Make: Kit Reviews

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

Whether your motivation is the environment, the economy, independence, or you simply despise the oil companies, converting your diesel vehicle to run on waste vegetable oil (WVO) can truly be a rewarding experience. (You can get WVO free from restaurants, preferably higher end. Luckily for me, my brother-in-law is a head chef, and he has access to WVO.) […]

Wheels: automotive, cars, engines, green conversion, Wheels

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

Desktop battering ram? I think yes. This small kit is a lot of fun to build and use. It takes some time to put together and uses a fair amount of wood glue, but the instructions are clear and easy to read. The kit comes with two ½”-thick boards that are CNC’ed out with all […]

Siege & Ballistics: ballistics, battering ram, desktop, siege, wood

Chocoholics, take note! This kit allows you to make your flavor fantasies come true. It’s got everything you need to make basic, agave-sweetened chocolate, but I used honey instead and added lemon zest to create something out of this world. Ruffled paper cups are included, so the presentation is worthy of your sweetheart. After a […]

Food: chocoholic, chocolate, food, Mayan

In an alternate Old West universe, folks played synthesizers, and they called ‘em “Phantastrons.” Incorporating tubes, steel panels, and a branded wooden crate ripe for customization, this is one unusual synth kit. The power supply comes mostly assembled, but the 30s-era “turret board” is a challenge for seasoned solderers. Not your standard volt-per-octave functionality; this oscillator […]

Musical Instruments: music, musical instruments, synthesizer

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

Just one listen to this home-built, high-end tube amp, and you’ll quickly discover that there’s more to that classic song you’ve been listening to for years. It has nothing to do with nostalgia — tubes just sound more musical than pure solid state, and the PoddWatt is a prime example. So, what can you get from a […]

Audio Gear: amplifier, audio, music

The great thing about this kit is the variety of skills you’ll learn. Not only do you end up with a warm-sounding tube amp, but you also learn how all these audio components are produced, as well as proper soldering technique, orientation of polarized capacitors, spacing of large-value wirewound resistors, and heat sinking of transistors. […]

Audio Gear: amplifier, audio, music