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DIY

Reviews, hands-on projects, and the latest on the maker movement from Spectrum's DIY editor Stephen Cass
DIYMagazineNovember 2024Hands On

Build a Sci-Fi Aerial Display

Clever optics are behind a touchscreen that floats in midair

5 min read
A see-through diagram shows light from a flatscreen being bounced around inside a box-like frame. An image of nine number keys floats in the air above the frame, with one key highlighted as a user touches it with their finger.
Engineers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory
DIYThe Next PandemicFeatureSensorsSpecial Reports

The Great Ventilator Rush

Early on in the COVID-19 pandemic, engineers launched extraordinary crash programs that produced scores of ventilator designs. What will happen to them now?

14 min read
Against a backdrop of particle tracks, a hand holds a rectangular device a little larger than a deck of cards.
DIYOctober 2024MagazineHands On

Build a No-Fuss Particle Detector

The BetaBoard is an inexpensive and robust way to see the invisible

5 min read
Katherine Bennell-Pegg: Australia’s First Astronaut Makes History
AerospaceSponsored Article

Katherine Bennell-Pegg: Australia’s First Astronaut Makes History

Discover more about Australia’s growing prominence in space exploration and research

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Escape Proprietary Smart Home Tech With This DIY Panel
DIYSeptember 2024MagazineHands On

Escape Proprietary Smart Home Tech With This DIY Panel

Break free with Home Assistant and some Raspberry Pis

4 min read
a group of men smiling for a portrait in an outside setting
EnergyNewsDIY

Citizen Scientists Track Radiation in Ukraine's War Zones

Volunteers are installing sensors to monitor Ukraine's nuclear plants

3 min read

Download IEEE’s 140th Anniversary Book

This 144-page e-book features 34 vital breakthroughs in electrotechnology, ranging from Maxwell’s Equations in 1864 to modern day Transformer Neural Networks. Sign in or create a FREE account to get your copy now!
view of a see through box with red and green circles in front sitting on a counter
AerospaceSemiconductorsNewsDIY

Photonic Chip Cuts Cost of Hunting Exoplanets

CubeSats carrying photonic integrated circuits would examine alien atmospheres

3 min read
Build a Radar Cat Detector
DIYAugust 2024Hands OnMagazine

Build a Radar Cat Detector

For when you really need to know what’s inside the box

5 min read

Journal Watch

The latest engineering and computer science advances in context from IEEE Spectrum and the Xplore Digital Library
TelecommunicationsNewsJournal Watch

Wi-Fi Goes Long Range on New WiLo Approach

2 min read
A digital rendering of colorful lines running through an aerial view of trees and sparse houses in a rural community.
SemiconductorsAerospaceNewsJournal Watch

Even Gamma Rays Can’t Stop This Memory

4 min read
A green circuit board, connected by wires to an orange external chip and a display showing voltage, current and radiation levels.
Artificial IntelligenceMagazineNovember 2024ComputingNewsJournal Watch

Predicting Malicious Behavior on X Before It Happens

2 min read
Illustration of a man holding a mobile phone with flames coming out of the screen
TransportationArtificial IntelligenceNewsJournal Watch

Autonomous Vehicles Get a Boost to Seeing in the Dark

3 min read
a blue outlined autonomous vehicle driving on a pathway against a black background
AerospaceSeptember 2024MagazineNewsTelecommunicationsJournal Watch

Test Flight Demonstrates Navigation by Cellphone Signals

4 min read
computer flying with green and red lines following behind

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A cutaway diagram of a straight-sided bucket. A clear covering is secured over the mouth of the bucket. Underneath the covering is a parabolic microphone supported by a thick layer of foam. At the bottom of the bucket, below the foam, is a large battery, an amplifier board, and an external sound card.
DIYHands On

Detect Migrating Birds With a Plastic Dish and a Cheap Microphone

Take birding into new territory—the night

5 min read
An illustration of a handheld device with an antenna, small keyboard and screen opposite a stack of printed circuit board modules held in an enclosure with two antennas
DIYHands OnMagazineTelecommunicationsJune 2024

Build Long-Range IoT Applications Fast With Meshtastic

The LoRa-based tech brings mesh radio to makers

4 min read
A camera with a bulky lens and a finder scope sits on a tripod. An inset shows a metal clamp and an adjustment knob around the lens's focus ring.
DIYHands OnMagazineMay 2024

Electronically Assisted Astronomy on the Cheap

Take surprisingly detailed images of the heavens with budget hardware

4 min read

The Transistor at 75

The past, present, and future of the modern world’s most important invention
See the full collection →
Illustration of a cake with a candle shaped as a transistor symbol
A phot of an outstretched hand with several transistors in the palm of it.
SemiconductorsDecember 2022MagazineThe Transistor at 75FeatureSpecial Reports

How the First Transistor Worked

12 min read
A chart showing the timeline of when a transistor was invented and when it was commercialized.
SemiconductorsDecember 2022MagazineThe Transistor at 75FeatureHistory of TechnologySpecial Reports

The Ultimate Transistor Timeline

2 min read
A photo of 3 different transistors.
SemiconductorsDecember 2022MagazineThe Transistor at 75FeatureSpecial Reports

The State of the Transistor in 3 Charts

4 min read
An image of stacked squares with yellow flat bars through them.
SemiconductorsDecember 2022MagazineThe Transistor at 75FeatureSpecial Reports

3D-Stacked CMOS Takes Moore’s Law to New Heights

9 min read
Six men and a woman smiling.
SemiconductorsDecember 2022MagazineThe Transistor at 75FeatureSpecial Reports

The Transistor of 2047: Expert Predictions

5 min read
AerospaceRoboticsGuest ArticleConsumer ElectronicsDIYTelecommunications

Ukraine Is the First “Hackers’ War”

For clues to the future of warfare, study the struggle between FPV drones and electronic warfare

8 min read
A person in military gear launches a drone skyward.
A walkie-talkie-like radio displaying the IEEE Spectrum logo on its screen, in front of a laptop showing a Web page entitled UVMOD.
DIYHands OnMagazineApril 2024

The Most Hackable Handheld Ham Radio Yet

The UV-K5 can be modded at the click of a mouse

4 min read
Turn a Vintage Hi-Fi Into a Modern Entertainment Center
DIYHands OnMagazineMarch 2024

Turn a Vintage Hi-Fi Into a Modern Entertainment Center

Obsolete components aren’t the obstacle to repairs they used to be

5 min read
Principles of PID Controllers
TransportationWhitepaper

Principles of PID Controllers

PID Working Principle and Building Blocks

A paperback-sized pcb with a display of six digits made from LED matrices. Among the components mounted below, one with a rectangular casing about the size of a sugar cube is highlighted.
DIYHands OnMagazineFebruary 2024

Build the Most Accurate DIY Quartz Clock Yet

Makers can now use vastly superior timing tech

4 min read
DIYArticle

Hands On Extra: OCXO Clock

Additional technical details, plus where to get the PCB file and bill of materials

6 min read