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.
6,973 Comments
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2022/12/15/top-up-your-teapot-in-time-with-this-e-ink-tea-timer/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2022/12/14/dumping-game-boy-cartridges-via-the-link-cable-port/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Mechanical Keyboard Receives Rotary Dial Upgrade
Squidgeefish’s coworker inherited a vintage rotary phone from his grandparents and Squidgeefish turned it into this nifty rotary number pad.
https://www.hackster.io/news/mechanical-keyboard-receives-rotary-dial-upgrade-3b5887dcc1eb
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.k-rauta.fi/inspiraatio-ja-ohjeet/remontointi/hionta
Tomi Engdahl says:
Wireless ETTL flash conversion
Convert a vintage flash to wireless with full ETTL
https://hackaday.io/project/187947-wireless-ettl-flash-conversion
Tomi Engdahl says:
Antweight Combat Robot Tips, Shared From Experience
https://hackaday.com/2022/12/18/antweight-combat-robot-tips-shared-from-experience/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2022/11/23/books-you-should-read-why-buildings-fall-down/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2022/12/16/motion-activated-clock-only-lights-up-on-command/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Foot Pedal Ups Vim Productivity, Brings Ergonomic Benefits
https://hackaday.com/2022/12/16/foot-pedal-ups-vim-productivity-brings-ergonomic-benefits/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2022/12/16/kids-jukebox-based-on-arduino-with-rfid/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2022/12/17/differential-swerve-drive-is-highly-maneuverable/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Printed Film Camera Gets 10 Seconds Out Of A 35mm Roll
https://hackaday.com/2022/12/17/printed-film-camera-gets-10-seconds-out-of-a-35mm-roll/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2022/12/18/robot-dog-has-animal-magnetism/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.io/project/188637-magnet-viewing-clock
Tomi Engdahl says:
A Simple High-Fidelity DIY Mic Pre Amp
https://hackaday.com/2022/12/16/a-simple-high-fidelity-diy-mic-pre-amp/
If you’re doing any serious work with microphones, you’ll typically find yourself in want of a dedicated preamp. [ojg] needed just such a thing for acoustic measurement duties, and set about working up a cheap DIY design by the name of ThatMicPre.
The design is based around the THAT1510 preamp IC, known for its good frequency response and low harmonic distortion and noise. The design is also compatible with THAT1512, SSM2019, and INA217 chips as well. [ojg] gave the design switch-controlled gain levels, providing greater accuracy than a potentiometer adjustment, and the ability to supply phantom power for mics that require it. The PCB is designed to rely on through-hole parts and common connectors for easy assembly.
https://github.com/ojg/thatmicpre
Tomi Engdahl says:
Enter Any Unicode Character Using 18 Switches on This Sleek Keyboard
Hsgw’s Ultimate Unicode Input Device is much more user-friendly than a standard QWERTY keyboard
https://www.hackster.io/news/enter-any-unicode-character-using-18-switches-on-this-sleek-keyboard-52644540fa9d
Tomi Engdahl says:
These Open Source Arduino-Inspired Microcontroller Boards Offer a Few Twists on the Norm
A pair of permissively-licensed boards, based on the Microchip ATmega32U4 and Raspberry Pi RP2040 respectively, offer some smart twists.
https://www.hackster.io/news/these-open-source-arduino-inspired-microcontroller-boards-offer-a-few-twists-on-the-norm-248bddc4c5f3
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://makezine.com/article/maker-news/mighty-modules-pluggable-boards-to-get-your-project-built/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://vertia.fi/putken-paikannus-lampokameralla/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2022/12/19/mini-cheetah-clone-teardown-by-none-other-than-original-designer/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Photography, The Stereo Way
https://hackaday.com/2022/12/19/photography-the-stereo-way/
Most consumer-grade audio equipment has been in stereo since at least the 1960s, allowing the listener to experience sounds with a three-dimensional perspective as if they were present when the sound was originally made. Stereo photography has lagged a little behind the stereo audio trend, though, with most of the technology existing as passing fads or requiring clumsy hardware to experience fully. Not so with the DIY stereoscopic cameras like this one produced by this group of 3D photography enthusiasts, who have also some methods to view the photos in 3D without any extra hardware.
