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/2023/03/22/glove80-keyboard-sure-fits-like-one/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2023/03/22/homebrew-tire-inflator-pushes-the-limits-of-pvc-construction/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2023/03/22/optimize-your-paper-planes-with-this-cardboard-wind-tunnel/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2023/03/23/smart-occupancy-sensor-knows-all/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.io/project/190156-infinite-mucha-esque-scroll
Tomi Engdahl says:
The Fully Functional Prop Phone
https://hackaday.io/project/190181-the-fully-functional-prop-phone
A complete solution for authentic bell ringing, tone generation, audio throughput, dialing, and more. Bring any old phone to life!
Telephones are surprisingly complicated. They send and receive audio, dialing and off-hook indicators, and ring signals all over just two wires. They must be compatible with over 100 years of technological evolution, from hand cranked magnetos to modems. Interacting with any one of these components can be tricky, and doing all of them at once is downright hard. The goal of this page is to demonstrate How to Do Cool Stuff with Phones.
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2023/03/23/a-little-chess-with-your-timepiece/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2023/03/23/ondol-korean-underfloor-heating/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2023/03/23/enormous-metal-sculpture-becomes-an-antenna/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2023/03/22/icicle-patterns-with-custom-gantry/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2023/03/23/creating-a-game-boy-rom-from-pictures/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2023/03/23/isa-over-tpm-to-your-pc/
https://hackaday.com/2023/03/23/pcie-for-hackers-link-anatomy/
Tomi Engdahl says:
This Hack is Genius! Fix Broken Plastics With Plastic Welding Method
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4T3KcMJNYE
Many items in the house and workshop are made of plastic. These plastics stretch and break over time, and most people throw away their broken plastic items. However, since plastic is a material that melts easily, you can easily repair it with plastic welding or soldering. If you have broken plastic items and you want to throw them away, be sure to watch this video called Repair your broken plastics with plastic welding method and learn how to repair your broken, cracked plastics.
Viewer comments:
I have always had a SNEAKING suspicion that plastic could be easily melted together like this but never really tried or investigated, this is brilliant!
You can buy a kit to do this from most autobody/collision repair suppliers, it also comes with different types of plastic rods for different plastics
we were actually having a hard time getting decent strength from the welds bet that mesh method makes it work perfect
Also, SUPER IMPORTANT, those fumes are incredibly toxic, wear a respirator if your going to do this.
Tried the first method (with a zip tie) on a plastic piece that had broken off of one of our refrigerator drawers…and it was a sizable piece that was part of one of the sides that rode along the groove to hold the drawer in place, so it had to be a strong weld. And it worked, thank you!
Plastic Welding Repair – one minute tutorial
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJTrNINAs0o
Clean the area.
Drill holes at each end of the crack to prevent it from spreading.
Melt a plastic rod onto the crack.
Reinforce the plastic weld with steel mesh.
Add more plastic on top of the mesh.
Smooth it out.
How to Fix Cracks in Plastic Using a Hot Stapler
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGveuYxwzg0
This technique doesn’t fuse the plastic together like #PlasticWelding would, instead, it uses metal staples to link the 2 pieces of plastic together.
To achieve penetration into the plastic, the tool uses electrical current to heat the Stainless Steel elements (this is why they’re referred to as Hot Staples) which allows them to be pressed into the plastic.
By linking both pieces of plastic together, movement is eliminated. This increases the plastic’s structural integrity, and prevents the crack from spreading further.
Combined with plastic welding, you could hypothetically achieve a fix that’s stronger than the original plastic itself.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Power Bit vs. Impact Bit vs. Insert Bit…WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE?! (Driver Bit Guide For New DIYers!)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_JEanGie1ts
Power Bit Vs. Impact Bit Vs. Insert Bit…WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE?! (Driver Bit Guide For New DIYers!)
Many new DIYers overlook a few of the most basic differences between driver bit types. This can be detrimental, because the rise of strong impact drivers has created more confusion surrounding what type of bit to safely use. This short video from The Honest Carpenter will explain the differences between Power Bits, Impact Bits, and Insert Bits, and show how to best use them!
Power Bits are longer silver-colored bits that are meant to chuck directly into keyless chuck power drills.
