Make: Kit Reviews

The littleBits kit is like Lego for basic circuits. Each “bit” is a small circuit board that enables a single electronics component or electronic function, like a potentiometer, light sensor, LED, or motor. The bits snap together magnetically with edge connectors that are color-coded to indicate their general role within a circuit; for example magenta […]

Electronics and Controllers: circuits, electronics, kids, starter set

The Egg-Bot is an art robot designed by Bruce Shapiro that’s fun to watch as it draws intricate designs on eggs or any other round objects 3cm–10cm in diameter, including ornaments, golf balls, and light bulbs. You design the patterns in the free app Inkscape, and the bot draws them using fine-point Sharpies, engraving tools, […]

Electronics and Controllers: arts, crafts, electronics, robotics

Tired of all those TVs everywhere? Want a break from advertisements while you’re trying to eat? Want to zap screens from across the street? The TV-B-Gone kit is what you need. The new v1.2 works worldwide, turning off virtually any TV by running 230 TV power codes for Asian/North American and European IR remote standards. […]

Electronics and Controllers: electronics, pranks

You can find an endless number of cool microcontroller projects and tutorials online these days. The tricky part is finding one that matches the components you already have or sourcing what you need to tackle that awesome project you’re dying to sink your teeth into. So the MAKE staff designed this pack with everything they wanted […]

Electronics and Controllers Microcontrollers: Arduino, electronics, microcontrollers

The Voice Shield is an analog audio shield for Arduino and compatible boards that allows you to play audio files saved in WAV format, whether short sound bites or entire operas. It lets you easily add audio to your next micro-controller project, thanks to a unique and very user-friendly way to access different sound clips. […]

Electronics and Controllers Microcontrollers: Arduino, auidio, electronics, microcontrollers, WAV

The Mintronics Bundle from the Maker Shed is a great way to get started with Arduino and electronics. It includes a MintDuino — a mint tin containing all the components you need to build a full-featured Arduino-compatible microcontroller — plus the Mintronics Survival Pack, another tin containing over 60 über-handy components you can use for […]

Electronics and Controllers Microcontrollers: Arduino, electronics, microcontrollers

When working with the Arduno Uno, I often find myself needing more output ports than it’s got. Instead of having to trade my Uno for an Arduino Mega, I just plug in an EZ-Expander Shield, which plugs into three I/O ports and furnishes 16 — instantly providing 13 more I/Os. While each added pin can […]

Electronics and Controllers Microcontrollers: Arduino, electronics, microcontrollers, Shield

The ProtoSnap Pro Mini is one of the more interesting Arduino kits. Manufactured on a single PCB, it includes a preassembled Arduino Pro Mini (0.7″×1.3″) and snap-off accessory boards like an FTDI Basic Breakout board, buzzer, RGB LED, light sensor, pushbutton, and a general-purpose protoboard for wiring up your own custom components. Snap off each piece, and […]

Electronics and Controllers Microcontrollers: Arduino, electronics, microcontrollers