D.I.Y. Stereo Macro Camera
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wcuBFhz_7H8
https://photo-3d.groups.io/g/main
Tomi Engdahl says:
IO Connected Radio Alarm Clock
https://hackaday.com/2022/12/19/io-connected-radio-alarm-clock/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Snail Mail Notifier’s Simple Power Management To Maximize Battery Life
https://hackaday.com/2022/12/19/snail-mail-notifiers-simple-power-management-to-maximize-battery-life/
There are no weird, specialized components nor esoteric sleep mode tricks behind the long battery life of [Zak]’s WiFi mail slot watcher. Just some sensible design and clever focus on the device’s purpose: to send an HTTP request whenever it detects that the front door’s mail slot has been opened. The HTTP request is what kicks off useful notifications, but it’s the hardware design that’s really worth a peek.
The watcher’s main components are a ESP-M2 WiFi module, a reed switch, and a single lithium cell. Here’s how it works at a high level: when the mail slot is opened (detected by the reed switch), the ESP module is powered up just long enough to connect to the local WiFi network and send a single HTTP request, after which it shuts back down. The whole process takes between four and ten seconds.
https://blog.zakkemble.net/mail-notifier-wifi-edition/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Mouse Whisperer Keeps You Working, Even When You Need A Break
https://hackaday.com/2022/12/19/mouse-whisperer-keeps-you-working-even-when-you-need-a-break/
When life hands you lemons, you make lemonade, right? What about when life hands you annoyingly intrusive work-from-home policies that require you to physically stay at your computer even though you really, REALLY need to go to the bathroom, but can’t be trusted to act like a responsible adult who won’t get diverted by TV or the fridge on the way back? In that case, you build something like the Mouse Whisperer — because malicious compliance is the best kind of compliance.
To be fair, [andrey.malyshenko] does list other plausible use cases for what amounts to an automatic mouse wiggler. Like many of us, [andrey] isn’t a fan of logging back in from screen locks, and recognizes that not absolutely every minute of work requires staring at one’s screen. There’s also the need for bio-breaks, of course, and the Mouse Whisperer is designed to accommodate these use cases and more.
Mouse whisperer
https://hackaday.io/project/188677-mouse-whisperer
Mouse Whisperer is a small development kit that is based on ATtiny85. It will act like a physical mouse and draw circles when you’re away
Tomi Engdahl says:
I2S output FM Tuner
https://hackaday.io/project/188601-i2s-output-fm-tuner
I2S(inter-IC sound bus) output FM Tuner using RDA7088 with NEC protocol IR remote control using PIC10F200 microcontroller.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Mouse whisperer
https://hackaday.io/project/188677-mouse-whisperer
Mouse Whisperer is a small development kit that is based on ATtiny85. It will act like a physical mouse and draw circles when you’re away
Tomi Engdahl says:
Doctor Volt was able to make his own laser scanning microscope using an old Blu-ray laser.
DIY Laser Scanning Microscope Built Using an Old Blu-ray Laser
https://www.hackster.io/news/diy-laser-scanning-microscope-built-using-an-old-blu-ray-laser-fdb54bcf3384
Doctor Volt was able to make his own laser scanning microscope using an old Blu-ray laser.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Making A $2000 Synth For $99
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hBFbo3VF1TQ
teensy-juno
A Teensy 3.x/4.x based polyphonic synthesizer, modelled after the Juno-106
https://github.com/wang-edward/t-juno-copy-v2
Tomi Engdahl says:
I built an analog synth from 1979!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ADZXv5DA7Ek
a super rare analog synth kit from 1979 (MINI GAN PET-103). In this video, I put the synth together and find out how it sounds.
