Close-up of a cracked-open smart plug on an anti-static mat, exposing a tiny gre...
Teardown
Inside a ₹500 Realme Smart Plug: What's Really in There?
Priya Sharma·10 Mar 2026·12 min
TeardownSmart HomeWi-FiESP8266
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India's open hardware ecosystem. Magazine · Store · Labs · Academy.
148articles45projects1,500makerssince 2026
// MAGAZINE
Latest Articles
Teardowns, tutorials, and builds from India's hardware community.
An ESP32 dev board wired to a soil moisture sensor stuck in a potted plant, with...
Tutorial
Build a Plant Watering System with ESP32 for Under ₹800
Arjun Mehta·8 Mar 2026·18 min
ESP32IoTGardenSoil Moisture
A compact 3D-printed enclosure housing a custom PCB with PM2.5 sensor, OLED disp...
India Maker
This Vizag Engineer Built an Open-Source Air Quality Monitor for ₹1,200
Meera Reddy·5 Mar 2026·15 min
India MakerAir QualityESP32Open Source
A tiny Milk-V Duo board next to a coin for scale, connected via USB-C to a lapto...
RISC-V
Getting Started with RISC-V on the Milk-V Duo: A Beginner's Guide
Karthik Iyer·2 Mar 2026·22 min
RISC-VMilk-V DuoLinuxGetting Started
A JioFi M2S with its case removed, exposing the main PCB with UART pins highligh...
Hardware
Hacking the JioFi M2S: Can You Run Custom Firmware?
Deepak Nair·28 Feb 2026·20 min
JioFiRouter HackingFirmwareUART
Two dev boards side by side on a breadboard: ESP32-C3 SuperMini on the left, ESP...
Review
ESP32-C3 vs ESP32-S3: Which One Should You Buy in India?
Ananya Desai·25 Feb 2026·16 min
ESP32ESP32-C3ESP32-S3Comparison
A KiCad 3D render of a custom PCB next to the actual manufactured board, purple ...
Tutorial
Your First PCB: From KiCad Design to JLCPCB Manufacturing
Sneha Kulkarni·22 Feb 2026·25 min
PCBKiCadJLCPCBManufacturing
A disassembled IP camera showing its main board with HiSilicon chip, IR LEDs, an...
Teardown
What's Inside India's ₹3,000 Security Camera? (Spoiler: It Phones Home)
Vikram Singh·18 Feb 2026·14 min
TeardownSecurity CameraPrivacyNetwork Analysis
A Raspberry Pi Zero 2W in a 3D-printed case, connected to a relay board controll...
IoT
Build a ₹2,000 Home Automation Hub That Doesn't Need the Cloud
Rohan Gupta·15 Feb 2026·20 min
Home AssistantIoTRaspberry PiSmart Home
A custom PCB motor controller mounted in a metal enclosure, thick gauge wires co...
India Maker
How a College Student in Pune Built an Open-Source EV Controller
Neha Patel·12 Feb 2026·18 min
India MakerEVMotor ControllerOpen Source
// STORE
New in the Store
Curated components, tools, and kits for Indian makers.
◆ Featured Kits
HMZ Kit
₹999HMZ IoT Starter Kit
Everything you need to build your first IoT project. ESP32 dev board, breadboard, jumper wires, DHT22 sensor, OLED display, LED pack, resistors, and a printed getting-started guide. From unboxing to blinking LED in 15 minutes.
Starter KitESP32IoTBeginner
HMZ Kit
₹2,499HMZ RISC-V Explorer Kit
Explore the open instruction set architecture that's reshaping computing. Includes a Milk-V Duo, ESP32-C3 (for RISC-V comparison), peripherals, and access to our RISC-V course. Build Linux-based projects on open silicon.
RISC-VMilk-VLinuxOpen Architecture
HMZ Kit
₹1,499HMZ Reverse Engineering Kit
Everything you need to tear apart and understand consumer electronics. Multimeter, logic analyzer, USB-to-UART adapter, precision screwdriver set, and our teardown methodology guide. Because understanding how things work is the first step to making them better.
Reverse EngineeringTeardownToolsLearning
// LABS
What Makers Are Building
Community projects, open source hardware, and weekend hacks.
Sol
Solar-Powered Weather Station
OSHby Ankit Verma
ESP323D PrintSolarBME280
127 34 18
RIS
RISC-V Retro Game Console
OSHby Kavya Rao
RISC-VMilk-VRetro GamingLinux
89 12 24
Sma
Smart Aquarium Controller
OSHby Mohammed Farhan
ArduinoSensorsRelayOLED
76 21 9
LoR
LoRa Mesh Network for Farms
OSHby Priya Nambiar
LoRaESP32AgricultureMesh
203 56 31
DIY
DIY Pick-and-Place Machine
by Suresh Babu
CNCStepper MotorPCBOpenPnP
156 28 42
Ope
Open-Source Pulse Oximeter
OSHby Nandita Sharma
HealthMAX30102ESP32OLED
312 89 67
Upcoming
HMZ Hackathon: Build for Bharat
48 hours. Open hardware only. Build something India needs. ₹1,00,000 in prizes + store credit + mentorship.
14days
:06hours
:42mins
// ACADEMY
Learn by Building
Project-based courses designed for Indian makers. Build real hardware, not toy examples.
Beginner4 hours
Your First IoT Device
Build a Wi-Fi connected temperature monitor from scratch. No experience needed. Walk away with a working device and the confidence to build more.
8 modules1,240 students
₹499
Intermediate8 hours
PCB Design to Manufacturing
Go from KiCad schematic to manufactured PCB. Learn component selection, routing rules, DFM, and how to order from JLCPCB/PCBWay with Indian shipping.
14 modules560 students
₹1,999
Advanced12 hours
Reverse Engineering Consumer Electronics
Systematic teardown methodology. Identify chips, trace circuits, dump firmware, analyze protocols. Turn any consumer device into a learning opportunity.
20 modules340 students
₹2,999
// HMZ OS
How Hackable Is Your Device?
Community-rated hackability scores for consumer electronics in India.
Xiaomi
Mi Router 4A Gigabit
9/10
bootloader
9
firmware
10
documentation
9
repairability
7
community
10
cloud Dependency
9
OpenWrtPadavanBreed bootloader
Recommended
Jio
JioFi M2S
3/10
bootloader
2
firmware
3
documentation
2
repairability
5
community
4
cloud Dependency
2
Avoid
Espressif
ESP32-DevKitC V4
10/10
bootloader
10
firmware
10
documentation
10
repairability
8
community
10
cloud Dependency
10
Arduino CoreESP-IDFMicroPython
Recommended
HMZ Certified Hackable
Products scoring 9+ with open source firmware, documented hardware, and active community support earn the HMZ Certified Hackable badge.
Browse the database →// ECOSYSTEM
The Full Stack
Five layers, one mission: make India's hardware ecosystem open, accessible, and world-class.
M
Magazine
Teardowns, tutorials, reviews, and maker stories. India's Hackaday.
S
Store
Curated components, tools, and kits. Certified hackable products.
L
Labs
Project hosting, community, hackathons. Build and share.
A
Academy
Project-based courses. Learn by building real hardware.
O
OS
Hackability database and open firmware guides. Know your device.
Read→Buy→Build→Learn→Hack→Share→Repeat
HMZ is more than a magazine. It's the full stack for India's maker movement.