Brushless motors are ubiquitous in RC applications and robotics, but are usually driven with low-cost motor controllers that have to be controlled with RC-style PWM signals and don’t allow for much customization. While there are a couple of open-source brushless drivers already available, [neuromancer2701] created his own brushless motor controller on an Arduino shield.

[neuromancer2701]‘s shield is a sensorless design, which means it uses the back-EMF of the motor for feedback rather than hall effect sensors mounted on the motor. It may seem strange to leave those sensors unused but this allows for less expensive sensorless motors to work with the system. It also uses discrete FETs instead of integrated driver ICs, similar to other designs we have covered. Although he is still working on the back-EMF sensing in his firmware, the shield successfully drives a motor in open-loop mode.

The motor controller is commanded over the Arduino’s serial interface, and will support a serial interface to ROS (Robot Operating System) in the future. This shield could be a good alternative to hobby RC controllers for robots that need a customizable open-source motor controller. The PCB design and source code are available on GitHub.

We’ve all had that problem. Up on stage, rocking out Jimi Hendrix-style on guitar with your band, but frustrated at having to mess around with foot pedals to control all of the effects. [Richard] solved this problem in a unique way: he put a preamp and a microcontroller in a guitar that can create some very interesting effects.

For the musically challenged, electric guitars often have several sets of electromagnetic pickups that detect vibrations in the strings at different points along the strings. Selecting different pickup combinations with a built-in switch changes the sound that the guitar makes. [Richard] wired the pickups in his Fender Stratocaster to the microcontroller and programmed it to switch the pickups according to various patterns. The effect is somewhat like a chorus pedal at times and it sounds very unique.

The volume and tone knobs on the guitar are used to select the programmed patterns to switch various pickups at varying speeds. This has the added bonus of keeping the stock look of the guitar in tact, unlike some other guitars we’ve seen before. The Anubis preamp, as it is called, is a very well polished project and the code and wiring schematic are available on the project site along with some audio samples.

Just before the days where every high school student had a cell phone, everyone in class had a TI graphing calculator. In some ways this was better than a cell phone: If you wanted to play BlockDude instead of doing trig identities, this was much more discrete. The only downside is that the TI calculators can’t easily communicate to each other like cell phones can. [Christopher] has solved this problem with his latest project which provides Wi-Fi functionality to a TI graphing calculator, and has much greater aspirations than helping teenagers waste time in pre-calculus classes.

The boards are based around a Spark Core Wi-Fi development board which is (appropriately) built around a TI CC3000 chip and a STM32F103 microcontroller. The goal of the project is to connect the calculators directly to the Global CALCnet network without needing a separate computer as a go-between. These boards made it easy to get the original Arduino-based code modified and running on the new hardware.

After a TI-BASIC program is loaded on the graphing calculator, it is able to input the credentials for the LAN and access the internet where all kinds of great calculator resources are available through the Global CALCnet. This is a great project to make the math workhorse of the classroom even more useful to students. Or, if you’re bored with trig identities again, you can also run a port of DOOM.

Some projects that we build fulfill a genuine need for a new piece of hardware or software that will make life easier or fix a common problem. Other projects, on the other hand, we do just because it’s possible to do. [Gilchrist] has finished work on a project that fits squarely in the second category: a web browser that runs exclusively on an Arduino Uno with an ethernet shield.

The Arduino can serve plain-text web pages to an attached LCD and can follow hyperlinks. User input is handled by a small joystick, but the impressive part of the build is on the software side. The Arduino only has 2KB of RAM to handle web pages, and the required libraries take up 20KB of memory, leaving only about 12 KB for the HTML parser/renderer and the LCD renderer.

The Arduino browser is a work in progress, and [Gilchrist] mentions that goals for the project include more robustness to handle poor HTML (the Hackaday retro edition loads flawlessly though), a terminal, and WiFi capabilities. To that end, maybe a good solution would be using the new ESP8266 chip to keep things small and inexpensive?

The ESP8266 are making their way over from China and onto the benches of tinkerers around the world for astonishing web-enabled blinking LED projects and the like. [TM] thought he could do something cooler with his WiFi to UART module and decided to turn one into a web browser.

There’s no new code running on the ESP8266 – all the HTML is being pushed through an Arduino Mega, requesting data from a server (in this case our fabulous retro edition), and sending the data to the Arduino serial console. The connection is first initiated with a few AT commands to the ESP module, then connecting to the retro server and finally dumping everything received to the console.

It’s not much – HTML tags are still displayed, and images are of course out of the question. The result, however, isn’t that much different from what you would get from Lynx, meaning now the challenge is open for an Arduino port of this ancient browser.

Arduino Gemma preview – Final board coming late autumn

During his saturday morning presentation at Maker Faire Rome, Massimo Banzi gave a preview of a new collaboration and a new board: Adafruit Gemma becomes officially Arduino Gemma, a tiny but powerful wearable microcontroller board in a 27mm diameter package.

Powered by an Attiny85 and programmable with the Arduino IDE over USB, anyone will be able to easily create wearable projects with all the advantages of being part of the Arduino family. The board will be default-supported in the Arduino IDE, equipped with an on/off switch and a microUSB connector.

