New toy tri-bristle

Been here before? Maybe you remember my first post on a modified toy.

After that, my wife happened to find this old toy with a clown head. That lead to the next modification (2.0 ??) check this if you like

Well putting it up on youtube and looking around the net, I discovered bristle bots. Do some searching you'll find many variations - here's a fairly large one. (quad bristle?)

Basically it's a fun way to reuse your toothbrush vs. cleaning toilets or whatever.

My first bristle bot attempt was not too stable. It moved a few inches and fell on its side. Then the idea of using a paper clip and a couple of brushes to form the TRI-BRISTLE. (like the outrigger idea for canoes)

So now I have combined the clown head and the bristle bot.

hex bug at hexadecimal level

I have posted about the hex bug before. Most recently I found a new use for an old cellphone battery. Just crude modifications with a battery and LED. Here's that post.

I just found a site that takes hacking the hex bug to another whole level - say hexadecimal.

Now this looks more professional - but I still like my clown head.

Applied Inspirations offers the details of an extensive hex bug hack. So if you want more from your $10 hexbug take a look.

Now here's an idea - thinking of my last post about GPS - add GPS to the hex bug and map something. Of course the hexbug doesn't travel over uneven or soft surfaces.

spare parts waste not

(update 5/2011 - If you clicked over from youtube you might be interested in my latest video clips)


It started as a hex bug. These inexpensive toys are great except they have limited batteries. So instead of replacing the small watch type batteries, I decided to attach a rechargeable battery to it. Sometime ago I posted the first modification to this hex bug.

The other day the Chicago Tribune had this informative article about recycling cell phones. One of the big reseller/ recycler, Recellular, is reported to expect processing over 6 million phones this years. The recellular.com site has a great list of donation and recycling programs.

Here's another idea or two.

I recently updated my Verizon phone. Instead of using one of these programs I recycled my old one by selling it on E-bay.

Another old phone around the house that didn't work (dead screen) was used for spare parts. When you take it apart be sure to keep the battery holder part intact. The best parts were the battery and holder and the vibrate motor. These parts were then connected to the hex bug.




Using the battery and vibrate motor with the hex bug turned out great. The power of the battery is a little too much for the hex bug if directly connected to the bug's power. So by putting the vibrate motor in series with the bug works and then you get a this extra vibrating thing going for it.

Here's the new hex bug toy in action.