If you have just a little tech-savvy and want to stand out from the crowd with a cellphone that is truly one-of-a-kind, there’s only one way to guarantee nobody else has one like yours: Build it yourself.

The DIY Cellphone is a project that some will love while others view it with dread. If the idea of using a soldering gun or ordering components fills you with fear, there’s no reason to put yourself through the ordeal of creating your own cellphone. However, if you’ve never touched a soldering iron but like the idea of building something from scratch, feel free to indulge that curious nature within you, because the worst that can happen is your bank account is a few bucks lighter and you’ll have to stick with the conventional phones on the market.

Once you’ve completed this little project, you’ll have a real, honest-to-goodness working cellphone, although don’t expect to play the latest games or stream wifi on it. You’ll have the basics, such as making and receiving phone calls and text messages, storing names and phone numbers, and displaying the time, which is perfectly fine for some people.

In addition to needing the source files and instructions, which can be found on this site, you’ll also need to order the circuit board and electronics components (about $200 total), and have access to a soldering iron, plywood and veneer (to make the case), and access to a laser cutter (or you can find your own way to enclosure the circuit board). It’s not an extreme project but it’s not a simple half-hour project either.

If you tackle the challenge of building your own cellphone, let us know how it turned out.