The Best of Instructables Volume I: Do-It-Yourself Projects from the World's Biggest Show & Tell (v. 1)

In just three years, Instructables.com has become one of the hottest destinations for makers and DIY enthusiasts of all stripes. Known as «the worlds biggest show & tell,» makers from around the globe post how-to articles on a staggering variety of topics -- from collecting rainwater for lawn care to hacking toy robots to extracting squid ink. Now, with more than 10,000 articles, the Instructables staff and editors of MAKE: magazine -- with help from the Instructables community -- have put together a collection of solid, time- and user-tested technology and craft projects from the site. The Best of Instructables Volume 1 includes plenty of clear, full-color photographs, complete step-by-step instructions, as well as tips, tricks, and new build techniques you wont find anywhere else -- even material never seen before on Instructables. Some of the more popular how-to articles include: The LED Throwie -- magnetized electronic graffiti thats become a phenomenon How to craft beautiful Japanese bento box lunches Innovative gaming hacks, such as how to add LED lights and custom-molded buttons to a video game controller New twists on personal items, such as the Keyboard Wallet, the Electric Umbrella, and stuffed animal headphones While the book focuses on technology, it also includes such projects as creating cool furniture from cheap components, ways of making your own toys, and killer sci-fi and fantasy costumes and props. Anything but a reference book, The Best of Instructables Volume I embodies the inspirational fun, creativity, and sense of community that has attracted more than 200,000 registered members in just three years. Many of the articles include sidebars that show how other builders have realized or improved upon the same project. Making things is cool again: everyone wants to be a creator, not just a consumer. This is the spirit of the «new handy heyday», fostered by Instructables.com, MAKE: magazine, and others, and celebrated by this incredible book -- The Best of Instructables Volume 1. Offers step-by-step instructions for over one hundred and twenty projects from the do-it-yourself website, exploring such things as home and garden, transportation, food, and electronics. Includes instructions for projects: modified Galant desk, power charging box with individual switches, big lamps from IKEA LAMPAN lamps, bathroom towel rail for your kitchen, make a mood lamp, international clock, tool box hack, TORE coffee table edition, ice straws, shoe rack, scrap lamp, magnetic refrigerator lights, mad scientist's light, ten-green modular shelving, invisible bookshelf, geometric cut paper table lamp, plank chair, stool made from boke parts and crutches, wireless home router with analog utilization meter, universal lamp shade polygon building kit, pipe dream bed, beanbag sofa/bed, concrete light bulb wall hook, crafting a bento, 1UP mushroom burger, how to make carbonated fruit, how to build a pit oven, hobo stove from tin can, how to eat a banana like a monkey, modular pie-cosahedron, butter pen, 8-bit art toast maker, 3D dinosaur birthday cake, mini s'mores trill, chocolate covered squid, carrot caviar, making kombucha, string tripod, super simple light tent, LED light drawing pens, light bulb greenhouse, grow your own bioluminescent algae, 3D magnetic field viewer, measure the speed of light with chocolate, nintendo NES PC, Lego USB stick, milkscanner, 30-minute USB microscope, easy cheap animated cartoon in 10 minutes, 3D laser scanner, LED throwies, programmable LED, ghetto AVR programmer, arduino charlieplexed heart, ultra TV-B-gone, dance messenger, how to build your first robot, how to make an OAWR (obstacle avoiding walking robot), balancing robot, give the gift of robot invasion, mousebot revisited, turn signal biking jacket, visor-cleaning wiper glove, atomic zombie's chopwork orange chopper bicycle, drainage luge, solar-powered trike, how to get a free yacht, sour time, minty strobe, guitar