Make: Kit Reviews

If you want to get into 3D printing but don’t know where to start, the MakerBot Thing-O-Matic Kit is the way to go. It’s a complete kit, so you need no additional parts, and a large user community can back you up if problems pop up (not to mention Thingiverse, where you can find awesome […]

Tools & Workshop: 3D printing, makerbot, Tools, Workshop

Most hobbyists neglect to get the good basic pieces you need to work on everyday machinery like counterfeit printing presses, getaway cars, and the trap doors on elevator ceilings. Instead, they get the $20 all-in-one checkout-line kit featuring tools made from an alloy of sawdust, soda cans, and rat droppings. RoadTech H3 tools absolutely don’t […]

Tools & Workshop: tool set, Tools, Workshop

This awesome three-axis CNC kit is a must-have for small projects such as circuit boards, engraving, or machining various small parts out of plastic or wood. Everything you need is included, except for a few hand tools, a vise, and a computer with a parallel port for running the software. The documentation contains clearly described steps […]

Tools & Workshop: CNC, Tools, Workshop

The Monochron is an extremely rewarding kit to build. Not only is it fun, but the finished clock adds retro flair to any home. As with all Adafruit kits, the instructions are clear and well thought out. The clock features an alarm function, custom laser-cut case, and several different display modes to suit your mood or […]

Clocks: clocks, retro, vintage

The heart of the Ice Tube Clock is a distinctive, vintage, Russian vacuum fluorescent display (VFD) housed in a transparent, laser-cut enclosure. The clock features a precision watch crystal, alarm function, and battery backup. The build quality and online instructions are excellent, as is the completeness of the kit. Anyone who stops by my studio is always […]

Clocks: clocks, retro, vintage

Without ever painting a portrait before in my life, I re-created the likeness of Pee-wee Herman with this PopParty Paint by Number Kit. Choose from the Golden Girls, Pee-wee, or my personal favorite, Lindsay Lohan’s mug shot. Better yet, order a custom kit from your own photo for $125, with up to 16 acrylic paint […]

Craft: art, celebrities, crafts, paint-by-number, Pee-Wee Herman

Traditional surfboards are fragile, plus they’re made of toxic goo — polyurethane foam and polyester resin — that ends up as landfill. This deluxe starter kit has all the tools and materials you need to make a tougher, greener epoxy board using expanded polystyrene (EPS) foam that’s recyclable. And Greenlight’s lamination technique, using bamboo fabric […]

Outdoor & Sport: green, outdoors, sports, surf board, surfing

Got a project to prototype? Freescale’s Tower system with its Real Time Communications Suite (RTCS) offers greater processing power and more programming resources than Arduino, although it takes longer to learn. The basic kit consists of the 32-bit microcontroller board with USB and RS-232 interfaces, accelerometer, four display LEDs, switches, and a potentiometer. Additional modules […]

Electronics and Controllers Microcontrollers: electronics, microcontrollers

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