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Recently the ability to remotely control lights from a smartphone has increased in popularity, however doing so by yourself from an iPhone can prove difficult - until now. Thanks to Simo Alaranta's iPhone app, you can send commands to an Ethernet-enabled Arduino compatible on a local area network - and thus control RGB LEDs or strips very easily.

The app sends serial text commands via customised URL requests, which are detected by the Arduino and processed to control the LEDs. It's a neat solution to a simple problem, and the controller app is in the iTunes app store for free.

You can also download the matching Arduino sketch and learn more about the process from Simo's Instructable page. And for more, we're on facebook, twitter and Google+, so follow us for news and product updates as well.

When putting together your next Internet-enabled Arduino project - save time, space and money with the Freetronics EtherTen. Apart from being fully Arduino Uno-compatible, it has onboard Ethernet, microSD socket, full USB interface (so you don't need a costly FTDI cable just to upload a sketch!) and supports optional Power-over-Ethernet.

You can make almost anything with some imagination and LEGO, and one great example of this is the following 3D printer by Gosse Adema. The printer's fundamentals are based on Prusa I3 framework, and although the printer does use some non-LEGO parts it demonstrates how this classic toy can also help with creating structures and enclosures, and also help with rapid protoyping.

For example you may have the electronics for an idea but not wish to go to the expensive of ordering hardware - instead you may be able to knock up an example with LEGO. Check out the printer in action through the following video:

For more details and guidance about recreating this yourself, visit the printer's project page. And for more, we're on facebook, Google+, and twitter - so follow us for news and product updates as well.

If you're looking to develop projects based on an Arduino that use stepper motor, CNC machines on a larger scale, and much more - simplify the process with our Freetronics StepDuino board:

The StepDuino is a complete, self-contained Arduino-compatible board with 2 onboard stepper motor drivers, 2 servo outputs, a 20x4 LCD, a micro SD card slot, and more! It's a fantastic general purpose board for any project that uses stepper motors. You can use it as the brain of your next robotics project!

The StepDuino uses the same processor architecture as the common Arduino Uno, so you can program it right from the Arduino IDE simply by selecting "Arduino Uno" as the board type. Everything simply works out of the box, just as it would with a regular Arduino - but now you can also drive steppers directly and display feedback on the huge LCD. For more infromation, tutorials and to order - visit the StepDuino page.

There is no limit to what you can do with an Arduino and electronics, from the serious to the just plain fun - and a great example of this has been created by Instructables member hertzgamma who shows us how to construct an electromagnetic dancefloor for small dancers.

This allows you to make your own characters, then choreograph their movements with an Arduino that controls the electromagnets beneath the surface of the dancefloor. By placing small magnets on the feet of the characters, they can then be controlled by the electromagnets. Enjoy the demonstration in the following video:

For a complete tutorial on making your own version, visit the project's Instructable page. And for more, we're on twitter, facebook and Google+, so follow us for news and product updates as well. 

Night-llights are a useful piece of furniture, great for helping children walk around the home at night and also for the older residents in order not to lose their footing. However most commerical products are quite simple devices that plug into hallway power points and can be quite intense with brightness and also their sudden reaction to movement.

With these thoughts in mind, the folks behind the sakeofmaking.com website have created an interactive night-light that is not only functional but also looks great as well. By using an IKEA Vate lamp and replacing the electronics with an Arduino-based setup, there is much more scope for control.

An ultrasonic distance sensor can detect how far away you are from the lamp, and then the LEDs inside the lamp are controlled in order to slowly increase or decrease their brightness, making it easier on the eye. With the use of NMOSFETS, quite high-powered LEDs can be used. Finally, a quick demonstration is shown in the following video:

To get started on your own version, head over to the lamp's Instructable page. And for more, we're on twitter, facebook and Google+, so follow us for news and product updates as well.

Need to control up to six high-current signals from your Arduino? Or add high-powered LEDs to your own lamp project? Save time and space with our N-Drive Shield for Arduino:

With the N-Drive Shield you can directly control up to 6 separate high-power loads such as high-intensity LEDs, lamps, motors, and relays. Incorporates 6 N-channel MOSFETs, each capable of switching up to 60Vdc at 20 Amps. That's enough to drive massive loads such as 30W and 60W RGB LEDs capable of burning your eyeballs right out of year head!

Each MOSFET is connected to an Arduino pin with PWM capability, so you can vary the power delivered to each load individually. For much more information, tutorial and to order - check out the N-Drive product page.

Now and again we see our products "out in the wild", and another example has been reviewed by a popular video blogger My Hobbyelectronics - who demonstrates how easy it is to set up and safely charge LiPo batteries with our USB LiPo charger.

His tutorial explains how to charge a single-cell 3.7V LiPo, including setting the charging rate and in this example Nick has fitted a DC plug and socket, however the USB LiPo also has space on the PCB for a JST socket. Review the following video to see this in action:

For more interesting videos like this, subscribe to the MrHobbyElectronics YouTube channel. And for more, we're on facebook, twitter and Google+, so follow us for news and product updates as well.

