What can't you do with PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride) pipe? The ubiquitous blue PVC water pipe may be seen along most streets here and seems to be certainly one of Thailand's most considerable un-natural resources. A wide variety of different connectors can be found and aside from carrying water it is also used as an affordable building material that can be utilized to make the whole lot from clothes dryers to Wheel chairs (PDF), Crutches, Zap Zone Defender flagpoles and shop signs. Of course on the web you can also discover another very cool and artistic things made from (non-blue) PVC pipe including: Halloween costumes like Ben Hallert's Matrix APU and Aliens Exo-skeleton Power Loader, another power loader costume, single and multi-guitar Guitar Hero stands, a laptop computer stand, flutes, and even a shaving stand. Below you will discover, in chronological order, some of my very own (largely original) creations made from PVC water pipe together with: - a Marshmallow Shooter, Plumbing, Soccer Goals, - a Cricket Wicket, ZapZone 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, Zap Zone Defender - a Workbench, Real-Tron Controllers - a Music Stand Puzzle Bobble Coffee Grinder Controllers, Zap Zone Defender - a Netbook Treadmill Hook, CD/DVD Holders, - a Nightstand/shelves, Zap Zone Defender Device - Push Up Bar/Handles, Fake Legs, - a Hilbert Cube, - a Mario Kart steering wheel, - a Guitar Stand, Hockey Sticks, - a Tank-game (BZFlag) controller, - a Train Whistle, and - a Trident.
This was the project that began my love affair with blue PVC pipe. I had seen the blueprints for this marshmallow shooter whereas I used to be in Australia but the fittings had been prohibitively expensive (see the picture right). Fortunately they're very inexpensive right here in Thailand. 2 x T-Pieces and 6 x elbows. Cricket (not to be confused with Brockian Ultra-Cricket) is Australia's nationwide sport performed with a bat, a ball, and two wickets. 6 x T-items, and 12 x 45-degree elbows. The backboard is a non-regulation size piece of plywood that we discovered lying around and we used green duct tape for the markings. Although the ring isn't sturdy sufficient to grasp off, the facet helps make it sturdy sufficient for regular play. They also give it a very Star Trek feel and I feel the ring appears not in contrast to the NCC-31911 Saratoga. This is maybe essentially the most straight forward use for PVC pipe on this page. 2 x 25mm to 18mm (1" to 1/2") reducers, Defender by Zap Zone 2 x custom motorbike hand-grips, four x push-buttons, and Zap Zone a mercury swap that are connected to a pc via a hacked USB joystick.
You'll find more details about how I made the controller on this project page and Zap Zone Defender i've also extended the same thought to play GL-Tron using real motorbikes. A university pupil who performed with the PVC Water Pipe Tron Controller, described above, Zap Zone Defender Experience stated "That's Ok however I prefer to play driving games". It bought me pondering and over the subsequent week I spent my evenings constructing a PVC racing automotive controller - basically a wheel-less, PVC go-kart frame connected to the computer via a hacked USB joystick. Some Thai college college students who noticed the primary automobile wanted to know the way all of it labored and 6 of them came round one Saturday and we spent the entire day hacking joysticks and constructing a second automobile. By connecting them both to a laptop computer and a knowledge projector we had been able to play cut up-display Daytona USA. You will discover more particulars concerning the design and construction of the cars on this undertaking page. The white workplace desk I used for the virtual pinball machine wasn't high sufficient to be performed comfortably.
1 x T-piece, and 2 x elbows - partially to assist air stream but principally to hold my display up as a result of the spring in the hinge has damaged. As straightforward as this stand appears to be like, the "L"-shaped upright part is definitely part of an air-conditioner mount for a knowledge projector that I made for one of many virtual pinball desk installations. The T-piece is not glued and so in a small way (a very, very small means) I like to assume that if the air-conditioning mount were ever wanted again then the components could re-combine in a Voltron or Captain Planet and Zap Zone Defender the Planeteers or Power Rangers MegaZord-like manner. Of course if that occurred my laptop display screen would fall down. I don't personal a Nintendo Wii but I did handle to get my fingers on a Wiimote so that I may check out some of Johnny Chung Lee's cool projects. This is a Wiimote mount I built using a length of 35mm (1 and 1/4") pipe, some 18mm (1/2") pipe, Zap Zone Defender three x T-items, and 4 x elbows.
The 35mm pipe has been reduce in order that it fits properly 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 minimize off. The joint between the 2 topmost elbows shouldn't be glued so the angle of the highest section will 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 turn left or proper. A mercury swap is also mounted on the fitting handlebar so the accelerator can be used to supply boost inside the sport and up to four bikes might be linked to the computer via 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 cease them from rocking. This is a music stand made from three completely different sizes of pipe.