What can't you do with PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride) pipe? The ubiquitous blue PVC water pipe could be seen alongside most streets here and seems to be one among Thailand's most considerable un-natural sources. All kinds of various connectors can be found and other than carrying water it is also used as a cheap development material that can be used to make every little thing from clothes dryers to Wheel chairs (PDF), Crutches, mosquito fly zapper flagpoles and shop indicators. After all on the web it's also possible to discover another very cool and inventive issues made from (non-blue) PVC pipe including: Halloween costumes like Ben Hallert's Matrix APU and Aliens Exo-skeleton Power Loader, one other power loader costume, single and multi-guitar Guitar Hero stands, a laptop stand, flutes, and even a shaving stand. Below you will discover, in chronological order, a few of my very own (principally unique) creations made from PVC water pipe including: - a Marshmallow Shooter, bug zapper for backyard Plumbing, Soccer Goals, - a Cricket Wicket, - 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 bug zapper for backyard, - 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-sport (BZFlag) controller, mosquito killer - a Train Whistle, and - a Trident.
This was the undertaking that started my love affair with blue PVC pipe. I had seen the blueprints for this marshmallow shooter whereas I was in Australia but the fittings had been prohibitively expensive (see the picture right). Fortunately they are very reasonably priced here in Thailand. 2 x T-Pieces and 6 x elbows. Cricket (not to be confused with Brockian Ultra-Cricket) is Australia's national sport played with a bat, a ball, and two wickets. 6 x T-pieces, and 12 x 45-diploma elbows. The backboard is a non-regulation size piece of plywood that we found lying round and we used green duct tape for the markings. Although the ring is not strong enough to cling off, the side supports make it robust sufficient for normal play. Additionally they give it a very Star Trek feel and I believe the ring seems to be not unlike the NCC-31911 Saratoga. This is maybe probably the most straight forward 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 that are linked to a computer through a hacked USB joystick.
You'll find extra particulars about how I made the controller on this undertaking web page and that i've additionally prolonged the same idea to play GL-Tron using actual motorbikes. A university student who performed with the PVC Water Pipe Tron Controller, described above, mentioned "That's Ok but I like to play driving video games". It obtained me pondering and over the following week I spent my evenings constructing a PVC racing automotive controller - essentially a wheel-less, PVC go-kart body related to the computer by way of a hacked USB joystick. Some Thai university students who noticed the first automotive wished to understand how it all labored and six of them came round one Saturday and we spent the entire day hacking joysticks and building a second automobile. By connecting them both to a laptop computer and a data projector bug zapper for backyard we had been in a position to play break up-display screen Daytona USA. You can find more details concerning the design and development of the cars on this undertaking page. The white workplace desk I used for the virtual pinball machine wasn't high enough to be performed comfortably.
1 x T-piece, and a couple of x elbows - partially to aid air movement but principally to carry my display up as a result of the spring within the hinge has broken. As easy as this stand appears, 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 virtual pinball table installations. The T-piece is not glued and so in a small approach (a very, very small approach) I like to suppose that if the air-conditioning mount had been ever needed once more then the parts could re-combine in a Voltron or Captain Planet and the Planeteers or Power Rangers MegaZord-like means. After all if that happened my laptop computer display screen would fall down. I do not own a Nintendo Wii but I did manage to get my fingers on a Wiimote so that I could try out some of Johnny Chung Lee's cool initiatives. It is a Wiimote mount I built using a length of 35mm (1 and 1/4") pipe, some 18mm (1/2") pipe, 3 x T-items, and four x elbows.
The 35mm pipe has been lower in order that it fits nicely into the ridges down the aspect of the Wiimote which holds it securely. That is screwed onto a T-Piece which has additionally had its high minimize off. The joint between the two topmost elbows isn't glued so the angle of the top part may be adjusted. These sections are merely cable-tied onto the entrance of the motorbike handlebars and the gamers squeeze the buttons with their index fingers to show left or proper. A mercury swap is also mounted on the fitting handlebar so the accelerator can be used to provide enhance within the sport and as much as 4 bikes might be linked to the pc by way of a single hacked USB joystick. The centerstands keep the bikes upright throughout play and a half-round of bamboo is wedged beneath the back tires to cease them from rocking. This is a music stand made from three different sizes of pipe.