Made By Monkeys

I can't believe someone makes... Faceless watches [Part 2]

July 3, 2009

Wait, there's even more. This is a richer seam than I thought...

Check out these Kisai Denshoku watches made from aluminium and stainless steel, which tell the time only by means of stacked orange LED bars. To get the full time you need to press a button an the hours and minutes and seconds are displayed in three different phases (there are 12 LEDs, so you can kinda see where they are heading).

According Technabob you can buy these indecipherable beauties from TokyoFlash for approximately $236. If the past record of this series is anything to go, they will - despite my incomprehension - be sold out.

You can watch a video of the watch:

Continue reading "I can't believe someone makes... Faceless watches [Part 2]" »

Tags:

• Hironao Tsuboi
• Kisai Denshoku
• Kisai Sensai
• watches

Posted by Alun Williams - Electronics Weekly.com on July 3, 2009 2:15 PM
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Most Read in June - The Made By Monkeys popularity stakes

July 1, 2009

By the power of HitBox, here's the roundup of the most popular Made By Monkeys posts in June - see what your peers are reading!

An Impossible Object leads the way this month and it doesn't involve dark matter, followed by a post on an electric paper plane launcher and one on LED disco shower lights...

Here's the Top Ten in order of popularity:

1. Impossible objects #8: The dark lamp

2. I can't believe someone makes... Electric paper plane launchers

3. I can't believe someone makes... LED disco shower lights

Continue reading "Most Read in June - The Made By Monkeys popularity stakes" »

Posted by Alun Williams - Electronics Weekly.com on July 1, 2009 8:09 AM
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I can't believe someone makes... Faceless watches

June 30, 2009

I can't believe someone would make it so hard to tell the time - I can't believe someone makes faceless watches.

Now, I think I know what you are thinking. Push a button and an LCD time, maybe, will be displayed. Just like some digital watches of yore?

Well, no. It's more perverse than that. What you see is indeed a completely blank face plate. But see the pic below.

Continue reading "I can't believe someone makes... Faceless watches" »

Tags:

• watch

Posted by Alun Williams - Electronics Weekly.com on June 30, 2009 3:04 PM
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Impossible objects #10: Wingdings keyboard

June 28, 2009

Keyboards seem to be a popular topic on Made By Monkeys....

For the latest Impossible Object we return to the source of the series' inspiration. It is another entry from the Catalogue of Impossible Objects by Jacques Carelman (a member of the College of 'Pataphysics).

It includes such items as electric hammers, conflicting cycles and flat chairs.

Actually, we have almost been here before. Talking about Wingdings keyboards, what about the previously mentioned Klingon keyboard? Have the Wingdings ever appeared in Star Trek as an alien race?

Continue reading "Impossible objects #10: Wingdings keyboard" »

Tags:

• Impossible objects
• keyboard
• Wingdings

Posted by Alun Williams - Electronics Weekly.com on June 28, 2009 5:07 PM
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The mysterious case of a shocking light switch

June 26, 2009

Stuart Paterson relates a story that happened to him a number of years ago.

"A friend had asked me to have a look at a light switch in her house. Every now and again they got an electric shock when switching on the light. Our mains is 230V so the shock was sometimes quite painful, and I'm sure it was pure luck that no one had been injured. As she rented the property, my friend had contacted her landlord numerous times. In fact,  three different electricians had been out to have a look at the switch. It had been replaced twice.

I removed the switch and checked the wiring, which looked okay. I then checked for continuity between the earth point on the switch and a radiator on the other side of the room. It checked out fine, and as I could see no other fault in such a simple device, I was stumped.

Continue reading "The mysterious case of a shocking light switch" »

Tags:

• Lights
• shock

Posted by Alun Williams - Electronics Weekly.com on June 26, 2009 4:19 PM
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I can't believe someone makes.... USB construction sites

June 23, 2009

The planet is dying, we need to conserve resources. We need to go green, and reuse and recycle. Not waste precious electricity powering pointless diversions. I can't believe someone makes a USB-pwered construction site model set....

Though, you could possibly reuse the bollards as Christmas fairy lights. And it might amuse a child, for five seconds...

Continue reading "I can't believe someone makes.... USB construction sites" »

Tags:

• USB

Posted by Alun Williams - Electronics Weekly.com on June 23, 2009 11:09 AM
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A literary staircase

June 20, 2009

A contender for our Made By Masters series?

We've written before about Stairways to Heaven and steps that don't go anywhere. Well, here's a positive example: the space consists of nothing but steps (but useful steps giving access to lots of books). The perfect library in the attic...

Credited to the company Levitate, apartmenttherapy.com writes:

London-based Levitate Architects came up with this ingenious solution to a book storage problem and created a loft-like bedroom nestled under the roof of the top-floor apartment.

