Robots and Pixels
A collection of playful, interactive maker projects built to be touched, explored, and understood. If it teaches something, sparks curiosity, or makes people smile, it belongs here.
Hi, I’m Mike
I’ve spent many years working in IT and educational technology, and I also taught college-level IT courses. But long before that, I was just a curious kid who liked taking things apart to see how they worked. That curiosity never really went away.
Making, software development, and electronics have always been my passion. I love building things that people can touch, explore, and understand. Whether it’s a tiny robot, an interactive pixel display, or a new learning experience, the goal is always the same: turn complex ideas into something playful and approachable.
Many of these projects are inspired by building with my kids, who remind me that the best technology feels like discovery, not instruction.
That question is basically my favorite hobby.
Mehxel (Pixel Art Maker)
A 16×16 NeoPixel art system controlled with an arcade joystick and buttons. Create pixel art, press save, and you get a printed QR code that links to your creation online.
- Fast, friendly creativity
- Save + QR print = instant keepsake
- Art viewer: mehxel.art (coming soon)
Minty Rovers
Tiny rovers built inside Altoids tins. Drive them on a tabletop course. They’re small enough to be silly, but capable enough to be impressive.
- Tabletop driving + quick challenges
- Designed for demos and durability
- Built to invite “how did you do that?”
Binary Game (8×32 + Knife Switches)
A physical way to learn binary: an 8×32 NeoPixel grid paired with 8 chunky knife switches. Includes mini-games and tools that help convert between binary ↔ decimal and binary ↔ hex.
- Flip switches, see numbers change instantly
- Conversions by doing, not memorizing
- Mini-games + challenges built in
Workshop Mode
This site is in “workshop mode.” Some pages are polished, others are still hot glue and wires. Over time, project pages and guides will appear here as the builds evolve.