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2022/12/20/single-photon-detection-with-photomultipliers/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2022/12/20/more-detail-on-that-fantastic-lego-oled-brick/
Tomi Engdahl says:
NTC Thermistor To ThingSpeak Meter Makes A Great IoT Starter Project
https://hackaday.com/2022/12/20/ntc-thermistor-to-thingspeak-meter-makes-a-great-iot-starter-project/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2022/12/20/seriously-dont-buy-this-mopping-robot/
Tomi Engdahl says:
3D Printed Light Pipe Turns Overly-Bright LED Into Design Harmony
https://hackaday.com/2022/12/22/3d-printed-light-pipe-turns-overly-bright-led-into-design-harmony/
There are a number of ways to efficiently and elegantly limit an LED’s brightness, but [Tommy] found that using a light pipe or diffuser can integrate better with a device, especially when the device itself is mostly 3D printed in the first place.
https://blog.tommy.sh/posts/early-experiments-with-3d-printed-light-pipes/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2022/12/21/sliding-wrench-leaves-a-little-to-be-desired/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Blood Pressure Monitoring, Courtesy Of Cameras And AI
https://hackaday.com/2022/12/21/blood-pressure-monitoring-courtesy-of-cameras-and-ai/
Tomi Engdahl says:
2022 FPV Contest: The LOTP Robot Dog
https://hackaday.com/2022/12/21/2022-fpv-contest-the-lotp-robot-dog/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.hackster.io/news/this-christmas-tree-is-a-massive-pov-marvel-d51a73e65be9
Tomi Engdahl says:
BLINKATRON – Freeform clock with RGB display!
A fun digital clock, featuring a 6 digit, RGB LED, 7 segment display. Built fully freeform style with brass wire!
https://hackaday.io/project/175257-blinkatron-freeform-clock-with-rgb-display
Tomi Engdahl says:
Convert a manual flash to TTL
Convert a manual flash to TTL
https://hackaday.io/project/188751-convert-a-manual-flash-to-ttl
Tomi Engdahl says:
Low cost RF camera trigger
https://hackaday.io/project/1773-low-cost-rf-camera-trigger
I just wanted to make some night shots, but commercially available triggers are too expensive, so I decided to make my own RF-enabled
Tomi Engdahl says:
Polyformer – Ideal Filament Recycler
https://hackaday.io/project/185304-polyformer-ideal-filament-recycler
The ideal machine for recycling plastic bottles into 3D printer filament.
Team Members: Reiten (Yang) Cheng, Swaleh Owais
Tomi Engdahl says:
CH55xG Development Board
https://hackaday.io/project/188716-ch55xg-development-board
Development board for the CH551G, CH552G and CH554G microcontrollers with native USB 2.0 and Arduino IDE support.
The CH55x is an 8-bit enhanced E8051 core MCU compatible with the MCS51 instruction set. 79% of its instructions are single-byte single-cycle instructions, and the average instruction speed is 8 – 15 times faster than that of the standard MCS51. The special xRAM supports direct memory access (DMA), data fast copy command, and double DPTR pointers. The CH55x has a built-in USB controller and USB transceiver, it supports USB-Host mode (CH554 only) and USB-Device mode (all), USB Type-C master-slave detection, USB 2.0 full-speed (12Mbps) and low-speed (1.5Mbps) traffic, data packets of up to 64 bytes, and DMA. It has a factory built-in bootloader so firmware can be uploaded directly via USB without the need for an additional programming device.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Alpakka: A Creative Commons Game Controller
https://hackaday.com/2022/12/22/alpakka-a-creative-commons-game-controller/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2022/12/22/old-robotic-vacuum-gets-a-new-rc-lease-on-life/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2022/12/22/2022-fpv-contest-a-poor-mans-journey-into-fpv/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2022/12/22/you-can-make-ferrofluid-on-the-cheap-with-vhs-tapes/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Your Own Santa? Thermal Camera Roundup
https://hackaday.com/2022/12/22/your-own-santa-thermal-camera-roundup/
https://www.wired.com/gallery/best-thermal-cameras-for-phones/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2022/12/23/harmonic-vs-cycloidal-show-down/
Tomi Engdahl says:
3D-Printed Self-Balancing Robot Brings Control Theory To Life
https://hackaday.com/2022/12/27/3d-printed-self-balancing-robot-brings-control-theory-to-life/
Stabilizing an inverted pendulum is a classic problem in control theory, and if you’ve ever taken a control systems class you might remember seeing pages full of differential equations and bode diagrams just to describe its basic operation. Although this might make such a system seem terribly complicated, actually implementing all of that theory doesn’t have to be difficult at all, as [Limenitis Reducta] demonstrates in his latest project. All you need is a 3D printer, some basic electronic skills and knowledge of Python.
https://hackaday.io/project/188801-lotp-two-wheeled-self-balancing-robot