unplugged, tin guitar electric version, altoids case from old iPod, ultimate iPod case, speaker, survival kit, bicycle survival kit, DIY BBQ in action, minty boost, pocket-sized watercolor box, emergency candle, the blow brush, electric umbrella, etching brass plates, screen printing: cheap dirty and at home, controlled bleaching with discharge paste, paracord bracelet with a side-release buckle, a dozen red origami roses, blank books from office paper, how to make your own plastic vacuum former, computer keyboard wallet, duct tape rose, stuffed animal headphones, earbud cord wrapper, make an iPod speaker from a Hallmark music card, munny speakers, start a guerrilla drive-in (aka MobMov), the marshmallow shooter, realistic werewolf costume, guitar hero hack: key molding, the office supplies trebuchet, fix the red ring of death (without towels), make your own Star Wars style sword, blinkybug maker faire version, build a water mortar, an Iron Man style arc reactor, make an awesome magic wand, post office drawings, jar of fireflies, third hand++, guide to field soldering, flashlight business card, dot matrix business card, three clever mods, pen holder, pen clip mod, paper cover mod, mini moleskine, pocket diary hipster PDA, how to carry a pen, sharpen a chisel, how to solder, recycle old PCB components, belt sander tool rest, introduction to files and rasps, how to maintain your multi-tool, wire twisting jib, get the most out of your Dremel, easy to build desktop 3-axis CNC milling machine, Tim's tool tricks Contents 5 Preface 8 Welcome 9 1: Home & Garden 10 IKEA Hacks 12 Magnetic Refrigerator Lights 14 Mad Scientist’s Light 20 Ten-Green Modular Shelving 22 Invisible Bookshelf 24 Geometric Cut Paper Table Lamp 26 Plank Chair 30 Stool Made from Bike Parts and Crutches 31 Wireless Home Router with Analog Utilization Meter 34 Universal Lamp Shade Polygon Building Kit 38 Pipe Dream Bed 42 Beanbag Sofa/Bed 44 Concrete Light Bulb Wall Hook 47 2: Food 54 Crafting a Bento 56 “1UP Mushroom” Mushroom Burger! 62 How to Make Carbonated Fruit 65 How To Build a Pit Oven 67 Hobo Stove from Tin Can 70 How to Eat a Banana Like a Monkey 73 Food Hacks 74 3: Photography 76 String Tripod 78 Super Simple Light Tent 82 LED Light Drawing Pens 84 4: Science 88 Light Bulb Greenhouse 90 Grow Your Own Bioluminescent Algae 92 3D Magnetic Field Viewer 94 Measure the Speed of Light with Chocolate! 96 5: Computers 98 Nintendo NES PC 100 Lego USB Stick 105 Milkscanner 106 30-Minute USB Microscope 108 Easy, Cheap, Animated Cartoon in 10 Minutes 110 3D Laser Scanner 112 6: Electronics 114 LED Throwies 116 Programmable LED 119 Ghetto AVR Programmer 122 Arduino Charlieplexed Heart 128 Ultra TV-B-Gone 132 Dance Messenger 135 7: Robotics 138 How to Build Your First Robot 140 How to Make an OAWR (Obstacle Avoiding Walking Robot) 146 Balancing Robot 150 Give the Gift of Robot Invasion 153 Mousebot Revisited 158 8: Ride 164 Turn Signal Biking Jacket 166 Visor-Cleaning Wiper Glove 172 Atomic Zombie’s ChopWork Orange Chopper Bicycle 174 Drainage Luge 179 Solar-Powered Trike 180 How To Get a Free Yacht 183 9: Craft 184 Altoids Tin Projects 186 The Blow Brush 189 Electric Umbrella 190 Etching Brass Plates 196 Screen Printing: Cheap, Dirty, and at Home 200 Controlled Bleaching with Discharge Paste 204 Paracord Bracelet with a Side-Release Buckle 206 A Dozen Red Origami Roses 209 Blank Books from Office Paper 212 How to Make Your Own Plastic Vacuum Former 215 Computer Keyboard Wallet 218 Duct Tape Rose 220 10: Entertainment 222 Stuffed-Animal Headphones 224 Earbud Cord Wrapper 226 Make an iPod Speaker from a Hallmark Music Card 227 Munny Speakers 230 Start a Guerrilla Drive-in (aka MobMov) 232 11: Fun & Games 238 The Marshmallow Shooter 240 Realistic Werewolf Costume 242 Guitar Hero Hack: Key Molding 248 The Office Supplies Trebuchet 252 Fix the Red Ring of Death! (without towels!) 