Posts with «arduino» label

Arduino geek develops Cold War Angst, starts spying on satellites (video)

Start with some Arduino and Gameduino hardware, add a splash of PLAN-13 satellite tracking software from 1983, and finish with a healthy dose of libertarianism. The result? A neat little hack called Angst, designed and built by Mark VandeWettering (aka Brainwagon). It can store details of up to 750 satellites on 128KB of EEPROM memory and display their predicted orbits in all the glory of SVGA. Don't get lazy though -- the most reliable way to track those pesky snoops in the sky is still to don your anorak, step outdoors and snoop right back.

Continue reading Arduino geek develops Cold War Angst, starts spying on satellites (video)

Arduino geek develops Cold War Angst, starts spying on satellites (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 22 Nov 2011 21:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Engadget 23 Nov 02:21
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Arduino kit beams low-fi Google Weather to VGA screens

Looking for another way to use that aging VGA CRT screen hogging space in the closet? Try making your own dedicated weather screen by mixing together Google's meteorological data stream and some Arduino magic. It looks like parsing that Google Weather data was a bit of a challenge on the miniscule 2KB of RAM, but a tinkerer going by the handle Zmashiah has managed to do it. He's even managed to cram in a few extra graphical flourishes, including icons and background themes that change depending on the temperature and time of day. The entirely PC-free device grabs the data through an Ethernet connection and flashes up all the weather goodness in stunning VGA. Any meteorological mavens reading this can grab the full shopping list and procedure at the Instructables link below.

Arduino kit beams low-fi Google Weather to VGA screens originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 22 Nov 2011 08:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Engadget 22 Nov 13:31
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PC Fan hack lets you scra... scra... scratch analog audio, ah-yeah (video)

Digital DJ controllers let would-be grandmasters get up to all sorts of fancy new tricks, but if you're one of those old dogs who can't be taught, then this PC-fan-come-DJ-turntable might tickle your fancy. Connected to an old-school personal cassette via an Arduino, with a little voltage level smoothing in the mix, moving the fan "scratches" the audio, by controlling the speed of the tape player. The initial plan was to have the fan spinning with the music, like a real turntable, but as you'll know if you've ever caught your finger in one of these things, it's probably best it didn't work out. Despite its home-made charms, one final flourish is VU style LEDs for some mixer-style visual feedback. Alas, there's no built in cross-fader, so don't start work on that DMC routine just yet.

Continue reading PC Fan hack lets you scra... scra... scratch analog audio, ah-yeah (video)

PC Fan hack lets you scra... scra... scratch analog audio, ah-yeah (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 22 Nov 2011 04:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Engadget 22 Nov 09:29
arduino  audio  dj  hack  led  pc fan  pcfan  scratch  turntable  video  

Freaklabs' FredBoard gives the gift of hackerspace to Mothership HackerMoms

Come this (Black) Friday, it'll officially be the season for gift-giving and general family dysfunction. So, why not warm that tech-tinkering heart while heating up the creative juices of the baby-bound set with a Freaklabs purchase that puts your money to good use? The outfit's got a monster mash FredBoard up for order that splices together an Arduino and breadboard to make your first brush with homegrown modding a relatively painless affair. Oh, and the proceeds are destined for a Mommy-centric hackerspace -- dubbed Mothership HackerMoms -- in San Francisco that does double duty as a day care for little leg-clingers and a lab for their electronics-inclined parents. These ladies-in-programming currently swap house hosting duties, but with the boost from your potential feel-good donations, could snag a proper venue of their own. Feel like getting in the holiday spirit early? Then click on the source below to bring some early cheer to Bay Area baby Mommas.

Freaklabs' FredBoard gives the gift of hackerspace to Mothership HackerMoms originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 21 Nov 2011 19:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Engadget 22 Nov 00:04
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Doh uses RFID and Arduino to help you remember your wallet, continues search for the 'Any Key'

If you can dream it, Arduino can help you build it -- perhaps with a dash of MakerBot thrown in for good measure. The latest homebrew project to hit the ol' inbox sounds an alarm whenever you leave a room without a registered item. Doh (named in Homer Simpson's honor, we presume), uses a trio of devices to track items that you usually travel with, like your keys or a cellphone. After you've assembled the rather complex contraption, you affix color-coded RFID tags to your gadgets, before registering them with the Arduino-based host. If you leave the room without all of the items that you've registered as a "grouping," a door handle-mounted display will indicate what's missing by flashing its color and sounding an alarm. If you've forgotten multiple items, the display will cycle through the associated colors. There's also a two-way "buzzing tag" that beeps until it's found, if you wish to add that to your collection. It's not a turnkey solution by any means, but unlike Homer, at least you're not being tasked with preventing nuclear meltdown. And if you're looking for a time-proven alternative, a pen and a pad of stickies should do. Jump past the break for a demo video, banjo-equipped soundtrack and all.

