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.
7,076 Comments
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2022/04/11/this-end-table-conceals-a-close-encounter/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Swing Gate Motors Come To Help For Opening A Giant Servery Window
https://hackaday.com/2022/04/11/swing-gate-motors-come-to-help-for-opening-a-giant-servery-window/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Fun with Retrofitted 8mm vintage camera
https://hackaday.io/project/184748-fun-with-retrofitted-8mm-vintage-camera
Digitize a vintage 8mm camera. Not for the sake of convenience, but for the enjoyment of video recording.
Tomi Engdahl says:
CVT transmissions
CVT transmissions 3D printed model
https://hackaday.io/project/184770-cvt-transmissions
Hello everyone, I made this CVT Gearbox model by 3d printer and in the video, I will be explaining simply how to do CVT transmissions work I hope you are enjoying it.
Tomi Engdahl says:
DIY Field-Oriented Control ESC
https://hackaday.io/project/169121-diy-field-oriented-control-esc
In this project I make my own brushless motor controller to implement several commutation strategies all the way to field-oriented control.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Joystick with Allegro Position Sensor IC
https://www.allegromicro.com/en/insights-and-innovations/technical-documents/hall-effect-sensor-ic-publications/joystick-with-allegro-position-sensor-ic?utm_source=electronicdesign.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=Personif.ai&utm_term=&utm_content=joystick
Joysticks are widely used human–machine interfaces (HMI)that simultaneously report information on direction and amplitude. Stick tracking is realized by use of a magnet and a magnetic
position sensor.
This document explains how to implement a 2D or 3D magnetic sensor to obtain a joystick with a well-defined behavior. This note provides insights on two tracking methods: direct tracking and ratio tracking. Direct tracking offers a straightforward implementation, while ratio tracking offers excellent robustness to stick mechanical play. Finally, this application note assesses the relative robustness of these techniques to parameter variations (mounting and in-life).
Assume the error due to mounting is reduced by compensative post-processing. Once this systematic error is corrected, the system can only have errors due to mechanical plays. In practice, the
joystick parts are not likely to move from each other horizontally, e.g. the sensor location with respect to the stick axis will not vary during product’s life. What can change is the air gap value when
the user applies pressure on the stick either intentionally (“crouch”) or not. Ratio stick tracking is therefore desirable to dampen the air gap variation error and have a highly accurate joystick.
Conclusion
The joystick is a device having a stick tracked by a magnetic sensor through a magnet attached to a ball joint.
Several joystick behaviors can be generated from the joystick structural characteristics (regardless of post-processing). As discussed, air gap will be a key parameter for linearity and signal
level. Air gap cannot be smaller than the threshold defined by both mechanical and magnetic properties.
Generally, for an application that does not require extreme precision, a direct stick tracking method will be sufficient. To make a precision joystick, it might be necessary to use a ratio stick
tracking method with post-processing (if the mounting precision is not already sufficient). This option provides low air gap dependence and creates a joystick that is very precise and robust over lifetime.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Happy 10th Birthday to the Open Source Robotics Foundation OSRF founders discuss changes they’ve seen over the last decade
https://spectrum.ieee.org/open-robotics?share_id=6971536
Tomi Engdahl says:
Q&A: HOME-MADE ROBOTS? DIY DRONES? HOW ARDUINO IS DEMOCRATIZING ELECTRONICS FOR THOUSANDS OF HOBBYISTS
https://www.thalesgroup.com/en/worldwide-digital-identity-and-security/iot/magazine/qa-home-made-robots-diy-drones-how-arduino
Tomi Engdahl says:
Arska Node saves on your energy bill by demand-side flexibility, i.e. maximizing usage of self-produced (solar) energy and shifting energy purchase to the cheapest hours.
https://github.com/Netgalleria/arska-node/wiki
Tomi Engdahl says:
Electromagnet for Attracting Copper, Aluminum and Non-Ferrous Metals like GOLD!
https://m.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.
http://www.rexresearch.com/mrmagnet/mrmagnet.htm
Tomi Engdahl says:
INTRO: FOOLING THE PROJECTOR
https://www.instructables.com/Fooling-the-projector/#aoh=16486638279452&csi=1&referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&_tf=Julkaisija%3A%20%251%24s&share=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.instructables.com%2FFooling-the-projector%2F
I will try to give you a general idea how to fool the projector that was designed to squeeze some extra $$ out of your pocket. I will illustrate it with the pictures taken while I was fixing a certain projector but this model is rare and the idea I want to share with you is general. Sorry, it’s not a real ‘instructable’. I can’t name the exact steps for your particular projector but the ideology will remain the same for any case.
