In this video, @BeckyStern explores sound generation and musical microcontrollers. Whether you’re building a talking robot or your own DIY synthesizer, this episode will help you choose the right parts for adding audio to your projects.
Full article on DigiKey’s Maker.io – Sound Generation and Musical Microcontrollers
Today, we’re turning one of the most cursed objects of contemporary e-waste, a disposable vape, into a musical instrument. It’s like an ocarina, using your breath to activate and your fingers to control the pitch.
Taking apart electronics, called a teardown, is a low-pressure way to dip a toe into tinkering without the hangups of building a project from scratch. In this video, @BeckyStern shares safe and useful techniques and answers to common questions about electronics teardowns and e-waste recycling. Disassembling gadgets is a cool way to see all the work that goes into making them, which often involves integrating engineering and design and several interesting manufacturing processes. Becky has disassembled so many gadgets that she’s lost count – and you can watch many of these teardowns over on her channel.
Full article on DigiKey’s Maker.io – Electronics Teardowns and Recycling
Shenzhen is often described as the fastest city on Earth. In this first episode of Made In Shenzhen, Becky Stern and David Cranor travel from Hong Kong across the land border into Shenzhen, China, to explore Huaqiangbei, the world’s most famous electronics market and a physical interface to the global supply chain.
With the help of local fixer Aqua and PCBWay’s Elaine, Becky digs into what makes Shenzhen different from anywhere else: density, repair culture, and a manufacturing ecosystem where ideas can move from concept to reality with astonishing speed.
How does a sheet of copper-clad fiberglass become a printed circuit board? What goes into making an LED? In this episode of Made In Shenzhen, Becky goes inside a PCB factory to see the complex processes that go into making printed circuit boards, then tours a factory that makes LEDs– 20 million of them a day.
Episode 3 coming soon!
Let’s explore sound-reactive electronics– projects that can sense and respond to sound. In this video, @BeckyStern shares many ways to sense audio, from basic vibration to voice recognition, so that you can pick the right path for your project.
Full article on DigiKey’s Maker.io – Making Sound Reactive Projects
In this video by @BeckyStern, we’re showing off some of this year’s best electronics tools, parts, and boards that Becky has found useful recently and loves. If you’re shopping for yourself or the maker in your life, these are her recommendations for great holiday gifts. These tools make a great starter workbench!
Full article on DigiKey’s Maker.io – Becky’s Favorite Things 2025
A datasheet serves as the user manual for a particular electronics component. In this video, @BeckyStern covers how to read a datasheet and shares what all those charts, tables, and specs actually mean. It’s less scary than it looks!
Whether you’re picking the right resistor for an LED or figuring out how not to fry your microcontroller, this video is for you. Learning to read datasheets will make you a lot more confident when selecting parts for your next project, and it marks a pretty big jump from beginner-level electronics skills to intermediate.
Full article on DigiKey’s Maker.io – How To Read A Datasheet
In this video by @BeckyStern, we’re looking at benchtop power supplies – the versatile tool that provides adjustable and reliable DC power to your electronics projects. Becky covers the basics of how to use one, shows some example use cases, and lets you know what you should look for when shopping for your own.
Full article on DigiKey’s Maker.io – Benchtop Power Supplies
In this video by @BeckyStern, we’re exploring the fascinating world of electric motors. Motors are everywhere—from fans to cars to robots—and understanding how they work is a key skill for anyone diving into electronics or engineering. Becky covers the basics of motors, the different types, what they’re used for, and answers some common questions beginners often have.
Full article on DigiKey’s Maker.io – Introduction to Electric Motors
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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