I have collected soooooo many links to great tutorials, articles, tips, tricks, techniques, ideas, inspiration, and all sorts of other stuff. Here is where I keep the links for myself. Since this is public, maybe it will be useful to you, as well.
New Section! Resources for Women & Girls in Tech (link)
Click the section title above for the latest collection of Resources for Women & Girls in Tech! The new section has been building for quite a long time, thanks to suggestions and contributions from so many readers and from people who’ve stumbled onto this Resource page who curate their own lists of resources. Thank you all for helping out!
More STEM, Coding, and Engineering Stuff
Free STEM Resources Provided By Public Libraries - Learn all sorts of things about STEM and STEM offerings from libraries. There are plenty of STEM programs in libraries that are geared toward different age groups for FREE-ninety-FREE! Also, “…this article includes resources for those interested in seeking more information about STEM-based education that can be done at home or virtually.” (Thank you for this recommendation, Leslie!)
BestCodingBootCamps.com - This site has “compiled qualitative and quantitative research of over 200+ bootcamps and designed a meta score to assess … the various student reviews published on several websites analyzing those bootcamps that specialize in front end development, back end development, full stack development, UX/UI, and data science.” (Thank for this recommendation, Kiel!)
What is Programming? (Khan Academy) - An online course from Khan Academy that explains what exactly programming is and talks about examples of where code is used and how. This is a great place to start if you know little-to-nothing about programming, but you’re curious to understand it more.
LightBot (LightBot.com) - LightBot is a puzzle game based on coding; it secretly teaches you programming logic as you play. It was designed with first-time coders. It's friendly for all ages and has been used by teachers and students. You’ll learn stuff like sequencing, overloading, procedures, recursive loops, conditionals, and more. It’s available on the Apple App Store, Google Play, and Amazon Apps.
Blockly Games (Blockly.games) - “Blockly Games is a series of educational games that teach programming. It is designed for children who have not had prior experience with computer programming. By the end of these games, players are ready to use conventional text-based languages.”
Scratch (scratch.mit.edu) - Scratch is the world’s largest coding community for children and a coding language with a simple visual interface that allows young people to create digital stories, games, and animations. Scratch is designed, developed, and moderated by the Scratch Foundation, a nonprofit organization. It promotes computational thinking and problem solving skills; creative teaching and learning; self-expression and collaboration; and equity in computing. Scratch is always free and is available in more than 70 languages.
Glitch (Glitch.com) - Glitch is an online web app development system. No software to install on your computer. It’s one way to tinker with web development. If you build something you want to make into a real web app, you can upgrade to an inexpensive paid account and host your app on a few popular hosting platforms.
Codemoji (Codemoji.com) - (Not Free, FYI, but does have a 14-day trial.) Codemoji's computer science curriculum for schools allows 1st-8th grade students to learn the basics of web development and coding, including HTML, CSS, and Javascript, in a fun and easy way, allowing them to create their own websites, animations and much more with our unique and adaptable learning platform.
Code Combat (CodeCombat.com) - “Our mission: make programming accessible to every student on Earth.” and “If you want to learn to program, you need to write (a lot of) code. At CodeCombat, our job is to make sure you're doing that with a smile on your face.”
Code Monster/Code Maven/Game Maven (crunchzilla.com) - “Code Monster, Code Maven, and Game Maven are interactive tutorials where kids and adults can play with code, experiment, build, and learn. [These are] interactive programming tutorials using live code. Players learn step-by-step building fun graphics, animations, and even fractals and simple games.”
CS First at Code with Google/Google for Education - (Maybe more for educators, but maybe the kids and parents seeing this information can share it with your teachers!) CS First is a Computer Science curriculum that makes coding easy to teach and fun to learn. Schools with Google Educational Enterprise accounts can use this system for online CS training/learning. Here is the resource page for educators, FYI.
