Gizmodo: etch-a-sketch

DIY Laptop Etch-A-Sketch is Almost Worth Destroying a Hard Drive

Rosa Golijan — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 20:40:00 EST

I think my hard drive flinched in fear when I pulled up these instructions for turning a laptop into an Etch-A-Sketch. How could it not when the project is a freakin' awesome Arduino-powered Hack-A-Sketch that you actually shake to erase.

The shake-to-erase action works because of a hidden mercury switch which detects movement and you don't really need to worry about the hard drive since this project kinda destroys your screen. [Project Lab via Make]

Etch-A-Sketch Freestyle Seems Like Cheating

Jack Loftus — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 14:30:00 EST

The Etch-A-Sketch Freestyle aims to eliminate those wobbly, pixel-edged circles that occur on the original. It's cheating.

Call me a dinosaur all you want, I prefer the original over this $15 "modern" update, faults and all. This thing makes everything so easy and carefree. How boring.

On a related note, 3D Etch-A-Sketches? You're cool. [Etch A Sketch Freestyle via OhGizmo]

Etch-a-Sketch iPhone Case Is Almost Too Adorable

Adam Frucci — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 12:40:00 EDT

I don't know why, but I'm such a sucker for handcrafted iPhone cases that look like other gadgets. First the Playstation case and now an Etch-a-Sketch. It's just so cute! [Etsy via iPhone Savior via Geeky Gadgets via Nerd Approved]

What in the Hell Is This Thing? A Skateboard Etch-A-Sketch?

Dan Nosowitz — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 23:30:00 EDT

MAKE calls this a huge XY table. Crunchgear thinks it's kind of a mouse-controlled Etch-A-Sketch. All I know is, it uses a mouse, three skateboards and an Arduino microcontroller. But for what purpose?

I suppose it could be used as an inexact Etch-A-Sketch, using three skateboards for linear movement, but it seems like an awful lot of effort (and space—it must take up an entire garage!) for that. So help me out: What could this thing be used for? Should I be scared or excited? [MAKE via Crunchgear]

I Want to Trip With this Wondrous 3D Etch-a-Sketch

Jesus Diaz — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 20:00:00 EDT

I love me Wacoms as much as I love me bacons, but this Sketch3D—which you can use to draw in three dimensions using three dials and two-color eyeglasses—has got my heart:

Sketch-3D is an interactive, integrated software/hardware system that enables users to create their own anaglyphic 3D drawings. By using a ubiquitous interface metaphor (the "Etch-A-Sketch "), Sketch-3D allows anyone to participate in generating stereoscopic imagery in a way that is simple and engaging. In addition to the personal experience, Sketch-3D can be scaled to work with any output device from large scale projection to plasma displays to an integrated LCD. This versatility allows for Sketch-3D to be tailored to fit a wide array of installation environments.

It runs two applications over a Pico-ITX x86 SBC, a Windows Embedded Standard device. The first one is a service to connect the sensor interface—the three dials—with the main application. The main software is built using the Unity game development environment, with two software cameras that simulate the human eyes. Each camera then displays the Etch-a-Sketch line using red or cyan, which get masked by the classic funky 3D bicolor glasses. [o2 creative solutions]

How to Draw a Circle with Etch-A-Sketch

Jesus Diaz — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 17:00:00 EDT

Stupid Inventions found a way to solve one of the problems that been haunting the United States and half of the world since the holiday season of 1960: How the hell do you draw a circle with an Etch-A-Sketch?

The answer is simple: Cheating. You just need one metal wire—from a hanger—a plastic ring from a 2-liter soda bottle, one sharply edged pick, super glue, duct take, scissors and other bits. [Instructables]

World's First High Definition, Net-Enabled Etch A Sketch for Giants

Andi Wang — Wed, 13 May 2009 23:00:00 EDT

Using the front screen of 52-inch rear-projection Mitsubishi TV as their drawing board, here's a fully-working Etch A Sketch that can hopefully be controlled by doodlers over the Internet some day soon.

