Take Your Imagination to Another Dimension

This wickedly inventive guide explores the art and science of holography and shows you how to create your own intriguing holograms using inexpensive materials. Holography Projects for the Evil Genius explains the tools and techniques you need to know to represent three dimensions on a flat, two-dimensional plane.

Using easy-to-find components and equipment, this do-it-yourself book presents a wide variety of holography projects--including science fair ideas--that are guaranteed to impress. You'll find detailed guidelines and parameters as well as discussions of the theory behind the practice.

Holography Projects for the Evil Genius:

• Features step-by-step instructions and helpful illustrations for each project
• Allows you to customize your projects
• Includes details on the scientific principles behind the projects
• Removes the frustration factor--all required parts are listed, along with sources

Enlightening coverage of:

• The history of holography
• Human vision basics
• Practical optics
• How to bend and distort laser light to form a hologram
• Holographic chemistry
• Setting up your holography workshop
• Working with lasers, glass plates, and film
• Basic to advanced holographic setups
• Advanced holographic chemical preparations
• Computer-generated holography
• Electronic circuits for holographers

CONVERT TO BIODIESEL FOR A MORE ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY RIDE

Inside, you'll find step-by-step instructions accompanied by helpful illustrations for such projects as building and properly using a homemade biodiesel reactor, which enables you to drive you car on vegetable oil purchased at a fraction of the price of gas or even on second-hand oil obtained from restaurants free of charge. Run Your Diesel Vehicle on Biofuels also includes a list of international parts suppliers and various manufacturers' warranty statuses regarding vehicles converted to biodiesel.

Projects include:

• Collecting waste oil



• Building a waste-oil processor



• Creating biodiesel fuel



• Converting your car to professional standards



• Constructing heat exchangers

Run Your Diesel Vehicle on Biofuels covers:

• History and functions of the diesel engine • Benefits of biofuel • Where to obtain raw ingredients • Theory of fuel conversion • Existing conversion kits o Blends, emulsions, and thinners • Processing and discarding waste oil • Laws and regulations • Green retail o Health and safety • Limitations of environmental benefits

FUEL YOUR EVIL URGES WHILE YOU BUILD GREEN ENERGY PROJECTS!

Go green as you amass power! Fuel Cell Projects for the Evil Genius broadens your knowledge of this important, rapidly developing technology and shows you how to build practical, environmentally conscious projects using the three most popular and widely accessible fuel cells!

In Fuel Cell Projects for the Evil Genius, high-tech guru Gavin Harper gives you everything you need to conduct practical experiments and build energizing fuel cell projects. You'll find complete, easy-to-follow plans that feature clear diagrams and schematics, as well as:

• Instructions for fascinating sustainable energy projects, complete with 180 how-to illustrations
• Explanations of how fuel cells work and why the hydrogen economy will impact our lives in the near future
• Frustration-factor removal-all the needed parts are listed, along with sources
• Science fair project ideas that are on the cutting edge of the latest technological developments

Fuel Cell Projects for the Evil Genius gives you complete plans, instructions, parts lists, and sources to:

• Understand how hydrogen could meet our energy needs in a post-carbon economy
• Build a fuel cell car to race against your friends
• Build an intelligent fuel cell car which autonomously drives
• Build a simple fuel cell using adhesive bandages
• Hydrogen fuel your iPod
• Have a hydrogen barbecue-cook your food with zero carbon emissions!
• Discover how the amounts of hydrogen supplied to fuel cells affect the amounts of electricity produced
• And much more!

FOLLOW THE SUN TO MORE EVIL FUN!

Let the sun shine on your evil side - and have a wicked amount of fun on your way to becoming a solar energy master! In this guide, the popular Evil Genius format ramps up your understanding of powerful, important, and environmentally friendly solar energy - and shows you how to build real, practical solar energy projects you can use in your home, yard - even on the road!

In Solar Energy Projects for the Evil Genius, high-tech guru Gavin Harper gives you everything you need to build more than 50 thrilling solar energy projects. You'll find complete, easy-to-follow plans, with clear diagrams and schematics, so you know exactly what's involved before you begin.

• Illustrated instructions and plans for 30 amazing pretested solar energy projects that assume no prior experience with energy science



• Explanations of the science and math behind each project



• Projects that progress in difficulty - from simple ones that may inspire science fair entries - all the way to converting a real home to solar energy



• Frustration-factor removal-needed parts are listed, along with sources-plus all the tools you'll need

Solar Energy Projects for the Evil Genius provides you with complete plans, instructions, parts lists, and sources for:

• Crushed berries solar cell



• Solar "death ray"



• Solar powered hot dog cooker



• Solar furnace



• Sun-powered refrigerator



• Camping shower, oven, and more



• Hot recipes for solar cooking



• Water purifier



• Flashlight



• Garden lights



• Solar vehicle



• Environmentally friendly robot



• Much more!

An essential addition to the Earthscan Planning & Installing series, Planning and Installing Micro-Hydro Systems provides vital diagrams, pictures and tables detailing the planning and installing of a micro-hydro system, including information on the maintenance and economics once an installation is running. The book covers subjects such as measuring head and flow, ecological impacts, scheme layouts, practical advice, calculations and turbine choice. Archimedes screws are also covered in detail, as well as the main conventional choices relevant to small sites.

Micro-hydro refers to hydropower systems with a power rating of 100kW or less. A 100kW system will produce 100 standard units of electricity in one hour. These systems have been popular in some sparsely populated or mountainous countries for a number of years, but now new technology, less stringent regulation of grid connected generators and standardised turbine designs are encouraging more widespread interest in micro-hydro in the developed world.

The renewable energy sector is growing at a remarkable rate, and whilst much attention has so far focused on solar and wind technologies, Europe and elsewhere have great potential for generating power from small scale hydroelectric installations.

This book is aimed at site owners, designers and consultants who are looking to develop schemes in the micro-hydro scale – 5 to 100kW – although the concepts are applicable to smaller and larger schemes.

• One of the first in-depth resources for the booming car PC market



• Appeals to the huge combined audience of home electronics hobbyists and auto enthusiasts



• Car PCs are capable of controlling lights, regulating heat and air conditioning, running audio and video systems, navigating, ensuring security, and more



• Includes parts and required tools lists, troubleshooting tips, and a list of manufacturers where readers can purchase the parts best suited for their customized systems



• Companion website offers free software and demo versions of products to use with the car PC