We write about a wide variety of DIY projects, and through that process a few common tools and relevant skills surface that make so many of them possible. This weekend, get to know these all-star tools and the amazing DIY projects they can produce.
Soldering
Of all the DIY skills you can learn, you need to know how to solder to tackle many of the electronic DIY projects you'll come across online. Fortunately, this little comic can teach you the basics. If you need a little more information, this introduction to soldering should do the trick. Just grab yourself a soldering kit and you can tackle fun projects like these:
Those are just a few examples. Soldering opens up several opportunities so you'll be able to handle quite a few additional DIY projects after learning how.
Sugru
Like play-dough for adults, Sugru is a quick-drying rubber that helps you solve problems, fix broken stuff, and create plenty of other things. Here are a few examples to get you started:
For more, be sure to check out our sugru tag page.
Arduino
When you want to make your own electronics, you turn to Arduino. It's just a $20 board, but you can make all sorts of interesting things with other people's code (of course, you can learn to write your own, too). Once you've got a board, you can create fun projects like these:
For more Arduino-based projects, check out our Arduino tag pages.
Raspberry Pi
Although a bit of a newcomer, the Raspberry Pi already has an incredible force behind it. The little board packs so much power into a small space, you can do some pretty incredible things. If you're new to the Raspberry Pi (or need help finding a board), check out our getting started guide. It'll teach you to set up your board and install Raspbian, the standard operating system for the Raspberry Pi. From there, you can tackle a bunch of other awesome projects like these:
If that's not enough, here are ten more awesome projects to try.
Have a great weekend!