Mechatronics for the Evil Genius: 25 Build-it-Yourself Projects (Paperback)

by Newton Braga (Author) "What Is Mechatronics?..." (more)
Key Phrases: Section Three The Projects, The Technology Today, Parts List-Using (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
The popular evil genius format provides hobbyists with a fun and inexpensive way to learn Mechatronics (the merger of electronics and mechanics) via 25 complete projects.

Projects include: mechanical race car, combat robot, ionic motor, electromagnet, robotic arm, light beam remote control, and more

Includes "parts lists" and "tool bin" for each project

Covers all the preparation needed to begin building, such as "how to solder," "how to recognize components and diagrams, "how to read a schematic," etc.

From the Back Cover
DEVELOP THE MECHATRONIC SIDE OF YOUR GENIUS WITH 25 FUNTASTIC PROJECTS!

If you're fascinated by electronics and mechanics, this hands-on tour of the junction where they meet will bring you hours of fun and learning. Noted electronics author Newton Braga's Mechatronics for the Evil Genius guides you step by step through 25 complete, intriguing, yet inexpensive projects developed especially for this book.

You will build your own mechanical race car, combat robot, ionic motor, mechatronic head, light beam remote control, and 20 other entertaining learning projects that take you to the heart of mechatronics.

More than just hours of entertainment, these stimulating projects provide a solid grounding in mechatronics, the discipline at the core of robotics where electronics, mechanics, and other sciences merge. Each experiment builds on those before it so you develop a hands-on, practical understanding of mechatronics. You don't need to know electronics or mechanics to get started. But by the end, you'll be showing off your own exciting projects!

MECHATRONICS FOR THE EVIL GENIUS:

• Introduces you to mechatronics step-by-step -- you don't need to be a electromechanical whiz to get started, but you will be when you're finished
• Teaches all the skills you need for the projects, including how to solder, recognize components, and read schematics
• Provides complete lists of tools and parts -- all of them inexpensive and easily obtained
• Vividly explains the mechanics, electronics, and science underlying each project
• Gives you fully illustrated,step-by-step directions that build your skills, one small increment at a time
• Provides directions for 25 tantalizing projects, including a robotic arm, an electronic cannon, a coin tosser, an analog computer, and many more
• Helps you develop skills you can bring to other hobby projects, such as more sophisticated robots
• Encourages you to improvise with secondary components to devise your own unique creations
• Suggests related activities for customization and going steps beyond

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Product Details

• Paperback: 213 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill/TAB Electronics; 1 edition (September 15, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0071457593
• ISBN-13: 978-0071457590
• Product Dimensions: 10.7 x 8.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #235,951 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

51 of 53 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good project book for someone already familiar with mechatronics, January 15, 2006

By	calvinnme "Texan refugee" (Fredericksburg, Va) - See all my reviews (TOP 10 REVIEWER)

This book provides great practice via projects for students/practitioners of mechatronics that are already pretty familiar with electronics and feel comfortable with constructing elementary mechanical devices. There is some theory provided for each project, and it would be enough for someone to construct each device but not necessarily understand the science behind each device if you do not have a sufficient background in mechatronics already. My personal favorite was the analog computer, primarily because in this day and age, I find many young engineers that don't even know what an analog computer is! I especially recommend this book to teachers who want to motivate their students to study engineering by showing them what interesting devices can be built. I notice Amazon shows nothing about the table of contents, so I show that here:
Section One: Preparing the Reader
Section Two: The Technology Used in the Projects
Section Three: The Projects
Project 1 -- Mechatronic Race Car
Project 2 -- RoboCom: A Combat Robot
Project 3 -- Using a PWM Motor Control
Project 4 -- Ionic Motor
Project 5 -- Experimental Galvanometer
Project 6 -- Experimenting with Electromagnets
Project 7 -- Electronic Potentiometer
Project 8 -- Experiments with Eolic Generators
Project 9 -- Electronic Cannon
Project 10 -- Experiments with Lissajous Figures Generated by a Laser
Project 11 -- Analog Computer
Project 12 -- Touch-Controlled Motor
Project 13 -- Mechatronic Elevator
Project 14 -- Stepper Motor Control
Project 15 -- Magic Motion Machine
Project 16 -- Test Your Nerves
Project 17 -- Robot with Sensors
Project 18 -- SMA Experimental Robotic Arm
Project 19 -- Position Sensor
Project 20 -- Light-Beam Remote Control
Project 21 -- Mechatronic Airboat
Project 22 -- Coin Tosser
Project 23 -- The Challenge of the Mechatronic Timer
Project 24 -- Experimental PLC
Project 25 -- The Mechatronic Talking Head

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Box Kit in a book, October 24, 2007

By	LaMarr Jones (Detroit, MI United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I was hoping that this book actually offered more explanation on the design and application of mechatronics. It is basically a book of science fair projects for 12-18 year olds. It offers very little (if any) actual instruction on the components or the reasons why they are used. You will need a pretty good understanding of electronics before you venture into this book. I am going to have to find a good, basic book on electronic components and design before I can venture into this entire series.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Simple Electronic & Basic Mechanic Projects for Schools, September 2, 2007

By	Hilton Gray (Australia) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book is pitched at the Grade 10 to 12 student in a secondary school. Unfortunately,this is not clear from the title. The focus is on the electronics side. It does not go into robotics and what "mechanical" components shown are very basic.
Having said the above the content IS very suitable for the secondary student without getting bogged in the maths of electronics.