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:
An Open Hardware Eurorack Compatible Audio FPGA Front End
https://hackaday.com/2023/02/13/an-open-hardware-eurorack-compatible-audio-fpga-front-end/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2023/02/14/supercon-2022-matt-venns-tiny-tapeout-brings-chip-design-to-the-masses/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2023/02/14/how-home-made-robot-arms-used-to-be-made/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2023/02/14/5-axis-printer-wants-to-design-itself/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2023/02/15/whats-old-is-new-again-a-linux-pc-from-a-set-top-box/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2023/02/15/ploopy-builds-open-source-rp2040-powered-headphones-and-you-can-too/
https://github.com/ploopyco/headphones/tree/master/hardware/electronics
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.io/project/189565-motorized-sequencer
Tomi Engdahl says:
Realistic Animatronic Eyes Are An Easy DIY Build
https://hackaday.com/2023/02/15/realistic-animatronic-eyes-are-an-easy-diy-build/
It’s not Halloween yet, but if you’re planning a technically-complicated costume, it might serve you well to start building now. To that end, here’s a guide from [Ikkalebob] on how to produce a compact animatronic eye mechanism.
The eye is inspired by mechanisms used in professional animatronics. However, that doesn’t mean it’s hard to build. Complex machining is done away with in favor of readily reproducible 3D-printed components.
https://www.instructables.com/DIY-Compact-3D-Printed-Animatronic-Eye-Mechanism/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2023/02/15/hobnobbing-with-the-knob/
The scroll wheel might be the best thing that happened to the computer mouse since, well, the computer mouse. But sometimes you want something a little more tangible. For example, with a software-defined radio setup, it doesn’t feel right to scroll your mouse to change frequencies. That’s where [Wagiminator]’ USB knob would come in handy. Marrying a 3D printed case, some addressable LEDs, a rotary encoder, and a CH552E microcontroller, the knob appears to the host operating system as a normal USB keyboard. That means most programs can use it without any special drivers or software.
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2023/02/15/breadboarding-a-game-boy-from-scratch/
Tomi Engdahl says:
How to Apply Silicone – the COMPLETE Pro Guide
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=_DI4hfHM_Hg
As the title suggests, this video contains literally everything you need to know to take you from a beginner to a professional siliconer!
Tomi Engdahl says:
AliExpress gems
https://youtu.be/7sGN0-YsiYw
Tomi Engdahl says:
Pi Alternatives
https://youtu.be/uJvCVw1yONQ
Tomi Engdahl says:
Turn your CRT television into an audio waveform visualizer!
A simple method for adding a cathode ray tube display to your audio project
https://www.hackster.io/tmburns/turn-your-crt-television-into-an-audio-waveform-visualizer-8c93a5
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.edn.com/cancel-pwm-dac-ripple-with-analog-subtraction-revisited/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Open Source Ploopy Headphones Get RP2040 DAC
The open source Ploopy headphones, now available for pre-order, integrate a Raspberry Pi RP2040 microcontroller-based DAC
https://www.hackster.io/news/open-source-ploopy-headphones-get-rp2040-dac-137c3eef9491
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.iqsdirectory.com/articles/power-supply/dc-power-supply.html
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://blog.arduino.cc/2023/02/28/self-guided-circular-saw-automates-woodworking/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2023/02/17/giant-3d-printed-excavator-is-awesome-but-needs-work/
Tomi Engdahl says:
A Call For Better Shower Temperature Controls
https://hackaday.com/2023/02/18/a-call-for-better-shower-temperature-controls/
Tomi Engdahl says:
LED Filament Lamp Is Subtle, Warm, And Elegant
https://hackaday.com/2023/02/18/led-filament-lamp-is-subtle-warm-and-elegant/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Put A Constellation In Your Dining Room
https://hackaday.com/2023/02/18/put-a-constellation-in-your-dining-room/
Tomi Engdahl says:
DIY Mini Fridge Is Pure Brilliance In Foam
https://hackaday.com/2023/02/18/diy-mini-fridge-is-pure-brilliance-in-foam/
There’s nothing more pleasing on a hot day than an ice-cold beverage. While the vast majority of us have a fridge in the kitchen, sometimes it’s desirable to have a further fridge in the lab, games room, or workshop. To that end, you may find value in this ultra-cheap, low-cost DIY fridge build from [Handy_Bear].
