June 11, 2012

Using Arduino-based hardware to measure your pulse

 The team at Interactive Matter were tasked with building a circuit to measure the human pulse, however their client had certain requirements which caused the development to be a little different than expected. The plan was to use a popular Arduino-based solution which seemed like a good idea at the start, however it was not to be.


However through a process of trial and error, the designers used a mixture of op-amps and filters to solve their problem and produce a working solution. Their article is an interesting journey of mixing analog electronics and as well as digital potentiometers and other systems to create what is an educational description of combining analog electronics with an Arduino. 


When building such projects using a solderless breadboard, you can minimise space and still keep full Arduino-compatibility by using our Freetronics LeoStick - one of the smallest Arduino-compatible boards on the market:


But for more information on how to build your own pulse-rate monitor, head over to the Interactive Matter website

June 11, 2012

DIY Control Box for Klipsch 5.1 Surround Speakers

 Zurcher has a set of Klipsch 5.1 speakers originally meant for desktop use, which he now uses in the loungeroom. However the control box didn't have a remote and therefore was difficult to make adjustments to the sound from the couch. So in true DIY style he analysed the control box, determined the I2C interface commands for the digital potentiometer in the box - and then created his own with infra-red remote control for more convenience. You can find out more in this detailed video:


When redesigning electronics to be based from Arduino hardware, you should consider our Freetronics LeoStick - an fully-compatible Arduino board in a tiny package - with USB interface:


For more detailed project information including the Arduino sketch and design details, visit Zurcher's blog post

June 11, 2012

RGB Lamp controlled by Android, Arduino and Bluetooth

 A Polish electronics enthusiast has created an artistic RGB (red, green and blue) lamp that is controlled via an app he created for his Android phone. The communication to the lamp is via Bluetooth, where the signals are interpreted by the Arduino hardware that controls the LEDs. The app is quite detailed, for example:


And the lamp itself is large and quite bright - considering the number of LEDs:


The author has made available the Arduino sketches, Android code and even Eagle source files for hardware guidance. Once again, projects such as this show how easy it is to integrate various platforms (in this case Arduino and Android) to create some interesting effects.

 If you are interested in experimenting with various aspects of this project, we have a range of equipment including our USBDroid - the Arduino-Uno compatible board with onboard Android USB host:


and our range of modules which includes a daisy-chainable RGB LED module:


For more information, a demonstration video and details about the lamp project - visit the site here (opens in Google Translate). 

June 11, 2012

Using Arduino, Android and NES Controllers for any Bluetooth game

 Using original video game consoles such as the Nintendo Entertainment System can still be fun, however it is a lot easier and faster to use emulations on various forms of hardware. But the desire to use the original controllers with the emulation hardware introduces a problem - how to interface the controllers? And not damage them in the process? Worry no more- Dustin Evans has solved this problem using Arduino, Android, Bluetooth and some other circuitry. He explains and then demonstrates how this was accomplished in the following video:


The genius of his solution was using a dead console to act as an interface between the original controllers and the Bluetooth-enabled Arduino. When looking to build such a project, you could do well with one of our Arduino-compatible boards such as the Freetronics Eleven - which includes space for prototyping circuits right on the board:


Kudos to Dustin for his project. You can download the code and information here


June 11, 2012

Online Arduino sketch compiler

 Stanley from Arduinodev has created an online Arduino sketch compiler that converts a sketch into a HEX file ready to be burnt into an AVR chip. It is a simple web-based form that accepts the sketch on the left-hand side, and outputs the burn data on the right. For example:


From their site:

I’ve built up an online service for building an Arduino sketch into a ready-to-burn HEX file. The browser submit the sketch to server with a HTTP POST request. The sketch is then compiled and linked against Arduino core and library files with AVR GCC on the server side. The built HEX file is sent back to the browser as HTTP response. If ordinary FORM POST is used,  this will perform like downloading a HEX file.


As the service is new and still at an early stage it can only deal with the standard libraries included with the Arduino IDE. From a hardware perspective it does compile for a range of Arduino boards including the Uno, Duemilanove, Mega, Mini and Nano - which include our Freetronics Eleven:


In the meanwhile, you can try out the service by visiting their website here

June 11, 2012

Build your own Arduino-based Air Drums

 For those of you with a musical bent, or just too much spare time - consider making yourself a set of Arduino-based air drums. Using a midi device interfaced with an Arduino, some accelerometers placed on drum sticks, and a light sensor and another accelerometer in footwear, a somewhat successful drum ensemble can be simulated. For example:

 

Imagination, some technical knowledge and an Arduino board make these sorts of projects possible. Here at Freetronics we have a range of Arduino-compatible boards to help you along, light sensor and and accelerometer modules to feel the movement of the drum sticks:


However to get started, you can download the Arduino sketch here, and design files from here

June 11, 2012

Build and upload an Arduino sketch from the command line with SketchUploader

 Stanley from Arduinodev has created a command-line tool which compiles and uploads a sketch to an Arduino board without needing the IDE at all. There are versions for Windows and Linux available. It is a simple process and works for any sketches written for Arduino IDE v1.0.1. For example:


The target boards available are limited, however the most recent including Arduino Uno, Duemilanove and Mega are covered. Don't have one of these? Consider our range, including the Freetronics Eleven:


However don't take our word for it, you can find out more and download the software from the website here

June 09, 2012

Build you own Arduino-controlled "Star Trek" Automatic Door

For something different we have Youtube user "shakosonic2" who created his own automatic sliding kitchen door which apparently resembles those from the Starship Enterprise. Although no design instructions are offered, there is an excellent description in the following video:


Although building such a door would seem relatively simple yet expensive for the task, it is a great use of an Arduino board, pneumatic systems and a lot of spare time. If anyone else has recreated such a system with an Arduino-style board - please contact us. 

June 09, 2012

"tweeting" from a rotary phone

In a fascinating mash-up of 19th and 21st century technology, two design bureaus collaborated on modifying an old rotary telephone so that it could be use to send messages over twitter. To create the message, one dials in a similar method for sending a text messages using a mobile phone (e.g. press '3' twice for the letter 'f'), so for the this project you would dial the number '3' three times instead. For example:


The hardware consists of the telephone, an Ardiuno, the LCD and some miscellaneous circuitry. The message is transmitted through the serial line and USB, then picked up by a Ruby script which sends the tweet. One can also send twitter messages directly from an Arduino board with Ethernet, and using our Freetronics Eleven (an Arduino Uno compatible with onboard Ethernet and microSD card socket) would be perfect for the task:

The designers have made available an interesting webpage as well as a full design description, with the sketch files available on github. Visit here for the introduction, and here for the design description (opens in Google Translate).


 

June 09, 2012

DIY Fire-breathing Animatronic Pony

The rise in animatronic pets available on the market leads to a new wave of creative people making more ... non-standard uses of them. One exciting and possibly dangerous example of this is the fire-breathing animatronic pony. Using an Arduino Mega board, a Wii Nunchuk breakout board and other hardware, the people from "Lvl1" created something which was most definitely not designed to be:


In building such creations you should be careful with working with open flames (and also wearing utilikilts). However with the appropriate safety measures, and a fire extinguisher at hand - a lot of fun could be had.  In creating the modified pony the designers used an Arduino Mega - which could be replaced with a Freetronics EtherMega:


... which includes full Ethernet support. This could lead to a powerful, web-controlled fire-breathing pony, that lets you know when it has run out of fuel. In the meanwhile visit the site for more information and detailed instructions here