The relative simplicity of an Arduino can often work well with older pieces of technology as they generally operate with simple data interfaces or hardware control lines. One example of this is by vimeo user "The_glu" who came across an incredibly vintage Friden motorised paper tape punch machine. After examining the user manual which described the data interface method it was a simple task to connect Arduino digital output pins and knock out messages on the paper tape, for example:
An interesting piece of past history brought back to life. If you've recreated such a project and would like to share it with us, please email support at freetronics.com. And for more, we're on twitter and Google+, so follow us for news and product updates as well.
Fitting the PCF8591 to a protoshield would make an interesting addition - and when adding external circuitry to your next Arduino project, you'll need a protoshield to mount the external circuitry. In doing so, consider our range of ProtoShields. From the tiny LeoStick to the Mega range, we offer a complete range for you to work with.