A collection of our favorite circuits in 2018 from the communities we love, and you!
Contact Microphone
We love exploring the sonic landscapes around us. This simple microphone project from Instructables can be milled in minutes and allows you to listen to the vibrations in any solid object.
LED Menorah
Light up Hanukkah with this clever electronic twist from our friends at Evil Mad Scientist. With the push of a button, the Deluxe LED Menorah displays the correct configuration of LED "candles" for a given night of Hanukkah.
PWM Controller
Build a classic controller with a wide variety of applications in this project from SAIC’s I/O Lab. It uses the 555 timer to provide a single-channel PWM signal suitable for dimming LEDs and varying the speed on motors
Solar Sounders
Artists Peter Blasser and Daniel Fishkin’s ever-evolving Solar Sounders project is a synthesizer played by sunlight: no batteries, no knobs, just speaker output governed by the light of the sun. Tweak the sound by moving it around!
Hair IO
Created by students at UC Berkeley’s Hybrid Ecologies Lab, this clever project uses a custom PCB and shape-memory alloy to make interactive hair extensions that change shape and color, sense touch, and communicate via Bluetooth.
10-year LED Flasher
How can an LED flash for 10 years on a single 1.5V AA battery? The secret is in the circuit of this project by SimpleTronic on Hackster.io! As the cell depletes, the current drain drops. The flasher can run on as low as 0.4V.
Kitty Ears
Make your own set of playful Light-Up Kitty Ears with this fun project by Anouk Wipprecht and Alex Glow on Hackster.io. Combine the 3D-printed headset with the adorable milled ear PCBs for this unique blinky accessory.
Touchtone Synth
This slick little capacitive touch synth from Adafruit combines their Circuit Playground Express board with a custom PCB in just the right shape. Bonus points for finishing touches that include a 3D-printed mount and googly eyes!
LED Strip Controller
Uplevel your project lighting with this simple RGB strip controller by Thomas Gonnot on CircuitMaker. With a PCB design based on the STM32F0 microcontroller, it enables you to independently control color and intensity.
PCB Racer
Mill a zippy, compact PCB Racer entirely out of FR-1 blanks, wheels and all, then add a simple motor and battery to watch it go. This design by David Casey is great for educational settings where you can make a fleet of them and race!
Wooden LED Clock
Combine woodworking, PCB milling, and laser cutting to make a neat maple and veneer digital LED clock that can even scroll text. This project idea comes from our own technical manager Devin Cooper.
Meggy Jr
From the brilliant minds at Evil Mad Scientist comes Meggy Jr. the open-source handheld gaming platform that is fast, programmable, and hackable. Plus, it’s designed to be mounted inside the custom handle set of your choice!