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.
7,046 Comments
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2024/02/29/washing-machine-motors-unlocked/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Open-Source PCB Mill: Build Electronics for Everyone
Make custom circuits! Open-source PCB mill empowers makers & students.
https://www.hackster.io/haraday2123/open-source-pcb-mill-build-electronics-for-everyone-b0b293
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.tomshardware.com/raspberry-pi/raspberry-pi-transforms-old-radio-into-audiophile-grade-network-music-streamer
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2024/03/06/the-16-pcb-robot/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2024/03/06/thumbs-up-to-this-pico-midi-kalimba/
The kalimba, or thumb piano, is an easy way to make some music even if you have next to no idea what you’re doing. The only real downside is that they are limited to the twinkly sounds of metal tines being plucked by thumbs.
https://github.com/JeremySCook/circuitpython-experiments/tree/main/capacitive-touch/midi-kalimba
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2024/03/12/keebin-with-kristina-the-one-with-the-pocket-cyberdeck/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2024/03/11/3d-imaging-for-natural-science-for-free/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2024/03/11/hack-makes-microwave-cookies-fast-and-not-terrible/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2024/03/12/this-piano-does-not-exist/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2024/03/12/lego-keyboard-stand-fits-just-right/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2024/03/13/4d-knit-dress-skirts-waste/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Multimeter
https://hackaday.io/project/195109-multimeter
This is my attempt at designing a basic USB powered multimeter. Included modes are VDC, Ohms, and (Capacitance).
Tomi Engdahl says:
Open Source Universal Test Fixture
https://hackaday.io/project/19564-open-source-universal-test-fixture
Affordable reusable easily customizable test fixture for low volume assembly
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2024/03/12/an-optical-computer-architecture/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2024/03/12/randomly-move-marionette-with-steel-balls-and-geneva-drives/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2024/03/13/goldilocks-beverage-coaster-tells-you-when-its-just-right/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2024/03/13/review-the-new-essential-guide-to-electronics-in-shenzhen/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2024/03/13/a-solar-powered-wristwatch-with-an-attiny13/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2024/03/13/the-short-workbench/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2024/03/13/2024-home-sweet-home-automation-simple-window-closer-relies-on-gravity/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Mechanical Principles Part 01 | Quick Return | Gorotor Pump | Tusi Couple | Jansen’s Linkage
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-6c_RCdOO0
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2024/03/20/diy-rc-controller-built-with-old-school-parts/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2024/03/20/2024-home-sweet-home-automation-a-diy-scada-smart-home/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2024/03/20/a-tape-echo-for-anyone/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2024/03/20/these-keycaps-are-100-recycled-plastic/
https://anky.studio/recap
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2024/03/21/magnetic-power-cable-makes-mobility-scooter-much-better/
https://nklfrost.com/a-magnetic-power-cable-for-mobility-scooters/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2024/03/21/vastly-improved-servo-control-now-without-motor-surgery/
https://github.com/adamb314/ServoProject
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2024/03/21/weird-things-to-do-with-fpgas/
There’s an old joke about how can you find the height of a building using a barometer. One of the punchlines is to drop the barometer from the roof and time how long it takes to hit the ground. We wonder if [Alexlao512] had that in mind when he wrote a post about unconventional uses of FPGAs. Granted, he isn’t dropping any of them off a roof, but still. The list takes advantage of things we usually try to avoid such as temperature variation, metastability, and the effects of propagation delays.
Unconventional uses of FPGAs
https://voltagedivide.com/2024/03/18/unconventional-uses-of-fpgas/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2024/03/01/educational-arduino-clock-uses-analog-meters-for-display/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://blog.arduino.cc/2024/02/29/motion-control-interface-facilitates-robot-operation-for-those-with-paralysis/?fbclid=IwAR3b2VmGRNg7ETszEbdvopr3SRt-uFL_av0Ikzgry3I_rziVWDfbSSML_UI
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2024/03/25/a-65-in-1-the-2024-way/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2024/03/25/dodge-the-weird-tripod-robot/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2024/03/25/keebin-with-kristina-the-one-with-the-pickle-pi/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2024/03/24/its-never-been-easier-to-build-a-wifi-controlled-rc-car/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2024/03/24/an-asic-for-a-secret-file/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Sort Of Electromagnet Attracts Copper, Aluminum
https://hackaday.com/2024/03/27/sort-of-electromagnet-attracts-copper-aluminum/
It is a common grade school experiment to wind some wire around a screw, power it up, and watch it pick up paper clips or other ferrous materials. It is also grade school science to show that neither an electromagnet nor a permanent magnet will pick up nonferrous items like copper or aluminum. While technically not an electromagnet, it is possible to build a similar device that will weakly pull on copper and aluminum, and [Cylo] shows us how it works in a recent video you can see below.
The device sure looks like an electromagnet made with magnet wire and a steel core. But when he shows the ends of the core, you’ll see that the side that attracts aluminum has a copper ring embedded in it. The coil is fed with AC.
A magnet that attracts aluminum and copper
https://hackaday.com/2024/03/27/sort-of-electromagnet-attracts-copper-aluminum/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Electromagnet for Attracting Copper, Aluminum and Non-Ferrous Metals like GOLD!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_mQeaKkaEcQ
Exploration of a quixotic electromagnet for attracting Aluminum, Copper, and Non Ferrous Metals like GOLD!
If your high school science teacher ever told you aluminum or copper was non-magnetic this is a great project to prove’em wrong.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Can The Faraday Paradox Be Solved?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_cUXNwp2Ock
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.io/project/195380-dynamic-electronic-load
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2024/03/27/webserver-runs-on-android-phone/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2024/03/26/this-air-particulate-sensor-can-also-check-your-pulse-rate/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2024/03/26/night-vision-the-old-way/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2024/03/27/3d-printing-real-wood-with-just-cellulose-and-lignin/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2024/03/26/cosmic-ray-detection-at-starbucks/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2024/03/26/2024-home-sweet-home-automation-sms-controlled-heating/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2024/03/25/are-minimills-worth-it/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2024/04/09/adjustable-lights-help-peer-inside-chips-with-ir/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Bye Bye Green Screen, Hello Monochromatic Screen
https://hackaday.com/2024/04/09/bye-bye-green-screen-hello-monochromatic-screen/
It’s not uncommon in 2024 to have some form of green background cloth for easy background effects when in a Zoom call or similar. This is a technology TV and film studios have used for decades, and it’s responsible for many of the visual effects we see every day on our screens. But it’s not perfect — its use precludes wearing anything green, and it’s very bad at anything transparent.
Green screens, or chroma key, to give the effect its real name, relies on the background using a colour not present in the main subject of the shot. This can then be detected electronically or in software, and a switch made between shot and inserted background. It’s good at picking out clean edges between green background and subject, but poor at transparency such as a veil or a bottle of water. The Disney effect instead used a background illuminated with monochromatic sodium light behind the subject illuminated with white light, allowing both a background and foreground image to be filmed using two cameras and a dichroic beam splitter. The background image with its black silhouette of the subject could then be used as a photographic stencil when overlaying a background image.
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2024/04/03/pcb-design-review-tinysparrow-a-module-for-can-hacking-needs/
. It’s a module called TinySparrow (GitHub), that helps you build your own vehicle ECUs and any other CAN-enabled things. With a microcontroller, plenty of GPIOs, a linear regulator and a CAN transceiver already onboard, this board has more than enough kick for anyone in hobbyist-range automotive space – and it’s surprisingly tiny!
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2024/04/03/recovering-a-physically-broken-sd-card/