Maker's Manual

Paolo Aliverti became interested in electronics and microcomputers at the age of ten. He is one of the founders of Frankenstein Garage, where he works on design and research as well as agile business, marketing, and planning. He organizes workshops on electronics and 3D printing, participates in conferences and events, and explains in simple words how easy it is to rebuild and repair items. In the little free time he has, he risks his life in the mountains.

Andrea Maietta is a passionate advocate of agile methods, and is responsible for helping clients understand their needs and providing them with appropriate solutions to build value. He is a software engineer, maker, tireless reader, husband and father, and Rugby Union fan for life. Always excited to learn and share, Andrea is a frequent speaker at conferences and is involved in training, communication, and organization. His dream is to build a lightsaber.

The World of the Maker
Chapter 1Who Are the Makers?
The Culture of Reuse
We Are All Designers
Not Only Digital
The Maker
Chapter 2The Origins of the Movement
The Culture of Sharing
The Triumph of Technology
The Fab Labs
The Spread in the Media
Chapter 3A New Revolution?
The Introduction of Computers
The Power of Information
From Bits to Atoms
The Rebirth of the Economy
Realizing an Idea
Chapter 4Can Creativity Be Learned?
Neurophysiology for the Uninitiated
The Learning Process
Techniques for Creativity
Changing the Assumptions
Shifting the Boundaries of the Problem
Pseudorandom Input
Chapter 5From Idea to Project
Design
The Design Process
Chapter 6Project Management
What Is a Project?
The Project Manager
Management of a Project
The List of Activities
The Gantt Chart
Chapter 7Try, Fail, and Pick Yourself Up!
Business Plan
Ready for Success?
Wrong Assumptions
Success, This Time for Real
Chapter 8Financing Your Work
Classic Funding Sources
Alternative Solutions
Beyond Financing
Chapter 9Collaboration
The Importance of the Net
An Open Process
From Bits to Atoms
Chapter 10Managing Project Files
Distributed Design
Git and GitHub
The Workflow
Not Only Trees Have Branches
Chapter 11This Is Not a Pipe
Manufacturing Processes
Starting from Bits
OpenSCAD
Expanding OpenSCAD
Chapter 123D Printing
How Does It Work?
Materials
3D Printers
The Workflow
Chapter 13Milling
CNC Machines
Designing with a CNC
Software
Where Do We Turn?
Chapter 14Laser Cutting
Lasers
Laser Cutters
Giving Life to Objects
Chapter 15Electronics and Fairy Dust
Hello World!
Circuits and Components
Chapter 16Arduino
What Is Arduino?
The Software Structure
The Simplest Sketch
Chapter 17Expanding Arduino
Reading the World: Sensors
Changing the World: Actuators
Strong Currents
Shields
Smart Textiles
Chapter 18Raspberry Pi
Component Check!
Getting Started
The Graphical User Interface
Python
GPIO
Arduino and the Raspberry Pi
Chapter 19Processing
Your First Sketch
Let’s Get a Move On!
How Many Circles?
I’ve Got the Power!
Programming with Cartoons
Processing, Meet Arduino!
Chapter 20The Internet of Things
Physical Computing
This New World
Where to Put the Data?
From Ivrea to Rome: Flyport
Raspberry Pi on the Net
Features of a Service