Make it Electronics Think it See it Build It Share It That is what the maker movement is all about It is about dreaming It is learning through hands-on real-world experiences It is working with others to find creative solutions to problems It is about failing the first time and starting all over again until you get it right Tinker Away Electronic devices are part of the maker movement They are everywhere from radios to TVs to laptops to game controllers Each one of these gadgets owes its start to someone tinkering with a simple idea Each one started with a maker MAKe A Faire Gather together all ages of tech-lovers crafters educators tinkerers engineers students and science clubs to share what they have learned and show what they have made and you have a maker faire The first gathering in California proved so popular that maker faires are now held around the world Where else could you find new ideas and experiments in the fields of science engineering art performance and craft under one roof 4 Electronics is part of the maker movement Makers learn from others and by trying things out for themselves
SKill SetS Makers need many different abilities and skills Most can be learned Math and science are key skills So are communication collaboration and critical thinking The most important skill that all makers need is inside each of us It comes naturally It is curiosity Curious people gather together in makerspaces where makers share knowledge tools and ideas Makerspaces include libraries schools community centers and the Internet Another option is to try new ideas with friends and create your very own makerspace Anywhere information and ideas are shared to help create a project is a makerspace In fact this book is like a mini-makerspace Curious Read on SAfeTy Always work under the supervision of a responsible adult Always wear safety glasses Always follow instructions when using power tools Never plug in electronics that have protective covers removed Always wear safety glasses to protect your eyes when you are working with electronics 5
Everybody’s Electronics The maker movement is nothing new People have been tinkering for years And that is a good thing Without all the background makers the world of electronics would not be where it is today Seeing the lighT American scientist Thomas Edison was known for his investigations of a form of energy called electricity He discovered that the carriers of electricity called electrons move in an airless sealed container or vacuum This is called the Edison effect Using the Edison effect in 1897 British scientist John Fleming invented a vacuum tube It was called a diode because it contained two electrodes This was the invention that started electronics Another scientist named Lee De Forest took it one step further and created the triode How many electrodes do you think it had 6 This photograph from around 1901 shows Thomas Edison in his laboratory Edison used electricity in many inventions including the lightbulb and the phonograph record player
setting the sTage Stay with me The invention of vacuum tubes was critical in the story of electronics Vacuum tubes enabled the creation of radios which began an electronic boom Development of other key electronic parts quickly followed from the late 1940s through the 1950s Within the next 30 years electronics would become an everyday part of our lives New inventions made technology more powerful easier to access and inexpensive enough to afford MAKers MAKing Even in the early years of their development electronics were not just found in scientists labs Curious tinkerers were taking apart radios and TVs to see what they were made from and how they worked Sometimes they improved them with minor adjustments That is the thing about being a maker it opens up new ways of seeing things Anyone can learn about electronics The different parts of an electronic circuit change store increase or reduce the flow of an electric current Makers and Shakers Sylvia Todd Californian Sylvia Todd born 2002 started making things when she was seven years old She went to her first maker faire and was hooked She now has a Web program where she shows people that making things is fun easy and rewarding Sylvia is the creator of WaterColorBot It is an electronic robot that paints In 2013 at 11 years old Sylvia was invited to the White House Science Fair 7
