Technology is constantly changing, with everything from cars to homes becoming smarter by the day. If you're thinking, "Yeah, but Facebook, Google, and Amazon are recording all of our personal data in the process," you're not wrong. But don't let that taint your view of technology as a whole. You can still get the convenience and flexibility of the coolest tech without them — just make it yourself.
Platforms like Raspberry Pi and Arduino are making DIY tech easier and more affordable than ever. If you're a tinkerer and you aren't using either, you're missing out. But which one do you start with? Find out with our guide to DIY platforms below, and shop the e-book deals that correspond to each of them.
What is Arduino?
Want to control your garage door with a button on your nightstand or schedule your plants to be watered at a certain time? Arduino can do that! Arduino interfaces easily with sensors and other electronic components, making it ideal for hardware projects that don't require an internet connection. You can connect to the web to broaden the projects you can do, but it requires external hardware and Arduino's processing power is significantly less than Raspberry Pi, making it a less than ideal option. However, Arduino boards are much more inexpensive than Pi and the learning curve can be shorter, so it's the perfect place to start.
You can pay what you want and get up to 15 e-books from the arduino hacker bundle — a total value of $278.
What is Raspberry Pi?
Raspberry Pi is a mini-computer with a fully-functional operating system called Raspbian. Just like any other computer, it has a processor, memory, and graphics driver but it's useable with numerous operating systems, with Raspbian and Linux being the most common. Raspberry Pi can easily connect to the internet using an Ethernet port or via WiFi on some models, making it a great choice for building your own software applications or web-based tools. Its processing speed is roughly 40x Arduino and it has more than 12,800x more RAM than Arduino. If you're using Arduino to water your plants, Raspberry Pi can be used to alert you when the plants need to be watered, check the weather report for rain, and if there is rain, suggest that you let the rain do the work for you. Pretty cool, right? Raspberry Pi is more expensive, but it can achieve more complex tasks.
Want to learn more about Raspberry Pi? Check out this Raspberry Pi e-book bundle, available now for 83% off at just $19.99.
What are CAD and 3D Printing?
The process of CAD, or computer-aided design, and 3D printing enables you to build anything from models to toys to furniture on a computer. Pretty cool, right? You'll get to flex your inventor muscles by either working to design updates to everyday items you want to make better or build something completely from scratch.
The process does requires access to a 3D printer, but you can learn the skills required with the Pay What You Want: CAD and 3D Printing e-book bundle. Beat the average price to get 12 e-books by the leading voice in Maker Tech, or pay whatever you want and get three useful e-books to help you get started. It's a total value of $186, so you'll be saving regardless.
Topics 3D Printing
