Just like the garage computer explosion of the 70’s through the 80’s, which brought us such things as Apple, pong, Bill Gate’s hair, and the proliferation of personal computers, the maker movement is the new garage hardware explosion. Today, 135 million adults in the United States alone are involved in the maker movement.
Enthusiasts who want to build the products they want, from shortwave radios to personal computers, and to tweak products they’ve bought to make them even better, have long been a part of the electronics industry. By all measures, garage-style innovation remains alive and well today, as “makers” as they are called continue to turn out contemporary gadgets, including 3D printers, drones, and embedded electronics devices.
Making is about individual Do-It-Yourselfers being able to design and create with tools that were, as of a decade or two ago, only available to large, cash-rich corporations: CAD tools, CNC mills, 3D printers, low-quantity PCB manufacturing, open hardware such as Arduinos and similar inexpensive development boards – all items that have made it easier and relatively cheap to make whatever we imagine. For individuals, maker tools can change how someone views their home or their hobbies. The world is ours to make. Humans are genetically wired to be makers. The maker movement is simply the result of making powerful building and communication tools accessible to the masses. There are plenty of projects from makers that show good engineering: Take this Arduino board with tremendous potential, developed by a young maker, as example.
The maker movement is a catalyst to democratize entrepreneurship as these do-it-yourself electronics are proving to be hot sellers: In the past year, unit sales for 3D printing related products; Arduino units, parts and supplies; Raspberry Pi boards; drones and quadcopters; and robotics goods are all on a growth curve in terms of eBay sales. There are many Kickstarter maker projects going on. The Pebble E-Paper Watch raises $10 million. The LIFX smartphone-controlled LED bulb raises $1.3 million. What do these products have in common? They both secured funding through Kickstarter, a crowd-funding website that is changing the game for entrepreneurs. Both products were created by makers who seek to commercialize their inventions. These “startup makers” iterate on prototypes with high-end tools at professional makerspaces.
For companies to remain competitive, they need to embrace the maker movement or leave themselves open for disruption. Researchers found that 96 percent of business leaders believe new technologies have forever changed the rules of business by democratizing information and rewiring customer expectations. - You’ve got to figure out agile innovation. Maybe history is repeating itself as the types of products being sold reminded us of the computer tinkering that used to be happening in the 1970s to 1990s – similar in terms of demographics, tending to be young people, and low budget. Now the do-it-yourself category is deeply intertwined with the electronics industry. Open hardware is in the center in maker movement – we need open hardware designs! How can you publish your designs and still do business with it? Open source ecosystem markets behave differently and therefore require a very different playbook than traditional tech company: the differentiation is not in the technology you build; it is in the process and expertise that you slowly amass over an extended period of time.
By democratizing the product development process, helping these developments get to market, and transforming the way we educate the next generation of innovators, we will usher in the next industrial revolution. The world is ours to make. Earlier the PC created a new generation of software developers who could innovate in the digital world without the limitations of the physical world (virtually no marginal cost, software has become the great equalizer for innovation. Now advances in 3D printing and low-cost microcontrollers as well as the ubiquity of advanced sensors are enabling makers to bridge software with the physical world. Furthermore, the proliferation of wireless connectivity and cloud computing is helping makers contribute to the Internet of Things (IoT). We’re even beginning to see maker designs and devices entering those markets once thought to be off-limits, like medical.
Image source: The world is ours to make: The impact of the maker movement – EDN Magazine
In fact, many parents have engaged in the maker movement with their kids because they know that the education system is not adequately preparing their children for the 21st century. There is a strong movement to spread this DIY idea widely. The Maker Faire, which launched in the Bay Area in California in 2006, underlined the popularity of the movement by drawing a record 215,000 people combined in the Bay Area and New York events in 2014. There’s Maker Media, MakerCon, MakerShed, Make: magazine and 131 Maker Faire events that take place throughout the world. Now the founders of all these Makers want a way to connect what they refer to as the “maker movement” online. So Maker Media created a social network called MakerSpace, a Facebook-like social network that connects participants of Maker Faire in one online community. The new site will allow participants of the event to display their work online. There are many other similar sites that allow yout to present yout work fron Hackaday to your own blog. Today, 135 million adults in the United States alone are involved in the maker movement—although makers can be found everywhere in the world.
