TOOLBOX
EL WIRE
STARTER PACK
$20 makershed.com
Want to add the cool
(literally) glow of EL wire to
your projects but not sure
where to start? This nifty
little pack does all the work
for you and comes soldered
and ready to go. Pop in two
AA batteries, revel in the
light of the 8-foot strip of
aqua blue EL, and Tron up
some accessories. Features
blinky and solid modes
accessible with the push of
a button. Copper tape and
heat shrink are included
if you want to try soldering the EL yourself, and
Adafruit’s clear instructions
make it a snap.
—Goli Mohammadi
Petzl Pixa 1 LED Headlamp $37 petzl.com
Petzl’s pro-grade Pixa 1 may be a bit large and over-featured
for my modest needs, but it’s also one of the finest LED
headlamps I have ever used. It throws a wide and gently
bright beam that is perfect for close-up work, such as
soldering or tinkering inside a computer case. —SD
Eureka! By Roy Doty
Pop!
3DTin Free 3dtin.com
Developed in India by software engineer Jayesh Salvi, the
3DTin modeling program runs inside Google Chrome or
Firefox with WebGL support. Get started building parts,
simple and complex, using a library of predefined shapes.
Control the size, rotation, color, and grouping of objects
to create files that can be shared online or exported for
3D printing.
The software is free as long as you agree to share all
your sketches under Creative Commons licensing, otherwise you can opt for the $5 Premium version and reserve
all rights. Export files as PNG, OBJ, DAE, or STL formats
using the downloads feature in your web browser, or publish
your files right to Thingiverse and the 3DTin library to share
with the community. Users also have the option of sending their files to i.materialise, who will print the parts in full
color using their awesome 3D printing lab, for a fee. Salvi is
constantly working to improve 3DTin and add new features,
so get building. —NR
164 Make: makezine.com/30
