Becky Stern (original) (raw)

Meet Spiker:bit, the new micro:bit-compatible accessory for building your own projects that interface directly with the electrical signals from your body. Spiker:bit provides three basic ways to measure: electromyography (EMG), electrocardiography (ECG or EKG), and electroencephalography (EEG). I’ve been a Backyard Brains fan since I met Greg Gage at Maker Faire Detroit in 2011!

To follow along, you will need:

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Today, I want to share the advice I wish I could go back and give beginner-me. If you’re just getting into DIY electronics—or even if you’ve been at it a while—these tips might save you some time and energy.

Let’s start with tools. Buying fancy tools doesn’t replace practice… but sometimes, yes, the fancy version is genuinely better.

Soldering irons and wire strippers in particular—spending a bit more here can really make your experience smoother. A good quality soldering iron heats faster, holds temperature, and doesn’t make you feel like you’re fighting the tool. But the tip must be clean to work well. Even the best soldering iron won’t work well if the tip is dirty.

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Today I’m sharing a super fun project that I collaborated on with a bartender friend of mine. He asked me to make a set of illuminated mushroom drink menus inspired by Alice in Wonderland. The idea is that he presents a mushroom, and when the recipient lifts the cap, text is revealed, letting them know which drink they are about to get. I modified Wuguigui’s free mushroom desk lamp files and added a battery-powered LED circuit to create this easy glowing 3D printing project.

Supplies:

The mushroom lamp design on Printables had to be modified because it uses an incandescent light fixture, but it’s such a lovely design that I chose to build on top of it rather than recreate something similar. The white dots are printed separately from the top dome, and the two main pieces screw together with their integrated threads.

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Here’s how to make a super functional and stylish canvas backpack from scratch. Whether you need something for everyday carry or a weekend adventure, this bag is sturdy, customizable, and beginner-friendly.

The final bag dimensions are 34cm tall by 24 cm wide by 12cm deep (13.5 inches tall by 9.5 inches wide by 5 inches deep).

Supplies

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Today, we’re taking a look inside the Belkin Auto-tracking Stand Pro. We’ll try it out, take it apart, and analyze the design and manufacturing of the circuitry inside.

So here’s the Belkin Auto-Tracking Stand Pro. It’s got a simple but solid design. Snap your phone into the Magsafe connector, and the stand automatically rotates to track you. It’s a cool piece of tech, and the first product to use Apple’s new DockKit accessories standard. Previously, products like this would be limited to capturing with their own apps, but now the DockKit system allows the stand to seamlessly integrate with the native camera app while capturing content or during video calls.

It has a battery inside, which makes it portable and a tripod mount on the bottom. It moves super smoothly and quietly, so I’m curious what’s going on inside.

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Today we’re taking a look inside the two most popular continuous glucose monitors, or CGMs: The Abbott FreeStyle Libre 3 and the Dexcom 7.

Originally developed for diabetes blood sugar monitoring, CGMs are gaining wider appeal among nondiabetics looking to track their metabolic health. It feels pretty cyborg to wear a biosensor that streams data to my phone over Bluetooth.

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Here’s a guide I’ve been meaning to make for a while– consider it your jumping-off point if you want to get started making your own wearable tech. I’ve published dozens of DIY wearables projects over the years, from LED costumes to Internet-connected sensor jewelry. Here are my best tips for beginners, including answers to common questions.

The first thing you need to get started is an idea. Think about solving a problem or enhancing an experience, either for yourself or someone you know. Maybe there’s a costume or cosplay you’ve always wanted to wear.

The second thing you need is the curiosity, drive, and resourcefulness to learn the skills needed for your idea, which you do not already possess. I’m hoping this guide will help with some of that.

The final thing you need is some motivation to start and/or finish your project, which may come from within, or maybe an event or contest.

It’s important to evaluate your skill level and bite off an appropriate amount of new material to chew on, so as not to get too frustrated to finish your project. Work smarter, not harder. Readymade battery-powered fairy lights, LED strips, and EL wire are perfectly acceptable materials, especially if you’re not ready to take on microcontroller programming or soldering.

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Welcome to another teardown! This time we’re taking a look at the CurrentBody LED red light therapy mask. Masks like these promise to improve various signs of skin aging.

This project was a collaboration across three continents: my friend Michelle from Lab Muffin Beauty Science in Australia, my other friend Ruth Amos in the UK, and myself (in NYC). We were very curious about these devices. How do they work? What’s the science backing up the marketing claims? Is it really worth the $400 price tag? Could we make a DIY version? We all got on the horn to talk about it.

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This year for YouTube Makers Secret Santa, I got Look Mum No Comupter. Sam performs with his modular synth and other cool audio equipment and collects obsolete technology for his museum in Kent UK. We share a love for hacking toys and other ways to use electronics to be creative. I built him an audio sequencer in an old PS4 controller using sounds from his museum’s sample packs.

Materials and tools:

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Here’s how I made the place cards for my wedding reception using my NextDraw pen plotter and the NextDraw Merge software. Not only do they welcome guests to their seats at dinner, but each one has a personal note inside from me, my new husband, or both of us. Follow along if you’re interested in making place cards or notes like this for your own wedding or other special occasion.

Event photos by Arius Photography

Overall, I’d consider this an intermediate-level project, and an ideal first project with NextDraw Merge. This was my first big project with any plotter and the whole reason I bought it in the first place. So I’m new to plotting, and was still able to pull off this project without any problems. But I’m not new to vector graphics software.

For this project, you will need:

Use code BECKYBANTAM for 10% off art machine products thru 2024.

The NextDraw plugin works within InkScape, the open-source vector graphics software, to plot your drawings. The software comes with some sample files to test out and get familiar with plotting. Admittedly I’m more familiar with Adobe Illustrator than I am with Inskcape, but the skills are transferable.

I picked some brown letter-sized paper and experimented with some different gold Gelly Roll pens.

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