Insert Bits are shorter (1″) silver bits that CAN chuck into standard power drills. BUT, they’re really best suited for use with a BIT HOLDER or EXTENSION SOCKET. These devices were created to chuck into drills, and provide an appropriate 1/4″ socket for quickly changing between insert bits.
Impact Bits are often black with colorful bands around the neck (or, in some cases these days, gold in color–Makita bits especially. These driver beats are rated for use in impact drivers, which create a substantial amount of torque.
Impact Bits are capable of flexing slightly in their torsional shaft so they don’t break during heavy usage.
Impact Bits also have a POWER GROOVE near the bottom of the shank, which lets them chuck easily into the quick-release collet on impact drivers.
However, to confuse the issue, most standard Power Bits now also have this power groove, though I’m not sure why since they shouldn’t be used in impact drivers, but most standard drills don’t come with fast-change collets.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Identify chemicals with radio frequencies – Nuclear Quadrupole Resonance (MRI without magnets)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JO_EHceV9sk
How to build and test an NQR spectrometer, which is similar to MRI, but uses no magnets. NQR frequencies are unique among all tested compounds, so detecting a resonance indicates a near certainty that a specific chemical is present.
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2023/03/24/cnc-intaglio-esque-engraving/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2023/03/24/low-power-challenge-making-an-analog-clock-into-a-calendar-with-a-50-year-life/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2023/03/24/enjoy-an-open-source-espresso/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Glowscope Reduces Microscope Cost By Orders Of Magnitude
https://hackaday.com/2023/03/24/glowscope-reduces-microscope-cost-by-orders-of-magnitude/
As smartphones become more ubiquitous in society, they are being used in plenty of ways not imaginable even ten or fifteen years ago. Using its sensors to gather LIDAR information, its GPS to get directions, its microphone to instantly translate languages, or even use its WiFi and cellular radios to establish a wireless hotspot are all things which would have taken specialized hardware not more than two decades ago. The latest disruption may be in microscopy, as this build demonstrates a microscope that would otherwise be hundreds of thousands of dollars.
The microscope is a specialized device known as a fluorescence microscope, which uses a light source to excite fluorescent molecules in a sample which can illuminate structures that would otherwise be invisible under a regular microscope. For this build, the light is provided by readily-available LED lighting as well as optical filters typically used in stage lighting, as well as a garden-variety smartphone. With these techniques a microscope can be produced for around $50 USD that has 10 µm resolution.
Researchers Develop Glowscope that Turns Smartphone into Sensitive Microscope Normally Costing $100,000
https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/minnesota-researchers-develop-glowscope-that-turns-smartphone-into-sensitive-microscope-normally-costing-100000/
Researchers looking to help students at school have used low-cost materials like theater lighting filters to turn regular smartphone cameras into fluorescent microscopes.
The resolution they say is around one-thousandth of a millimeter, but the cost reduction could literally be hundreds of thousands of US dollars.
Called the “Glowscope” a team at the biology department at Winona State University, Minnesota, designed the configuration to help with STEM outreach and education.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Clever Mechanism Powers This All-Mechanical Filament Respooler
https://hackaday.com/2023/03/25/clever-mechanism-powers-this-all-mechanical-filament-respooler/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Single Flex PCB Folds Into A Four-Wheel Rover, Complete With Motors
https://hackaday.com/2023/03/25/single-flex-pcb-folds-into-a-four-wheel-rover-complete-with-motors/
You’ve got to hand it to [Carl Bugeja] — he comes up with some of the most interesting electromechanical designs we’ve seen. His latest project is right up there, too: a single PCB that folds up into a four-wheel motorized rover.
The key to [Carl]’s design lies with his PCB brushless motors, which he has been refining since we first spotted them back in 2018. The idea is to use traces on the PCB for the stator coils to drive a 3D printed rotor containing tiny magnets. They work surprisingly well, even if they don’t generate a huge amount of torque. [Carl]’s flexible PCB design, which incorporates metal stiffeners, is a bit like an unfolded cardboard box, with two pairs of motor coils on each of the side panels. This leaves the other surfaces available for all the electronics, with includes a PIC, a driver chip, and a Hall sensor for each motor, an IMU and proximity sensor for navigation, and an ESP32 to run the show.
