Maker Faire festivals are a beautiful showcase of what modern technology makes possible. The whole maker world feels like a big playground for both kids and adults. It’s incredible to think about what anyone can create at home today, on a small budget, using programmable controllers and online resources. And there’s no need to be especially handy anymore—you can leave most of the work to 3D printers or home CNC machines.
Those large manufacturers were represented by STMicroelectronics, an international manufacturer of semiconductors and semiconductor technologies.
There are also more than enough development boards with STM32 chips and Arm Cortex cores in our stores. They are not expensive, are more powerful than Arduino with ATmega328 or Arduino Due, can be compatible with Arduino Shields and are better suited for professional deployment.
There were a number of student-made and other projects on display at the stand, the most eye-catching was a working model of an elevator.
LaskaKit also had its booth, which you have probably already come across if you were looking for some boards for prototyping or electronics for your projects. They offer anything from LEDs to robots, plus tutorials, educational materials and sample source code.
Michal Lipták showed his smart home solutions based on super cheap ESP8266 wireless controllers, thanks to which you can create your own IoT devices and put together a smart home.
Miroslav Zuzelka exhibited his PCB assembly kit made mostly of printed parts. He picks up components using a vacuum and then places them on the PCB. And some other projects.
The professionals were also represented by Hennlich. If you want to build a similar machine, you can reach for components for industrial equipment – sliding bushings, guides, just things you won’t find at the hobby shop or local hardware store.
Brno’s hackerspace Base48 is a community co-working space for tinkering enthusiasts.
Citizen science is a citizen science project to monitor our environment. They have a range of their own devices, sensors and projects you can get involved in. They have also introduced the Senzorvzduchu project, aimed at monitoring air quality and engaging the public in measuring pollution, and their air quality sensors, as well as a new web portal.
