One of the most common questions I get is “How do I get started learning X?” (Where X is a some topic in STEM, most often electronics and programing). In an effort to help as many people as possible, I am writing a handful of articles on the most popular topics. Let’s get started with:…
What do remote controllers, routers, and robots all have in common? Microcontrollers! These days, beginner-friendly microcontrollers are easy to build with and program using just a laptop, a USB cable, and some (free) open-source software. The catch? There are like, 4324302* different microcontrollers and it can be daunting to get started, especially if you’re just…
Move your body to play Minecraft! What!! Yes. Check the video for a demo 🙂 This tutorial will show you how to make your very own gesture game controller for Minecraft (or your other fav. computer game). Move your hand(s) to walk/run/jump, look around, and attack* all the things! Let’s get started! Grab yourself a Circuit…
The household floor piano is a dream no more! The Makey Makey microcontroller makes it super easy (and affordable) to build your very own “foot-strument” out of common household materials. Grab a Makey Makey kit, some cardboard, and your musician shoes and let’s get building! Difficulty Level: Easy Estimated Build Time: 60 minutes Cost: $50 (for Makey Makey…
There are a slew of relatively simple systems to control physical objects w/ software. The most popular options are Arduino, the Raspberry Pi, and BeagleBoard. I’m an avid Raspberry Pi advocate, so let’s start with that! The RPi is a simple & inexpensive computer that has general purpose input and output (GPIO) pins that interface…
