Nicole Grimwood is working towards a dual degree in engineering from Columbia University and liberal arts from Scripps College.
The post Interview: NIcole Grimwood on Electronics (and Cake) appeared first on Make: DIY Projects, How-Tos, Electronics, Crafts and Ideas for Makers.
Tiki torches are a fun summer lighting solution and this RGB LED version, that uses an Arduino, can be a great alternative to an open flame.
The post Mason Jar LED Tiki Torches Glow Any Color appeared first on Make: DIY Projects, How-Tos, Electronics, Crafts and Ideas for Makers.
Regular candles can be awfully boring at times. They can only produce one color and the flicker is so… predictable. They can’t even be controlled by an infrared remote control, not to mention the obvious fire hazard. Now, however, [Jose] has come up with an LED candle that solves all of these problems. (Original link to the project in Spanish.)
The heart of the project is an Arduino Pro Mini, which is especially suited for this project because of its size. [Jose] put the small form-factor microcontroller in the base of a homemade wax enclosure and wired it to a Neopixel WS2812b LED strip. The strip can produce any color, and has some programmed patterns including flicker, fade, rainbow, and fire.
The artificial candle is controlled with an infrared remote control, and all of the code for the project is available on the project site if you want to build your own. [Jose] has been featured here before for his innovative Arduino-driven RGB lighting projects, and this is another great project which builds on that theme!
There are certain things you'd expect to encounter on a visit to NASA's Swamp Works research facility. Walking into the former Apollo testing facility, you'll almost certainly catch glimpses of martian rovers, soil samples and an assortment of scientific testing devices. But in spite of Arduino's near ubiquity these days, we'll admit that we were a bit taken aback when the familiar blue microcontroller made an appearance on a lab desk during our conversation with NASA "lighting guy," Dr. Eirik Holbert. It seems that NASA, like pretty much everyone else, is experimenting with the hacker-friendly component.
The board was hooked up to a lighting fixture Holbert is working on as part of NASA's upcoming deep space habitat concept generator. It's an attempt to bring some sunlit consistency to space exploration, simulating Earth-like lighting patterns to help keep the crew alert and get them ready for sleep in the evenings. So, where does NASA turn when it's looking to conserve weight and save some taxpayer money in the process? Toward the Arduino Uno, naturally. Holbert assembled a number of off-the-shelf products, including the aforementioned microcontroller and shields from Sparkfun to make a fixture for under $500.
Asked whether we might be seeing an Arduino setup like this on an upcoming mission, Dr. Holbert told us, "I'm all about interchangeability. If they can make something space compatible, I'd be all for it."
Filed under: Science
Continue reading Luminch One: an Arduino lamp you control with the wave of a hand (video)
Luminch One: an Arduino lamp you control with the wave of a hand (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 03 Jan 2012 14:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | Comments
