Some useful updates on the Arduino Web Editor!

Are you sticking to the desktop Arduino IDE because all your work is saved locally? That’s no longer a problem! Our brand new import tool enables you to upload your entire sketchbook with just a few clicks on the Arduino Web Editor. It is particularly handy because it lets you move all your sketches and libraries to the cloud in a single flow.

Once your sketches and libraries are online, they will be available on any device and backed up. For details on how to migrate all your code online, check out this tutorial.

Sadly, Codebender is shutting down. You can use the import feature also to easily migrate to the Web Editor. (More details here.)

If you have a big sketchbook, you may want to clean up or categorize things once in awhile. With our bulk action tool, you can delete, move, or download multiple sketches at the same time. Go to the Sketchbook panel, hover on the sketch icon, and select all the files you want to act on. Doubts on how this will work? Learn more in this guide.

What’s coming next?

We are currently working on a super streamlined way to edit your libraries within the Web Editor, and looking for the best way to implement the Chromebook plugin. Stay tuned!

Using a series of etched acrylic panes, the “Lixie” display can show numbers in the style of a Nixie tube.

Nixie tubes are beautiful pieces of display hardware that are no longer in production, and are becoming harder and harder to find. They also generally require relatively high DC voltages to operate, making them difficult and potentially dangerous. Connor Nishijima, however, has come up with an alternative called the Lixie.

This laser-cut item employs etched panes of acrylic to reflect the light from WS2812B LEDs as required, revealing digits 0-9. Since the LEDs are RGB, different colors can be selected as desired.

Edge-lighting panes of acrylic etched with a design has been done for decades, but they’ve always been static information like an “EXIT” sign. If you stack multiple panes of acrylic (each with a unique design) and light them individually, you can change what design the user sees! This makes edge-lighting perfect for a numeric display! And since I love the look of Nixies, we’ll emulate the typography as well. At the end of the day, what I’ve made is a beautiful over-sized numeric display using WS2812Bs and a laser cut digit assembly!

You can find more about this “modernized Nixie tube” on Hackaday.io.

Say hello to the newest member of the Arduino family! The MKRZero–now available on our stores at the price of $21.90/€20.90 (+ tax)–shrinks the functionality of the Arduino Zero down into an Arduino MKR1000 form factor, making it a great educational tool for learning about 32-bit application development.

Like the Zero, the latest board is based on a Microchip SAM D21 ARM Cortex®-M0+ MCU. An integrated SD connector with dedicated SPI interfaces (SPI1) allows you to play with files without any extra hardware, while an analog converter enables you to monitor its battery voltage.

The MKRZero’s features in a nutshell:

• small form factor
• number crunching capability
• low power consumption
• integrated battery management
• USB host
• integrated SD management
• programmable SPI, I2C and UART

Interested? You can explore the MKRZero in more detail, including its technical documentation, via the links below:

• Product Page
• Getting Started Guide
• Tutorials on Project Hub
  • Make a ScheduledDataLogging
  • Create a I2S synth generator (theremin)
  • Read battery voltage
  • Make it rain

On the software side:

• If you use the Arduino IDE, you will need to add the new Intel SAMD Core, selecting Tools menu, then Boards, and last Boards Manager on the Arduino Software (IDE).
• If you use Arduino Web Editor, everything is already updated!

Watch out music makers, we’ve got some news for you! We have released two libraries for your enjoyment:

• Arduino Sound library – a simple way to play and analyze audio data using Arduino on SAM D21-based boards.
• I2S library – to use the I2S protocol on SAMD21-based boards. For those who don’t know, I2S (Inter-IC Sound) is an electrical serial bus interface standard for connecting digital audio devices.

Buy a brand new Arduino MKRZero now!

Join the discussion on the Arduino Forum!

Using the MOVI voice recognizer and synthesizer Arduino shield, this DIY clock can respond to your querries.

We’re all familiar with the various brands of voice assistants, but most of them require Internet access in order to do anything useful. This project, however, employs the MOVI shield by itself to respond to a user’s request for the time or date, and can even set a timer or initiate a countdown. The clock replies back in a nice robotic tone with the piece of information the user was asking for.

The voice-activated clock also features an Arduino Uno, an RTC module, a speaker that plugs into the MOVI’s headphone jack, and a power supply. Although an interesting build as is, much more functionality could be added to the system, allowing for a custom device to suit your needs!

You can learn more about the project on its page here!

After building a Pong game using an Arduino Uno and a VGA monitor, Rob Cai realized this same setup could be used to make Etch A Sketch-style drawings.

