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.
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Tomi Engdahl says:
Can Magnets Replace The Spring In A Pogo Stick?
https://hackaday.com/2018/12/18/can-magnets-replace-the-spring-in-a-pogo-stick/
Magnetic Pogo Stick
Can Repelling Magnets Replace the Spring in a Pogo Stick?
https://www.kjmagnetics.com/blog.asp?p=pogo-stick-spring
Tomi Engdahl says:
Can You 3D-Print a Stator for a Brushless DC Motor?
https://hackaday.com/2018/12/18/can-you-3d-print-a-stator-for-a-brushless-dc-motor/
Betteridge’s Law holds that any headline that ends in a question mark can be answered with a “No.” We’re not sure that [Mr. Betteridge] was exactly correct, though, since 3D-printed stators can work successfully for BLDC motors, for certain values of success.
Is 3D Printing a motor possible? (Experiment)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AdNVg1MWc8c&feature=youtu.be
Tomi Engdahl says:
Open Source Hardware Association
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_Source_Hardware_Association
The Open Source Hardware Association (OSHWA) is a non-profit organization that advocates for open-source hardware.[2][3] It aims to act as a hub of open source hardware activity of all types while actively cooperating with other initiatives such as the TAPR Open Hardware License, open-source development groups at CERN, and the Open Source Initiative (OSI).
Tomi Engdahl says:
Hackster Year in Review
https://blog.hackster.io/2018-in-review-fb84987cea1c
A look back at some of the most popular projects from the Hackster community.
Tomi Engdahl says:
How to Take Sub-Micron Measurements with Just a Laser Diode
https://blog.hackster.io/how-to-take-sub-micron-measurements-with-just-a-laser-diode-f6ea5dd78f48
You’re probably aware that lasers can be used to measure distances, and laser rangefinders are fairly common. Their operation is straightforward: the laser beam is turned on momentarily, and the time it takes to bounce off a surface and return is measured. But, what you may not know is that the optical hardware you need to take sub-micron measurements is built into many laser diodes, and Ben Krasnow of Applied Science explains how to utilize that capability in his newest video.
https://youtu.be/MUdro-6u2Zg
Tomi Engdahl says:
Do-it-Yourself Thermal Imaging Cameras (AMG8833, MLX90640, M5Stack, Arduino IDE) and Flir one
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xre5y_jYn8c
Is this a cool thing? A self-made thermal imaging camera! For only a few bucks! Sounds marvelous. Because recently lower cost sensors appeared on the market this seems to be possible.
Today we will see where we can use them and if they are worth the money.
We will compare the following sensors:
- We will start with the ordinary PIR sensor with 1 pixel
- And continue with the AMG8833 which has 8×8 pixels
- The next is the MLX90640 with 32×24 pixels
- And the last is a Flir One 160×120 pixels camera which has to be mounted on a smartphone
And we will use an M5Stack to build a camera using Arduino IDE
WHO SAID THERMAL CAMERAS WEREN’T ACCESSIBLE TO THE MASSES?
https://hackaday.com/2018/06/08/who-said-thermal-cameras-werent-accessible-to-the-masses/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Palitra: An Open Source USB Retouching Module for Photographers
https://blog.hackster.io/palitra-an-open-source-usb-retouching-module-for-photographers-aa54aa6ecd0e
Tomi Engdahl says:
Freeform RGB Atari Punk Console
https://hackaday.io/project/162958-freeform-rgb-atari-punk-console
An Atari punk console with light sensitivity and RGB LED illumination. Assembled freeform style with brass wire.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Add A Trackpoint To A Mechanical Keyboard
https://hackaday.com/2019/01/02/add-a-trackpoint-to-a-mechanical-keyboard/
Adding a Trackpoint to an Inexpensive Mechanical Keyboard
https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=98733.0
Tomi Engdahl says:
This Machine Teaches Sign Language
https://hackaday.com/2019/01/06/this-machine-teaches-sign-language/
Sign language can like any language be difficult to learn if you’re not immersed in it, or at least learning from someone who is fluent. It’s not easy to know when you’re making minor mistakes or missing nuances. It’s a medium with its own unique issues when learning, so if you want to learn and don’t have access to someone who knows the language you might want to reach for the next best thing: a machine that can teach you.
