Put a hacker in a room with a Furby for a weekend and you'll hear a conversation that's fairly one-sided in its originality. Toss in an 802.11b network card, a soldering iron, wire cutters, a logic probe, and a few other carefully selected tools and materials and you'll have potential. Add a copy of Hardware Hacking Projects for Geeks and by the end of the weekend that Furby will be saying things you never imagined. From building an Internet toaster to creating a cubicle intrusion detection system, Hardware Hacking Projects for Geeks offers an array of inventive, customized electronics projects for the geek who can't help looking at a gadget and wondering how it might be "upgraded." Beginning with basic hacks, tools, and techniques for those who may not have a background in electronics, the book covers the tools of the hardware hacking trade and basic soldering techniques, then moves into more advanced hacking projects. Clear step-by-step instructions allow even those with no formal electronics- or hardware-engineering skills to hack real hardware in very clever ways. Hacks in the book are rated on a scale of difficulty, cost, and duration. Projects range from those that are truly useful to some things you may have never thought to do, but which are really cool, such as:

• Building your own arcade game

• Making radio-controlled cars play laser tag

• Building an automobile periscope

• Hacking an 802.11b antenna

• Building a building size display

Perhaps you're an electronics hobbyist who likes to learn by doing. Maybe you hack software and want to see how the other half lives. Or, maybe you've never hacked at all, but you'd like to get started quickly with some projects that do something interesting from the start. If you're any of these, then Hardware Hacking Projects for Geeks will indulge your inner mad scientist. Using the projects in this book as a jumping point for other new and clever hacks, it won't be long before you're looking around, asking, "I wonder what I can improve next?"

Amazon.com® Reader Reviews (Ranked by Helpfulness)

Average Amazon.com® Rating:  Based on 11 Ratings

Training the young hardware geek - 2004-10-05
Reviewer Rating:
This is a big, floppy paperback full of projects many geeks or would be geeks already know about. After all, the internet leaks this sort of information all over. However despite some of the projects being a little underwhelming for the geek about town, the fifteen projects would probably be the perfect introduction to hardware hacking for a youngster keen to get into electronics and computers.

Now that there are very few electronic hobbyist magazines around, it is hard to know how any except the most talented youngsters will get started on hacking gadgets, except via books like this. Having a talented toy designer write the book is a great ploy, as many of the best gadgets are derived from subverting toys and general consumer appliances.

Some of the introductory projects are a little wimpy. The author doesn't really make it sufficiently clear that an external battery pack for a notebook computer is unlikely to extend your working time much (alkaline batteries are ill suited to most high current drain computers). However there is an undeniable need for a very simple introduction to the tools and materials you need to use. This is one of six tasks teaching tools and materials. The last couple are hacking Furbys, and making a video periscope for a car.

The advanced section includes digital video recorders, building lighting control, a remote GPS object tracker (just like James Bond). There is a very nice one chapter introduction to making wearable computers.

The book would make a perfect gift for the potential hardware geek.

Highrise building = LED-style display!?!? - 2005-03-18
Reviewer Rating:
The point of this book is to encourage creative engagement with electro/mechanical technology - to go beyond typical uses - to rediscover the inner inventor and toymaker.
Each project teaches the builder fundamental technologies that can be applied in many situations. Most of the projects can be re-scaled to a range of budgets and available materials.
Well written, illustrated, and resourced. A fun read!

For the geeks indeed - 2008-06-09
Reviewer Rating:
I bought this book for one reason: How to hack a furby (and other talking toys). The book is very thorough and I am very satisfied with the explanation. The rest are probably fun but who wants to build an aquarium inside a Mac :-) This is a very interesting book, though. Other topics of interest are How to Hack 80.11b Antennas, Build a PC water-Cooling system, Build an Internet Toaster, Build a Home arcade machine, build a remote Object tacker, build a wearable computer (hmm), build an internet coffeemaker and much, much more. And don't forget to look at Scott Fullam's photo at the back of the book. One look and I could tell its his kind of book. Smile. Cold Eyes

Very accurate and true to form - 2004-06-02
Reviewer Rating:
After making a few these hacks you learn a couple things about the book. Try to stay with the recommended materials list and you will do fine. It also gets you working on the basics of circuitry. However it is as labeled "projects" not really anything too much to learn from, but great if you just want to have some fun.

Fun with the Unusual - 2006-08-31
Reviewer Rating:
Useful, fun, or just plain strange projects abound in this book. Some of the unusual but useful projects include creating a portable laptop power supply using regular batteries, setting up a surplus Primestar dish antennae to be a 802.11b wireless system capable of almost ten miles, and creating an advanced digital video system. On the other end of the spectrum is making an aquarium inside a MacIntosh, building an 802.11b antenna from a can, hacking a Furby, and creating a car video periscope. And, of course, there are projects between those two extremes. Each project is classified by cost, time and difficulty level making it easy to determine which ones you might want to tackle. An interesting title for the geek who wants to have the unusual that their friends are not likely to have, Hardware Hacking Projects for Geeks is a fun and unusual read.

Browse Similar Topics

Top Level Categories:
Hardware

Sub-Categories:
Hardware > Desktop
Hardware > Upgrading and Repairing