Unscrewed: Salvage and Reuse Motors, Gears, Switches, and More From Your Old Electronics

As a kid I would always take apart my toys that stopped working. Unfortunately, I never learned much and these parts eventually made it to the back of my shelf. Having had this manual, subtitled Salvage and Reuse Motors, Gears and Switches from Your Old Electronics, I would have understood exactly what made up those toys and household items and even been able to repurpose them. Even as a current tech junkie, this book showed me a good deal about the inner workings of common household items. The pictures, though black and white are great and annotated with helpful details, taking you fairly step-by-step. The book describes over 50 common electrical appliances and tools (such as an electric drill, a Walkman, typewriter, laptop screen, a hairdryer, a VCR and guitar), the tools you'll need to disassemble them, the steps to take and the treasure you'll find within. Also included are proper disposal issues for the non-treasures. Take these inner components and use them to build all sorts of useful projects. Who wouldn't want to turn their old electric toothbrush into a working submarine model, for example? With 224 softcover pages, you're bound to stay busy learning about and collecting the inner treasures of our most common electronics. ~ Steve