-1 in a briefcase. It’s paired with a VGA LCD monitor, an iPod connected to a 1976 Apple cassette adapter for storage and a circa-1983 Apple ImageWriter via a 2015 serial card for printing. Who says old and new(ish) computer parts can't work together?
Cryptocurrency Market Ticker
If you’re excited about the cryptocurrency market, you’ve got to see CRYPT0MANIA. This fabricated sculpture lights up different emojis every hour based on the percentage value price change of the Ethereum cryptocurrency. Watch out for hearts, for example, if things are looking good, or storm clouds if things are getting risky.