Like many tiny fridge builds, this design eschews complex gas-cycle refrigeration techniques for simple Peltier modules. These are devices that have one cold side and one hot side, because they move heat when electricity is applied. This build uses a Peltier module fitted with a fan to better shift away heat from the hot side, improving the module’s cooling ability.
https://www.instructables.com/How-to-Make-a-Mini-Fridge/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2023/02/19/a-better-playlist-shuffle-algorithm-is-possible/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Automating The Most Analog Of HVAC Equipment
https://hackaday.com/2023/02/20/automating-the-most-analog-of-hvac-equipment/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Clear PLA Diffuses LEDs
https://hackaday.com/2023/02/20/clear-pla-diffuses-leds/
Chuck] often prints up interesting 3D prints. But we enjoyed his enhancement to a cheap LED Christmas tree kit. The original kit was simply a few green PCBs in the shape of a tree. Cute, but not really something a non-nerd would appreciate. What [Chuck] did, though, is printed a clear PLA overcoat for it and it came out great. You can see how great in the video below.
You might think transparent PLA would be really clear, but because of the layers, it is more translucent than transparent. For an LED diffuser, though, it works great. There are a few things to consider when printing for this purpose.
3D Printed Clear PLA & LED Electronics
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6HrnI-y6fc
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2023/02/21/travel-the-world-looking-for-retro-tech-virtually/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Laser Scanner Upgraded To Use PCB Motor
https://hackaday.com/2023/02/22/laser-scanner-upgraded-to-use-pcb-motor/
Rik]’s Hexastorm laser scanner project originally used a discrete polygon mirror controller+motor module from Sharp to spin a prism. But the scanner head was a bit difficult to assemble and had a lot of messy wires. This has all been replaced by a single board featuring a PCB-printed motor, based on the work of [Carl Bugeja]. The results are promising so far
prism laser scanner
bringing additive manufacturing to the next level
https://hackaday.io/project/21933-prism-laser-scanner
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2023/02/23/fixing-a-reflow-ovens-conveyer-belt-with-an-ne555-and-stepper-motors/
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https://hackaday.com/2023/02/23/supersized-laptop-laughs-in-the-face-of-portability/
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https://hackaday.com/2023/02/23/german-air-force-surplus-teardown/
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https://hackaday.com/2023/02/24/deep-dive-into-the-hp-scantjet-4c/
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https://hackaday.com/2023/02/27/hacker-friendly-and-elegant-air-quality-sensor-hub/
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https://hackaday.com/2023/02/27/watch-time-slide-by-with-this-electromechanical-clock/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2023/02/27/laptop-motherboard-no-x86-single-board-computer/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Repurposing Old Smartphones: When Reusing Makes More Sense Than Recycling
https://hackaday.com/2023/02/28/repurposing-old-smartphones-when-reusing-makes-more-sense-than-recycling/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.io/project/189768-marblevator-paddle-lift
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2023/02/26/diy-tool-makes-wrapping-wiring-harnesses-a-breeze/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2023/02/25/low-power-challenge-keep-plants-green-and-clean-with-e-paper-smart-tags/
Tomi Engdahl says:
New Possibilities From Fading Lighting Technology
https://hackaday.com/2023/02/25/new-possibilities-from-fading-lighting-technology/
Like the incandescent bulb before it, the compact fluorescent (CFL) bulb is rapidly fading into obscurity as there are fewer and fewer reasons to use them over their LED successors. But there are plenty of things to do with some of the more interesting circuitry that made these relatively efficient light bulbs work, and [mircemk] is here to show us some of them.