Juni Learning (JuniLearning.com) - From their home page: “Juni offers online STEAM courses in topics we all wish we could have learned in school like Coding, Storytelling, Investing, and more.” They provide courses in coding, communications, investing, math, science, and you can find training by format, like one-on-one, on-demand, boot camps, etc.
How to Get into a Top-Tier Computer Science Program - This article from Juni Learning (above) provides tips and steps for students from 5 to high-school age on how to be more competitive for admission into the top Computer Science universities in the U.S.
(Thank you to Matt [by way of Mr. Rizzo] for the following two links!)
A Free Project Guide for Robotics and Engineering - This free project guide for robotics and engineering will help you get started on the path to a robotics career or hobby without the hindrance of high initial costs. There are free resources for tutorials, reading materials to learn robotics, and help finding equipment. You’ll also find robotics organizations, conferences, and even competitions.
Bottle Rockets and Other Educational Crafts - Learning should stop after the bell or after you graduate. This page has a list of links and PDFs for cool projects and experiments you can do at home, including bottle rockets, bath bombs, terrariums, telescopes, and robots.
(Thank you to Jennifer and Hannah Nelson for following two links!)
Kid’s Online Learning Tools for Science, Technology and Beyond! (BestKidStuff.com) - This is a great list of resources and activity ideas for the kiddos, from science fair projects to STEM activities to programming and computer/technology resources. Coincidentally, I’ve used a few of the Computer and Technology resources on this page to teach coworkers about computer science! One of my favorite websites for computer history and back stories is The Computer History Museum.
Software Programming and Coding Glossary for Kids - This is a list of software development (or programming or coding) terms and links to other related resources for kids who are interested in learning how to code.
Blockly: Maze from BrainPop.com - This is a fantastic drag-n-drop programming puzzle where you help a little character find its way to a marker through increasingly complex mazes with simple commands like move forward, turn left, turn right, as well as conditional statements like repeat until and if do. You are also limited on the number of commands you can use to solve each puzzle, depending on complexity.
Electrical Education: Science Lessons and Activities - This page has a great list of links to all sorts of interesting and useful electrical articles, resources, etc. Categories like History of Electricity, Generating Electricity, and Learning Electrical Skills. (Thank you to Tom Coner for the suggestion!)
Electronics Tutorials and References
GENERAL REFERENCE & LEARNING
10 Best PCB Design Software Tools In 2021 - This article has a pretty great list of FREE and paid PCB design tools. I use Eagle, as it comes with my license for Fusion 360 from Autodesk. I’ve used a few others on the list. The article does a nice job of describing features and target users for the various tools.
Rohm - Electronics Fundamentals - This is a pretty big, but well-curated collection of articles and links for understanding basic electronic components. It was sent to me by someone and now I can't stop looking through it. LOTS of great information and learning resources.
All About Circuits - This site is one of the best collections of everything electronics tutorial on the interwebs. Videos, articles, forums... The community on AAC is loaded with electrical and electronic engineers helps others. The content is crazy expansive and really well done.
Know Your USB: A Practical Guide to the Universal Serial Bus - This blog article on USB (Universal Serial Bus) covers USB’s history, versions throughout the years, speeds, cables, adapters, packet structure and protocols, and terminology. Go check it out!
Everything You Need to Know About LED Lighting - This article from Lamps Plus is a good general overview of LED lighting and compares it to conventional incandescent lighting. There are some good bits of information in this article if you are considering switching to LED lighting for you home or business.
AVR and Arduino
AVR Libc Reference Manual at Atmel.com - Wealth of information on the AVR Libc library, including tips and techniques for just about anything.
