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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 See All

PROJECT
175

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.

PROJECT
58

I Hacked the NES Zapper to Win Duck Hunt Every Time

By Zach Hipps

I hacked the Nintendo Zapper with a microcontroller and magnet ring to cheat at Duck Hunt. My friend never stood a chance.

PROJECT
986

Designing Interactive LED Game Tiles from Scratch

By Zach Hipps

Watch how I turn magnetic PCB tiles into an interactive board game with ATtiny3217 microcontrollers and RGB LEDs.

PROJECT
53

Building the Pixel Ball Frame and LED Arches

By Zach Hipps

Part 2 of Pixel Ball: See how I turned conduit, PEX tubing, and arcade buttons into a massive, glowing game frame.

PROJECT
920

How To Build a Custom Macropad

By Zach Hipps

Dive into a full DIY macropad project and learn how to optimize your workflow with hardware and Vial, a flexible alternative to QMK for live shortcut editing.

PROJECT
161

Upgrading My Smart Growth Chart with RFID, LEDs, a Camera, and More!

By Zach Hipps

Upgrade your growth chart with LED animations, RFID scanning, and a Raspberry Pi camera for photo updates for family members.

Blogs See All

Final Build Reveal: The Pixel Ball Showdown
BLOG
52

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.

My 100th Video Was a Total Mystery Build Challenge
BLOG
77

My 100th Video Was a Total Mystery Build Challenge

By Zach Hipps

For my 100th video, my team sent me mystery parts—no plan, just chaos and LEDs. Here’s how I tried to turn it into a working game.

Image of Eight Things I Wish I’d Known Sooner
BLOG
201

Eight Things I Wish I’d Known Sooner

By Zach Hipps

Learn the top tools and techniques that every engineer should know to make projects more efficient and less frustrating.

Image of How I Organize and Keep Track of My Inventory
BLOG
339

How I Organize and Keep Track of My Inventory

By Zach Hipps

Maximize efficiency in your workshop with these DIY tips! Organize your bins, track parts with Binner, and create a creative-friendly workspace.

Fix or Toss? How to Know If Your Electronics Are Worth Fixing
BLOG
112

Fix or Toss? How to Know If Your Electronics Are Worth Fixing

By Zach Hipps

Is it worth fixing your electronics? Learn tips for assessing laptops, earbuds, and more before spending hours on repairs.

Open Sauce 2024 Recap Makers, Creators, and Technology Innovators!
BLOG
316

Open Sauce 2024 Recap: Makers, Creators, and Technology Innovators!

By Zach Hipps

Discover the innovative projects and creative minds at Open Sauce 2024. Join us as we explore the highlights and standout exhibits.

Tutorials

How Do Buck Converters Work?
TUTORIAL
6,025

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
2,500

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.

How to Save Your Project with Multiplexing When You Don’t Have Enough GPIO Pins
TUTORIAL
1,395

How to Save Your Project with Multiplexing When You Don’t Have Enough GPIO Pins

By Zach Hipps

Discover how multiplexing can solve GPIO pin shortages in your projects. Learn practical designs for controlling LEDs and buttons, ensuring efficient design.

Designing a Project with Multiple Voltage Levels
TUTORIAL
543

Designing a Project with Multiple Voltage Levels

By Zach Hipps

Learn about voltage dividers, regulators, and logic level shifters in this article to ensure seamless compatibility between your electronic components.

How to Select a Power Supply for Your Project
TUTORIAL
635

How to Select a Power Supply for Your Project

By Zach Hipps

Don't let power supply selection be a mystery. Dive into batteries, AC sources, and PCB alternatives to power your project with confidence and efficiency.