See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.

net/publication/260693212

Hacking Electronics: An Illustrated DIY Guide for Makers and Hobbyists

(Monk, S.; 2013) [On the Shelf]

Article  in  IEEE Robotics & Automation Magazine · September 2013

DOI: 10.1109/MRA.2013.2272205

CITATIONS READS

0 2,046

2 authors, including:

Charles Simpkins
San Diego State University
74 PUBLICATIONS   51 CITATIONS   

SEE PROFILE

Some of the authors of this publication are also working on these related projects:

Reviews of useful books for mechanical engineers with guidelines to content View project

All content following this page was uploaded by Charles Simpkins on 04 April 2015.

The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file.

 ON THE SHELF
Hacking Electronics:
An Illustrated DIY Guide
for Makers and Hobbyists
Simon Monk, McGraw Hill, New York,
2013, 274 pages.
H
acking has many connotations.
Some may be less reputable,
but in Hacking Electronics,
hacking means, “Just do it!”
(p. 1). This book explores using, adapt-
ing, and developing knowledge as you
build and teaches you how to create
many useful items. Included in every
chapter are vivid color illustrations with
apt headings, such as “what you need,”
along with short directions with tips that
teach principles and practices. This
practical book might help highly theo-
retical roboticists who get bogged down
in abstract models bridge the gap
between theory and practice. This book
further lives up to its “hacking” name by
showing ways of evolving an object, tak-
ing it from one context into another, and
adding functions and new uses. For
example, in Chapter 1, in the section on
how to solder, you learn how to remove
a fan from the old computer gathering
dust on your shelf and enlist it to blow
solder fumes away.
This book starts at the literal begin-
ning of practical skill building, with
fundamentals such as wire stripping
and gathering your basic toolkit.
Chapter 2 provides a vivid, descriptive
review of electronics basics that even
advanced roboticists will appreciate. In
Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/MRA.2013.2272205
Date of publication: 11 September 2013
96 • IEEE ROBOTICS & AUTOMATION MAGAZINE
Do It Yourself Electronics
Chapter 3, clear construction tech-
niques (basic hacks) are taught with a
practical project in mind, making a light
meter while learning to convert resis-
tance to voltage. The authors also focus
on general topics, including transistors,
with details on choosing a bipolar tran-
sistor for more varied options.
Chapter 4 provides a detailed focus
on light-emitting diodes, including how
to use a stripboard to make your cre-
ations more permanent. In Chapter 5,
batteries and power are covered with
topics you would expect: controlling
voltage from a battery, boosting voltage,
using solar cells, and minimizing power
consumption. Hacking a cell phone
battery is included as well. General
principles are hidden within the many
interesting projects that will become
useful for roboticists when designing
robot circuits for optimal use of
battery power.
The Arduino has become a popular
microcontroller because of its low cost,
open-source hardware design, accessi-
ble integrated development environ-
ment (IDE), and features such as clips
for motor drivers. Chapter 6 on
Arduinos takes you through a few
hardware- and software-specific appli-
cations such as hacking a toy for con-
trol and controlling a relay from a Web
page. You can learn useful general
skills, such as measuring voltage with
an Arduino and using Arduino shields.
Chapter 7 deals with hacking mod-
ules, a great shortcut that can be readily
accomplished with an Arduino. This
chapter covers pyroelectric (passive)
• september 2013
infrared (PIR) motion sensor modules,
a number of different rangefinder mod-
ules, and wireless remote modules.
There are also different motor control-
lers, such as the power metal–oxide–
semiconductor field-effect transistor
(MOSFET) and H-Bridge modules for
dc motors and stepper motors. Software
instructions and suggestions for varia-
tions in programming are included.
One of the many projects in this chapter
involves making a simple robot rover
using a radio frequency remote control.
The author takes you step by step
through the entire process.
Sensors are an important compo-
nent of many robots. Chapter 8 explains
how to build and modify a variety of
sensors that can detect gases, colors,
vibrations, temperature, acceleration,
and magnetic fields. You will also learn
how to use an accelerometer.
Chapter 9 addresses audio hacks to
amplify and screen sound by converting
a stereo signal to mono and describes
how to make a universal serial bus
music controller.
Typically, we are tempted to throw
away an electronic device instead of
trying to repair or repurpose it. How-
ever, with your hacking skills, you may
be surprised to learn that many devices
are easy to fix, and with hacking, you
can improve them. Chapter 10
describes how to take things apart and
put them back together, or at the very
least, salvage some great parts for
robotic applications. Following the
(continued on p. 103)

2013
17–20 September
SICE 2013: Conference of the Society
of Instrument and Control Engineers
of Japan. Nagoya, Japan. http://www.
sice.or.jp/sice2013
21–29 September
Summer Screws 2013—International
Summer School on Screw-Theory
Based Methods in Robotics. Florianop-
olis, Brazil.
25–27 September
ECMR 2013: European Conference on
Mobile Robots. Barcelona, Spain.
http://www.iri.upc.edu/ecmr13/
15–17 October
Humanoids 2013: IEEE-RAS Interna-
tional Conference on Humanoid
Robots. Atlanta, Georgia, USA. http://
www.humanoids2013.com/
Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/MRA.2013.2272208
Date of publication: 11 September 2013
ON THE SHELF (continued from p. 96)
crucial warning to always unplug any
device before you work on it, this book
provides helpful tips for disassembly
and reassembly, along with how to
check fuses and components, test bat-
teries and heating elements, and scav-
enge for parts.
View publication stats
20–23 October
ICCAS 2013: International Confer-
ence on Control, Automation and
Systems. Gwangju, Korea. http://2013.
iccas.org/
21–26 October
SSRR 2013: IEEE International Sym-
posium on Safety, Security, and Rescue
Robotics. Linkoping, Sweden.
30 October–2 November
URAI 2013: International Conference
on Ubiquitous Robots and Ambient
Intelligence. Jeju, Korea. http://www.
kros.org/urai2013/
3–7 November
IROS 2013: IEEE/RSJ International
Conference on Intelligent Robots and
Systems. Tokyo, Japan. http://www.
iros2013.org/
5–9 November
ARSO 2013: IEEE Workshop on
Advanced Robotics and Its Social
Impacts. Tokyo, Japan. http://www.
arso2012.org/ARSO_2013_CFP.pdf
The final chapter provides simple
instructions for using a multimeter
and briefly introduces the oscilloscope.
Overall, Hacking Electronics is accessi-
ble, clear, and helpful. Therefore, roll
up your sleeves and just do it!
september 2013
calendar
25–29 November
ICAR 2013: International Conference
on Advanced Robotics. Montevideo,
Uruguay. http://www.icar2013.org/
15–17 December
SII 2013-IEEE/SICE International
Symposium on System Integration.
Kobe, Japan. http://sii2013.net/
2014
26–30 January
MEMS 2014: IEEE 27th International
Conference on Micro Electro Mechan-
ical Systems. San Francisco, California,
USA. http://www.mems2014.org
31 May–5 June
ICRA 2014: IEEE International Con-
ference on Robotics and Automation.
Hong Kong, China. http://www.
icra2014.com/
12–15 August
BioRob 2014: IEEE RAS and EMBS
International Conference on Biomed-
ical Robotics and Biomechatronics.
San Paulo, Brazil
—Reviewed by
C. Alexander Simpkins, Ph.D., and
Annellen M. Simpkins, Ph.D.,
San Diego, California.

• IEEE ROBOTICS & AUTOMATION MAGAZINE • 103