Category: Electronics

Card-Launching Purse for Mark Rober’s Casino

Today I’m going to walk through how I made my card-launching purse, which is one of the distractions I built for Mark Rober’s casino party.

We were invited to create engineering cheats for the casino games. But I can’t keep a poker face even when I’m not cheating, so I thought maybe I could just help my friends not get caught by supplying a well-timed distraction. What if cards started flying around unexpectedly? Maybe a purse that launches cards- that could be good.

So I thought about what might already exist that does this– launches cards in the air. My first idea was those devices that spit out money. While I was shopping for those, the UNO Attack Mega Hit game popped up as a related product. I didn’t know about this high-tech UNO game until then– I had only played with the cards alone. It already does so much of what I want; I immediately ordered two.

In addition to the game device, I used these parts and tools:

Visit this project’s github repository to download the Arduino code for this project!

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Sound Generation and Musical Microcontrollers

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

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Novelty Synth from Recycled Vape

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.

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Electronics Teardowns and Recycling

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

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Made in Shenzhen: Videos from my trip to China

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.

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Making Sound Reactive Projects

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

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Becky’s Favorite Things 2025

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

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How To Read A Datasheet

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

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Benchtop Power Supplies

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

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Introduction to Electric Motors

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

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