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Zach Hipps

  • About Me

    I'm an electrical engineer, maker of ridiculous things, and I have a YouTube channel called byte sized engineering. I suffered through years of engineering school so you don't have to. I help people like you bring your project ideas to life and inspire you to unleash your inner maker.

  • Skills

  • Interests

  • Instagram

  • YouTube

  • GitHub

Projects Ver todo

PROJECT
990

Reading a Smart Meter with a Software-Defined Radio

By Zach Hipps

Build a safe DIY home energy monitor using an RTL-SDR, MQTT, and Home Assistant to track smart meter data without opening your panel.

PROJECT
1,332

Build a DIY Whole-Home Energy Monitor with ESPHome and Home Assistant

By Zach Hipps

Monitor real-time electricity usage across multiple circuits with stackable sensor boards and Home Assistant integration.

PROJECT
827

Automating Resistor Sorting with Arduino Uno Q

By Zach Hipps

Use Arduino Uno Q and OpenCV to detect resistor color bands with computer vision and automatically calculate resistance values.

PROJECT
255

Gamepad-Controlled XRP Robot with LiDAR Sensing

By Zach Hipps

Combine LiDAR sensing and game controller input to create an XRP robot that navigates safely while providing haptic feedback alerts.

PROJECT
341

DIY Solder Stencil Vacuum Table with Shop Vacuum

By Zach Hipps

Learn how to build a reusable DIY solder stencil vacuum table jig with a shop vacuum to make applying solder paste easy, fast, and accurate.

PROJECT
371

Pixel Path: The Magnetic PCB Tile Game - Part 2

By Zach Hipps

Zach upgrades his modular PCB game with tighter connectors, cleaner boards, and slick Arduino logic for smarter tile gameplay.

Blogs Ver todo

Image of Arduino Projects and Maker Highlights from Open Sauce 2026
BLOG
137

Arduino Projects and Maker Highlights from Open Sauce 2026

By Zach Hipps

See how makers used Arduino boards for robots, interactive games, cameras, model trains, and other innovative projects at Open Sauce.

Image of What I Learned Building A 100W CO2 Laser Cutter
BLOG
265

What I Learned Building A 100W CO2 Laser Cutter

By Zach Hipps

Learn how iterative design, 3D printing, and hands-on troubleshooting helped create a custom 100W CO2 laser cutter on a realistic budget.

image of Star Wars Pomodoro Timer
BLOG
247

Star Wars Pomodoro Timer

By Zach Hipps

Turn an ESP32 M5 Core2 into a Star Wars themed Pomodoro timer with dynamic graphics, countdown timer, and focus session control.

Image of Building a Dynamometer for the Openwheel Project - Part 1
BLOG
190

Building a Dynamometer for the Openwheel Project - Part 1

By Zach Hipps

Explore a custom-built dyno for hub motors using load cells and Arduino, enabling accurate power and torque measurements.

Image of I’m Reviving the Openwheel Project!
BLOG
243

I’m Reviving the Openwheel Project!

By Zach Hipps

Follow the revival of an open-source self-balancing skateboard with upgraded motor, VESC controller, and improved design.

Final Build Reveal: The Pixel Ball Showdown
BLOG
157

Final Build Reveal: The Pixel Ball Showdown

By Zach Hipps

Check out the final game rules, mechanics, and full gameplay test of Pixel Ball—powered by RP2040 and RGB LEDs.

Tutorials Ver todo

Image of Mastering Oscilloscope Triggers and Capture
TUTORIAL
381

Mastering Oscilloscope Triggers and Capture

By Zach Hipps

Learn how to use oscilloscope triggering, single capture, and protocol decode to debug analog and digital signals with confidence.

Image of Introduction to LiDAR Sensors for Precise DIY Robot Navigation
TUTORIAL
937

Introduction to LiDAR Sensors for Precise DIY Robot Navigation

By Zach Hipps

Learn how LiDAR enables precise 360° scanning, high-speed sampling, long-range detection, and simple integration for robotics and maker projects.

Image of Beginner’s Guide to Logic Gates and Flip-Flops
TUTORIAL
527

Beginner’s Guide to Logic Gates and Flip-Flops

By Zach Hipps

Learn how logic gates and flip-flops form the foundation of digital electronics. See AND, OR, NOT, NAND, NOR, XOR, and XNOR gates in action with truth tables.

Image of A Beginner’s Guide to Oscilloscope Basics
TUTORIAL
3,152

A Beginner’s Guide to Oscilloscope Basics

By Zach Hipps

Learn oscilloscope basics to measure and troubleshoot signals in your circuits. Find out what channels, bandwidth, and sample rate are and why they're important.

How Do Buck Converters Work?
TUTORIAL
12,249

How Do Buck Converters Work?

By Zach Hipps

Operation and design principles of buck converters explained. Learn how inductors, capacitors, and feedback loops work together to regulate power efficiently.

How to Read and Use Encoders
TUTORIAL
4,000

How to Read and Use Encoders

By Zach Hipps

Measure the speed of a spinning shaft using rotary encoders and microcontrollers. Learn how to calculate rotations and achieve accurate motion control.

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