August 25, 2014

Add a countdown start timer to a washing machine with Freetronics LeoStick

The electricity cost in some homes is determined by the time of day, and with this is mind it can be much cheaper to run large appliances in the cheaper off-peak or night-rate tariff times. However sometimes it's easy to forget to turn something on and thus a day is lost waiting for the cheap power, or you have to run it on peak.

Enthuisast Simon Jowett is exposed to the similar situation adn added an Arduino-compatible countdown timer to his washing machine that lets the user determine a period of time before the washing machine will start. It's a great way to load the clothes and soap, then let the machine wash when the power is inexpensive. Simon gives us a quick demonstration in the following video:

Apart from the main function, we really like how the modification is not obvious at all, and fits right in with the look and feel of the washing machine's control panel. For complete details visit the project's Instructable page. And for more, we're on facebookGoogle+, and twitter - so follow us for news and product updates as well.

Need a small Arduino-compatible for use with your own projects? Then check out out our LeoStick. It's the Arduino Leonardo-compatible board that's cheaper and smaller than the original:

 Apart from being one of the smallest Arduino-compatibles on the market with USB, it also has an onboard RGB LED and piezo which can be used a knock sensor and various tune and sound effects. Plus you can add extra circuitry with the matching protostick! For more information and to order, click here.

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