Make: Arduino Bots and Gadgets (Review)

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Arduino Bots and Gadgets is a step-by-step guide to building, adapting and designing prototypes based on the Arduino family. It's published by Make magazine - a member of the O'Reilly Family.

Like Make, the book delights the eye. Readers are drawn into a programme of exploration and discovery which will help them develop the skills they need to start prototyping their own inventions using the Arduino Platform.

The authors write clearly and the projects look fun to build:
  • a Stalker Guard
  • an Insect Robot
  • an Interactive Painting
  • a Boxing Clock
  • a Remote for a Smart Home, and
  • a Soccer Robot
I have one niggle: the first project uses an Arduino Nano, rather than the Uno which is mentioned at the start of the book. Readers might feel a little miffed if they'd bought the Uno only to find they needed another variant.

That's a minor complaint, and my overall reaction to the book is very positive. The book is clear, attractive, authoritative, and (at nearly 300 pages) excellent value.

If you want something more substantial than a basic experimenter's guide this book is a great buy. I got the electronic version, but it's also available in print. If someone you know wants to make a start on serious Arduino development this could be an ideal Christmas present!

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