Adafruit Holiday Gift Guide 2013: Gift Some Knowledge: Latest How-To Books for Raspberry Pi, Arduino, and Introduction to Electronics

Adafruit has been hard at work building out its “library” this year (in this case actual print books as well as for code!) so we offer a wide range of excellent how-to techbooks for you or the makers in your life to explore in the coming year. So many that this guide is but a tip of the iceberg, grouping a few favorite options around a few favorite topics.

Raspberry Pi

One of the hottest devices on maker scene from last holiday season has only deepened it’s hold on the maker imagination this year, with thousands of creative projects shared by the Adafruit community and beyond. Adafruit’s goal to help the world learn & share electronics and computer programming continues with our new line of products made just for the Raspberry Pi®. (see some of our most popular Raspberry Pi products here)

The MagPi – Issue 16 – Welcome to issue 16 of The MagPi. The premier Raspberry Pi magazine for beginners, experts, Pi-fanatics and the merely Pi-curious. (read more)

Programming the Raspberry Pi: Getting Started with Python by Simon Monk – Create innovative programs and fun games on your tiny yet powerful Raspberry Pi. In this book, electronics guru Simon Monk explains the basics of Raspberry Pi application development, while providing hands-on examples and ready-to-use scripts. See how to set up hardware and software, write and debug applications, create user-friendly interfaces, and control external electronics. Do-it-yourself projects include a hangman game, an LED clock, and a software-controlled roving robot. (read more)

Getting Started with Raspberry Pi by Matt Richardson & Shawn Wallace – What can you do with the Raspberry Pi, a $35 computer the size of a credit card? All sorts of things! If you’re learning how to program, or looking to build new electronic projects, this hands-on guide will show you just how valuable this flexible little platform can be. This book takes you step-by-step through many fun and educational possibilities. Take advantage of several preloaded programming languages. Use the Raspberry Pi with Arduino. Create Internet-connected projects. Play with multimedia. With Raspberry Pi, you can do all of this and more. (read more)

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Arduino

What better place to start for those diving into interactive electronics projects for the first time than by spending some time getting to know a bit more about Arduino, an open-source electronics prototyping platform based on flexible, easy-to-use hardware and software. It’s intended for artists, designers, hobbyists, and anyone interested in creating interactive objects or environments. Adafruit is an official distributor of the Arduino! Adafruit is shipping the new version of the Arduino, The Arduino Uno, R3. (see our most popular Arduino products here)

Programming Arduino By Simon Monk – Using clear, easy-to-follow examples, Programming Arduino: Getting Started with Sketches reveals the software side of Arduino and explains how to write well-crafted sketches using the modified C language of Arduino. No prior programming experience is required! The downloadable sample programs featured in the book can be used as-is or modified to suit your purposes. (read more)

Getting Started with Arduino By Massimo Banzi – 2nd Edition – This valuable little book offers a thorough introduction to the open-source electronics prototyping platform that’s taking the design and hobbyist world by storm. Getting Started with Arduino gives you lots of ideas for Arduino projects and helps you get going on them right away. From getting organized to putting the final touches on your prototype, all the information you need is right in the book. (read more)

Exploring Arduino by Jeremy Blum – Exploring Arduino uses the popular Arduino microcontroller platform as an instrument to teach topics in electrical engineering, programming, and human-computer interaction. The book shares best practices in programming and design that you can apply to any project, and code snippets and schematics that will serve as a useful references for future projects even after you’ve mastered all the topics in the book. (read more)

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Introductions to Electronics

Make: Electronics (Charles Platt) – 1st print – We checked out this book before putting it in the shop, its geared towards ultimate-beginners and teaches electronics starting from basic core of analog to some digital to microcontrollers. You’ll learn tools, prototyping soldering techniques, transistors, 555’s, etc. while completing useful projects. A nice and tidy intro! This book is a good accompaniment to learning microcontrollers/Arduino in that it fills the necessary electronics theory and background. (read more)

Practical Electronics for Inventors, Third Edition by Paul Sherz and Simon Monk – Spark your creativity and gain the electronics skills required to transform your innovative ideas into functioning gadgets. This hands-on, updated guide outlines electrical principles and provides thorough, easy-to-follow instructions, schematics, and illustrations. Find out how to select components, safely assemble circuits, perform error tests, and build plug-and-play prototypes. Practical Electronics for Inventors, Third Edition, features all-new chapters on sensors, microcontrollers, modular electronics, and the latest software tools. (read more)

The Art of Electronics 2nd Edition by Horowitz & Hill HARDCOVER – second edition – A classic! Considered the best resource, now available at Adafruit. This is the thoroughly revised and updated Second Edition of the hugely successful The Art of Electronics. Widely accepted as the single, authoritative text and reference on electronic circuit design, both analog and digital, this book has sold over 120,000 copies, and has been translated into eight languages. This book revolutionized the teaching of electronics by emphasizing the methods actually used by circuit designers–a combination of some basic laws, rules of thumb, and a large bag of tricks. (read more)

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SHIPPING DEADLINES

Here are your 2013 shipping deadlines for ordering from Adafruit. Please review our shipping section if you have specific questions on how and where we ship worldwide for this holiday season.

UPS ground (USA orders): Place orders by Friday 11am ET – December 13, 2013 – There is no guarantee that UPS Ground packages will arrive in time for Christmas.

UPS 3-day (USA orders): Place orders by Thursday 11am ET – December 19, 2013 – Arrive on 12/24/2013.

UPS 2-day (USA orders): Place orders by Friday 11am ET – December 20, 2013 – Arrive on 12/24/2013.

UPS overnight (USA orders): Place orders by Monday 11am ET – December 23, 2013 – Arrive on 12/24/2013.

UPS International: Place orders by Monday 11am ET – December 16, 2013. Can take up extra time due to worldwide delays and customs. Should arrive by 12/24/2013 or sooner.

Please note: We do not offer Saturday service for UPS.
Wednesday, Dec. 25, 2013, Christmas, no UPS pickup or delivery service.
Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2014, New Year’s Day, no UPS pickup or delivery service.

United States Postal Service, First Class and Priority (USA orders): Place orders by Friday – December 13, 2013 – Arrive by 12/24/2013 or sooner.

USPS First class mail international (International orders): Place orders by Friday – November 22, 2013. Can take up to 30 days ore more with worldwide delays and customs. Should arrive by 12/24/2013 or sooner, but not a trackable service cannot be guaranteed to arrive by 12/24/13.

USPS Express mail international(International orders): Place orders by Friday – December 13, 2013. Can take up to 15 days or more with worldwide delays and customs. Should arrive by 12/24/2013 or sooner.

Gift Certificates are always available at any time.

When in doubt contact us!

November 15, 2013 AT 10:00 am