Disclaimer – you are going to work with the device that has several dangerous components
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2022/04/18/gridfinity-3d-printed-super-quick-tool-storage-and-retrieval/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2022/04/18/build-your-own-cat-some-assembly-required/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2022/04/18/movie-prop-electronics-hack-chat/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2022/04/18/2022-sci-fi-contest-schrodingers-trigger-is-trained-on-electrons-not-cats/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.io/project/184643-schrdingers-trigger
Using the cheapest finest parts from my scrap heap, I set out to build the most science-fiction sounding device that actually worked (and where the electronics could be built in 8 hours or less).
The result is a device that drives one of two outputs when it sees a rising edge on the input. Which input it will drive is determined by sampling the time difference between three electron-tunneling events. As such, the output is unknowable until observed, even with perfect knowledge of the system.
I couldn’t decide whether to name this Schrödinger’s Trigger or a quantum buffer, so I used two LEDs and the device itself to resolve the issue. I observed the output, and Schrödinger’s Trigger was born. So if you don’t like the name, don’t blame me
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2022/04/19/charge-your-apple-with-apples/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Developing Your Own Digital Film
https://hackaday.com/2022/04/20/developing-your-own-digital-film/
In the olden days, you would have a roll of film that you could take to your local drug store and have them develop it. But a serious photographer would likely develop their own photos to maintain complete creative control. While photo editing software has largely replaced the darkroom of old, the images are still held on physical media, and that means there’s room for improvement and customization. In an article for photofocus, [Joseph Nuzzo] shows how you can make your own CFexpress card — the latest and greatest in the world of digital camera storage tech — for less than $100 USD.
The idea here is pretty simple, as CFexpress uses PCIe with a different connector. Essentially all you have to do is get a M.2 2230 NVMe drive and put it into an adapter. In this case [Joseph] is using a turn-key model from Sintech, but we’ve shown in the past how you can roll your own.
How to make your own CFexpress card for under $100
https://photofocus.com/photography/how-to-make-your-own-cfexpress-card-for-under-100/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Micromachining With A Laser
https://hackaday.com/2022/04/19/micromachining-with-a-laser/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2022/04/19/oled-display-kicks-knob-up-several-accurate-notches/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Custom-Fit Small Shop Crane Lightens The Load
https://hackaday.com/2022/04/19/custom-fit-small-shop-crane-lightens-the-load/
On the shortlist of workshop luxuries, we’d bet a lot of hackers would include an overhead crane. Having the ability to lift heavy loads safely and easily opens up a world of new projects, and puts the shop into an entirely different class of capabilities.
Tomi Engdahl says:
2022 Sci-Fi Contest: The Animatronic Baby Yoda You’ve Always Wanted
https://hackaday.com/2022/04/19/2022-sci-fi-contest-the-animatronic-baby-yoda-youve-always-wanted/
Tomi Engdahl says:
A Line Follower With No Brains
https://hackaday.com/2022/04/19/a-line-follower-with-no-brains/
A line follower is a common project for anyone wishing to make a start in robotics, a small wheeled device usually with some kind of optical sensor which allows it to follow a line drawn on the surface over which it runs. In most cases they incorporate a small microcontroller or perhaps an analogue computer which supplies power and steering control, but as the Crayon Car from [Greg Zumwalt] demonstrates, it’s possible to make a line follower without any brains at all.
This seemingly impossible feat is achieved thanks to the line and road surface, it runs on a piece of paper over which the line is drawn with a crayon. The robot has a single straight-line drive wheel at one end and a pair of driven rollers at 90 degrees to each other at the other end, with the magic happening due to the difference in friction between paper and crayon. The robot follows a circular track with no problem, and while we can see it’s not without flaws we doubt it would be possible to make a simpler follower.
https://hackaday.io/project/184891-crayon-car
This 3D printed PLA and TPU model follows a wax crayon line without the use of sensors and electronics.
With an electric motor, O-Ring, battery and a crayon you can create a line following mechanism without the need for sensors or electronics.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Arm Pumps Up The Volume With Mbed And A Potentiometer
https://hackaday.com/2022/04/19/arm-pumps-up-the-volume-with-mbed-and-a-potentiometer/
Last time, I told you how to get started with the “Black Pill” STM32F411 board using the Mbed OS. The example program, admittedly, didn’t use many of the features of the OS, unless you count what the USB serial port driver uses behind the scenes. However, this time, we’ll make a practical toy that lets you adjust your PC’s volume level with a pot.
