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

This kit is amazingly cool and easy to use. POV (persistence of vision) displays show words or patterns that seem to float in mid-air; if you’ve ever seen one, you know what a great effect it is. A line of LEDs flashes the Y component of what you’re displaying, and you provide the X by […]

Electronics and Controllers LEDs: electronics, LEDs

The world of Arduino microcontrollers can be a challenge to break into — but not if you’re equipped with this kit, which includes all of the hardware you need to work through each of the experiments in Getting Started with Arduino, the popular introductory book by Arduino project co-founder Massimo Banzi. To make it even […]

Electronics and Controllers Microcontrollers: Arduino, electronics, microcontrollers

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

Thousands of people mastered soldering for the first time at this year’s Maker Faire events in the Maker Shed’s “Learn to Solder” tents, with the helpful coaching of Mitch Altman, Jimmie Rodgers, and dozens of other hackerspace volunteers. Participants left the Maker Shed with smiles on their faces, new skills, increased confidence, and a cool […]

Electronics and Controllers: electronics, kids, skills, soldering

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

Don’t tell the co-op board, but I now use this RF fun relay kit to get into my apartment building wirelessly and keylessly, by hacking into its intercom system, which lets you buzz people into the front door. The kit consist a small printed circuit board and a key fob remote. After enclosing the PCB […]

Electronics and Controllers: electronics, hackable

The award-winning Snap Circuits Pro 500 Experiments kit contains more than 75 parts and detailed project books that allow you to build over 500 snap-together circuits — no tools required. You can assemble a musical doorbell, laser gun, race game, lie detector, electronic kazoo, mind reading game, telegraph, AM/FM radio, and so many more projects. […]

Electronics and Controllers: circuits, electronics, kids