Hardware Hacking Projects for Geeks:
Book Review

By Dale Farris, Vice President Golden Triangle PC Club April 2004 General Overview Hardware hacking starts with the belief that you have the right to take things apart to see how they work. However, the real fun comes when you realize that you can put things back together in any way you see fit. This may void the warranty, but you could end up with something even better than the original, or at the very least, an interesting conversation piece. All kinds of consumer electronic equipment can be modified to do things they were never intended to do, and this book shows you how. What's more, becoming a hardware hacker might be easier than you think, even if you have no formal electronics background. The book contains 15 amazing projects that range from the truly useful to the legendary and wacky. You'll learn how to connect toasters and coffeemakers to a network; upgrade radio-controlled cars and talking toys such as the Furby; and build car-mounted periscopes and home video arcades. You'll see how to turn a classic Mac machine into an aquarium and harness ordinary batteries to power your laptop. You'll learn how to build an intruder-detection system for your office cubicle and how to track remote objects as they move around. There's even a project for hacking a 12-story building to use its windows as elements of a huge display screen. Each project includes step-by-step instructions that even a novice hacker can follow, while also providing the necessary detail to satisfy an experienced hacker. The knowledge gained by building each project can easily be applied to your own projects. If you are unfamiliar with basic electronics, you'll find sections that teach you how to use the tools of the trade; you'll also learn how to read schematics and do basic soldering. So, whether you're an electronics hobbyist who likes to learn by doing, a software hacker who wants to learn how the other half lives, or a neophyte who has only dreamed of hacking, "Hardware Hacking Projects for Geeks" will inspire you to tinker with all kinds of gadgets and gizmos, and will serve as a jumping-off point for new and clever hacks. Special Features Author Fullam has organized one of the best books available on hacking various types of hardware, and all readers with even an inkling of interest in carrying out these various dynamic projects will find he has provided a super tool to assist in their endeavor. The book includes tons of photographs showing each of the various steps to follow as you implement these neat hacks. In addition, the author adds extensive sidebar tips and suggestions that also help better understand the projects. He also includes in the appendix numerous links to various Web sites that provide further information regarding the hacks, as well as additional schematic diagrams and schematic reading software. Table of Contents The fifteen (15) chapters are organized into two parts, and include the following: Part One: Basic Hacks, Tools, and Techniques 1)   How to Build a Portable Laptop Power Supply 2)   How to Build an Aquarium Inside a Macintosh 3)   How to Hack 802.11b Antennas 4)   How to Build a PC Water-Cooling System 5)   How to Hack a Furby (and Other Talking Toys) 6)   How to Hack a Video Periscope for Your Car Part Two: Advanced Hacks, Tools, and Techniques 7)   How to Build a Digital Video Recorder 8)   How to Hack a Building-Size Display 9)   How to Build a Cubicle Intrusion Detection System 10) How to Build an Internet Toaster 11) How to Build a Home Arcade Machine 12) How to Build a Remote Object Tracker 13) How to Make RC Cars Play Laser Tag 14) How to Build a Wearable Computer 15) How to Build an Internet Coffeemaker The book also has five appendices: A.)  Schematic Capture Software B.)  Communication C.)  Easy-to-Use Microcontroller Boards D.)  Power Sources E.)  Resources Target Readers The audience for this book includes Electronics hobbyists interested in getting their hands dirty and learning by doing; Software hackers who want to see what it's like to handle and modify hardware - Many of the projects include interfaces to standalone or networked computers. Once the hardware is built, there is ample opportunity to expand on the simple software projects covered in the book. Budding hackers of all kinds - If you are new to both software and hardware hacking, you can get started quickly with projects that do something interesting immediately. Book Contents 354 pages; preface; acknowledgments; tons of black-and-white photographs; extensive, step-by-step photographs; numerous figures; numerous schematic drawings; tables; sample code; tips; screen shots; index; cover colophon Author Scott Fullam About the Author Scott Fullam has been hacking hardware since he was ten years old with his first Radio Shack 100-in-1 electronics set. After hacking his way through two degrees at MIT, he designed and built children's toys, digital cameras, PDAs, and robots. Scott holds more than 15 U.S. and international patents. He is currently teaching his one-year-old daughter to count in binary. ISBN January 2004 - First Edition 0-596-00314-5 List Price $29.95 $43.95 CAN About O'Reilly & Associates, Inc. O'Reilly & Associates is the premier information source for leading-edge computer technologies. O'Reilly communicates the knowledge of experts through their books, conferences, and web sites. Their books, known for their animals on the covers, occupy a treasured place on the shelves of developers building the next generation of software, and their conferences and summits bring innovators together to shape the revolutionary ideas that spark new industries. From the Internet to the web, Linux, Open Source, and now Peer-to-Peer Networking, O'Reilly puts technologies on the map. Anyone involved in information technology can always depend on O'Reilly for high quality books, as well as the most authoritative works on the market. 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