The Black Pill is a good choice for this application since it has analog inputs and can act as a USB keyboard. In fact, the Mbed OS has drivers for all kinds of USB devices.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Edible Electronics Let Us Hear The Lamentations Of The Chocolate Bunnies
https://hackaday.com/2022/04/19/edible-electronics-let-us-hear-the-lamentations-of-the-chocolate-bunnies/
Yet another Day of the Chocolate Bunnies has passed by, and what did you do to mark the occasion? You likely kicked back and relaxed, surrounded by whatever you gave up for Lent, but good for you if you mixed chocolate and electronics like [Repeated Failure] did. They created a completely edible chocolate Easter bunny that screams when bitten.
So obviously, the hardest part is figuring out something to build the circuit with that is both conductive and safe to eat. [Repeated Failure] spent a lot of time with carbon oleogel paste, which is made from natural oils and waxes. Not only was it less conductive than [Repeated Failure]’s skin, it came out pitch black and tasted like nothing, which kind of a bonus, when you think about it.
Chocolate Easter Bunny That Screams Version 2.0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4N4V3HJxAI
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.io/project/184931-prehistory-of-my-homemade-perseus-computers
Tomi Engdahl says:
nRF52 DIY Smartwatch
A smartwatch based on nRF52840, with round display, and Android App
https://hackaday.io/project/184913-nrf52-diy-smartwatch
Tomi Engdahl says:
Controll yer Roomba 600 series with ESP8266
https://hackaday.io/project/183524-controll-yer-roomba-600-series-with-esp8266
Another ESP8266 project. If some hardware has an interface / API to connect to, it’s waiting to be assimilated into the home-hive.
Using an ESP8266 module, control my Roomba 632 that I bought on Ibood some years ago.
It will clean my house, won’t look like something I hacked together and is a perfect platform for experimentation.
Goals:
X – Add control with MQTT in Home Assistant for scheduled cleaning;
X – Play Macgyver theme song;
X – Read sensorstream data;
X – Add IMU;
X – Clean code;
X – Get vectordata from wheel encoder readings for location;
X – Correct vectordata with closed loop;
O – Integrate IMU and wheel encoder readings to improve accuracy;
O – Mapping;
O – Controll and SLAM?
X – Having fun
Tomi Engdahl says:
Music Spectrum and DB Visualizer
https://hackaday.io/project/184570-music-spectrum-and-db-visualizer
Receive input from a 3.5mm jack, divides the music into 7 frequency bands, shows the loudness of each frequency band in DB using LEDS.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Audio frequency amplifier
Discrete general-purpose amplifier
https://hackaday.io/project/184790-audio-frequency-amplifier
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/electronicscreators
Tomi Engdahl says:
A Rotary Encoder: How Hard Can It Be?
https://hackaday.com/2022/04/20/a-rotary-encoder-how-hard-can-it-be/
I needed a rotary encoder — I pulled a cheap one out of one of those “49 boards for Arduino” kits you see around. Not the finest encoder in the land, I’m sure, but it should do the job. Unfortunately, Mbed OS doesn’t have a driver for an encoder and the first few third-party libraries I found either worked via polling or wouldn’t compile with the latest Mbed. Of course, reading an encoder isn’t a mysterious process. How hard can it be to write the code yourself? How hard, indeed. I thought I’d share my code and the process of how I got there.
Arm Pumps Up The Volume With Mbed And A Potentiometer
https://hackaday.com/2022/04/19/arm-pumps-up-the-volume-with-mbed-and-a-potentiometer/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.io/project/184922-magnet-battery
Tomi Engdahl says:
Star Trek Shuttle Console
A Star Trek away mission themed escape room in a box.
https://hackaday.io/project/184963-star-trek-shuttle-console
Tomi Engdahl says:
Glass Tube Solar Thermionic Converters
https://hackaday.io/project/184951-glass-tube-solar-thermionic-converters
Thermionic energy conversion isn’t very efficient (it’s also nothing new) but they *are* photovoltaic devices you can build with a torch
Tomi Engdahl says:
Watch A Complete Reflector Telescope Machined From A Single Block Of Glass
https://hackaday.com/2022/04/21/watch-a-complete-reflector-telescope-machined-from-a-single-block-of-glass/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2022/04/21/2022-sci-fi-contest-a-star-wars-mouse-droid-of-your-very-own/
Tomi Engdahl says:
The Honda Takedown: How A Global Brand Failed To Read The Room
https://hackaday.com/2022/04/21/the-honda-takedown-how-a-global-brand-failed-to-read-the-room/
Perhaps the story of the moment in the world of 3D printing concerns a Japanese manufacturer of cars and motorcycles. Honda has sent a takedown notice requesting the removal of models starting with the word “Honda” to the popular 3D printing model repository site Printables. It’s left in its wake puzzlement, disappointment, and some anger, but what’s really going on? Perhaps it’s time to examine what has happened and to ponder what it means for those who put online printable parts and accessories for cars or any other item manufactured by a large corporation.