The Attiny85 is a great processor because despite being so small, it has 8K of flash and 5 I/O pins, including analog inputs and PWM ‘analog’ outputs. It was designed with a USB bootloader so you can plug it into any computer and reprogram it over a USB port (it uses 2 of the 5 I/O pins, leaving you with 3). Ideal for small & simple projects sewn with conductive thread, the Arduino Gemma fits the needs of most of entry-level wearable creations including reading sensors and driving addressable LED pixels.
After the fruitful joint effort developing Arduino Micro, once more the Arduino Gemma has been developed in collaboration with Adafruit Industries, one of the main leaders of the Maker movement. Arduino Gemma will be available for purchase on the Arduino Store and Adafruit Industries starting late autumn 2014.

Technical specifications:
Microcontroller: ATtiny85
Operating Voltage: 3.3V
Input Voltage (recommended): 4-16V via battery port
Input Voltage (limits): 3-18V
Digital I/O Pins: 3
PWM Channels: 2
Analog Input Channels: 1
DC Current per I/O Pin: 40 mA
DC Current for 3.3V Pin: 150 mA
Flash Memory: 8 KB (ATtiny85) of which 2.5 KB used by bootloader
SRAM: 0.5 KB (ATtiny85)
EEPROM: 0.5 KB (ATtiny85)
Clock Speed: 8 MHz
MicroUSB for USB Bootloader
JST 2-PH for external battery

We've seen plenty of development boards, but this might be the first that comes with both Bluetooth LE and built-in USB. Tah is the creation of India's Revealing Hour and has been designed to both lower the cost of adding Bluetooth to Arduino projects, but also to connect your smartphone to other devices in the home. For instance, adding an IR shield will enable you to create a universal remote control for appliances and your TV. Even better, is that you can slot the hardware into your games console and use your smartphone as a controller -- in the video embedded after the break, the company uses a smartphone as a substitute PlayStation controller, and there's an Xbox variant that's currently being developed. Naturally, Tah is currently gathering funds over at CrowdSupply, and its makers need $25,000 to begin manufacturing. If you'd like to get your hands on one, then early-bird customers can snag one for $40, while the late-comers will pay 10 dollars more.

Filed under: Wireless

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Source: CrowdSupply

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From the 3rd to the 5th of October all the Arduino crew will be staying in Rome for the European Maker Faire hosting more than 500 makers from all over the world! You can come and visit us in one of the 3 main areas (Arduino  booth, Arduino Store, Arduino Activities) of the fair dedicated to Arduino:

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ARDUINO BOOTH
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Visit the Arduino booth and explore a showcase of projects and Arduino boards:

• SPECIAL Installation – Arduino TRE Photobooth
  A 3D anaglyph photobooth uses two cameras to capture a 3D picture. Each picture is processed using the new Arduino TRE board. It separates the red channel from one camera and the cyan channel from the other, and overlays them together. The result is then printed out on a large photostrip.

• Arduino Starter Kit – Demos

The Kit walks you through the basics of using the Arduino in a hands-on way. The kit includes a selection of the most common and useful electronic components with a book of 15 projects.

• Arduino At Heart – Showcase

Learn more about the Arduino AtHeart program, designed for makers and companies wanting to make their products easily recognizable as based on the Arduino technology. Fea

Bhoreal – OpenTracker v2 Board – JubeBox with littleBits Arduino Module – Cromatica – Smart Citizen Kit – Apollo

• Creative Technology in the Classroom (CTC)

Kit Demo for Teachers & Schools

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ARDUINO STORE
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The official Arduino Store will be open during the 3 days of the Maker Faire and is your chance to purchase boards, materials, kits, for all your tinkering skills.  Come check us out to discover more than 300 products.

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ARDUINO ACTIVITIES
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FRIDAY

///h.10.30-19.30
Creative Technology in the Classroom
Activity: 4 Kit Demos for Teachers & Schools

• Tickle Robot A regular ticklish robot in a rocking chair. Come to think of it, that doesn’t sound very regular at all. Tickle the robot on its heart and it will start wiggle like crazy.

• Open Box An open source box that contains open source electronics. Oh, and it automatically opens when you knock on it.

• Binary  LP This sort of works as an LP player. The difference is that instead of using a needle on a plastic disc, we use three IR sensors in a row to read a pattern from a paper disc. If you are both musically and digitally inclined, you will have lots of fun creating melodies with this.

• Drawdio You might think that this pen is magic, and it might just be. Drawdio turns (almost) everything that is conductive into an instrument. You can either make music by drawing a picture or by touching the tip of it to different conductive things around you.

///h.10.30-14.30
Arduino and Makers activities
Activity: Presentation for Teachers & Schools

Overview of workshops and activities for kid and teens at school

///h.14.30-15.30
Arduino TRE and Web IDE
Activity: Board Demo

Come try out the new Arduino Software (IDE) we are designing for the Arduino TRE, give us your feedback to guide the development in the right direction!

