‘Arduino: The Comic’ will teach you to stop worrying and love programming

Ever wanted to learn DIY programming on the Arduino, but aren’t interested in trawling through stacks of dusty technical manuals? Then pay attention: artist Jody Culkin has produced a paneled primer that explains electrical engineering from Ohms all the way through to building your own dimmer switch. Friendly, informative and most importantly, brief, by the time you’ve finished it, you’ll be dashing down to IKEA to build your own Luxo Jr.

‘Arduino: The Comic’ will teach you to stop worrying and love programming originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 16 Sep 2011 15:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Insert Coin: Teagueduino solderless electronic board

In Insert Coin, we look at an exciting new tech project that requires funding before it can hit production. If you’d like to pitch a project, please send us a tip with “Insert Coin” as the subject line.


We’ve seen the Arduino platform used to do some very, very cool things. You can pick up one of these incredibly versatile contraptions for well under 100 bucks, putting it within reach of the entire gamut of advanced hardware developers. But as simple as it may be to use for the technically inclined, there’s still quite a bit of programming required, and you’ll probably need to know your way around a soldering iron as well. The Teagueduino sets out to simplify the process, replacing intimidating code with simple drop-down menus, which you can adjust in realtime, giving you instant feedback as you make adjustments to your ‘coding’ handiwork. The second piece of the puzzle is the Teagueduino board itself, which includes snap-enabled inputs and outputs (yes, that means you can leave the finger-melting soldering iron to the pros).

The hardware/software duo first made an appearance this spring, but it just popped up on Kickstarter, which means the Teagueduino could be making its way to a DIY project near you in the not-so-distant future. Unfortunately it’s not cheap — you’ll need to pledge $160 to get a fully assembled kit, while $260 adds extra I/O terminals. The Teagueduino is nearing the halfway point of its $22,000 funding goal with 27 days left to go, and if all goes according to plan, you should have your kit by November. Jump past the break for an overview with the designers.

Continue reading Insert Coin: Teagueduino solderless electronic board

Insert Coin: Teagueduino solderless electronic board originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 10 Sep 2011 12:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Arduino hack imitates Pixar’s living lamp, disses IKEA in the process (video)

Oh, look — it’s Pixar’s iconic lamp brought to real-world Frankenlife. Okay, not really, but the automated, voice-enabled mod is as close to the movie studio’s icon as a hacking kit and five euros in a Swedish furniture store can get you. The prototype, lovingly named “The annoying IKEA lamp” or SM-1, is ArduinoArts’ finalist entry for SeeedStudio’s Grove Toy Kit contest. Headed by industrial engineer Javier Lander, the project weds two servos (one in the base and one in the lamp), sensors for motion and sound, a three axis accelerometer, LED light and audio board to an Arduino shield, springing the modjob to programmed states of alarm and irritation. We commend Javier for eschewing the cutesy road well-traveled, and giving the mundane desktop light a grumpy, old man makeover. Click on past the break to see this curmudgeonly office accessory in action.

[Thanks, Javier]

Continue reading Arduino hack imitates Pixar’s living lamp, disses IKEA in the process (video)

Arduino hack imitates Pixar’s living lamp, disses IKEA in the process (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 07 Sep 2011 21:13:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Real life Minecraft block combines cardboard box, Arduino, and a projector (video)

Real life Minecraft block

You know how when you were a kid, the box something came in was almost as fun as the toy itself? Well, that doesn’t have to change as you get older — provided you’ve retained that creative spark. Ben Purdy apparently kept his imagination nimble and, with the help of a projector, a piezo element and an Arduino (of course), turned a plain ol’ box into a real life Minecraft block. Hit the cube with a stick, or anything really, and the projection-mapped image starts to deteriorate and particles tumble off as you mine it. You won’t actually be able to turn your harvested materials into structures or tools, but it’s still a good idea to keep an eye out for Creepers. Don’t miss the trio of videos after the break.

Continue reading Real life Minecraft block combines cardboard box, Arduino, and a projector (video)

Real life Minecraft block combines cardboard box, Arduino, and a projector (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 29 Aug 2011 15:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ben Heck tackles Android ADK, whips up car trip-simulating baby seat

Ben Heck car seat simulator ADK

We’ve been wondering what would happen if the infinitely resourceful Ben Heck got his hands on the powerful Android ADK. Thankfully, in the most recent episode of the accomplished modder’s show, our curiosity is satiated. The crafty Wisconsinite tackles a reader request — to recreate the soothing motion of a car ride and help put a three-month-old baby to sleep. Mr. Heck uses the accelerometer in his phone to record the bounce and sway from the backseat as he drives around. He then draws up some code that will feed that data to the Arduino-powered ADK and move a series of servos that will tilt and shake a child’s car seat. Sadly, the completion of the project will have to wait till the next exciting episode, but by the end of the installment embedded after the break you do get to see a scale model. What are you waiting for? Click that little read more link for PR and video… you know you want to.

