‘Vintage Projects’ Seeks to Preserve “the inspired DIY spirit of the past” – Shop Tools & Plans, Home & Rec, Farming, Science, and More!
From a concrete brick-making machine to darkroom plans (I know I know, some don’t even know what a ‘dark room’ even is, let alone why photographs took so long to ‘develop’), from an electric arc etching pen to a tree caliper (PDF link – it reminds me of our Circuit Playground inclinometer), the website Vintage Projects is a collection of exactly that! Unfortunately some of the links are 404, and I take it they won’t be coming back online but many of the projects do have PDFs linked and are still operational – let us know if you pursue building any of these vintage projects!
Our goal is to preserve the inspired DIY spirit of the past. Our free project reprints cover farm machines, the woodshop, machine shop, boats, archery and more. These vintage plans come from a half-century ago when do-it-yourself enthusiasts turned wood, metal and old motors into useful workhorses, functional tools, and toys.
Adafruit publishes a wide range of writing and video content, including interviews and reporting on the maker market and the wider technology world. Our standards page is intended as a guide to best practices that Adafruit uses, as well as an outline of the ethical standards Adafruit aspires to. While Adafruit is not an independent journalistic institution, Adafruit strives to be a fair, informative, and positive voice within the community – check it out here: adafruit.com/editorialstandards
Stop breadboarding and soldering – start making immediately! Adafruit’s Circuit Playground is jam-packed with LEDs, sensors, buttons, alligator clip pads and more. Build projects with Circuit Playground in a few minutes with the drag-and-drop MakeCode programming site, learn computer science using the CS Discoveries class on code.org, jump into CircuitPython to learn Python and hardware together, TinyGO, or even use the Arduino IDE. Circuit Playground Express is the newest and best Circuit Playground board, with support for CircuitPython, MakeCode, and Arduino. It has a powerful processor, 10 NeoPixels, mini speaker, InfraRed receive and transmit, two buttons, a switch, 14 alligator clip pads, and lots of sensors: capacitive touch, IR proximity, temperature, light, motion and sound. A whole wide world of electronics and coding is waiting for you, and it fits in the palm of your hand.
Have an amazing project to share? The Electronics Show and Tell is every Wednesday at 7:30pm ET! To join, head over to YouTube and check out the show’s live chat and our Discord!
Python for Microcontrollers – Adafruit Daily — Python on Microcontrollers Newsletter: CircuitPython 2025 Wraps, Focus on Using Python, Open Source and More! #CircuitPython #Python #micropython @ThePSF @Raspberry_Pi
EYE on NPI – Adafruit Daily — EYE on NPI Maxim’s Himalaya uSLIC Step-Down Power Module #EyeOnNPI @maximintegrated @digikey
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