News

 Although older Macs were built to last, sooner or later they will cash in their chips and join their now spiritual founder. However this shouldn't be a moment of sadness - especially for the Mac Mini. This was the situation facing Professor Shadoko, who turned this anto an opportunity... using some Arduino-based hardware and many LEDs turned his Mac Mini into a wonderful clock, for example:

You will see in the project that a MAX7219 LED driver IC is being used. To save money you can also use the AS1107 from Austria Microsystems which is often cheaper than the Maxim part in some markets. 

This kind of project lends itself to the use of our Arduino-compatible LeoStick, as it is very small and also contains a piezo for sound effects and alarm use; and our super-accurate real-time clock module:

However for more information about the clock and how it was constructed, visit the Professor's website here. (Page will open via Google Translator).

 And now for something different - the product of an Arduino board, servos, some open-source code and some musical talent will result in the following drummer robot:

The robot is designed to follow 4/4 rhythms, and In order to control the "drummer", you enter the sequence of moves using a small web page:

... which then sends the sequence data to the Arduino via HTTP. If anyone can demonstrate this playing Neil Peart drum solos - please let us know. A simple way to implement Arduino-HTTP communications would be with one of our Ethernet-enabled Arduino-compatible boards such as the EtherTen:

Finally, the author has made the code open-source, which leaves the final drummer design open to your interpretation. For more information and code, visit the author's website. 

One of our European customers has devised a very powerful remote control for his home automation system based on a Freetronics EtherMega board and a touch screen colour LCD. It is connected to an internal network and controls IP cameras, as well as mains outlets, the alarm system and other items around the property. Here is a short demonstration of the remote's user interface:

Although the system may seem complex, it is quite simple to implement. Controlling items such as mains outlets has been 'outsourced' by using wireless remote control outlet adaptors - keeping the constructor away from hazardous AC (and electrical licensing issues!). Once again projects such as these show what can be done with Arduino-compatible hardware, some imagination and existing inexpensive products already on the market. 

For more information about this automation project, visit the website. Furthermore, check out Superhouse - a window into the world of home automation using our Arduino-compatible equipment. 

Here is another interesting Arduino-based project that we're surprised hasn't been already published sooner - converting the gear change system on a bike from the cable-pull system to completely electronic. However Nabil rose to the challenge and made it happen with an Arduino, some electronics and a strong servo. The control buttons for the gears are mounted on the side of the handlebar as such:

with the servo neatly mounted on the derailleur:

The circuitry is contained in a box over the centre of the handlebars. This project offers a lot of scope for improvement over time, including storing data in the EEPROM for gear position data or even data logging over time. 

When reproducing this project you can reduce the size of the electronics component by using our Arduino-compatible Leostick and matching ProtoStick for the external electronics:

For construction information visit the website, and you can download the code and design data from Nabil's github page.

 In order to reduce energy consumption from a PC running 24/7, "wicksc" decided to build an Arduino-based solution to his weather monitoring requirements. He created a device that interpreted the wireless data coming from an Oregon Scientific weather monitoring station, and added Internet functionality to email users in case of weather extremes. Once finished he has created a detailed weather-monitoring system that offers the data over a web server and also offers the opportunity to log the data to microSD card as well.

The author has used a wide variety of seperate Arduino-compatible equipment to build the weather station. However a lot of physical space and expense can be spared by using our EtherMega - which includes an Arduino-Mega compatible board, microSD card, and Ethernet interface all in the same form factor:

Then using one of our Protoshield Mega boards, you can add a temperature/humidity sensor and our new, super-accurate real-time clock module based on the DS3232:

Finally the 433 MHz receiver shield would take care of the data from the wireless weather station. To find out more about this fascinating project visit the website. Furthermore, "Practical Arduino" author and Freetronics co-founder Jon Oxer has also developed a similar project that may be be of interest. 

 Although some readers may immediately think "Oh no - an Arduino can't be an oscilloscope!" - however in some cases it can be so. A fascinating engineer has published in detail how to make a simple DC oscilloscope using an Arduino-style board with an LCD from a Nokia mobile phone. He has backed this up with complete design details as well as this surprisingly long and informative video:

In the words of the author:

I don’t claim that this device can replace actual test equipment but it might be useful and for $40.00 bucks in total parts it is a blast to play with.

And that is the best part - you can learn about programming, electronics and test equipment when reading about and recreating such projects. In doing so one realises the benefit and simplicity of using the Arduino platform for educational projects such as these. For those looking to recreate this project or others in a small physical space, consider our Leostick - one of the smallest Arduino-compatible boards with onboard USB available:

In the meanwhile for more project information visit the author's website. 

 In what could be either a great exercise in DIY robotics, or a chilling vision of the future - "vexedphoenix" has documented how to build a very clever four-legged robot. It uses an Arduino-type board in conjunction with some custom pulse-width modulation circuitry, Using some balsa wood and inexpensive servos to keep the cost down doesn't seem to handicap the robot at all, in fact it moves around quite well as shown below:

The author notes the use of an accelerometer would be a good addition to help the robot consider balance as it moves along. Due to the tensile strength of the balsa wood it may not support a larger battery for total autonomy, however the use of extruded aluminium may solve that for more advanced constructors. 

For those looking to recreate such a robot, a good start would be our Eleven board along with the AM3X accelerometer module:

However for more information on the robot and complete construction advice, visit the website. 

 Although they are quite outdated in the 21st century, nixie tubes still hold a place in many technologists hearts and John Sarik also feels the same. This is quite apparent when watching the results of his huge nixie-tube display Sudoku game. Based on an Arduino board an an open-source nixie tube multiplexing board, John has created a true work of retro art:

Although building your own rendition of this wouldn't be cheap, it would be a load of fun. And not as difficult as you would think, as John offers all the design files and code for download from his site. An interesting extension to this project would be adding Ethernet to allow control via the internet - easily done with the new Teleduino system we reported on earlier and one of our Ethernet-enabled products such as the EtherTen:

 However for more information on the nixie-tube Sudoku, visit John's website. 

Those of you interested in racing car driving simulators are always looking for ways to increase the "real-world" feel. Fergo has written about two interesting additions to his rig. First he found an inexpensive and fun way to add a shift-light indicator and engine data display with some display modules that link to his PC via an Arduino board and some C# code. For example:

Now and again we come across an outstanding Arduino-based project - something that is home-made but equivalent or better than any commercially-available product. One fine example of this is the "Scooterputer" by Kurt Schulz. Using an Arduino board he has created a system that features (from his site):

• Battery voltage indicator
• Time and date
• Temperature
• Lean gauge with resettable max L-R indicators
• Current speed
• Resettable max speed indicator
• Odometer
• 2 resettable trip meters
• Latitude and longitude readouts
• Compass heading readout
• GSM/GPRS quad-band cellular module

All of this is displayed on a colour LCD, for example:

Once again this system is amazing and really showcases the ability of Arduino-based hardware. For those looking to recreate this design we have a range of Arduino-compatible boards and sensors including our accelerometer and highly accurate real-time clock module. In the meanwhile, visit Kurt's site to find out how to make your own.