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Hands On

DIY projects, hands-on tests and tutorials, and other how-to articles from Spectrum editors and contributors
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.
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
A woman in a safety vest operates a packaging machine at Amazon.
AISponsored Article

Packaging and Robots

How AI and sustainability are transforming the journey from click to delivery at Amazon

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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
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

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!
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

Journal Watch

The latest engineering and computer science advances in context from IEEE Spectrum and the Xplore Digital Library
SemiconductorsAINewsClimate TechJournal WatchClimate Change

Is Virtualization Greener Than Lab Work for Chips?

3 min read
3D rendering of a grass microchip with a globe icon in the center, being used on a circuit board.
EnergyAerospaceNewsJournal Watch

One Way That Could Improve Space-Based Power: Relays

3 min read
Illustration of a space satellite reflecting a signal in a zig-zag towards planet Earth.
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.
AIMagazineNovember 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

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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
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
DIYHands OnMagazineFebruary 2024

Build the Most Accurate DIY Quartz Clock Yet

Makers can now use vastly superior timing tech

4 min read
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.
A hand adjusts a knob on a panel with spaghetti wiring. A ribbon cable links it to a small display.
DIYHands OnMagazineJanuary 2024

Try This Brand New Analog Computer

The THAT machine is designed to encourage you to go beyond digital

4 min read
A pair headphones sitting on a drum set with embedded microphones on each side.
DIYDecember 2023Hands OnMagazine

Build Your Own Hi-fi Ear Defenders

An inexpensive solution to hearing well in loud environments

5 min read
An illustration of a single board computer connected to a screen and USB keyboard. Callouts indicate the location of a Z80 and 6502 CPUs as well as other supporting electronics.
DIYNovember 2023Hands OnMagazine

A Dual-CPU Computer You Can Rewire With Software

Learn system-level architecture with the Cerberus 2100’s 6502 and Z80 processors

4 min read
This illustration shows an open box, with a Raspberry Pi computer inside, along with a small cylinder (geophone). Two cables plug into the side of the box, which pass power and signals inside to the Raspberry Pi.
DIYHands OnMagazineOctober 2023

Detect Quakes With “Raspberry Shakes”

Raspberry Pi–based seismometers can supplement existing networks

5 min read

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