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Although you can log data from an Arduino-based system to a microSD card (possible with our EtherTen and EtherMega boards) - when the volume of data being logged is large, or you need real-time analysis a new piece of software called MegunoLink may be of interest. It has six primary functions, including plotting data from the serial line to a graph:

as well as logging data to a text file, interfacing between Atmel AVRStudio as an alternative to the Arduino IDE, a graphical interface for avr-dude, an advanced serial port monitor, and a clever interactive serial protocol simulator. MegunoLink is a simple, yet useful piece of software that is documented well and free to download. If you find it useful a donation should be made to the supplier. For more information, visit the MegunoLink product pages. 

The Indianapolis Museum of Art had a resident artist that wished to be locatable at any time, so their designers turned to the Arduino world to solve their problem. Using a simple GPS receiver shield, a GSM cellular shield and an Arduino board, they created a device that sent the GPS coordinates of the artist over the GSM GPRS network to a networked PC running a Python script which can map the artist in question:

At first such a project may seem difficult, however the designers have thankfully published all the required Arduino and PC-side code and project details for your perusal. For a complete description and instructions, visit the IMA blog page. To get started with your own Arduino project - you can't go past our Freetronics Eleven. It's a fully Arduino-Uno compatible with onboard prototyping area, curved edges and visible LEDs:

 Apart from writing some excellent Arduino libraries for our Dot Matrix Display and DS3232 real-time clock module, Rhys Weatherley has published the design and code for an alarm clock with several features:

Apart from the time and date, it has various alarms including weekday and weekend, an external MOSFET control to power a radio and much more. Although building your own alarm clock may seem simple, it gives you a chance to design it exactly how you want it to behave - and that is one of the goals of doing it yourself. So to get started, check out Rhys' site here. To get started with your own alarm clock, consider using our Freetronics Eleven, super-accurate real-time clock module and LCD Keypad shield:

Edward Ros decided to modify an off-road remote control car with an Arduino and related circuitry as a foray into creating an autonomous vehicle. He added two ultrasonic distance sensors, some LEDs for directional lights, and modified the drivetrain to decrease speed and increase torque. Here is a short demonstration of the vehicle in action:

The code for Edward's vehicle is not terribly complex, and shows how simple it is to make a device with some level of intelligence. When building your own vehicles and Arduino projects with external circuitry, consider using one of our range of Arduino-compatible ProtoShields. They are a bright yellow colour which makes planning and referencing the prototyping areas easy on the eye:

Furthermore, to review Edward's code and design, visit his page here (Opens in Google Translate).

Attempting to shoot panoramic images can be difficult at best - even with a tripod it can be difficult to line up the exposures at the appropriate time. However Ethan Zonca solved this problem with the "Panobot", a modified tripod with a stepper motor, which is controlled by an Arduino board which also controls the shutter. Finally the Canon camera needs to be running the Canon Hack Dev Kit. However the efforts results in some great shots, for example:

Once outdoors or with a more interesting subject, the effects could be marvellous. To get started with your own panorama device, visit Ethan's website here. To get started with your own Arduino-related projects, consider the Freetronics Eleven - the Arduino Uno-compatible with onboard prototyping area and low-profile USB socket:

 ludo from the Arduino forums has designed and built an excellent example of a MIDI controller using a scavenged touchpad, some external circuitry and an Arduino board. 

Although making a MIDI controller isn't the newest project around, this one deserves mention due to the level of professionalism and the freely available notes, documentation and code. For more information, visit the Arduino forum and matching flickr pages. To get started with your own Arduino-embedded project, consider the Freetronics LeoStick - one of the smallest Arduino-compatibles on the market that include onboard USB, an RGB LED and piezo:

For those with unattended pets who need to be fed dry food, this project may be of interest. Damon has designed and built a simple food dispenser that is controlled via an Android phone running a scripting language, which commands an Arduino-controlled feed unit via bluetooth. Here it is in action:

Although this may seem like overkill, the use of the phone enables internet streaming of the vision from the camera, allowing remote monitoring of the food level in the feeder. To get started with your own Arduino-based projects, consider using our Freetronics Eleven - the Arduino Uno-compatible with onboard prototyping space:

For more information, including links to the parts, code and circuitry - visit the project page. 

 Chris Debenham has been having some fun using our Freetronics LeoStick to emulate a USB HID (human interface device - that is, a keyboard or mouse) - and in doing so, has the LeoStick emulating the operation of a "USB Rubber Ducky". These little devices are useful for running scripts of keyboard presses (for example) and other nefarious purposes. 

For more information and how to get started, visit Chris' interesting website here. And for more discussion about our LeoStick, visit the LeoStick forum section. 

 More advanced photographers often find the need to accomplish "focus stacking" - the process of taking multiple images at different focus distances to give a result with a greater depth of field than one image of the subject. "Really Small" on flickr found the need for their own focus stacking controller, and has documented their own version - by modifying a manually-controlled stacker with a stepper motor. The control is via an Arduino and related circuitry, housed in a professional enclosure:

When reproducing this project, you can save time with out Freetronics Eleven - the Arduino-Uno compatible with onboard prototyping space. For an LCD module, look no further than our LCD & Keypad shield:

However to get started with your own focus stacker - visit the project's flickr pages. 

 The people at elabz have designed and built a small stroboscope using an Arduino board, some simple circuitry and a brushless motor retreived from an old CDROM or DVDROM drive. Here it is in action:

Although you may not be interested in a stroboscope, their articles contain an excellent tutorial on how to control brushless DC motors which may have other applications in your projects. When working with external circuitry for prototyping with Arduino boards, people often avoid making their own protoshield due to the perceived costs. However this worry can be avoided, using the Freetronics ProtoShield Basic - inexpensive bare shields that are perfect for experimenting, and available in bulk at a discount:

For more information and the motor tutorial, visit here.