Make: Kit Reviews

What to do when you want to machine precise custom parts but don’t have room or funds for a professional CNC? Invest in a manual mill that can convert into a CNC. Considered a great tool for the price, the X2 Mini Mill is the kit builder’s top choice, and Probotix offers complete conversion kits (see […]

Tools & Workshop: CNC, Tools, Workshop

The DrinkDuino drinking game was the perfect excuse for me to get my first Arduino. After ordering the DrinkShield breathalyzer kit and an Arduino Uno to drive it, I hastily pieced it together on my living room floor. The kit was simple enough, all components were included, and the instructions online were quick and easy. […]

Kit Party: Arduino, breathalyzer, drinking game, party

It took me about 45 minutes (not including glue drying time) to put together a service-able ukulele from Wolfelele’s precut wooden components. The well-designed parts fit together in a way that ensured it didn’t end up crooked, and the triangular instrument sounds better than any other $100 ukulele I’ve played. The kit has everything you […]

Musical Instruments: music, musical instruments, Ukulele

Due to its hands-free interface (your body’s interference with its electromagnetic field controls the sound), the theremin is famed for both its novelty and its importance in 20th-century music. When I started building this kit, I had little soldering experience, but the straightforward instructions made for a great introduction to the world of circuits. The wooden casing […]

Musical Instruments: music, musical instruments, theremin

Musicians have long praised the tone of tube amps, and after a face-melting guitar solo, it looks pretty rad to have your amp glowing behind you on stage. I love the simplistic, wholly utilitarian design of the Mod102’s case, and the sweet tone it adds. The circuit design is point to point, giving beginners and […]

Musical Instruments: amplifier, guitar, music, musical instruments

Analog voltage-controlled oscillators (AVOs) make a variety of intriguing hums, beeps, buzzes, and loops, controlled by buttons, knobs, and sensors. These are fantastic group projects because once the soldering irons are all put down, you get an excellent payoff: you can have an impromptu concert. Bleep Labs, run by Austin, Texas, circuit bender and kit […]

Kit Party: analog, audio, kids, music, party

MAKE contributor John Iovine has been designing and improving affordable Geiger counters for decades. After Japan’s nuclear crisis last spring, his company was swamped with orders. Now they’re working on even better designs and DIY kits. This analog counter detects beta radiation above 36 kilo-electron volts (keV) and gamma above 7keV, signaling each radioactive particle detected with an […]

Science: analog, Geiger counter, Science

This amazing demo shows how you can transmit sound over a laser beam. The transmitter modulates power to a laser pointer with audio from a headphone jack. The receiver is just an earphone and a solar cell; no power source. I assembled both in minutes, and it was strange (in a good way) to hear music […]

Science: communication, Science, spy gear

Have you tried taking video using your digital camera but never seem to have enough light? Does your camera have trouble focusing in the dark? LEDs are cheap, and so are resistors, so why not make your own LED Video Light? With this second-generation kit from ProdMod, you’ll transform a simple battery holder into a […]

LEDs: electronics, LEDs, photography

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