Continue reading "A literary staircase" »

Tags:

• books
• stairways

Posted by Alun Williams - Electronics Weekly.com on June 20, 2009 10:09 AM
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Classic Classic

June 18, 2009

You've heard of "better than the best", well, maybe this is "more original than the original"...

Original, now even better!

That takes special design.

Tags:

• Nescafe

Posted by Alun Williams - Electronics Weekly.com on June 18, 2009 8:04 PM
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I can't believe someone makes... LED disco shower lights

June 14, 2009

Not so much dancing in the streets as dancing in the shower (Health & Safety would be down on you like a tonne of bricks, mind).

The latest in our I can't believe someone makes... series is an LED disco shower lights system - a "revolutionary LED light showering experience," according to its makers.

Thanks to Technabob for this one.

Made by a company called Crosswater, the RIO shower head comes complete with 96 computer-controlled LEDs. The red, green and blue colours are mixed and matched to light up the small jets of water coming out of the 40cm diameter shower head.

Continue reading "I can't believe someone makes... LED disco shower lights" »

Tags:

• LEDs
• shower lights

Posted by Alun Williams - Electronics Weekly.com on June 14, 2009 5:44 PM
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Impossible objects #9: Door lock chain maze

June 11, 2009

It is described as an ingenious "thief-proof home door lock and chain maze", but I'm not so sure.

It's not so much that it is hard to let someone in, more that you can't get out. A Kafka-esque entrance exit conflict.

It is made from Titanium Alloy and fixed in place with 10 different screws, apparently, and load-tested against 700 pounds of force...

Continue reading "Impossible objects #9: Door lock chain maze " »

Tags:

• chain maze
• door lock
• Impossible objects

Posted by Alun Williams - Electronics Weekly.com on June 11, 2009 3:37 PM
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Poll: Key Fob Failure Diagnosis

June 9, 2009

Here's something new. Let's bring your collective experience and knowledge to bear on a particular case brought before Made By Monkeys.

We recently highlighted a Mercedes key fob failure - please see Key Fob fails for surface mount leads - and lots of pics of the problem are available for inspection. We've identified seven possible causes of failure, but what are your thoughts? Multiple answers are possible, and feel free to suggest Other causes.



If you have any suggestions for future Made By Monkeys polls, do leave a comment below.

Tags:

• Poll

Posted by Alun Williams - Electronics Weekly.com on June 9, 2009 4:20 PM
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I can't believe someone makes... Snail Art Cars

June 8, 2009

I can't believe someone makes Snail Art Cars, but I'm glad they do, making the world just that bit more of an interesting place.

Thanks to our US sister site Design News for this one, in its coverage of the recent Maker Faire 2009.

"Oakland blacksmith, metal fabricator and sculptor Jon Sarriugarte took an inexperienced team of metal workers and built the Snail Art Car but the concept didn't originate with Sarriugarte. It was his wife's idea. 'We were driving in the desert,' he said, 'and she said she wanted a snail car.'"

"The original idea was to create the car's body in fiberglass but one morning at breakfast, the project suddenly gelled in Sarriugarte's mind and he quickly drew the concept for a riveted and welded metal snail body on a napkin. Then he bought a partially restored 1967 VW bug from a seller on Craigslist for $400; he sold the body for $200 and he ended up with a low-priced, fully functional chassis and drive train for the Snail Art Car."

Continue reading "I can't believe someone makes... Snail Art Cars" »

Tags:

• Snail Car

Posted by Alun Williams - Electronics Weekly.com on June 8, 2009 3:02 PM
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How to Submit Lousy Designs to Made by Monkeys

Show us the Best of the Worst! If you've had a recent run-in with a cheaply-made, inferior product, tell us about it and you could win a limited edition, high-quality, well-engineered Made by Monkeys tshirt!

Just email us at webmaster@electronicsweekly.com a photo or video of the defective product, with any witty observations you care to make -- keep it short, simple, and fun. View a good example of what we mean.

We also welcome suggestions on news stories and topics you think merit a closer look by our jaundiced eye. And we'd be delighted to have you to weigh in on anything we present here, particularly when we touch on your particular areas of engineering expertise. Use our handy comments button at the bottom of each blog entry.

Posted by Alun Williams - Electronics Weekly.com on June 8, 2009 1:51 PM
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I can't believe someone makes... Electric paper plane launchers

June 2, 2009

I can't, I really can't, believe that someone makes an electric paper plane launcher. It saves the effort of using the old arm, I appreciate that. But really...

Apparently the device will launch a well-made paper airplane at speeds up to 50km/hour, and you can buy them on Amazon for £9.95.

Note that it carries Science Museum branding and royalties from the sale of the product help fund the venerable London museum.

