It doesn’t take much to entertain me when it comes to geek toys. Some times the simplest products can be the best products. So, what do you get when you take a solar panel, a prism, some gears and a suction cup? You get the solar powered Rainbow Maker. Available from Lazybone, this little gadget sticks to your window and makes sunny days more colorful and also more fun.
The Rainbow Maker is a 6 inch long pendulum looking plastic thingamabob that sticks to your window by way of a clear suction cup.
The top of the Rainbow Maker has a small solar panel affixed to a hinge. The hinge allows you to manipulate the angle of the panel, so that it can receive the sun’s rays. The hinge doesn’t feel very sturdy, so I advise that you don’t dork around with it all that much.
A large Strass Swarovski crystal dangles from the opposite end of the Rainbow Maker. To start the fun, just stick the device on a window, and wait for the sun to start shining. When the solar panel starts receiving rays of direct sunlight, the crystal will begin to slowly rotate. As the crystal rotates, you’ll start to see rainbow ‘sparks’ flying around on your walls and ceiling.
That’s all there is to it. Simple! The only problem is that the Rainbow Maker will only make rainbows when sun light is shining directly on it. That means that it won’t work on bright cloudy days, or even all day on a sunny day, since the sun won’t shine directly into the same window all day long. Even so, when it is working, it gives a pretty cool effect that doesn’t require any batteries.
See it in action…
Click on image to play the QuickTime video (1min 41sec,
3.4mb). The video is encoded in the H.264 codec. You will need the latest version of Quicktime to view it. VLC is another free viewer. .
The Rainbow Maker is one of those little gadgets that make a fun gift for children or anyone that can appreciate something unique and simple.
Product Information
| Price: | 32.56 |
| Manufacturer: | Lazybone |
| Pros: |
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| Cons: |
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I love stuff like this!
Please don’t stop featuring little stuff like this!
strider_mt2k:
Don’t worry, we won’t. 🙂 I like fun little products like this one too 🙂
Cool little toy!
I was surprised your cat was so calm during the light show. My cats love to chase any kind of reflected or refracted light, no matter how dim. I used to wonder why they’d go crazy whenever I pulled a CD off the shelf until I realized there was light reflecting off the jewel case onto the wall!
I may have to get one of these for them… 😀
CraigS:
Nothing distracts Max from eating 😉 It’s his hobby.
Great choice of music! Bruddah Izzy. One of my all-time favorites.
I grew up with Hawaiian slack key music. My folks used to take us to see the “Sons of Hawaii”, “Guava Jam”, and others. Gabby Pahinui was a God to me as a kid! I often wonder if when Izzy says “This one’s for Gabby…” as this song starts if that is for Gabby Pahinui. It must be.:)
I need to find a store near evanston, IL. Skokie is great. I am unable to drive and must purchase one today for a birthday tomorrow.
thanks.
Sam
I have 2 of these and neither of them work. can I ‘fix’ them ??? they get plenty of sun light.
I just bought one of these and it dosen’t work. It’s been in direct sunlight all day. 🙁
You should check to make sure that light is getting to the little solar panel. Try holding the round part in your hand and shine a bright flash light directly on to the solar panel. Wait to see if the crystal rotates. If it doesn’t, you probably have a defective solar panel or something has causing the gears not to be able to turn inside the housing.
My rainbow maker worked for 10 years. Do you sell the solar battery replacement?
I’m sorry Alexandra, but we don’t sell any products here on The Gadgeteer. We review products, not sell them.