Build Like Ahmed With These Awesome Electronics Projects
You have no doubt heard of Ahmed Mohamed, a high school student who was arrested for bringing a watch to school that he built to share with teachers and classmates. Don’t let this disappoint you. Create things.
Ahmed’s story was an embarrassing display of ethnic profiling all too common in America, but Ahmed handled the situation gracefully. We’ve presented all kinds of projects over the years with different skill levels, and in line with Ahmed’s reaction to the fiasco , here are some of our favorite projects that teach electronics.
Entry Level: LittleBits Sets
LittleBits are designed like LEGOs for electronics – they offer interchangeable modules that plug together so you don’t have to solder, while offering a wide range of possibilities. We’ve already covered how you can start your DIY projects here on the site before , and it’s a fun way to tackle complex electronics projects with ease. This ease of use comes at a price – they can be a little expensive for hobby projects – but the polish is part of the appeal. You can even create your own littleBits style components if you really want to do it yourself.
If you happen to be in New York, littleBits recently opened a pop-up store where you can try out their components and find out how they work.
Intermediate level: Arduino projects
If you want something more powerful, look no further than the Arduino : a small microcontroller that you can use to control an endless variety of projects. It is literally a small PCB that you connect to your computer via USB to download the code you want to run, and since it is open source, you can find existing projects on the Internet and use their code. That’s great, but using an Arduino isn’t necessarily a walk in the park for beginners – you might still need soldering and prototyping depending on the project you’re working on.
There are actually a huge number of projects you can do with your Arduino, be it just fun educational projects (like a rubber band launcher controlled by minions ) or something you create for a specific purpose, like a home system. safety , ambient lighting , bike. turn signals and much more. Instructables user Saiyam has created an efficient parking alarm with proximity detection so you don’t dent your bumper. On the Make website, you can learn how to use the Arduino Yún to create a smart universal remote, which requires some programming experience (and some other components like an infrared LED and an IR sensor).
And yes, you can create multiple clocks .
Advanced level: robotics
Of course, building a robot requires more electronics know-how because there are so many components in it. From microcontrollers to servos, motors and batteries, making them work together to create something that looks like a “robot” is a daunting prospect. But there are still some pretty introductory projects out there that make it doable.
Earlier this year, our very own Eric Ravenscraft used an Arduino with an open source meArm kit to create a cool robot claw . This is a fairly complex assembly that involves breadboarding circuits, programming the Arduino, and setting up the servos to work with a mechanical frame, and will teach you a wide range of skills that you can use on your next project.
This bot that got my attention on Instructables also has an Arduino and a distance sensor at its core to avoid objects. Again, this robot has a lot of complex components, but if you break it down into separate steps, the basics of assembling it are actually pretty simple. Check out the complete building guide .
This reminds me of one of my favorite robot builds: Fritz Lineborg’s Yellow Drum Machine from Letsmakerobots.com (shown in the video above).
This robot searches for surfaces and then puts out sweet drumstick beats until it gets bored. I know almost nothing about how it works, but that’s the point: these projects, such as creating your own watch, are ways of self-education and entertainment. Fostering a sense of curiosity and exploration can lead to innovation in other areas of your life, whether you’re looking to design the next rover or Hyperloop. It’s fun and no one should stop you from exploring.