Grant Gibson found a deal on a "Space Invaders" character clock that was too good to pass up, and has modified it somewhat using some Arduino hardware and a bit of hacking to turn the clock into a gmail notifier:
He also includes a complete rundown on how the clock was modified, including hardware and software for the PC as well as the Arduino sketch. This project is a great example of how Arduino-compatible hardware and some ingenunity can be used to turn ordinary items into the extraordinary.
As there isn't much space inside that "Space Invaders" clock, a board such as our LeoStick would be perfect - as it is one of the smallest Arduino-compatible boards on the market and also includes a piezo buzzer for extra output when embedded inside an object:
Reading about such projects is inspiring to the rest of us, and we congratulate Grant for his efforts. For more information visit his website.