255 Make Your Own Star Wars–Style Sword 260 Blinkybug, Maker Faire Version 263 Build a Water Mortar 268 An Iron Man–Style Arc Reactor 271 Make an Awesome Magic Wand 274 Post Office Drawings 278 Jar of Fireflies 280 12: Tools 288 Third Hand++ 290 Guide to Field Soldering 296 Flashlight Business Card 298 Dot Matrix Business Card 300 Notebook Mods 304 Top Tool Tips 306 Easy to Build Desktop 3-Axis CNC Milling Machine 308 Tim’s Tool Tricks 311 The Best of Instructables Community Contest 312 Thank You! 315 Contributors 316 How to Contact Us 317 Index 318 In just three years, Instructables.com has become one of the hottest destinations for makers and DIY enthusiasts of all stripes. Known as 'the world's biggest show & tell,' makers from around the globe post how-to articles on a staggering variety of topics -- from collecting rainwater for lawn care to hacking toy robots to extracting squid ink. Now, with more than 10,000 articles, the Instructables staff and editors of MAKE: magazine -- with help from the Instructables community -- have put together a collection of solid, time- and user-tested technology and craft projects from the site. The Best of Instructables Volume 1 includes plenty of clear, full-color photographs, complete step-by-step instructions, as well as tips, tricks, and new build techniques you won't find anywhere else -- even material never seen before on Instructables.Some of the more popular how-to articles include:The LED Throwie -- magnetized electronic graffiti that's become a phenomenonHow to craft beautiful Japanese bento box lunchesInnovative gaming hacks, such as how to add LED lights and custom-molded buttons to a video game controllerNew twists on personal items, such as the Keyboard Wallet, the Electric Umbrella, and stuffed animal headphonesWhile the book focuses on technology, it also includes such projects as creating cool furniture from cheap components, ways of making your own toys, and killer sci-fi and fantasy costumes and props. Anything but a reference book, The Best of Instructables Volume I embodies the inspirational fun, creativity, and sense of community that has attracted more than 200,000 registered members in just three years. Many of the articles include sidebars that show how other builders have realized or improved upon the same project.Making things is cool again: everyone wants to be a creator, not just a consumer. This is the spirit of the 'new handy heyday', fostered by Instructables.com, MAKE: magazine, and others, and celebrated by this incredible book -- The Best of Instructables Volume 1. In just three years, Instructables.com has become one of the hottest destinations for makers and DIY enthusiasts of all stripes. Known as "the world's biggest show & tell," makers from around the globe post how-to articles on a staggering variety of topics -- from collecting rainwater for lawn care to hacking toy robots to extracting squid ink. Now, with more than 10,000 articles, the Instructables staff and editors of magazine -- with help from the Instructables community -- have put together a collection of solid, time- and user-tested technology and craft projects from the site. The Best of Instructables Volume 1 includes plenty of clear, full-color photographs, complete step-by-step instructions, as well as tips, tricks, and new build techniques you won't find anywhere else -- even material never seen before on Instructables. Some of the more popular how-to articles While the book focuses on technology, it also includes such projects as creating cool furniture from cheap components, ways of making your own toys, and killer sci-fi and fantasy costumes and props. Anything but a reference book, The Best of Instructables Volume I embodies the inspirational fun, creativity, and sense of community that has attracted more than 200,000 registered members in just three years. Many of the articles include sidebars that show how other builders have realized or improved upon the same project. Making things is cool everyone wants to be a creator, not just a consumer. This is the spirit of the "new handy heyday", fostered by Instructables.com, magazine , and others, and celebrated by this incredible book -- The Best of Instructables Volume 1 .