Building a Foldable Rover
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PsZszv4qHu4
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2023/03/25/recreating-one-of-historys-best-known-spy-gadgets/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2023/03/27/a-comprehensive-look-at-fdm-supports/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2023/03/27/dive-into-the-microwaves-the-waters-dipolar/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2023/03/27/a-survey-of-long-term-waterproofing-options/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2023/03/27/hackaday-berlin-was-bonkers/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2023/03/28/a-new-gaming-shell-for-a-mouse/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2023/03/28/iot-message-board-puts-fourteen-segment-displays-to-work/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Magic 8 Ball Provides Tech Support
https://hackaday.com/2023/03/28/magic-8-ball-provides-tech-support/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2023/03/28/the-2023-hackaday-prize-is-ten-first-challenge-is-educational/
Tomi Engdahl says:
10 Amazing and Useful Drill Bits !!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3svCcgy7oc
1. Step Cone Drill Bit: https://ban.ggood.vip/RJoq
2. Deburring Drill Bit: https://ban.ggood.vip/RJoi
3. Combination Drill Tap: https://ban.ggood.vip/RJos
4. Adjustable Hole Saw: https://bit.ly/2qwF7n3
5. Self Centering Drill Bit: https://ban.ggood.vip/RJom
6. Earth Planter Drill Bit: https://ban.ggood.vip/RJou
7. Half Time 2 in 1 Drill: https://bit.ly/2NtJfxd
8. Countersink Drill Bit: https://bit.ly/2K65iYD
9. Glass Drill Bit: https://ban.ggood.vip/RJoc
10. Wooden Ball Drill Bit: https://bit.ly/36NUF6A
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2023/03/30/upgraded-plasma-thruster-is-smaller-more-powerful/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2023/03/30/foldable-pcb-becomes-tiny-rover/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Andy “Rasteri” Tait Brings ISA Back with a Bang — By Abusing the TPM Slot on Modern Motherboards
Designed to connect to a modern motherboard where the Trusted Platform Module will go, the dISAppointment resurrects your old ISA cards.
https://www.hackster.io/news/andy-rasteri-tait-brings-isa-back-with-a-bang-by-abusing-the-tpm-slot-on-modern-motherboards-9dac2cf3162a
Vintage computing enthusiast Andy “Rasteri” Tait has been working on an add-on to bridge the worlds of modern and classic computer hardware — by abusing the Trusted Platform Module (TPM) on most motherboards.
“This is a project I’m working on, it’s an LPC [Low Pin Count] to ISA [Industry Standard Architecture] adapter,” Tait explains of his creation, dubbed the dISAppointment — but proving anything but. “Basically, it allows you to connect old ISA cards like [a] Sound Blaster 16 up to modern motherboards.”
Brought to our attention by Adafruit, the dISAppointment brings ISA back to modern hardware — but eschews complexities like a PCI Express (PCIe) to ISA bridge chip in favor of making use of a little-known feature of the Trust Platform Module (TPM) socket. Found on most motherboards, the TPM socket is designed to house a security chip — but, hidden away in its feature list, is access to the otherwise-locked-away ISA bus still present in the motherboard southbridge chip.
In a demo of the board connected to an system with an Intel Core i5 quad-core processor, released in 2011, Tait shows a Creative Sound Blaster 16 ISA sound card running perfectly in DOS over the unveiled ISA bus. “If I just do the old standard Doom test,” he says, “we have audio. That’s full audio, music and sound effects.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
dISAppointment
Adding ISA slots to modern motherboards
https://github.com/rasteri/dISAppointment
Tomi Engdahl says:
Andrey “Spirit” Builds a Low-Cost, High-Performance Studio Mic — and Releases It for Free
Featuring an open source “slightly cursed” pre-amp, this condenser microphone is claimed to deliver “perfect” results for under $100.
https://www.hackster.io/news/andrey-spirit-builds-a-low-cost-high-performance-studio-mic-and-releases-it-for-free-4b9021d3ac81
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2023/03/29/compose-any-song-with-twelve-buttons/
Tomi Engdahl says:
MOSFET Heater Is Its Own Thermostat
https://hackaday.com/2023/03/29/mosfet-heater-is-its-own-thermostat/
While we might all be quick to grab a microcontroller and an appropriate sensor to solve some problem, gather data about a system, or control another piece of technology, there are some downsides with this method. Software has a lot of failure modes, and relying on it without any backups or redundancy can lead to problems. Often, a much more reliable way to solve a simple problem is with hardware. This heating circuit, for example, uses a MOSFET as a heating element and as its own temperature control.