http://people.ece.cornell.edu/land/courses/ece4760/FinalProjects/f2018/aac94_kd333_rp426/aac94_kd333_rp426/aac94_kd333_rp426/main.html
Tomi Engdahl says:
This Freeform Compactron Tube Radio Is the Best Way to Listen to AM Stations
https://blog.hackster.io/this-freeform-compactron-tube-radio-is-the-best-way-to-listen-to-am-stations-f4e96c9bdd65
General Electric released the all-in-one Compactron tube in 1961 to compete with transistors. Now, TubeTime has used a Compactron tube to build one of the most beautiful radios we’ve ever seen — and it’s freeform.
https://hackaday.io/project/163205-compactron-tube-am-radio
Tomi Engdahl says:
This Four Wheel Drive Go-Cart Has a Power Drill Drivetrain
https://blog.hackster.io/this-four-wheel-drive-go-cart-has-a-power-drill-drivetrain-6a78b3b72f75
Tomi Engdahl says:
Tangled Animatronic Eye Web
https://www.eeweb.com/profile/max-maxfield/articles/tangled-animatronic-eye-web
What should you do if you post a spoof video on YouTube and then people start asking you to share your files and code?
There’s an old saying that goes, “Oh! What a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Reed Ghazala, the Father of Circuit Bending: Sound Builders
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHDL9iGxDPM
First, let’s revisit Reed Ghazala, who’s been called the father of circuit bending.
“I’ve been accused of starting the first electronic art movement,” Ghazala told us back in 2010. “If that’s true, that was better than the other things I could’ve done.”
Clad entirely in purple, a sort of modular J. Mascis, Ghazala would show us his boyhood home in suburban Cincinnati—where the chance-driven sound generating technique was born in the late 1960s—before we holed up at his Anti-Theory Workshop on the other side of town. There, he played our flesh (seriously) and an array of other manipulated consumer electronics, all blipping and blorping to the rush of simply not knowing what you’re going to get when you bend, say, a children’s toy radio.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Peaking Lights and the Sound of Recycled Electronics: Sound Builders
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7MlI6J2ErDY
Dewan Cousins Build Synths for Trent Reznor From Scratch
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHdxOKmoozg
Tomi Engdahl says:
This Freeform Atari Punk Console Generates Square Wave Tones in Style
https://blog.hackster.io/this-freeform-atari-punk-console-generates-square-wave-tones-in-style-247f3987b555
Tomi Engdahl says:
Twelve Circuit Sculptures We Can’t Stop Looking At
https://hackaday.com/2019/01/15/twelve-circuit-sculptures-we-cant-stop-looking-at/
Circuits are beautiful in their own way, and a circuit sculpture takes that abstract beauty and makes it into a purposeful art form.
Tomi Engdahl says:
The Anxiety of Open Source: Why We Struggle With Putting It Out There
https://hackaday.com/2018/05/01/the-anxiety-of-open-source-why-we-struggle-with-putting-it-out-there/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2018/05/02/these-twenty-amazing-projects-won-the-open-hardware-design-challenge/
Tomi Engdahl says:
The Complete Beginner’s Guide To Building A CNC Machine
https://hackaday.com/2018/12/05/the-complete-beginners-guide-to-building-a-cnc-machine/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2019/01/12/addressable-7-segment-displays-may-make-multiplexing-a-thing-of-the-past/
https://hackaday.io/project/163228-addressable-7-segment-displays
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2019/01/12/electromagnetic-7-segment-display-easy-on-the-eyes-and-the-ears/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2018/05/10/3d-printed-tool-tips-to-straighten-dip-chips-and-unstraighten-resistors/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2018/05/11/stylish-business-card-with-a-stylophone-built-in/
Tomi Engdahl says:
A Vacuum Tube and Barbecue Lighter X-Ray Generator
https://hackaday.com/2018/05/12/a-vacuum-tube-and-barbecue-lighter-x-ray-generator/
https://hackaday.io/project/158221-xray-emitter-device-made-from-a-barbecue-lighter
Tomi Engdahl says:
Direct CNC Control with the Raspberry Pi
https://hackaday.com/2018/05/15/direct-cnc-control-with-the-raspberry-pi/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2018/05/15/reflowduino-put-that-toaster-oven-to-good-use/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Borg Washing Machine
https://hackaday.io/project/4241-borg-washing-machine
Homemade PLC-like electronic replacement for the mechanical timer in my washing machine.
