Pre-Black Friday deals and gift ideas for the DIY tinkerer in your life

If you’re a DIY-type who likes to tinker with computers and electronics — or that sounds like someone you’ll be shopping for this holiday season — you should check out these two e-book bundle deals, available at amazing pre-Black Friday discounts. 

Raspberry Pi is a series of wildly-customizable single-board computers that you can program to do almost anything. From building retro video games to creating your own robots, the world is your oyster, provided you know what the hell you are doing. Luckily, the Ultimate Raspberry Pi e-book bundle can teach you how to build and complete a number of Raspberry Pi projects like an engineering pro.

The bundle includes four in-depth how-to guides, including Raspberry Pi For Secret Agents, which will teach you how to build a device James Bond would check out from Q Branch. You’ll learn how to build and program a motion detector with a laser tripwire, a long-distance Bluetooth listening device, a voice modulator, and even connect anonymously to the internet.

You’ll also get two different editions of The Raspberry Pi 3 Cookbook For Python Programmers, which will teach you how to build applications for your Raspberry Pi with Python 3. You’ll develop your own electronic circuits, program and control robots, and build your own video games. 

Normally this Raspberry Pi e-book bundle sells for $123.98, but Mashable readers can take 83% off and get lifetime access to all four books for just $19.99. 

Occupying a similar space in the “internet of things” as Raspberry Pi, Arduino is an open-source electronics platform that you can use to build just about anything. With this pay-what-you-want bundle, you can get a whopping ten complete books filled with hands-on, project-based instruction in virtually every conceivable area of Arduino.

Included with the bundle are books like Arduino Electronics Blueprints and Arduino Robotics Projects, which will teach you how to use Arduino to build and integrate your own electronic devices and complex robots. You can also learn how to build your own wearable technology (like smart watches) with Arduino Wearable Projects, and how to set up a home automation interface to control your lighting and appliances with Arduino By Example and Internet of Things With Arduino Blueprints.

Normally, this Arduino e-book bundle sells for $314.90, but you can get lifetime access to all 10 e-books at up to 99% off by matching the average price.

If you decide to take your IoT skills beyond a fun hobby and build a new career, this bundle can help you learn the skills you need to succeed in the growing industry. From learning to design and implement IoT infrastructures to studying the intricacies of IoT security, this e-book bundle features six in-depth courses. The e-books transcend the concept of simply tinkering with electronics and instead help you build the skills and vernacular to work in the IoT space. Get all six courses on sale for just $19.