AVRFreaks.net - A great place for help and info from the community on Atmel's AVR microcontrollers. The answer is usually here.
http://www.avr-asm-download.de/beginner_en.pdf - Beginners Introduction to the Assembly Language of ATMEL-AVR-Microprocessors by Gerhard Schmidt
http://avr-asm.tripod.com/ - Another great AVR assembler site with tons of examples.
http://www.atmel.com/Images/doc1497.pdf - From Atmel themselves: Efficient C Coding for AVR (Document AVR035)
AVRbeginners.net - Good (but kinda old, updated 2004) stuff on beginning AVR, including C and Assembly tutorials and code
http://www.societyofrobots.com/robotforum/index.php?topic=6411.0 - Hacking through the Arduino Library, a Society of Robots forum discussion on the inner workings of the Arduino library
http://neil.franklin.ch/Projects/SoftVGA/ - SoftVGA - AVR based Software-only VGA Display Generator
http://www.dharmanitech.com/2008/11/small-dc-motor-control-by-pwm-method.html - Simple PWM DC motor control using MOSFET H-Bridge with AVR ATmega8
http://extremeelectronics.co.in/ - Great tutorials on AVR and PIC chips and programming. Great sample projects, too.
http://www.dharmanitech.com/ - Design with Microcontrollers - microSD ATmega32 Data-Logger
http://www.engr.sjsu.edu/bjfurman/courses/ME106/ME106pdf/servo-atmel.pdf - Interfacing a Servo to the ATmega16x
General Electronics
http://www.kpsec.freeuk.com/ - Great articles and tutorials on basic electronics and theories, including soldering tips. Good beginner information can be found here.
http://www.electronics-tutorials.ws/ - Another absolutely fantastic electronics tutorial site. This is a must-read. The tutorials are quite in-depth, but easy to follow. Get there. Read it.
http://everything2.com/title/555+Timer - A tutorial on the ubiquitous 555 time chip. Good read.
http://i2c-bus.org/fileadmin/ftp/i2c_bus_specification_1995.pdf - The I2C-bus and how to use it (including specifications)
http://www.beyondlogic.org/usbnutshell/usb1.shtml - As the title says: USB in a Nutshell. Great primer on USB, especially if you're looking to dig into it and really understand it.
http://www.csgnetwork.com/serial.html - Great RS-232 and EIA-232 connectors and cabling information
http://www.arcelect.com/rs232.htm - RS232 Data Interface - a Tutorial on Data Interface and cables
ElectronicsClub.info - A website for anyone wishing to learn about electronics or build simple projects. Written for beginners but used by many others as a quick reference.
http://tronixstuff.wordpress.com/ - Really well-written tutorials on all sorts of electronics topics. I stumbled across this one searching for information on Charlieplexing ICs from Maxim. There are good tutorials on the I2C and SPI protocols, touch screens, LCDs, etc. Visit this place. It's cool.
Best Microcontroller Projects - Good collection of projects and information on microcontrollers.
http://circuitcalculator.com/ - Collection of very handy circuit calculators, like trace widths and whatnot. Super handy.
http://sound.westhost.com/beginners.htm - From Elliott Sound Products - Great information on audio and this link in particular talks about the passive components used in audio circuity. Very educational.
http://101science.com/eleclinks.htm - More awesome links to electronics projects and tutorials. There are a plethora of great links in here, including tutorials and explanations of the basics and the physics behind electronics. I referenced this a lot in the early days of my tinkering.
http://www.cabl.com/restaurant/electronics.html - Not sure why "restaurant" is in their URL, but it's a good list of electronics information, to be sure.
SpritesModes.com - Great reference material, tutorials and demonstrations of microcontroller projects.
Fundamentals of Electricity - A great work by Ray Dall. If you read it, please consider donating to him. He's done a really excellent job of 'splaining all that electrical stuff simply and clearly.
LCD03 - I2C/Serial LCD Tutorial - Great info on I2C and LCDs and it's specific for a pack but good for general reading.
USB/LCD Part 1 (SerLCD on FT232L) - Directly drive the serLCD from Sparkfun from a (serial) USB connection using the Sparkfun Breakout Board for FT232RL USB to Serial.
Open On-Chip Debugger (OpenOCD) User's Guide - It is what it says!
