Call themselves might be easier than you think it is

Part of our reporters widely available handcrafted using a mobile phone and online instruction makes

All of a sudden my phone rings. The Christmas carol angels we have heard on high, it looks like the tinny version chirps. I have an affair with amazement.


Cambridge, Massachusetts on the fifth floor of the Media Lab at MIT, David Mellis just plug in mobile phone soldering I spent the whole afternoon together. That's right, I just made a cell phone. Hand.

In 2005, he helped found the Arduino, a company program that makes it easy and simple microprocessors on circuit boards sells them. People need to believe without a degree in computer science has helped to make electronic products.

Movie Mellis began to wonder if this is more.

design may have decided to see. cells Tel: they jump ultimate user device before radio, speakers and started with computer mice.

First I am dying - I never soldered anything in my life is. Mellis, which makes me a good test subject.

"I have people who have never done it before opening the action'm interested in trying," she says.

Soldering to a painting numbers by color felt - I used to fill empty space on the circuit board, but how the parts fit together very thin about was my understanding. One of many factors were still beyond me. Mellis software used in, for example, a 10-year-old Nokia mobile phone which phone offers capabilities like: This is getting calls and texts, can store up to 255 phone numbers, and a clock.

All parts except the SIM card costs $ 100. Almost all of the components or hobbyist electronics online stores came from, say, and instructions and source code are available on their website. However, GSM module, which connects cellular phone network and speaker and microphone audio signal translation of a Chinese Web site (Web site) E-Commerce came from.

A microcontroller, which is the GSM module signals the buttons and screen; matchstick size of the antenna, GSM module and SIM card holder: phone for parts of the work space is back.

I bought a SIM card, the month-month plan with data pak, T Mobile shop - linked network is one thing I can not help myself.

When the time was laser cut case, I used Mellis design. The result is a thick and chunky, but the Android smart phone which is about the size and thickness. I was already thinking about ways to make your own. I may be the case. I can paint it. A new core is designed and laser cut myself.

Can I use it in ways I'm thinking. One of Mellis labmates a button to call her grandma wants to make a call. Another said that if they ever have children, they just demand that they give is a call.

I threw on my smart phone is not ready yet. But I started to get off the phone, so I can survive, but Facebook still calls and e-mails. And I made it, I'm starting to grow very attached.