The function of the circuit relies on a parasitic diode formed within the transistor itself, inherent in its construction. This diode is found in most power MOSFETs and conducts from the source to the drain. The key is that it conducts at a rate proportional to its temperature, so if the circuit is fed with AC, during the negative half of the voltage cycle this diode can be probed and used as a thermostat.
https://www.edn.com/using-a-mosfet-as-a-thermostatic-heater/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Clever Test Rig Clarifies Capacitor Rules-of-Thumb
https://hackaday.com/2023/03/30/clever-test-rig-clarifies-capacitor-rules-of-thumb/
https://jmw.name/projects/exploring-pdns/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2023/04/03/tennis-balls-serve-as-decent-bicycle-tires-that-dont-easily-puncture/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Sound Sculpture Uses Daisy Seed To Generate Audio
https://hackaday.com/2023/04/02/sound-sculpture-uses-daisy-seed-to-generate-audio/
The project is built around the Daisy Seed from Electrosmith. It’s an embedded platform designed for musical purposes, which made it perfect for [Eirik]’s project. Based on an STM32 chip, it’s very capable when it comes to DSP tasks. In this role, it’s charged with algorithmic music composition, providing the captivating soundtrack that emanates from the sculpture.
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2023/04/02/visual-ear-demonstrates-how-the-cochlear-works/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Design Files Released For The PR2 Robot
https://hackaday.com/2023/04/02/design-files-released-for-the-pr2-robot/
It’s always great fun to build your own robot. Sometimes, though, if you’re doing various projects or research, it’s easier to buy an existing robot and then use it to get down to business. That was very much the role of the Willow Garage PR2, but unfortunately, it’s no longer in production. However, as covered by The Robot Report, the design files have now been released for others to use.
The PR2 was built as an advanced platform with wide-ranging capabilities. It was able to manipulate objects with its 7-degrees-of-freedom end effectors, as well as visualize the real world with a variety of complex sensor packages. Researchers put it to work on a variety of tasks, from playing pool to fetching beers and even folding laundry. The latter one is still considered an unsolved problem that challenges even the best robots.
Rights to the PR2 robot landed in the hands of Clearpath Robotics, after Willow Garage was shut down in 2014. Clearpath is now providing access to the robot’s design files on its website. This includes everything from wiring diagrams and schematics, to assembly drawings, cable specs, and other background details. You’ll have to provide some personal information to get access, but the documentation you desire is all there.
https://www.therobotreport.com/full-set-design-files-released-pr2-robot/
https://clearpathrobotics.com/pr2-resources-2/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Projector Lift for Home Theaters
Turn any room into a home theater.
https://hackaday.io/project/190313-projector-lift-for-home-theaters
Tomi Engdahl says:
Tiny Solution of Daily Activities Recognition
Prototyping: a Hand Tracker with Nicla Sense ME and Bosch sensors
https://hackaday.io/project/190301-tiny-solution-of-daily-activities-recognition
Tomi Engdahl says:
Badminton ACE
A badminton shuttlecock launching robot.
https://hackaday.io/project/190336-badminton-ace
Tomi Engdahl says:
Uno Plus+
An Arduino/Genuino Compatible UNO with Pin LED indicators and additional Extras
https://hackaday.io/project/189785-uno-plus
An Arduino Uno Compatable Board with Isolated Pin LED Status indicators, Stemma Connector, Built in RTC, and SD Card Adapter
Tomi Engdahl says:
Auto tracking camera
A camera that tracks a person & counts reps using *AI*.
https://hackaday.io/project/162944-auto-tracking-camera
Tomi Engdahl says:
Biotop
A mask that filters pollutants from the air in a biological way.
https://hackaday.io/project/190324-biotop
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2023/04/02/printing-a-brutalist-kitchen-timer/