HobbyProjects.com - Explore Electronic Circuits and Tutorials - Discover Engineering Hobby Projects - Computer Based Microcontroller Projects - Science Experiment Videos
Best-Microcontroller-Projects.com - Microcontroller tools, projects and tutorials designed by a professional electronics design engineer
Discover Circuits - I found this one searching for crystal oscillator circuits, but it has so much more!
Curious Inventor -Tutorials, Tools, Parts, Kits for DIY'ers. Great video demos and tutorials, too.
Instructable on Extreme Surface Mount Soldering
http://talkingelectronics.com/FreeProjects/5-Projects/Page16.html - The Flip Flop (as in, make it by hand with regular components and learn how it works. Very cool.
http://www.peltier-info.com/ - Peltier Device (Thermoelectric Cooler/Heater/Generator Modules) Information Directory
http://code.rancidbacon.com/Electronics - Great directory for tutorials, software and documentation on electronics for hobbyists
Bipolar Junction (BJT) H-Bridges - A great tutorial (long and full of great information) on building an H-Bridge with transistors
Circuit Lab MOSFET Switching Inductive Loads (motors, solenoids, etc.) - Reference diagram for doing this. Handy to have.
Electronic-Tutorials.ws MOSFET as a switch - I have them linked above, but this is a direct link to the MOSFET switch circuit tutorial (handy)
PWM Motor Speed Controller / DC Light Dimmer - Schematic and tutorial on how to build one.
RF AND WIRELESS RESOURCES
RF 101 Information for the RF Challenged from Linx - Great primer on RF. From the note: "This application note goes to great lengths to remove the mysteries of RF."
Simple RF Wireless Link with A434 434 MHz Wireless RF Modules - Uses AVR C, example uses a clean and simple packet with CRC8 to make sure packets are intact across the air. Nicely done and short and simple.
http://ftp1.digi.com/support/documentation/90000976_G.pdf - XBee®/XBee-PRO® ZB RF Modules full-on documentation on using Xbee modules (may not be beginner level, but a definite must-have link if you're working with the Xbee modules)
Code & Programming Resources
C/C++ STUFF
Many to insert...
PID Stuff
http://brettbeauregard.com/blog/2011/04/improving-the-beginners-pid-introduction/ - Great beginner intro in C
The Arduino PID Library - http://playground.arduino.cc/Code/PIDLibrary - It is what it says it is. :)
Noteworthy Electronic Components
(My Place to Remember Parts for Later)
Microchip MCP73831/2 - - Miniature Single-Cell, Fully Integrated Li-Ion, Li-Polymer Charge Management Controllers
BQ24195 - Management/Charging
MAX17043 & MAX17044 - Fuel gauge - Compact, Low-Cost 1S/2S Fuel Gauge with Low-Battery Alert
Microchip MRF24J40MB 2.4 GHz IEEE 802.15.4 ZigBee transceiver module with integrated antenna. I have not used one, yet, but it's on my list to play with. Looks like a cool solution for remote control, especially over longer distances.
Maker and Electronics Sources
Note: Just to be clear, distributors are listed on the right side of the pages of my blog. This is a list of searches for specific things you might need or for unusual specific parts.
FindTape.com - AMAZING resource for all your tape needs! Gaffer's tape, double-sided Nitto tape... You name it, they have it.
GREAT search of Switching Regulators at Digi-Key - If you want to make your projects more efficient, first of all, by the power of Ohm's law, lower your voltages! But secondly, switch to a switching regulator! It's EASY! Some are drop-in replacements for linear regulators and they're WAY more efficient. Your batteries will thank you, trust me.
Another Switching Regulator Saved Search at Digi-Key - Same as above, with slightly more refined parameters that brought up more selections. Both searches contain worthwhile parts to order, for sure.
http://shop.moderndevice.com/products/wind-sensor - Modern Device have a growing collection of sensors and components and especially breakout boards. There is an interesting wind sensor that I've been meaning to try that works on temperature or some sorta thing. Neat.
http://www.superdroidrobots.com/shop/default.aspx - A robotics supply place with a great selection of parts and kits.
CIT Relay & Switch - http://www.citrelay.com/ - A great selection of switches and relays.
