Make:

Skill Builder

Basic how-to features.

Articles in this series:

IR Remote Hacking from MAKE: 30: Smarter Homes
How to capture, view, clone, and generate infrared signals. by Tom Lauwers

Kinect Hacking from MAKE: 29: DIY Superhuman
Go from handwaving to coding with the Microsoft Kinect SDK. by Joshua Blake

Visualizing With ImageJ from MAKE: 27: Robots
Free image/video processing software creates vivid representations of time, movement, and data. by Bob Goldstein

Biosensing from MAKE: 26: Karts and Wheels
Track your body's signals and brain waves and use them to control things. by Ira M. Laefsky, Sean M. Montgomery

Holography from MAKE: 25: Microcontrollers and Arduino
Capture magical 3D images without a camera. by Frank DeFreitas

Hard-Shell Molds from MAKE: 24: Space
The science behind the art of prop-making. by Adam Savage

Building with PLCs from MAKE: 23: Gadgets
Programmable logic controllers never fail. by Tim Hunkin

Electroluminescent (EL) Wire from MAKE: 21: Desktop Manufacturing
Bring glow into your projects by learning how to work this flexible, durable material. by Steve Boverie, Louis M. Brill

Servomotors from MAKE: 19: Robots
Beef up on robotic musculature. by Tod E. Kurt

Lay of the Land from MAKE: 18: ReMake America
Mapping your lot is the first step in designing a homestead. by Terrie Schweitzer

Surface Mount Soldering from MAKE: 16: Spy Tech
Techniques for making modern circuits. by Scott Driscoll

Solar Power System Design from MAKE: 14: Optics
How to use solar panels to supplement your home or workshop electricity needs. by Parker Jardine

20-Watt Solar Panel from MAKE: 12: Upload
With a few solar-cells and a plastic case, you can utilize the sun's energy to power anything from a light bulb to your entire house.

Part 2 of this article will appear in MAKE, Volume 14. by Parker Jardine

Purely Platonic from MAKE: 11: Alt Vehicles
Have fun with classic Platonic geometry while building your own dodecahedron table lamp. by Charles Platt

Electronic Test Equipment from MAKE: 10: Home Electronics
See and understand what's happening inside a circuit. by Tom Anderson, Wendell Anderson

Voltage, Current, and Resistance from MAKE: 10: Home Electronics
Voltage, current, and resistance are three staple quantities you'll encounter with anything that has electrons running through it. Here's how they all tie together. by Joe Grand

Working with Carbon Fiber from MAKE: 09: Fringe
Form, lay up, and cure your own high-performance composites. by John Wanberg

Moldmaking from MAKE: 08: Toys and Games
How the pros replicate objects. by Adam Savage

MIDI Control from MAKE: 07: Backyard Biology
Music equipment language isn't just for audio anymore. by Peter Kirn

Sensor Interfaces from MAKE: 05: Science, Weather, and Outdoors
How circuits communicate with the outside world. by Tom Igoe

Microcontroller Programming from MAKE: 04: Music and Kits for the Holidays
Easy-to-program chips tell circuitry to do what you want. by Sparkle Labs

Primer: Welding from MAKE: 03: Cars and Halloween
If you need metal stuck together, there is no quicker path than buying a portable 110-volt wire-feed welder. Mr. Jalopy's introduction to welding will help you understand the process and show how you can be a welder by the end of the weekend--and end up with a couple of jigs for the effort. by Mister Jalopy

Printed Circuit Boards from MAKE: 02: Home Entertainment
Step-by-step instructions for making your own PCBs at home. by Andrew Argyle

Soldering and Desoldering from MAKE: 01: Make Premiere
Step-by-step instructions for making (and unmaking) the perfect solder joint. by Joe Grand