Control is surprisingly “Pong-compatible” with two boxes, each with a potentiometer and a button. One knob moves the cursor horizontally and the other vertically. Unlike an actual Etch A Sketch from your childhood, one button chooses the line color, while the other resets the screen (instead of shaking).

His system takes advantage of Sandro Maffiodo’s VGAx library, meaning it doesn’t need much more than a sacrificial VGA cable to draw a low-resolution picture on the display.

You can check out Cai’s Etch A Sketch on Instructables, where you’ll also find the project in its Pong form.

Pinball machines may seem like a good Maker project, but the mechanical components are quite involved. “Joesinstructables,” however, decided to take on this project on using an Erector Set, solenoids, and an Arduino board. In order to get around the challenge of using a heavy steel ball, he instead used a much lighter ping pong ball, sensed in the game by laser tripwires.

A number of solenoids propel the ball around and sound a service desk bell whenever a target is hit–one to three times depending on the difficulty level. Once the ball comes to rest in a target, a laser tripwire automatically triggers a solenoid to eject the ball, putting it back in play.

You can see more info on this build here, or even check out an earlier version for more inspiration!

Instructables user “stoppi71” has been building a DIY Segway for a while now, and just posted a bunch of info on the project.

Balancing on two side-by-side wheels is rather difficult, though as the original Segway showed us, it’s quite possible with electronics to help. Naturally, hobbyists have tried to duplicate this effort, including stoppi71, who started his experiments several years ago. He uses both an accelerometer and gyroscope to determine the angle, along with PID control to apply the correct amount of power to each wheel. Buttons on either side handle steering.

Though not the easiest project featured here, if you’re thinking about doing something simlar, his writeup is worth a look! If you enjoy alternative modes of transportation, you may want to check out this electric unicycle as well!

If you’ve been looking for a robotic assistant with the functionality of an Amazon Echo and the cuteness of a Disney character, you’re in luck. That’s because Abhishek Singh has created Peeqo, an open-source DIY device that responds to human speech through GIFs.

Peeqo has a Raspberry Pi 3 for his brain along with a pair of Arduino Mini boards for controlling movement and LED notifications. The 3D-printed bot is equipped with a half-dozen servos, four custom microphones, a NeoPixel ring on top of his head, a camera at his chest, a USB speaker, and an LCD display.

As for voice recognition, Peeqo uses the Google Speech API for detecting the wake word ‘Peeqo’ and API.AI for responding to the query. The desktop companion can also serve as a full-fledged entertainment system that plays your favorite Spotify tunes. Ask for a song and he’ll sway to the beat.

But that’s not all. Singh even developed a Chrome extension that uses Peeqo to boost his productivity and motivate him to avoid social media while working. Once he tells it to block a certain site, the robot lets his displeasure be known in the form of a GIF.

Intrigued? You can see how Singh brought Peeqo to life on Imgur.

After considering building a square word clock, Maker Roald Hendriks and his sister came up with something a bit more unique!

Clocks, being decorative, useful and easily hackable, have been targets for creative types, likely from when they were first invented. You’d think maybe all ideas for new clocks have been exhausted. Fortunately, human ingenuity never seems to run dry, and this latest device tells time using Arduino Uno-controlled LEDs.

Outer numbers on the modified IKEA PUGG wall clock illuminate to indicate the hour, while words on the inside represent the minutes. These minutes are literally spelled out in Dutch phrases reveal the particular time, but if you don’t speak the language, the position of the LEDs should give you some clue as to what is going on.

You can read more about the project on its website, and watch a demo below!

Love eating lunch, but hate making it? Good news, an automated machine may soon be able to take care of the task for you. Meet Sandwich-o-Matic, a voice-controlled, robotic sandwich-building station.

The project–which was created during a thirty-six hour hackathon by the team of Clive Chan, Colin Daly, Alex Foley and Wilson Wu–is based on an Arduino and a Photon. A rotating dispenser is driven by a series of servos, while a DC motor is responsible for a toaster-lifting mechanism. The backend is running Node.js, hosted on AWS, and the Google Cloud Platform handles the voice-to-text features.

The Sandwich-o-Matic accepts both voice and NFC requests. Simply place your order by saying the ingredients, or tapping their respective images on an accompanying menu. The device will then begin crafting your lunch from scratch.

The Makers hope to even develop a future version, which will include more topping and condiment options as well as a more streamlined voice-to-sandwich process. You can read more about the project on Devpost and its GitHub page.