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2018/05/17/circuit-vr-current-mirrors/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2018/05/18/tiny-transmitter-brings-out-the-spy-inside-you/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.instructables.com/id/Ultrasmall-Ultrastable-DIY-UHF-Spy-Bug/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Scrapped Motors Don’t Care About Direction
https://hackaday.com/2018/05/19/scrapped-motors-dont-care-about-direction/
Fair warning: this involves mains power. The brushless motor inside a hard disk drive relies on three-phase current of varying frequencies, but the power coming off a single transformer is going to be single-phase AC at fifty or sixty Hz. This simplifies things considerably, but we lose the self-starting ability of the motor and direction control, but we call those features in our perpetual spinner. With two missing phases, our brushless motor limps along in whatever direction we initiate, but the circuit couldn’t be much more straightforward.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Low-Cost Eye Tracking with Webcams and Open-Source Software
https://hackaday.com/2018/05/05/low-cost-eye-tracking-with-webcams-and-open-source-software/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Ham Reviews MiniVNA
https://hackaday.com/2018/05/06/ham-reviews-minivna/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2018/05/09/vector-network-analyzer-uses-soc-fpga/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2018/05/22/hacking-a-cheap-laser-rangefinder/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2018/05/24/ask-hackaday-diy-top-octave-generator/
Tomi Engdahl says:
LipSync
https://hackaday.io/project/13424-lipsync
An assistive tech which allows quadriplegics to use touchscreen mobile devices using a mouth-operated joystick with sip and puff controls
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2018/05/25/an-ultrasound-driver-with-open-source-fpgas/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Disaster Area Communications With Cloud Gateways
https://hackaday.com/2018/05/26/disaster-area-communications-with-cloud-gateways/
PR-Holonet: Disaster Area Emergency Comms
https://hackaday.io/project/140426-pr-holonet-disaster-area-emergency-comms
An easy to build, setup, and use emergency communicator for disaster-struck zones with no working power or comms infrastructure.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Convert A Kerbside CRT TV Into An Arcade Monitor
https://hackaday.com/2018/05/30/convert-a-curbside-crt-tv-into-an-arcade-monitor/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Not Quite 101 Uses For An Analog UHF TV Tuner
https://hackaday.com/2016/07/11/not-quite-101-uses-for-an-analog-uhf-tv-tuner/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2018/06/10/joe-grand-is-hiding-data-in-plain-sight-leds-that-look-solid-but-send-a-message/
https://www.crowdsupply.com/grand-idea-studio/opticspy
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2018/06/11/ask-hackaday-what-color-are-your-pcbs/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2016/03/01/color-tv-broadcasts-are-esp8266s-newest-trick/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2018/06/16/diy-coil-winding-machine-counts-the-hacky-way/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2018/06/16/delta-printer-morphs-into-cnc-flat-coil-winder/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2018/06/15/homebrew-calibration-for-test-equipment/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2018/06/20/hexabitz-modular-electronics-made-easier/
https://hackaday.io/project/76446-hexabitz-modular-electronics-for-real
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2018/06/20/print-physical-buttons-for-your-touch-screen/