Hackerspace members are generally known as a creative bunch of people, and usually find interesting methods to solve problems (or just have some fun). One great example of this is by two members of the "ACKspace" - a hackerspace located in Heerlen, The Netherlands. They've created an illuminated fixture for a car that changes colour depending on the whether or not their space is open or closed.
The RGB lighting is controlled by an Arduino-compatible board, which in turn is controlled by a Raspberry Pi that is connected to the Internet via a simple WiFi tether to a smart phone. The Pi then runs a simple python script which interrogates a JSON object on the hackerspace's web server which stores the open/close information. Thus when the driver is out and about and is in the mood to drop in to the hackerspace, there's no doubt about whether the journey is a wasted trip:
What a great idea, and something that can be used as the framework for all manner of mobile notification devices. To learn how it was done, visit the ACKspace website. And for more, we're on twitter and Google+, so follow us for news and product updates as well.
If you're looking for a more permanent way to mount circuitry to your Raspberry Pi, check out our new PiBreak - the prototyping board for the Raspberry Pi. It provides labelled breakout pins for all GPIOs, a large prototyping area with solder pads, and power rails for easy power connection:
Furthermore the PiBreak also includes mounting hardware to firmly attach it to your Raspberry Pi using a nut, bolt, and spacer - and is compatible with all revisions of both model A and B Raspberry Pi computers. For more information about our new PiBreak board, our Getting Started guide, and to order - visit the product page.