Allied Electronics Industrial Connectors Section - http://www.alliedelec.com/industrial-connectors/ - I used a few different hefty industrial connectors for the Office Chairiot and this place is a good source for just about any type you can imagine.
Mechanical, Build, and Non-electronic Information
Fully On-Line Gear Generator - An AMAZING utility if you want to quickly created gears and even TRY THEM live in your browser. Output them to SVG and import them into your favorite CAD system for 3D printing.
Understanding and Using DC Motor Specifications - Great PDF on working with and understanding motors including wheels and specs and whatnot.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2L3rirpTdaY - EnviroTex Lite thick clear polymer coating for protecting surfaces of projects and whatnot. Cool stuff! Haven't used it, but heard about it from a few others.
MAX CLR-TC (and other polymer products) from Polymer Products (and demonstration video) - Low surface blemish and air entrapment clear coating that's easy to use and makes for a super smooth and air-bubble-free coating. (The non-store website is here.)
PEI-Genesis - I got a tip on this company from a moderator at Engineer’s Tribune. PEI-Genesis supplies super-cool connectors and cabling solutions, as well as custom solutions. I’m not sure they’d work with any of us as DIYers/makers/tinkerers, but the parts they offer are aerospace-y coolness and I’m thinking it would be fun to get samples just to make the Office Chairiot Mark III look more aerospace-y, no?
Miscellaneous Other Sources
Box Enclosures, Inc. is a full service designer, manufacturer and supplier of injection molded plastic enclosures, handheld electronic enclosures, instrument cases and anodized extruded aluminum enclosures.
Peau Productions - Touch screens, interactive hardware, software... Many great products and solutions for interactive anything!
Animated Knots - How to Tie Knots - Fishing, Boating, Climbing, Scouting, Search and Rescue, Household, Decorative, Rope Care
B+N Industries, Inc. - Innovative designer and manufacturer of products and systems for the retail, architectural, and consumer industries.
shopPOPdisplays is a manufacturer & supplier of stock & custom displays based in New Jersey (USA!) who works with individuals and businesses of all sizes, from mom-n-pop shops to businesses with more than 10,000 retail outlets. They say since opening their doors in 1979, they have delivered more than a million stock and custom display solutions to customers.
Displays2go - http://www.displays2go.com/ - A cool source of inspiration or products for everything A/V, like podiums, booth backdrops, product displays, portable display options, etc.
NASA Searchable Photos - http://nasaimages.lunaimaging.com/ - NASA has accumulated arguably one of the best collections of space-age photos on earth. Search them and get them here.
A Handyman’s Guide to Tinkering (at HomeAdvisor.com)
6 DIY Firepit Ideas To Spruce Up Any Backyard - Building the cool fire pit at our previous home took several days of pretty sweaty work. If you’re not that patient, but want a swanky fire pit, check out this quick little article with examples of easy, one-day fire pit build ideas. Your yard deserves more than a dirt campfire hole.
Great Bourbon Links
Because bourbon is delicious!
Kentucky Bourbon Festival - Go to Bardstown, KY! It's so much fun! From the home page: "The Kentucky Bourbon Festival gives you 6 full days of smooth Bourbon, delicious food, and great entertainment, with a healthy dose of Kentucky hospitality thrown in for good measure."
Kentucky Bourbon Trail - Do it! It's a HOOT! In fact, while you're at the above Kentucky Bourbon Festival, why NOT? You're there. Enjoy the festivities and then enjoy the tours and tastings. Tour the 8 member distilleries in and around the Louisville/Lexington area of Kentucky, very definitely the bourbon capitol of the world.
The official tour document for my I Heart Bourbon Tour 2013 (PDF) I put on for a bunch of good friends. I thought I'd throw it up here because it had some cool info and photos in it.
Bourbon Whipped Cream - This is dee-lish-uss. But, more importantly, the recipe is a comic strip from the brilliant Cooking Comically website. Enjoy!