///h.10.30-18.30

Svante’s catapult and claw
Activity: Kid-friendly Workshop (over 6 year-old)
You can remote control our robot Svante: grab objects with a claw, or make him use the catapult to launch balls to specific targets.

Do you want to participate? Add your name to the schedule (on paper) in the Arduino Activity area and be there at your scheduled time.

SATURDAY

h.10.30-11.30/12.30-13.30/14.30-15.30/16.30-17.30

Drawdio
Activity: Kid-friendly Workshop (over 7 year-old) – 4 slots

Make sound while you draw. Learn about conductivity and sound by drawing on a piece of paper.

Do you want to participate? Add your name to the schedule (on paper) in the Arduino Activity area and be there at your scheduled time.

h.11.30-13.30/13.30-14.30/15.30-16.30/17.30-18.30

Binary LP
Activity: Kid-friendly Workshop (over 7 year-old) – 4 slots

Draw your own binary patterns to play music in our nice Binary LP player. Learn about sound, melody, binary reading and sensors.

Do you want to participate? Add your name to the schedule (on paper) in the Arduino Activity area and be there at your scheduled time.

h.13.30-16.30

Conductive dough cakes and animals
Activity: Drop-in Workshop (20 min – over 6 year-old)

Make an animal, a cake with candles or an emitting light object with conductive dough and learn the basics on conductivity.

h.10.30-12.30

Lasercut Race
Activity: Workshop

Build something is usually pretty fun, but if we’re talking about lasercut race cars, it’s impossible to not enjoy it! what could be better? tune them after all and challange the other racer!

Do you want to participate? Add your name to the schedule (on paper) in the Arduino Activity area and be there at your scheduled time.

h.10.30-18.30

LED necklace
Activity: Drop-in Workshop (15 min)

Build a cool and simple necklace! Power an LED with a small battery and put it inside a designed paper box. You will be able to decorate it with hole patterns and hang it from your neck.

h.14.30-16.30

Arduino TRE and Web IDE
Activity: Board Demo

Come try out the new Arduino Software (IDE) we are designing for the Arduino TRE, give us your feedback to guide the development in the right direction!

h.16.30-18.30

Vibro-Robot
Activity: Kid-friendly Workshop (over 6 year-old)

A workshop to learn by playing the basics of robotics. Using little motors, lasercut pieces and little plastic parts, kids will build their (first) small robot!

Do you want to participate? Add your name to the schedule (on paper) in the Arduino Activity area and be there at your scheduled time.

SUNDAY

h.10.30-18.30

Svante’s catapult and claw
Activity: Robotics Demo

You can remote control our robot Svante: grab objects with a claw, or make him use the catapult to launch balls to specific targets.

h.10.30-18.30

Conductive dough cakes and animals
Activity: Drop-in Workshop (15 min – over 6 year-old)

Make an animal, a cake with candles or an emitting light object with conductive dough and learn the basics on conductivity.

h.10.30-18.30

LED necklace
Activity: Drop-in Workshop (15 min)

Build a cool and simple necklace! Power an LED with a small battery and put it inside a designed paper box. You will be able to decorate it with hole patterns and hang it from your neck.

h.11.30-13.30

E-Jewels
Activity: Workshop

Jewels are not just for girls and electronics not just for boys. During this brief workshop you will learn how to solder and make your first electronic jewel. This workshop is perfect for mum/dad+son/daughter

Do you want to participate? Buy your E-Jewel kit in the Arduino Store (10 euro) before the workshop starts r name on the paper in the Arduino Activity  area and be there at the scheduled time.

h.14.30-17.30

Arduino TRE and Web IDE
Activity: Board Demo

Come try out the new Arduino Software (IDE) we are designing for the Arduino TRE, give us your feedback to guide the development in the right direction!

There have been countless projects to make custom photo flash trigger circuits. Usually the circuits react to sound, triggering the camera flash at the moment a certain sound is triggered. That type of trigger can be used to detect the popping of a balloon or shattering of glass. Other triggers detect motion, like a projectile crossing a laser beam for example. [Udo's] friend had a fun idea to take photos of water balloons popping. Unfortunately neither of those trigger methods would be well suited for this situation. That’s when [Udo] had to get creative.

[Udo] built a unique trigger circuit that uses the water inside the balloon as the trigger. The core component of the circuit is an Arduino. One of the Arduino’s analog pins is configured to enable the internal pull-up resistor. If nothing else is connected to the pin, the Arduino will read 5 volts there. The pin is connected to a needle on the end of a stick. There is a second needle on the same stick, just a short distance away from the first. When these needles pierce the balloon’s skin, the water inside allows for a brief moment of conductivity between the two pins. The voltage on the analog pin then drops slightly, and the Arduino can detect that the balloon has popped.

[Udo] already had a flash controller circuit. He was able to trigger it with the Arduino by simply trying the flash controller’s trigger pin to one of the Arduino’s pins. If the Arduino pulls the pin to ground, it closes the switch on the flash controller and the flash is triggered. Both circuits must share a common ground in order for this to work.

All of the code for [Udo's] project is freely available. With such spectacular photographs, it’s only a matter of time before we see more of these floating around.