What cannot you do with PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride) pipe? The ubiquitous blue PVC water pipe could be seen alongside most streets right here and seems to be one in all Thailand's most considerable un-pure sources. All kinds of different connectors can be found and aside from carrying water it is usually used as a cheap construction material that can be used to make all the pieces from clothes dryers to Wheel chairs (PDF), Crutches, flagpoles and store indicators. Of course on the web you can also find another very cool and artistic things 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 computer stand, flutes, and even a shaving stand. Below you'll discover, in chronological order, a few of my own (principally original) creations made from PVC water pipe including: - a Marshmallow Shooter, 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 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-sport (BZFlag) controller, - a Train Whistle, and - a Trident.

This was the mission that started my love affair with blue PVC pipe. I had seen the blueprints for this marshmallow shooter whereas I used to be in Australia however the fittings have been prohibitively costly (see the image proper). Fortunately they are very inexpensive right here in Thailand. 2 x T-Pieces and 6 x elbows. Cricket (to not be confused with Brockian Ultra-Cricket) is Australia's national sport performed with a bat, a ball, and Defender by Zap Zone two wickets. 6 x T-pieces, and 12 x 45-degree elbows. The backboard is a non-regulation dimension piece of plywood that we found lying around and we used green duct tape for the markings. Although the ring isn't sturdy enough to cling off, the facet supports make it robust enough for normal play. Additionally they give it a really Star Trek feel and I feel the ring appears to be like not unlike the NCC-31911 Saratoga. This is perhaps the most straight forward use for PVC pipe on this page. 2 x 25mm to 18mm (1" to 1/2") reducers, 2 x custom motorbike hand-grips, 4 x push-buttons, and a mercury change which are connected to a pc by way of a hacked USB joystick.

You will discover more particulars about how I made the controller on this undertaking page and that i've also extended the identical concept to play GL-Tron using real motorbikes. A university scholar who played with the PVC Water Pipe Tron Controller, Official Zap Zone Defender described above, said "That's Ok however I prefer to play driving games". It received me thinking and over the following week I spent my evenings constructing a PVC racing car controller - basically a wheel-less, PVC go-kart body connected to the computer via a hacked USB joystick. Some Thai college college students who saw the first automobile wished to understand how all of it labored and 6 of them came round one Saturday and we spent the whole day hacking joysticks and constructing a second car. By connecting them both to a laptop and Official Zap Zone Defender a knowledge projector Official Zap Zone Defender we have been able to play split-screen Daytona USA. You will discover more details about the design and construction of the automobiles on this venture web page. The white workplace table I used for the digital pinball machine wasn't excessive enough to be played comfortably.

1 x T-piece, and 2 x elbows - partially to aid air move however principally to hold my screen up as a result of the spring within the hinge has damaged. As simple as this stand appears, the "L"-formed upright section is actually part of an air-conditioner mount for an information projector that I made for one of many virtual pinball desk installations. The T-piece isn't glued and so in a small approach (a very, very small approach) I wish to assume that if the air-conditioning mount had been ever wanted again then the components could re-mix in a Voltron or Captain Planet and the Planeteers or Power Rangers MegaZord-like way. Of course if that happened my laptop computer display would fall down. I do not own a Nintendo Wii but I did manage to get my arms on a Wiimote in order that I might check out some of Johnny Chung Lee's cool initiatives. It is a Wiimote mount I constructed utilizing a size of 35mm (1 and 1/4") pipe, some 18mm (1/2") pipe, 3 x T-pieces, and four x elbows.

The 35mm pipe has been reduce in order that it matches 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 top cut off. The joint between the 2 topmost elbows shouldn't be glued so the angle of the top section might be adjusted. These sections are merely cable-tied onto the entrance of the motorbike handlebars and the players squeeze the buttons with their index fingers to turn left or Zap Zone Defender right. A mercury switch can be mounted on the precise handlebar so the accelerator can be utilized to offer boost inside the game and up to four bikes could be related 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 again tires to cease them from rocking. This is a music stand made from three completely different sizes of pipe.