5
Herbie the Mousebot
I built this Mousebot with my son, who had just turned 10. At first, I had to show him how to solder and helped him align the sides (not too easy), but by the end he was doing all the work himself and enjoying the “toughness” of the assembly. This kit is simple, but it […]
Red Blinky POV
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 […]
Meggy Jr RGB Game Console
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
Perlini Carbonation Kit
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
Molecular Cocktails
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
Digital Dominos
These Digital Dominos work just like regular dominos knocking each other down, only virtually. Each domino-sized PCB has a button that triggers an LED to blink (which corresponds to the domino “falling”). An IR sensor on one end and an IR LED on the other allow each domino to trigger any adjacent domino to blink, and so on. […]
Energy Wiz
Aimed at kids 8 and up, this kit has real heart. Its 48-page workbook and components (solar cell, buzzer, two motors, LED, capacitor, copper rivets, pinwheel, etc.) take you through lessons and fun experiments that teach the basics: What is energy, as distinct from force? What forms does it take? How can it be converted […]
IN12 6 Tube Nixie Clock Kit
Nixie tubes, beautiful relics of early computing, display their numerals with a quivery orange glow. Peter J. Jensen makes Nixie tube clock kits, and it was a joy to put one of them together, thanks to the clear step-by-step instructions and parts envelopes labeled with corresponding numbers. Jensen designed the clock and circuit board himself, […]
Chronulator PM2V
Alternative time-telling devices are compelling, but only if they’re easy to read. Building a kit can be satisfying, but only if it leaves room for creativity. The Chronulator clock kit fits the bill on both counts. Solder it together, and you’ve got a microcontroller-based clock that converts time to current, displaying hours and minutes on […]
Defusable Clock
This fully functional alarm clock lets you practice defusing simulated explosives. When the red button is pressed, the clock starts a scary countdown like bombs in Hollywood movies. There are four wires across the top of the clock, and you have ten seconds to choose the correct wire to cut. Programmed with the Arduino IDE, so […]