Continue reading "I can't believe someone makes... Electric paper plane launchers" »

Tags:

• paper plane
• Science Museum

Posted by Alun Williams - Electronics Weekly.com on June 2, 2009 10:21 AM
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Most Read in May - The Made By Monkeys popularity stakes

June 1, 2009

By the power of HitBox, here's a roundup of the most popular Made By Monkeys posts in May - see what your peers are reading!

A reader's experience with the retaining screw on his Bosch jigsaw leads the way this month, followed by a post on a mystery pipe, and one about not-so-ergonomic keyboards...

Here's the Top Ten in order of popularity:

1. Bosch jigsaw loses the thread

2. Stick a pipe out the wall, no one will notice

3. Impossible objects #6: Curved Keyboards

Continue reading "Most Read in May - The Made By Monkeys popularity stakes" »

Posted by Alun Williams - Electronics Weekly.com on June 1, 2009 1:05 PM
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Key Fob fails for surface mount leads

May 29, 2009

Problems with a malfunctioning key fob may not come as that big of a  surprise when the device is ten years old, but when the Mercedes garage wants to rip you off for £250 to replace the unit, that's just not cool.

Electronics Production Engineer Jon Hall offered to take a look at the fob when a relative complained about having difficulties with the alarm/immobiliser and had already tried  replacing the battery with no luck.

Jon writes:

"When I opened up the key fob, the problem was obvious as the push button fell onto the floor. The surface mount leads had sheared out of the soldered joint. You can see in the photo below the four pads where the push button used to reside...

Continue reading "Key Fob fails for surface mount leads" »

Tags:

• key fob
• Merdedes

Posted by Alun Williams - Electronics Weekly.com on May 29, 2009 11:37 AM
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Impossible objects #8: The dark lamp

May 26, 2009

This one made me laugh.

Envisaged by the designer John Nouanesing, it's dubbed the 'WTF, Not What I Thought' lamp.

Thanks to Trendhunter.com.

Continue reading "Impossible objects #8: The dark lamp" »

Tags:

• dark lamp
• Impossible objects
• John Nouanesing

Posted by Alun Williams - Electronics Weekly.com on May 26, 2009 4:59 PM
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I can't believe someone makes... A wooden MacBook

May 25, 2009

Who wood believe it, eh?

Books are made from paper and paper's made from wood - I know - but who would make a MacBook carved from wood?

Full marks for craftsmanship to one Kyle Buuckner, though. And thanks to Cult of Mac for highlighting objet d'art. It writes:

Buckner constructed the casing out of wood, routering all the corners and then priming, sanding and painting the pieces white. The hinge system replicates the real Mac's and is fully constructed out of hand cut MDF wood.

After he painted the pieces, he used a pencil to add the fine details. He drew the screen and full keyboard and penciled in every tiny phillips head screw at its location.

Continue reading "I can't believe someone makes... A wooden MacBook" »

Tags:

• MacBook

Posted by Alun Williams - Electronics Weekly.com on May 25, 2009 1:47 PM
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Impossible objects #7: Global Chessboard

May 19, 2009

There's something about chess that lends itself to whacky development...

For the latest Impossible Object we return to the source of the series' inspiration. It is another entry from the Catalogue of Impossible Objects by Jacques Carelman (a member of the College of 'Pataphysics).

It includes such items as electric hammers, conflicting cycles and flat chairs.

Building on the idea of changing the chess landscape, check out this alternate version of the game, dubbed TERRAIN, which lets you configure the board using different sized cubes.

Not quite sure how this affects rules for moving and taking...

Continue reading "Impossible objects #7: Global Chessboard" »

Tags:

• chess
• Impossible objects
• terrain

Posted by Alun Williams - Electronics Weekly.com on May 19, 2009 4:43 PM
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EMI from compact fluorescent bulb jams garage door

May 13, 2009

Thanks to one Steve Coan and Made By Monkeys' American cousin on Design News for this tale of EMI, about an unintended consequence of "going green" by switching to compact fluorescent bulbs...

Reader Steve Coan writes:

"My son-in-law called the other day to ask why his garage door opener would work only once every five minutes or so. I asked all the usual questions about replacing the batteries, etc., and said I would think about it. He called back the next day to say that he had solved the problem: Being energy conscious, he had replaced the unit's incandescent bulbs with fluorescent lamp bulbs. That's when the trouble started. But when he tried putting the standard bulbs back in, the problem was gone. Apparently the CF bulbs were generating enough EMI to desensitize the receiver in the overhead door opener."

Continue reading "EMI from compact fluorescent bulb jams garage door" »

Tags:

• compact fluorescent bulbs

Posted by Alun Williams - Electronics Weekly.com on May 13, 2009 1:34 PM
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