Make:

David writes in -

I put this site together really quickly to document a project I've been working on from time to time for a while now. This device plugs into a PC and streams my friends' latest Twitter messages across its little LED screen.

There are lots of skills that would probably be of interest to other Makers: circuit design, coding in Processing, Arduino, and PHP, getting proto circuits built, encasing electronics in clear plastic resin, etc. Check it out.

I love the site, and have been subscriber since the first issue. Keep up the good work! Thanks!

Related:

Get Arduino @ the Maker store - Link.

Arduino is a tool for making computers that can sense and control more of the physical world than your desktop computer. It's an open source physical computing platform based on a simple microcontroller board, and a development environment for writing software for the board.

Arduino can be used to develop interactive objects, taking inputs from a variety of switches or sensors, and controlling a variety of lights, motors, and other physical outputs. Arduino projects can be standalone, or they can be communicate with software running on your computer (e.g. Flash, Processing, MaxMSP). The boards can be assembled by hand or purchased preassembled; the open source IDE can be downloaded for free.

The Arduino programming language is an implementation of Wiring, a similar physical computing platform, which is based on the Processing multimedia programming environment. Arduino is open source!

The Arduino Diecimila is a microcontroller board based on the ATmega168 (datasheet). It has 14 digital input/output pins (of which 6 can be used as PWM outputs), 6 analog inputs, a 16MHz crystal oscillator, a USB connection, a power jack, an ICSP header, and a reset button. It contains everything needed to support the microcontroller; simply connect it to a computer with a USB cable or power it with a AC-to-DC adapter or battery to get started.

Learn how to use Ardiino and make cool stuff with Making things talk - Link.

Programming microcontrollers used to require an expensive development environment costing thousands of dollars and requiring professional electrical engineering expertise. But recent innovations, such as open-source physical computing platforms with simple i/o boards and development environments, have given hobbyists, hackers and makers new options for homebrewing video games, robots, toys, and more.

This book contains a series of projects that teach you what you need to know to get your creations talking to each other, connecting to the Web, and forming networks of smart devices. Whether you need to plug some sensors in your home to the Internet or create a device that can interact wirelessly with other creations, Making Things Talk shows you exactly what you need.

The projects in this book are powerful but inexpensive to build: the Arduino and Wiring microcontroller kits themselves cost around $40. The networking hardware covered here includes Ethernet, Wi-Fi, Zigbee, and Bluetooth, and can be had for $50 to $100. With a couple of microcontroller kits and the networking gadgets of your choice, you can make things and make them talk to each other!