What cannot you do with PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride) pipe? The ubiquitous blue PVC water pipe might be seen along most streets here and seems to be one of Thailand's most ample un-natural resources. All kinds of various connectors are available and apart from carrying water it is also used as a cheap building material that can be utilized to make the whole lot from clothes dryers to Wheel chairs (PDF), Crutches, flagpoles and shop signs. Of course on the internet it's also possible to discover some other very cool and inventive issues made from (non-blue) PVC pipe together with: 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, flutes, and even a shaving stand. Below one can find, in chronological order, some of my very own (principally unique) creations made from PVC water pipe together with: - a Marshmallow Shooter, Plumbing, Soccer Goals, - a Cricket Wicket, Zap Zone Defender - 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, - 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 venture that began 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 have been prohibitively expensive (see the picture proper). Fortunately they are very inexpensive right here in Thailand. 2 x T-Pieces and Zap Zone Defender 6 x elbows. Cricket (to not be confused with Brockian Ultra-Cricket) is Australia's national sport performed with a bat, a ball, and two wickets. 6 x T-pieces, and 12 x 45-degree elbows. The backboard is a non-regulation measurement piece of plywood that we discovered mendacity around and we used inexperienced duct tape for the markings. Although the ring is not strong sufficient to dangle off, the side supports make it robust sufficient for normal play. Additionally they give it a really Star Trek really feel and I think the ring appears to be like not in contrast to the NCC-31911 Saratoga. This is maybe essentially the most straight ahead use for PVC pipe on this page. 2 x 25mm to 18mm (1" to 1/2") reducers, 2 x customized motorbike hand-grips, 4 x push-buttons, and a mercury change which are linked to a computer via a hacked USB joystick.

You will discover more particulars about how I made the controller on this undertaking web page and that i've also prolonged the same thought to play GL-Tron utilizing actual motorbikes. A university student who played with the PVC Water Pipe Tron Controller, described above, said "That's Ok but I prefer to play driving video games". It acquired me pondering and over the next week I spent my evenings building a PVC racing car controller - essentially a wheel-less, PVC go-kart body connected to the computer by way of a hacked USB joystick. Some Thai university students who noticed the first automobile needed to know the way it all worked and six of them came around 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 data projector we were in a position to play break up-display screen Daytona USA. You can find extra details about the design and Zap Zone Defender construction of the cars on this venture page. The white office desk I used for the virtual pinball machine wasn't excessive sufficient to be played comfortably.

1 x T-piece, and a pair of x elbows - partially to assist air move however mostly to hold my display up because the spring in the hinge has damaged. As easy as this stand seems, the "L"-shaped upright section is definitely a part of an air-conditioner mount for a knowledge projector that I made for one of many digital pinball desk installations. The T-piece isn't glued and Zap Zone Defender so in a small approach (a very, very small approach) I prefer to think that if the air-conditioning mount have been ever wanted once more then the components might re-combine in a Voltron or Captain Planet and the Planeteers or Power Rangers MegaZord-like manner. In fact if that occurred my laptop display would fall down. I don't own a Nintendo Wii but I did handle to get my arms on a Wiimote so that I may try out a few of Johnny Chung Lee's cool projects. This can be a Wiimote mount I constructed using a size of 35mm (1 and 1/4") pipe, some 18mm (1/2") pipe, three x T-items, and 4 x elbows.

The 35mm pipe has been lower so that it suits nicely into the ridges down the aspect of the Wiimote which holds it securely. This is screwed onto a T-Piece which has additionally had its high cut off. The joint between the 2 topmost elbows will not be glued so the angle of the top section could be adjusted. These sections are merely cable-tied onto the front of the motorbike handlebars and the players squeeze the buttons with their index fingers to turn left or proper. A mercury swap can be mounted on the fitting handlebar so the accelerator can be utilized to offer enhance within the game and up to four bikes could be linked to the pc by way of a single hacked USB joystick. The centerstands keep the bikes upright during play and a half-round of bamboo is wedged beneath the again tires to cease them from rocking. It is a music stand made from three completely different sizes of pipe.