The Maker’s Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse: Defend Your Base with Simple Circuits, Arduino, and Raspberry Pi

296 Pages·2015·34.63 MB·English

by  Simon Monk

Shelve in: Hardware/Electronics T
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Scavenge, Build, Survive! e

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Where will you be when the zombie apocalypse hits? Trapping yourself in the
a
basement? Roasting the family pet? Beheading reanimated neighbors? k
e
No way. You’ll be building fortresses, setting traps, and hoarding supplies, because
r
you, savvy survivor, have snatched up your copy of The Maker’s Guide to the Zombie
’
s
Apocalypse before it’s too late. This indispensable guide to survival after Z-day,

written by hardware hacker and zombie anthropologist Simon Monk, will teach G
u
you how to generate your own electricity, salvage parts, craft essential electronics,
i
and out-survive the undead. d
e
Take charge of your environment:

t
• Monitor zombie movement with trip wires and motion sensors o
• Keep vigilant watch over your compound with Arduino and
t
Raspberry Pi surveillance systems h
• Power zombie defense devices with car batteries, bicycle e
generators, and solar power
Z
o
Escape imminent danger:
m
• Repurpose old disposable cameras for zombie-distracting flashbangs b
• Open doors remotely for a successful sprint home i
e
• Forestall subplot disasters with fire and smoke detectors
A
Communicate with other survivors: p
o
• Hail nearby humans using Morse code
c
• Pass silent messages with two-way vibration walkie-talkies a
• Fervently scan the airwaves with a frequency hopper l
y
For anyone from the budding maker to the keen hobbyist, The Maker’s Guide to the p
s
Zombie Apocalypse is an essential survival tool.
e

About the Author •

s
Simon Monk is a full-time author and maker, mostly writing about elect ronics
i
m
for makers. Some of his better-known books include Programming Arduino: Getting
o
Started with Sketches, Raspberry Pi Cookbook, and Hacking Electronics. He is also the
n
co-author of Practical Electronics for Inventors and wrote Minecraft Mastery with his
M
son, Matthew Monk.
o
n
k
Price: $24.95 ($28.95 CDN)
www.nostarch.com
THE FINEST IN
GEEK ENTERTAINMENT™
The Maker’s
Guide to the
Zombie

Apocalypse

The Maker’s
Guide to the
Zombie
Apocalypse
Defend Your
Base with Simple
Circuits, Arduino, and
Raspberry Pi
Simon Monk
No Starch Press
San Francisco
The Maker's Guide To The ZoMbie apocalypse. Copyright © 2016 by Simon Monk.
All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical,
including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the
copyright owner and the publisher.
Printed in USA
First printing
19 18 17 16 15 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
ISBN-10: 1-59327-667-2
ISBN-13: 978-1-59327-667-6
Publisher: William Pollock
Production Editor: Serena Yang
Cover and Interior Design: Beth Middleworth
Illustrator: Miran Lipovača
Developmental Editor: Jennifer Griffith-Delgado
Copyeditor: Paula L. Fleming
Compositor: Serena Yang
Proofreader: James Fraleigh
Indexer: BIM Indexing & Proofreading Services
For information on distribution, translations, or bulk sales, please contact No Starch Press, Inc. directly:
No Starch Press, Inc.
245 8th Street, San Francisco, CA 94103
phone: [phone]; [email protected]
www.nostarch.com
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Monk, Simon, author.
The maker's guide to the zombie apocalypse : defend your base with simple circuits, Arduino, and Raspberry Pi / by Simon
Monk.
pages cm
Includes index.
Summary: "A collection of DIY hardware projects using circuits, Arduino, and Raspberry Pi to store electricity, detect
invading zombies, generate solar power, and create communication and surveillance devices. Projects include alarms,
low-power LED lighting, an FM radio frequency hopper, a periscope, a wind turbine, and flash, movement, and noise makers"--
Provided by publisher.
ISBN 978-1-59327-667-6 -- ISBN 1-59327-667-2
1. Electronic apparatus and appliances--Design and construction--Amateurs' manuals. 2. Microcontrollers--Amateurs' manu-
als. 3. Electronic circuits--Amateurs' manuals. 4. Arduino (Programmable controller)--Amateurs' manuals. 5. Raspberry Pi
(Computer)--Amateurs' manuals. I. Title.
TK9965.M673 2015
621.381--dc23
2015023925
No Starch Press and the No Starch Press logo are registered trademarks of No Starch Press, Inc. Other product and company names
mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners. Rather than use a trademark symbol with every occurrence of a
trademarked name, we are using the names only in an editorial fashion and to the benefit of the trademark owner, with no intention
of infringement of the trademark.
The information in this book is distributed on an “As Is” basis, without warranty. While every precaution has been taken in the prepa-
ration of this work, neither the author nor No Starch Press, Inc. shall have any liability to any person or entity with respect to any
loss or damage caused or alleged to be caused directly or indirectly by the information contained in it.
To Jonathan and Michaela
on your wedding.
May you have a wonderful
and zombie-free life together.

About the Author
Simon Monk is a full-time author and maker, mostly writing about elec-
tronics for makers. Some of his better-known books include Programming
Arduino: Getting Started with Sketches, Raspberry Pi Cookbook, and Hacking
Electronics. He is also the co-author of Practical Electronics for Inventors and
wrote Minecraft Mastery with his son, Matthew Monk.
Simon also writes for MagPi magazine and helps out
with Monk Makes (http://www.monkmakes.com/), a company
run by his wife Linda, which makes and sells component
kits and other products related to Simon’s books. You can
follow Simon on Twitter where he is @simonmonk2 and
find out more about his books at http://www.simonmonk.org/.
About the Technical Reviewer
Jeremy Blum is a “Hardware Astronaut” at Google, where he focuses on
electrical design and advanced prototyping for future Google hardware.
Jeremy received both a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in electrical
and computer engineering from Cornell University, and was selected by the
American Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers as the 2012 New
Face of Engineering.
Jeremy’s popular Arduino tutorial videos and his book,
Exploring Arduino, have introduced millions of people around
the world to engineering. He offers engineering consult-
ing services through his firm, Blum Idea Labs LLC, and he
frequently teaches engineering courses to young students
and adults across the United States. Jeremy’s passion is
improving people’s lives and our planet through creative
engineering solutions; you can learn more about him and his work at http://
www.jeremyblum.com/.

Brief Contents
Acknowledgments • xvii
Introduction • 1
Chapter 1: Apocalypse Basics • 5
Chapter 2: Generating Electricity • 19
Chapter 3: Using Electricity • 45
Chapter 4: Zombie Alarms • 63
Chapter 5: Surveillance and Raspberry Pi • 81
Chapter 6: Add Remote Access and Detect Open Doors • 103
Chapter 7: Environmental Monitoring • 119
Chapter 8: Building a Control Center for Your Base • 139
Chapter 9: Zombie Distractors • 157
Chapter 10: Communicating with Other Survivors • 181
Chapter 11: Haptic Communication • 209
Appendix A: Parts • 221
Appendix B: Basic Skills • 227
Appendix C: Arduino Primer • 243
Index • 263