Fluorescent bulbs require a high voltage to work properly, and while this was easy enough for large ceiling installations, it was a while until this hardware could be placed inside a bulb-sized package. When removed, the high voltage driver from the CFL is used in this case to drive a small inductive heating coil circuit, which can then be used to rapidly heat metals and other objects. After some testing, [mircemk] found that the electronics on the CFL circuit board were able to easily handle the electrical load of its new task.
Induction Heater and HV source from CFL Bulb
https://hackaday.io/project/189458-induction-heater-and-hv-source-from-cfl-bulb
An interesting project that describes how to make several useful devices using a CFL bulb ballast, with minimal modification.
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2023/02/26/the-last-meccano-factory-is-to-close-will-we-miss-it/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2023/02/26/a-loving-look-inside-vacuum-fluorescent-displays/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Lixie Clock
https://hackaday.io/project/189815-lixie-clock
A flexible LixieClock design using an ESP32 and laser cut parts
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2023/02/28/a-more-expressive-synth-via-flexure/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2023/03/01/brand-new-colecovision-console-on-a-breadboard/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2023/03/02/a-ch32v003-toolchain-if-you-can-get-one-to-try-it-on/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Morse Code Clock For Training Hams
https://hackaday.com/2023/03/01/morse-code-clock-for-training-hams/
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/pic-tac-dit-dah-microcontroller-based-morse-code-clock-monteiro/
Tomi Engdahl says:
FOSDEM 2023: An Open-Source Conference, Literally
https://hackaday.com/2023/03/01/fosdem-2023-an-open-source-conference-literally/
Tomi Engdahl says:
The Die Is Cast!
https://hackaday.com/2023/03/01/the-die-is-cast/
We all know the basics of how metal casting works, a metal is heated up to melting point and the resulting liquid metal is poured into a mold. When the metal sets, it assumes the shape of the mold. It’s a straightforward way to reliably replicate a metal item many times over, and the basics are the same whether the metal is a low-temperature alloy in a silicone mould or a crucible of molten steel poured into a sand mould.
What we all understood as casting in our conversation was sand casting. Sand is packed around a pattern of the piece to be cast, and then the pattern is removed leaving a cavity in its shape which becomes the mould. There are refinements to this process and the mould is frequently formed in two halves, but it’s something that’s even practical to do in a hackerspace level setting.
A refinement of sand casting is so-called lost-wax casting, in which a hollow wax model of the piece to be cast is packed around with sand, and when the metal is poured onto the top of it the wax melts and allows the metal to take its shape. A variation on this appears here from time to time, so-called lost-PLA casting, where the wax model is replaced with a PLA 3D print.
Where our confusion crept in was with die casting. We could recognise a die-cast piece, but just what is die-casting, and how is a die-casting made? The answer there lies in mass-production, because a snag with sand casting is that a sand mould can be labour intensive to produce. Much better to come up with a quick-turnaround process that re-uses the same mould over and over, and save all that time!
Enter the die-casting, to metalwork what injection moulding is to polymers. The die is a mould made out of metal, usually with liquid cooling, and the casting is done not by pouring but by forcing the molten metal into the mould under pressure.
The metals used for die-casting are the lower temperature ones such as aluminium, zinc, and their alloys, but you will find die-castings in all conceivable places.
Blacksmithing For The Uninitiated: What Is A Forge?
https://hackaday.com/2019/03/07/blacksmithing-for-the-uninitiated-what-is-a-forge/
Blacksmiths were the high technologists of fabrication up until the industrial revolution gained momentum. At its core, this is the art and science of making any needed tool or mechanism out of metal. Are you using the correct metal? Is the tool strong where it needs to be? And how can you finish a project quickly, efficiently, and beautifully? These are lessons Blacksmiths feel in their bones and it’s well worth exploring the field yourself to appreciate the knowledge base that exists at any well-used forge.