7,080 Comments
Tomi Engdahl says:
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Tomi Engdahl says:
PastePal Version 2
https://hackaday.io/project/202147-pastepal-version-2
PastePal is a macropad, and this second version features five MX Switches along with a small 128×32 OLED
Greeting everyone and welcome back.
This is Paste Pal 2, which is a follow-up to my previous Paste Pal project, which was essentially a two-button macropad setup with an SSD1306 OLED screen, with one button for copy and the other for paste. The new version includes five mechanical switches that can be used to do XYZ things such as open an app, execute a command, type a special word, and so on.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Snap Probe
Finally designed a Testing Probe I enjoy using
https://hackaday.io/project/202121-snap-probe
This tool was born out of a personal need for a reliable and hands-free way to test PCBs. I often found myself struggling with traditional probes that required precise manual handling, especially when working with tiny test points or densely populated boards. The idea was simple: create a tool that could securely hold itself in place, provide stable contact, and free up my hands for other tasks.
The result is this spring-loaded clamp with integrated precision testing needles. It’s designed to work with a variety of PCB layouts, from microcontrollers to small modules. The clamp applies consistent pressure to maintain a stable connection, which is particularly useful when testing for continuity, voltage, or signals over an extended period.
What I appreciate most about this design is how it simplifies my workflow. I can now set up tests quickly, make adjustments without worrying about the probe slipping, and focus on interpreting the results. The lightweight and durable mater
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2025/01/09/sheet-metal-forming-with-3d-printed-dies/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Toner Transfer, But Not For PCBs
https://hackaday.com/2025/01/09/toner-transfer-but-not-for-pcbs/
It is old news that you can print PCB artwork on glossy paper and use a clothes iron to transfer the toner to a copper board, which will resist etchant. But [Squalius] shows us how to do a similar trick with 3D prints in a recent video
Easy way to get sharp text to 3D print!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wWhU4gyD9Bk
Tomi Engdahl says:
MINIBOT
A small semi-autonomous robot.
https://hackaday.io/project/202069-minibot
The robot has the following components:
Arduino Pro Micro: The main brain that reads all sensors and controls the motors.
ESP32-CAM: For the ability to drive the robot remotely. Mostly stays in deep sleep when not being used.
x2, 3v 16RPM tiny geared motors: For driving the wheels. See my info about these motors above.
HC-SR04 Ultrasonic Distance Sensor: The only sensor (aside from the camera) on the front. Used for Obstacle avoidance.
IR Infrared Obstacle Avoidance Sensor: Placed on the back for detecting distance when backing up. This module only has a range of about 2-3 inches, so it is not very useful for navigation. I also discovered it draws about 40 mA as long as it is connected to VCC. That is about 3x more than the Arduino and all the other sensors combined (not including motors or ESP32). I ended up switching it with a transistor. That way it can only be powered when backing up.
PIR Motion detection sensor: If the cat walks in the room the robot wakes up!
Light-Dependent Resistor: For measuring the area’s relative luminosity.
30 mA 5v Monocrystalline solar panel: For keeping the battery topped off and sensing light strength.
TP4056 LiPo charger: For charging the robot via USB
Slide Switch for powering off robot
10 Pin header for programming Arduino and ESP32.
5v Boost convertor module. This runs everything. The HC-SR04 is required to be powered by 5v. The motors work better on 5v, and the ESP32 and Arduino each have 3.3v LDO on them, so 5v is an acceptable power level for their input.
1100 mA 1s Lipo Battery: drains in a few hours if using ESP32. Otherwise lasts a long time.
10 Great Artificial Intelligence projects using ESP32-CAM!!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ujjg0LJ8hms
Tomi Engdahl says:
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Tomi Engdahl says:
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Tomi Engdahl says:
Heavy Desktop Mill
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Tomi Engdahl says:
Robotics Class Is Open
https://hackaday.com/2025/01/19/robotics-class-is-open/
If you are like us, you probably just spin up your own code for a lot of simple projects. But that’s wasteful if you are trying to do anything serious. Take a robot, for example. Are you using ROS (Robot Operating System)? If not — or even if you are — check out [Janne Karttunene] and the University of Eastern Finland’s open-source course Robotics and ROS 2 Essentials.
https://henkirobotics.com/robotics-and-ros-2-essentials-course-announcement/
The material is on GitHub.
https://github.com/henki-robotics/robotics_essentials_ros2