Cantor Doug - Popular Science: 264 Amazing DIY Tech Projects

I was an unlikely candidate to become the editor of How 2.0, Popular Sciences do-it-yourself column. Ive always been reasonably handy, but when it came to real hands-dirty, open-things-up-and-rearrange-the-parts hacking skills, I was a complete novice.

So I got into the DIY world the same way an experienced DIYer would work on a project: I did some research, talked to seasoned tinkerers, and then dove in. Early on I managed to build a tiny flashlight, hack my cell phones firmware, and make a pair of bookends from old CDs, all without causing too much damage. Over time I found that with a few hours, a small pile of parts from Radio Shack, and a little patience, I could build some really cool stuff.

Editing How 2.0 has also given me a window into the vast community of smart, dedicated people who have found about a million uses for things like solenoid valves and Arduino microcontrollers. The breadth of their innovations is truly astonishing, and thats what Popular Science has tried to show in the pages of How 2.0 each month. Weve featured projects ranging from a remote-controlled helicopter only 2 inches (5 cm) high to a remote-controlled bomber with a 20-foot (60-m) wingspan; from a portable solar-powered gadget charger to a 200-pound (90-kg) solar-powered 3-D printer; from a robot built from a toothbrush head to one that can mix and serve cocktails.

Many of these projects have found their way into this book, along with a host of entirely new ones. A few of them are just amazing, audacious things that almost no one could (or probably should) try. Most, though, are easier to replicate. Some take only a few minutes and require little more than gluing parts together.

So if youve never attempted to make anything before in your life, this book provides plenty of ways to start. From there you can take on some of the more challenging projects and develop new skills. Eventually, you might actually find yourself advancing your projects far beyond the versions in the book.

Whatever your skill level and area of interest, I encourage you to roll up your sleeves and (safely) give one of these projects a shot. At times you may get frustrated or even break something. But ultimately youll be surprised by what you can make, hack, tweak, improve, and transformand by how much fun youll have doing it.

Doug Cantor

Senior Editor

Popular Science