As shown in the video above, if you're looking for a compact USB charger for your LiPo batteries then check out our USB LiPo charger module:

It's the convenient smart charger for 3.7V cells: just plug in your cell and a USB power source such as a mobile phone charger or computer, and you're done. And it includes a smart LiPo management chip that regulates the charge rate and detects when the cell is charged. Maximum charge rate current limit can be set using solder jumpers to suit your particular LiPo cell. For more details and to order, visit the module home page. 

In a fascinating demonstration of what you can do with limited computing resources, Themis Benetatos has demonstrated several methods of defining and displaying three-dimensional objects with an Arduino or compatible board and a small TFT LCD display.

Themis runs though a few proof-of-concepts for tiny 3D engines, and gives some interesting comparisons. Furthermore code to convert .STL files to text to insert into .h header files is provided so you can experiment with your own graphics using his code. Some examples of the progress of the 3D engine are shown in the following video:

Apart from the enjoyment of creating your own 3D animation, there is lots to be learned with respect to describing 3D models in code and dealing with memory limitations - so to get started visit Themis' interesting website. And for more, we're on facebook, twitter and Google+, so follow us for news and product updates as well.

And now for something completely different - video games that were designed to be played with a dog. Well not by a dog alone, however the controls are large enough in that a small dog could be trained or coaxed to jump onto the controls when required.

This process has been documented by Michelle Westerlaken who created very large buttons for her Arduino by using a sandwich method that consists of two layers of foil with sponge in between, a clever and simple solution to making buttons that are durable and also withstand pressure by the dog.

From there the Arduino is used as a game controller and can be used with example games in processing, or by using a Leonardo-compatible the system can emulate a USB keyboard. Check out the following video for a fun demonstration:

For complete details, visit Michelle's Instructable page. And for more, we're on twitter, facebook and Google+, so follow us for news and product updates as well. 

If you found the project above interesting - but not sure how to start with Arduino, then the best way to learn is with our Experimenter's Kit for Arduino:

We can never get enough interesting clock projects, and this latest example by Instructables member dragonator is a great example of what can be done with some imagination and a 3D printer.

They have created an analogue clock that, quite simply, has the minutes hand extended from the tip of the hours hand - which is also the centre of rotation for the minutes. Watch the video below for an accelerated demonstration:

The clock itself involves an Arduino-controlled stepper motor which turns the hours hand, and a series of gears inside the hours hand which then turn the minutes hand. Ingenious. And thanks to the creator open-sourcing the entire project, you can make one too. To get started, visit the clock's Instructable page. And for more, we're on facebook, twitter and Google+, so follow us for news and product updates as well.

Looking for a small Arduino-compatible board to embed into final projects? Consider our LeoStick - it's the Arduino Leonardo-compatible board that's cheaper and smaller than the original:

Apart from being one of the smallest Arduino-compatibles on the market with USB, it also has an onboard RGB LED and piezo which can be used a knock sensor and various tune and sound effects. Plus you can add extra circuitry with the matching protostick! For more information and to order, click here.

Time-lapse photography is a simple and fun way to record the activity of a particular area over time, and is useful for monitoring plant growth, movement of people and objects, creating art and just having fun. However a new dimension to the exposures can be created if the camera can also move small small distances between exposures along a particular axis - and thus moving time-lapse is created.

One excellent example of a moving time-lapse device has been documented by Instructables member telonics who shows us to use a camera-equipped Raspberry Pi and move it along a rope with a stepper motor. The software on the Pi can determine the exposure length, period between exposures and shuttle itself along the line when requried. Then it's up to the end user to combine the images into a short movie with video editing software - that can result with interesting output such as the video below:

Furthermore the project continues by mounting the device on a small model railway wagon, with the track on an incline and the stepper motor winding the device up or down the slope by collecting or releasing a thin line. A truly fascinating device which you can recreate yourself, so to start visit the project's Instructable page. And for more, we're on facebook, Google+, and twitter - so follow us for news and product updates as well.

As more people become interested in science, testing and chemistry in general - there becomes a need to access more complex equipment for various tasks, however this can often be outside the reach of many people who need one. However with some time and effort, various devices can be made and one example is this neat centrifuge by Instructables member orlov127.

For the uninitiated, a centrifuge is "... a machine with a rapidly rotating container that applies centrifugal force to its contents, typically to separate fluids of different densities (e.g., cream from milk) or liquids from solids" (thanks Wikipedia), and basically a device that can spin a test tube or two around at a very high speed - and with this example at around 30,000 RPM.

This home-made unit uses an Arduino to control a repurposed Dremel hand tool, which provides the hardware to rotate at such a high speed. A 3D printer is used to create the tube holder, and the enclosure is laser-cut for neatness. The Arduino can be used to control the speed and also duration of each session.

This is a great example of what can be made with some time and imagination, so visit the project Instructable page to learn how. And for more, we're on twitter, facebook and Google+, so follow us for news and product updates as well.