Make: Kit Reviews

Turn anything into a drum set with your Arduino and this simple kit. Some makers build custom drum sets from fine hardwoods, while others take the easy route and make practice sets from mouse pads and sheet metal. Instead of building my own, I used the included piezo elements to trick out my Rock Band […]

Musical Instruments: Arduino, drums, music, musical instruments

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 Phlatformer is a hobby vacuum- forming machine that quick-melts 10″ square plastic sheets into form-hugging shapes. Originally built for R/C modelers to make identical, lightweight body parts, it has many uses; for example, I plan to form custom holders to display my raygun collection. The kit’s parts and thoughtful extras never skimp on quality, […]

Tools & Workshop: Tools, vaccuum-forming, Workshop

Just because you don’t own a distillery doesn’t mean you can’t have a hand in making your own whiskey. Whiskey starts its life as a clear, nearly flavorless spirit; it’s the aging process that provides the beautiful brown color and most of the smooth, smoky flavor. The Age Your Own Whiskey Kit provides all you […]

Alcoholic Beverages Beverages: alcohol, beverages, home aging, whiskey

This pixel-scale, portable Meggy Jr game platform is fun for any gamer, especially those who know their way around an Arduino. About the size of a VHS tape, it offers an 8×8 matrix of RGB LEDs and a lot of functionality with very little setup. It comes pre-programmed with Attack of the Cherry Tomatoes, a side-scrolling […]

LEDs: electronics, Games, LEDs

As a newbie to synthesizers and most electronics, I found the Drone Lab V2 a rewarding kit to construct. This analog drone synthesizer is made up of four oscillators, each with tuning and volume control, that get mixed together and run through various effects. You can also run another synth, noisemaker, guitar, or whatever straight […]

Musical Instruments: music, musical instruments, synthesizer

Named after the Norse goddess of youth, the Seas Idunn kit sets a high standard for DIY speakers. Cabinets come fully assembled in black ash, cherry, or maple, and the crossover also comes prebuilt, so installing it is just a matter of affixing it to the boxes and attaching the drivers. All told, the build took […]

Audio Gear: 2-way, audio, music, speakers

Open the cool aluminum briefcase and remove your weapon of choice. Charge the pistol grip with a 16-gram CO2 cartridge. Fill the lower shaker chamber with gin, maraschino liqueur, lemon juice, Creme de Violette, and ice. Thread the shaker top and valve onto the lower chamber. Inject CO2 into the shaker. Shake. Settle. Open. Pour. […]

Alcoholic Beverages Beverages: alcohol, beverages, home carbonation, mixology

The Molecular Cocktails Starter Kit is the perfect gift for the mad-scientist mixologist in your life. It comes with the tools, chemical compounds, and information needed to create gels, liquid-filled spheres, foams, and UV-reactive glowing drinks. The included book contains chapters on foundational techniques derived from molecular gastronomy, as well as 50 recipes.

Alcoholic Beverages Beverages: alcohol, beverages, cocktails, mixology

Who’d believe a sawdust log in a plastic bag could turn into a magical mushroom forest before your eyes! My first harvest was bounteous and the shiitakes delectable, but careful attention to growing conditions was required to yield multiple crops of mushrooms rather than mold. If you get 3–5 harvests, the kit is a bargain; […]

Food: food, mushroom farm, mushroom growing, Shiitake