Continue reading Doh uses RFID and Arduino to help you remember your wallet, continues search for the 'Any Key'

Doh uses RFID and Arduino to help you remember your wallet, continues search for the 'Any Key' originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 21 Nov 2011 04:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Engadget 21 Nov 09:11
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3D-printed tail hooks up with Arduino, wags the dog (video)

In the year 3000, surgeons should be able to graft animal body parts onto our willing flesh. But, let's be real, aside from a reanimated Walt Disney (ok, not really), most of us won't live to see that scifi horror-filled day. Filling in, for the time being, is a nifty Arduino hack from the mind of one Artharis that breathes erratic life into a 3D printed tail. Its clumsy flailing is more disturbed-dragon-with-ADHD than aroused puppy, but we'll take what we can get for now. Shame, though, that Halloween's already come and gone, otherwise this would've made for a nice house party icebreaker. Peep the spastic animatronic in motion after the break.

Continue reading 3D-printed tail hooks up with Arduino, wags the dog (video)

3D-printed tail hooks up with Arduino, wags the dog (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 19 Nov 2011 20:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Engadget 20 Nov 01:29
3d printed  3dprinted  animatronic tail  animatronictail  arduino  artharis  hack  mod  tail  video  

Android-powered bar bot makes a mean Rob(ot) Roy (video)

iZac doesn't want to hear your sob stories. No, this Arduino-crafted bartender just wants to make cocktails, ordered through a tablet-based drinks menu. The bar patron can then place a glass on the digital scales, and iZac will measure out in the prescribed quantities necessary for the meatsack's choice of poison. The liquids are handled by aquarium pumps and laser-cut pinch valves, with accuracy to within one gram (0.035 ounces). Sadly, the bar bot's repertoire is limited by six bottles, arranged on two turntables. Risky drinkers can plump for the 'I'm Feeling Lucky' option, which creates a randomized drink of three (possibly identical) liquids. See how it all comes together in a loud, appropriately shady-looking bar after the break.

Continue reading Android-powered bar bot makes a mean Rob(ot) Roy (video)

Android-powered bar bot makes a mean Rob(ot) Roy (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 18 Nov 2011 18:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Engadget 18 Nov 23:18
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My Keepon: Kinect-ing hackers and goths through the art of dance (video)

If rhythm is a dancer, then My Keepon is a goth. The adorable, Snowman-like (yellow snow, in this case) bot just recently received a wallet-friendly retail debut, so join us in the not-surprised-to-see-this-get-a-Kinect-hack (by way of Arduino) camp. Granted, the lil' guy's moves may be stilted, but he's clearly not the star of this YouTube show. We were more impressed with his gesture-cuing Gepetto's discotheque living room get down. So, do you think you can dance to industrial music and mod this $35 holiday hot toy? Then clearly you need to hit up the source for all the necessary coding bits. But first, be sure to take a gander at the industrial grind after the break.

Continue reading My Keepon: Kinect-ing hackers and goths through the art of dance (video)

My Keepon: Kinect-ing hackers and goths through the art of dance (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 18 Nov 2011 13:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Engadget 18 Nov 18:12
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How to: Build a Giant POV Light Tube

With this POV light painter, you can paint the town red or any other color that suits your fancy. The LightScythe is a 2-meter long POV tube made up of multi-color LED strips.  POV stands for Persistence of Vision which describes how our eyes see motion blur when an object is moving quickly.  In this case, it enables us to see a message written with light.

An image is loaded onto a laptop which converts it to serial data, then sends it to an Arduino which controls the lightbar. A camera is set for 10 to 15 seconds of exposure, during which time the user walks across the frame, painting the image to be caught by the camera.   Check out the full build instructions.

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Hack n Mod 16 Nov 16:40
arduino  led strips  leds & light  light  light painting  lightscythe  pov  pov tube  seeduino  

Add lasers to a tennis ball, drive your dog crazy (video)

It's a "programmable disco ball," a "cat toy for humans," and a "personal laser light show," all rolled into one. That's how one Matt Leone describes his latest creation, aptly known as the Laser Ball. To realize his dream, Leone drilled a set of holes into a garden variety tennis ball, and inserted about 14 laser diodes, each with an attached strip of diffraction grating. Said diodes were then synced up with an Arduino-equipped Teensy microcontroller nestled within the ball, alongside a rechargeable battery. As a cherry on top of this DIY sundae, Leone then incorporated an infrared remote package from Adafruit, allowing him to remotely jump start his next house party. The result is a cyborg-like ball that makes any LED cube look... square. Check it out for yourself, in the video after the break.

Continue reading Add lasers to a tennis ball, drive your dog crazy (video)

Add lasers to a tennis ball, drive your dog crazy (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 14 Nov 2011 14:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Engadget 14 Nov 19:34
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