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If you are not familiar with the concept of “upcycling,” I like to define it as the creative act of turning junk into something marvelous. There’s something gratifying about taking what’s been discarded and giving it a new soul. While upcycling is most commonly associated with clothing or furniture, we will be focusing on upcycling old technology. So does that mean we will be turning old keyboard keys into new earrings or old CDs into coasters? Not so much. This book will focus more on repurposing and reusing the technical components themselves, such as turning an old flip phone into a smartwatch, or an old laptop into a projector. Why would anyone want to do that? What are the benefits? Let’s take a look!

Erasing E-waste

According to the EPA, only 12.5 percent of e-waste is recycled.1 What happens to e-waste that doesn’t get recycled? It gets sent to landfills. A report conducted by the United Nations Environmental Program2 estimated that fifty million tons of computers, smartphones, and other electronic waste were sent to the dump annually. This can have devastating effects on the environment not only from e-waste, but also through increasing the mining of precious metals that are used to create the newer devices.

Saving Some Money

There are always cost saving benefits when you decide to upcycle as opposed buying something brand new. As a tinkerer, however, it’s hard for me to see all those millions of tons of transistors, resistors, processors, LCDs, LEDs, and other useful bits and bytes that just go to waste. There is so much value and potential just waiting for the right creative spirit to scoop it up and transform it into something incredible! Lesser known pro tip: most electronics use precious metals in their components. It’s estimated that each year Americans throw away sixty million dollars in gold and silver. Just think about learning how to extract that!

Kindling That Creative Spark!

I firmly believe that the best way to learn is to embrace creativity and curiosity. A wise man once said, “Creativity is intelligence having fun.” Upcycling technology is a great way to tap into that creativity while having fun and learning more about the technological world around you. Taking a peak behind the casing helps demystify technology while making it less scary and confusing yet more intriguing and approachable. Seeing the creative potential in old technology can inspire you to create anything; you’re limited only by your imagination! Have I piqued your interest yet?

Let’s jump right in!