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 Maker 'wesley03' has designed and published details on how to make your own wireless vital-signs monitor with an Arduino, XBee wireless units and various sensors. The system is designed to monitor a pulse and temperature, and display the data on an LCD and also analyse the data via Processing  on a PC. 

Although this system may be a work-in-progress, it is an interesting applicaition of wireless data transfer using the XBee system and also analysing incoming Arduino data using Processing. So for more information, the code and instructions visit the project page here. And we're on twitter, so follow us for news and product updates as well. 

 David in Brisbane has designed and published the files required to print a great case for our Freetronics EtherTen with an "Up" 3D Printer. The case was designed using Autodesk Inventor 2013 software, and you can download the design files from Thingiverse here. 

A great case for a great board - the Freetronics EtherTen. Apart from being fully Arduino Uno-compatible, it has onboard Ethernet, microSD socket, full USB interface (so you don't need a costly FTDI cable just to upload a sketch!) and supports optional Power-over-Ethernet:

 Nate Strech has found a way to interface Cisco IP phones and Arduino boards running Ethernet web servers which allows you to control an Arduino right from the menu in the phone. Although the demonstration is simple, it opens up a whole new world of possibilities with regards to controlling remote devices from your office telephone. Watch the following video for explanation and demonstrations:

Kudos to Nate for such a useful project. For more information and code, visit the project page here. And we're on twitter, so follow us for news and product updates as well. 

You may have noticed that Nate was using separate Arduino boards for his server, which is cumbersome unwieldy. Instead, you should use the Freetronics EtherTen. Apart from being fully Arduino Uno-compatible, it has onboard Ethernet, microSD socket and supports optional Power-over-Ethernet - which (if available) could make powering the entire project possible over the existing network infrastructure:

 Home-brew enthusiast Justin had completed a Fermentation Temperature controller for his brewing setup, and then went further and built an Internet-based information display showing various parameters from DS18B20 temperature sensors. Here is an example screenshot from the resulting code:

Although you may not be interested in home-brewing alcohol, the project is interesting in that you can adapt it to display parameters from your own project over the Internet. So for more information, Arduino and Python code visit Justin's project page here. And we're on twitter, so follow us for news and product updates as well. 

To replicate your own Arduino-Internet information system, a great start is the Freetronics EtherTen. Apart from being fully Arduino Uno-compatible, it has onboard Ethernet, microSD socket and supports optional Power-over-Ethernet:

 Using an illuminated cube received at a job fair, Jamie Matthews used an Arduino to control the cube for a useful purpose, as an automated GMail notifier. The Arduino is connected to a PC via the usual USB cable, and a Python script running on the PC that checks for new mail and sends characters to the Arduino that are interpreted as "new mail", etc. 

Although this may seem like a simple project, it is an excellent and inexpensive demonstration of how to a PC can control devices via an Arduino and web-based information. For example, instead of lighting a cube, a servo could wave a flag up when mail arrives. You're only limited by your imagination. So to get started, review the details and Python code here. And we're on twitter, so follow us for news and product updates as well.

So if this sort of project intrigues you and you're new to Arduino, the first step is a solid board for your projects - our Freetronics Eleven - the Arduino-Uno compatible with low-profile USB socket, onboard prototyping space and easy to view LEDs:

 Although our line of products is generally designed for the Arduino world, this is not a rule - and many of our products are used by customers with different microcontroller systems and applications. One excellent example of this is Freetronics forum member Dennis Wyatt - who has interfaced our DMD boards with his Maximite computer (designed by fellow Australian Geoff Graham). Apart from some other numerical demonstrations, here is another example of the DMDs at work:

Kudos to Dennis for his research and making the results public. To find out more, check out the forum post here. And we're on twitter, so follow us for news and product updates as well.

For the uninitiated, the Freetronics Dot Matrix Displays are simple to use, yet very bright for indoor and outdoor situations. Available in various colours, the 32 x 16 LED matrix can display text and graphics quite easily - and can be daisy-chained together for extended displays. For more information, see our range of Dot Matrix Displays here. 

 Although binary clocks are somewhat de rigueur these days, the following clock stands out for several reasons. Apart from being fitted into a sensible enclosure that doesn't look out of place in most decors, there is a home-made capacitative touch-switch under the top of the enclosure - which is made from aluminium foil. See the clock in action below:

You would agree that this is an outstanding clock and application of the Arduino system. For the instructions, code and notes visit the project page here. And we're on twitter, so follow us for news and product updates as well.

To get started with your own Arduino-embedded projects, look no further than the Freetronics LeoStick. Apart from being one of the smallest Arduino-compatibles on the market with USB, it also has an onboard RGB LED and piezo for sound and knock detection:

 If you're engrossed in various games or other activities on your Google Nexus phone, but still need to keep an eye on the time or incoming SMSs from that special someone, Philip Lindsay's project fits the bill. Using an Arduino, USB host shield, character LCD module and some clever code he details how to use the LCD module as a secondary display for the Nexus. 

Ordinarily this type of project would seem quite out of reach, however you can download the details, code and Android app from Philip's site here. And we're on twitter, so follow us for news and product updates as well.

To get started with your own Android and Arduino projects, consider our Freetronics USBDroid. Apart from having all the functionality of our Freetronics Eleven board, it includes a USB-host mode controller and a microSD memory card slot all merged together into a single, integrated board that is 100% Arduino compatible:

This is the ideal platform for developing peripherals or projects based around Android devices with ADK (Android Developer Kit) functionality, but without requiring a USB host controller shield stacked onto an Arduino.

 Romanian Arduino enthusiast and Arduino forum member "szmeu" has published his ESR meter circuit and sketch for us to examine and reproduce. An ESR (equivalent series resistance) meter is useful for measuring the ESR of capacitors in-circuit, and also resistor values that are below one ohm. So if you are looking for a good weekend project and enjoy working with DIY test equipment, this project is for you.

For the code, schematic and project discourse, visit the Arduino forum. And we're on twitter, so follow us for news and product updates as well. To get started with your own ESR meter, you can save time with our LCD Keypad shield:

... and for the external circuitry  - consider our range of ProtoShields. From the tiny LeoStick to the Mega range, we offer a complete range for you to work with.

 After examining the technical details of his new heating device, Martijn discovered that it communicated with the thermostat via OpenTherm, which is a non-manufacturer-dependent system of communication between modulating HVAC heating appliances and room thermostats. Instead of observing this and moving on, Martjin created an Arduino library and also describes the hardware required in order to completely monitor and log data form the OpenThem communications. 

It's an impressive project, and one sure to help many people. For a complete design diary, code, library and information visit Martjin's site here. And we're on twitter, so follow us for news and product updates as well.