If You Make Something, What Rights Do You Have?
When Does A Civic Part Cease To Be A Honda Civic Part
We Think Honda Are Taking A Few Liberties
Honda is deleting 3d models
https://www.reddit.com/r/3Dprinting/comments/txqg8y/honda_is_deleting_3d_models/i3nlnmg/
Sounds to me like Honda is being overly aggressive, and you all don’t want to spend the millions of dollars to tell them they’re wrong. Not to mention police entries to make sure they’re worded exactly right.
You should write a complaint to the Federal Trade Comission. The new Comissioner, Lina Khan is very anti-monopolies and big-companies. Honda is overreaching here and if you need friends, I think the FTC might be your friend on this fight.
Lego, for example. They’re alienating a lot of their biggest fans right now.
Nobody would think that FDM or even SLA parts are as good. Provide trademark use guidelines, make it clear part clones aren’t ok but new compatible designs are. Don’t just DMCA hammer anything that uses the word Lego. Sigh.
Tomi Engdahl says:
I Build another LES PAUL-ISH GUITAR with AMAZING Woods
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JSMWnjpbT8w
Tomi Engdahl says:
10 Guitar Hacks You NEED To Know
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4lWMkADBlCw
In today’s video Dave Onorato from @dojoguitarrepair takes us through 10 easy guitar hacks to make your guitar play, sound and feel better for free (or very cheap)
10 hacks all guitarists should know!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MAaYaGirIuk
Tomi Engdahl says:
Photographer Joseph Nuzzo Rejects Expensive CFexpress Cards, Goes for the Homebrew Approach
Making use of the CFexpress Type-B standard’s reliance on NVMe storage, Nuzzo’s homebrew card is just as fast but less costly.
https://www.hackster.io/news/photographer-joseph-nuzzo-rejects-expensive-cfexpress-cards-goes-for-the-homebrew-approach-e0e8b013ed85
Tomi Engdahl says:
LED Strip Projects: Top 5 Tips and Top 5 FAILS to AVOID!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GRa1ay0HVDY
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2022/04/23/a-fet-oscilloscope-probe-for-higher-frequencies/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2022/04/26/physical-control-panel-elevates-flight-sim-experience/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2022/04/25/lofipi-keeps-the-chill-beats-coming/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Learning Electronics By Just Doing It
https://hackaday.com/2022/04/25/learning-electronics-by-just-doing-it/
Learning anything new, especially so broad and far reaching as electronics, can be hard. [IMSAI Guy] knows this because he gets asked regularly “how do I learn electronics?” Many of you reading this will have a few ideas to pass along (and we encourage you to share your take on it in the comments below) but there is an even greater number of people who are asking the same question, and [IMSAI Guy]’s take on it is one that this particular Hackaday writer can relate to.
According to [IMSAI Guy], an excellent place to start is the ARRL Handbook. The ARRL Handbook is an electronics and RF engineering guide published by the Amateur Radio Relay League in the US. It’s a wonderful reference, and past editions can be had very inexpensively and are every bit as handy. Many hams will have a copy they could be talked out of, and you can likely find one at your local library. Where to start in the Handbook, then?
#1099 How I learned electronics
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bgrubw6B_us
Tomi Engdahl says:
3D Printed Turbo Pump Hopes To Propel Rockets To The Sky
https://hackaday.com/2022/04/25/3d-printed-turbo-pump-hopes-to-propel-rockets-to-the-sky/
3D Printed Turbo Pump
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hko2u0558js
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2022/04/25/2022-sci-fi-contest-a-mac-based-droid-named-r-o-b/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Explosion Welding Goes Off With A Bang
https://hackaday.com/2022/04/25/explosion-welding-goes-off-with-a-bang/
Welding is often a hot and noisy process. It generally involves some fancy chemistry and proper knowledge to achieve good results. Whether you’re talking about arc, TIG, or MIG, these statements all apply.
The same is true for explosion welding, though it’s entirely unlike any traditional hand welding methods you’ve ever seen before. Today, we’ll explore how this technique works and the applications it’s useful for. Fire in the hole!
Tomi Engdahl says:
Scope Probe Caddy
https://hackaday.io/project/185020-scope-probe-caddy
I needed a place to hold my scope probes above the festoon of wires and junk on my bench. Here’s my solution.
I used OpenSCAD to design a two-part clip and receptacle that mounts on the back of a scope probe connector. The receptacle is a place for the business end of the scope probe to inhabit until the next time I need to probe something.