There's a huge range of computer-controlled machines used by makers - 3D printers, laser cutters, CNC mills and more - but the plotter is the easiest to make. This makes it a great build for getting started in the world of computer-controlled machines. For around £15 you can create your own drawing machine with our guide.
- Learn how hydra...
As children we were told not to play with our food. As adults, we can do whatever the heck we like. Join us this month to celebrate the joy of messing around with food, whether that's grilling cheese, making coffee, or automating the construction of tacos.
- Find things to make and do with polystyrene
- Drool over a 3D printed chocolate Je...
You might think that the next big leap in 3D printing would come in the form of a pristine white box from a high-end manufacturing facility. You'd be wrong. The hot new thing in 3D printing is an open source machine you can put together yourself in your kitchen. Come with us, and find out why your next printer should be a Voron.
- Grow food...
It's not yet Christmas, but we come bearing glad tidings: the supply of Raspberry Pis available to hobbyists is starting to come back to normal. To celebrate, we're exploring 20 of the best hardware projects you can build with a Raspberry Pi - whether that's large or small, simple or complex, useful or not-so-useful.
- Keep your p...
Flying machines: humans have always dreamed about flight, but with our puny arms and lack of feathers it's something we've struggled with. No more! Join us as we explore the best, cleverest and most innovative home-made flying machines. Icarus would have been proud!
- Behold: the world's first articulated print-in-place chocolate ...
With enough inspiration, the world is your playground - that's why this issue we're bringing you 16 of the best DIY toys and games to keep boredom at bay.
- Get started with surface mount soldering
- Make Islamic-inspired geometric LED patterns
- Building an aeroplane powered by the super duper supercapacitor
- Drool over the finest...
When you've graduated from breadboards and jumper wires it's time to tackle electronics the way the pros do it: by making your own PCBs! We'll take you from beginner to slightly more experienced beginner, with a guide to designing, debugging and manufacturing your own custom electronic creation.
- Learn the secrets of the guitaris...
Machine learning used to be the preserve of university research departments with money to burn on high-power, high-cost kit - but not any more! Thanks to a new breed of affordable dev boards, anyone can get in on the act at pocket money prices. We've trawled the makersphere for the best, most creative machine learning projects to show just wha...
What could be more satisfying than building a whole computer, from scratch? You might think it's impossible these days, but we've found a band of makers who are re-creating the clicky switches and flashing LEDs of a bygone age. Have a go yourself!
- Design, sustainability and ethics with Jude Pullen;
- Add much-needed safety features ...
From component choice, to packaging, to marketing, to the million other things that you need to do when you scale up production, we'll help you turn your project into a product - and along the way it'll help you be a better maker.
- Build a rocket-powered wing-wing glider out of balsa wood and 3D printed parts (it's like the space...
The Raspberry Pi Pico: it's tiny, it's fast, it's versatile, and even more impressively these days it's available. And now it's got even better, with the introduction of the new internet-enabled Raspberry Pi Pico W. We'll run through the capabilities of this little board, and get you started on the road to victory with...
The Internet of Things is playground for makers. From practical projects such as pet feeders and automatic blind, to silly things like a texting pot plant, there are as many ways of connecting ordinary object to the internet as you can imagine. Let's explore!
- Meet the mom behind Geek Mom Projects
- Build a flatpack rocket
- Turn 3D prin...
With a little bit of coding, you can breathe life into anything. Discover the building blocks of programming that will take your creations to the next level - whether that's motors, servos, sensors or just adding blinkenlights. Coding is a superpower!
- How to build an elite-level hot air balloon
- Get ready for Christmas with flashy festi...
Bodging electrical components together on a breadboard is all very well, but when it comes to making a circuit permanent, you have to learn to solder. We've rounded up the best wizarding wands to give you this magical maker power.
- Vandalism done properly
- A robot that can climb stairs
- Air-powered rocketry
- Use a laser cutter to mak...
This issue we're paying homage to some of our favourite projects built on the Raspberry Pi. We're living in a golden age for experimentation, accessible making and digital discovery - and a large part of that is thanks to this teeny tiny computer. Just add imagination!
- How one maker achieved perfection (yes, really!) by embracing fai...
Anyone can be a scientist, and this issue we'll show you how. Whether you're interested in space, traffic, the oceans, or something else, there's a citizen science project for you. The world has never been more connected - so let's use that connectivity to make our planet better!
- We talk to a real-like scientist about the e...
If your 3D printer is looking a little dusty and unloved, now's the time to put it to work: we've 50 of the best 3D prints to improve your home, office, workshop and more. From functional to frivolous, we've got ideas for you. It's time to unleash the awesome power of your printer!
- Oskitone: where 3D printing meets analogue...
Human beings come in all shapes and sizes, all abilities and disabilities. So why should we have to fit in with technology, when technology can so easily be changed to suit us? That's the key question that unites the projects in this issue. From joystick adaptations to prosthetic limbs, we take a look at the ways that open source hardware is m...
The Raspberry Pi Pico: it costs pennies, it's simple to program with, and it's really good at getting data in and out. In short, it's the ideal board for home projects. We've hunted high and low for the best, most innovative, most creative projects around to show off what the Pico can do. What will you build with yours?
- Dis...
Things fall apart, the centre cannot hold. That's why repair skills are so important! This month we're talking upcycling - the art of making beautiful new projects out of old junk.
Plus: what happens when your just-for-kicks project turns out to be something that loads of people want? We talk to Timon Skerutsch, creator of the Piunora,...
We've gathered up the best bits of wearable technology from the first two years of HackSpace magazine for this amazing book. Its 164 pages are packed with step-by-step tutorials and inspirational projects to help you add a unique look to your wardrobe! Ditch the circuit board, step away from the computer: it's time to use your tech skills...