A conventional model rocket engine is simple combustible solid fuel (black powder or more advanced composites) molded into a cylinder that uses expanding gas to produce thrust. Though it is minimal, there is some danger there. An alternative is compressed gas, which will also expand to produce thrust — just without the explosive chemical reaction. […] The post A homemade launchpad for compressed air-powered rockets appeared first on Arduino Blog.

Today’s digital slot machines are anything but “fair,” in the way that most of us understand that word. There is tight regulation in most places, but the machines can still adjust their odds of payout in order to maintain a specific profit margin. If the machine thinks it has paid out too many wins recently, […] The post This student made his own odds with a DIY slot machine appeared first on Arduino Blog.

Safes are designed specifically to be impenetrable — that’s kind of the whole point. That’s great when you need to protect something, but it is a real problem when you forget the combination to your safe or when a safe’s combination becomes lost to history. In such situations, Charles McNall’s safe-cracking autodialer device can help. […] The post Forgot your safe combination? This Arduino-controlled autodialer can crack it for you appeared first on Arduino Blog.

We call them “deck builders” for a reason: because players end up with huge piles of trading cards. They can get difficult to manage, which is why the ManaBox app exists for Magic: The Gathering. It lets collectors scan and log their decks, which is handy for everything from finding market values to optimizing deck builds. […] The post Quickly digitize your Magic deck with this 3D-printable scanning rig appeared first on Arduino Blog.

When you want to paint the walls in your bedroom that very specific shade of Misty Irish Green, all you have to do is head to your local hardware store and have them scan the corresponding card. The paint-mixing machine will then add the pigment to a white base and, a few minutes later, you […] The post This Arduino Nano Every-controlled machine automatically mixes acrylic paint of any color appeared first on Arduino Blog.