Besides the backlit TV, makers Fatman and Circuit Girls also use $9 Harbor Freight drills for the twisty knobs, screen-door pulleys and tent poles to control the creation of the illustrations from the backside, some aluminum powder used in the normal-sized Etch A Sketch as "ink" and a golf tee as a stylus. I wish I understood her directions on how to actually put the giant toy together, but I guess I'll just have to wait for its net-enabling to come into fruition. [Fatman and Circuit Girl via ]

Working Etch-a-Sketch Costume Really Lets You Draw Boobies on This Guy

matt buchanan — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 15:00:00 EST

I've never been a fan of billboard-type costumes—"I'm a lame YouTube video" or "I'm an iPhone"—but this giant Etch-a-Sketch costume is excellent. And it actually works. No, it's not filled with aluminum powder (that could get dicey). It simplifies the setup to using a marker and glass, but the complicated rod and wires setup to make it draw blotchy boobs and penises exactly like the one you had as a kid (but bigger, and on this dude) makes it plenty props-worthy. Check it out in action in the video below.

So, uh, what would you draw on this guy? [Instructables]

Etch-A-Sketch Mod Adds Memory, Ability to Reproduce Your Art

Kit Eaton — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 09:00:00 EST

Rakesh Reddy's Remember-it-All mod brings Etch-a-Sketch nearly up to the 21st Century, by adding a memory and stepper motors to the toy. It ends up being a tad like the Etch-a-Sketch clock, but niftily when you switch it into record mode it copies your every move into memory. Throw a switch and your crappy straight-line art is recreated in front of your eyes. I say nearly 21st Century, 'cause a truly modern mod would automagically create the art for you, but this is still fun, and you can DIY it by following Rakesh's instructions. [DesignNews via MAKE]

Staggered Skyscraper Planned for NYC Looks Like an Etch-a-Sketch Disaster

Sean Fallon — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 12:20:00 EDT

Is it just me, or does this high-rise set to go up at 23 East 22nd Street in NYC look like it was designed on an Etch-a-Sketch by a dude who had too much coffee? Believe it or not, 18 families will undoubtedly pay a fortune to live here when the OMA designed project is completed in 2010. While the base of the structure appears to be braced by the surrounding buildings, I can't help but worry that this thing will topple over in a stiff breeze. [OMA via Dezeen]

Etch-A-Sketch Laptop Case Is More Fun Than the Computer Inside

Mark Wilson — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 17:20:00 EDT

While most of us have acquired too many responsibilities to waste the day away with a good, marathon Etch-A-Sketch session, every time we pull out the laptop to get more work done we can at least dream of less productive times with this Etch-A-Sketch laptop case.

Designed for a standard iBook, the construction is 100% wool felt. Velcro holds the case shut and the two knobs are completely nonfunctional (but you can still turn them and do a little make believing). The etched pattern was made from stitching plain black string.

Unfortunately, it's a one-of-a-kind case. But the link has enough information about the project that it could be duplcated with relative ease. [technabob]

Etch-A-Sketch Clock Automatically Draws the Time

Sean Fallon — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 19:30:27 EST

The Arduino platform has been the basis of some awesome projects in the past, but I have yet to see an application of the technology that is more fun than this Etch-a-Sketch clock. At the beginning of every minute, the device draws out the time in a matter of seconds and then erases it to start the process all over again the next minute. Fan freakin' tastic. [Make]

Controlling an Etch-a-Sketch with a Mouse Might Make it Actually Fun

Adam Frucci — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 12:50:02 EST

Here's a confession: I've always kind of hated the Etch-a-Sketch.

Those knobs are pretty much impossible to draw with, so it always felt like the "fun" of using it was just making a simple task needlessly harder. But I guess I'm in the minority there, because it's hugely popular. But this mod for the "toy" might just erase my criticisms by replacing those infernal knobs with a computer mouse, making the whole thing a bit more user friendly. Unfortunately for me, it was created as a school project at Cornell, so I guess I'll just stick to Microsoft Paint for my mediocre drawing needs. [Project Page via MAKE]

Operation Pen Makes Playing Doctor Fun Again

Mark Wilson — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 14:00:07 EST

While we opted not to go to med school—a choice that we celebrate every day by working in our underwear (though also a choice we regret after catching ourselves in the eye once with a Wicked Laser, true story)—the scales may have tipped were this Operation Pen around several years back. Your favorite game on an obnoxiously oversized writing device, the organs are even fastened to the game with string so you don't lose all the pieces during your first particularly shaky weekend after losing rights to that prescription pad.

The Etch a Sketch pen is neat, too. Both run $5.50. [Product Page via nerdapproved]