Continue reading Ben Heck tackles Android ADK, whips up car trip-simulating baby seat

Ben Heck tackles Android ADK, whips up car trip-simulating baby seat originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 22 Aug 2011 23:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tacit sonar gauntlet gives the blind ultrasonic eyes (video)



Sure, your Arduino project can make a stuffed monkey dance, but is it really doing anything for the greater benefit of mankind? Okay, maybe — but not to the same degree as Grathio Labs’ Tacit glove, an Arduino powered sonar device that can help the vision impaired navigate foreign environments. This wrist-mounted gauntlet is comprised of an Arduino microcontroller, a few ultrasonic sensors, and a pair of servomotors to apply variable pressure to the user’s wrist to indicate their distance from an object or obstacle. Best of all, the gizmo’s circuit and software are registered under Creative Commons, which means you’re free to snag the plans from the source link below, and build your own. Go on, build one. Sure, it’s a lot of work, but would you rather rock a wrist-mounted sonar gun, or don an ear-tugging bicycle helmet? Your choice.

Tacit sonar gauntlet gives the blind ultrasonic eyes (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 22 Aug 2011 07:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Enough Already Arduino mutes TV’s overexposed celebrities, frees you to live again (video)

Are you besieged by celebrities? Sure, you could try turning off the TV, but now there’s a more complex, DIY solution: Enough Already, an Arduino box that mutes your television at any mention of certain names — Lady Gaga, for example. The setup’s fairly simple if you’re comfortable with hardware hacking; it uses the Video Experimenter Shield to read closed captioning data, then sends the mute command via IR whenever offending words appear. Of course, you can tweak the blacklist however you like, so Pippa Middleton updates will still get through. Follow the tutorial after the break and you’ll be able to once more channel-surf in peace, knowing you’ll never again have to hear the word “Snooki.”

Continue reading Enough Already Arduino mutes TV’s overexposed celebrities, frees you to live again (video)

Enough Already Arduino mutes TV’s overexposed celebrities, frees you to live again (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 16 Aug 2011 14:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Kinect / Arduino hack makes stuffed monkey dance for your amusement

Just when you thought that people had squeezed the last drop of creativity out of Microsoft’s Kinect, something like this comes along. It’s a stuffed monkey with a robotic skeleton that can mimic the movements of the person standing in front of it. “Monkey Business” is an art installation of sorts created by Jan M. Sieber and Ralph Kistler. It uses a camera sensor from a Kinect, an Arduino mircocontroller, and 10 servomotors. The smirking robo-monkey, meanwhile, is suspended from the wall, giving it a full range of movement. The resulting video is pretty darn delightful.

Continue reading Kinect / Arduino hack makes stuffed monkey dance for your amusement

Kinect / Arduino hack makes stuffed monkey dance for your amusement originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 10 Aug 2011 23:13:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rich Decibels Brainwave Disruptor scrambles your head, not your eggs

Child of the ’80s? Then you’ll most likely remember those notorious PSAs about your brain and eggs, and the dangers of turning yourself into an omelette. Yeah, well turn off your inner Nancy Reagan for a second because we’ve got an Arduino hack that should have you just saying yes. New Zealand artist Rich Decibels created a homebrew brain entrainment device that uses low frequency sound and light to induce different mental states. The mod pieces together an Arduino Uno with two separate interface boards — one for pitch and separation controls, the other for LED and volume — to deliver a combo of binaural beats (two slightly out of sync tones) and flashing headset-mounted lights that’ll slow down those cerebral hertz cycles. If you happen to live in the land made famous by Frodo’s Shire, you can check out the brain-slowing goods at Thistle Hall’s Project Briefcase exhibition. Not a Kiwi? Then be sure to hit the source for an audio taste of this hacked head experience.

Rich Decibels Brainwave Disruptor scrambles your head, not your eggs originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Aug 2011 20:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Hack a Day  |  sourcePonoko  | Email this | Comments

Laundrino ensures you’ll never rely on your washing machine’s timer again

LaundrinoWe can’t count the number of instances we’ve started a load of laundry in our washing machine and missed the timer go off, only to later find an odorous and damp pile of what should have been fresh garments. Luckily, the tried-and-trusted Arduino is stepping in to solve yet another first world problem. A fellow over at möp, möp! (apparently, a sub-blog of the Fellowship of Free Software Foundation Europe), had a relatable issue by way of a busted cycle-indicator. Rather than having to check the machine constantly or call a repairman, they decided on the obvious choice: hooking it up to an Arduino Uno and Ethernet shield. Now, the unit is programed to ping a web address over LAN that lets the user know whether the load-cycle is complete, and if so, how long it’s been idle for. The poster’s even been kind enough to detail the work and source code required, which you’ll find by hitting the source link below. “Rinse and repeat” never seemed so fitting.

Continue reading Laundrino ensures you’ll never rely on your washing machine’s timer again

Laundrino ensures you’ll never rely on your washing machine’s timer again originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Aug 2011 00:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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