Tindie

One of the amazing things about the Maker Movement is that it has spread across people of all ages and walks of life. Today I want to introduce the community to Manny and his Tindie store,  Mannymechanix. Manny is one of our sellers on Tindie and has made two kits for kids to learn about electronics (along with youtube videos). He is 11 years old, in the 6th grade, and hails from Jacksonville, North Carolina, USA.

Who taught you about electronics and what was your first project?

In 5th grade I was in public school and did Arduino for science [He then explained that in public school they move quickly to another project, so he only got to use the information for a few days. He then set out on his own to learn]. I started reading a book [Arduino Workshop by John Boxall]. First was an Arduino Uno; using that I just went on and used that as an information thing, if I needed something, it was there. I read it in a week. After I got the uno, I just started tinkering with it. I worked on filaments for light bulbs and watched videos on youtube.

Are you currently working on a project, or have one planned for the near future?

Right now, I’m working on how to sketch. It’s hard! I do programming mostly, sometimes fixing things. [Manny then showed me a light that he got at church from a Bible class that was broken. He pulled it apart and fixed it.]

What grade are you in and what are your favorite subjects?

I’m in 6th grade. I’m homeschooled now. I’m pretty good at math but I don’t like it because it is time consuming. I like Science!

What would you like to do when you get older?

I’d like to be a representative for an electrical company or be an electrician.

Do you have any other hobbies?

I like to play basketball. I can play the drums.

What do you hope kids get out of purchasing your kits?

Kids don’t usually do electronics, I’m hoping they realize that they can do whatever they want, they don’t have bills to pay or anything, so if you make money you can actually keep it! Be more creative!

What do you do with the money you have made from your Tindie store?

I buy more stuff, like I bought another Arduino, another $100 went to my team to play basketball- and since its Christmas I am buying gifts for my family.

What do your parents think of your store and working with electronics?

My parents think it is really cool that I’m doing it. My Mom thinks it is very good for my time instead of video games. I also have a basketball hoop so I play basketball outside too. When I have friends over they look at my projects and think they are cool.

A big thank you to Manny and his family for talking with me and sharing his projects. If you would like to be featured in an upcoming “Meet a Tindarian” send me a message! We love getting to know our community!