Make: Online: Arduino Archives

Arduino Archive: Arduino

July 2, 2009

Beat-slicing with OTTO

CDM points out this very sweet beat manipulator interface by Luca De Rosso. The project, better known as OTTO, makes use of an Arduino board, MAX/MSP software, and an array of LEDs + switches to create a very intuitive and approachable experience for musicians. -

OTTO is a new musical instrument for beat-slicing, the technique that allows to create complex and variegated rhythm sections by using just one rhythmic audio sample, cutting it into little pieces and rearranging them in time. OTTO provides a hardware solution with a strong visual feedback, to allow the musician to control the audio sample as if it was in his hands.

Circular sequencer devices really seem like a step in the right direction for audio hardware - much more intuitive for loops. More demo vids and source documentation/downloads available on the OTTO site

July 1, 2009

New version of NETLab released

The New Ecology of Things Lab at Art Center's graduate Media Design Program has released a new version of their NETLab Toolkit. This is a system for more easily connecting microcontrollers to computers, especially targeted at those who may be new to hardware and programming. In this video, Professor Philip van Allen of the Media Design Program shows how you can use NETLab to easily connect a a sensor to an Arduino and to Flash on a desktop machine.

Here's the basic product description:

The NETLab Toolkit is a free set of software tools that enable designers to easily "sketch in hardware". With no programming at all and working in the familiar environment of Flash (or Processing or MAX/MSP), designers can hook up a physical sensor (e.g. a knob) and immediately get that knob to control a motor or a video projection. The toolkit works with a wide range of sensors, wireless sensors, input from the Wii Remote, controls motors and LEDs, communicates with MIDI devices, controls sound, graphics, and video in Flash, and communicates with DMX computer controlled lighting equipment, all with a simple drag-and-drop interface (of course, programming hooks are provided as well).

NETLab Toolkit

In the Maker Shed: Arduino Projects Pack

Bridging the gap between the "real world" and your computer, the Arduino Projects Pack takes you further into the world of physical computing. We've included all sorts of cool electronic parts this time that help you delve deeper into the true capacity of the Arduino. You'll experience what the tens of thousands of engineers, designers, artists and hobbyists already know about this awesome and educational prototyping platform.

More about the Arduino Projects Pack

June 30, 2009

How-To: Web-connected sensors with Arduino + Pachube

Morgellon posted steps on publishing Arduino sensor readings to the web via Pachube -

I recently discovered Pachube and have just fell in love with it.
This is a video of my first Pachube project and what I've been able to do. I connected two light sensors to an Arduino. One sensor measure light levels in my room, the other measures light levels outside.
The Arduino is connected to a computer running Processing, and it forwards the sensor data to Pachube.

The process is quite straightforward, making related projects much more approachable - iPhone and Android web apps are icing on the cake!

More:

Realtime sensor network awaits your input ... or output

Shopping-cart serenade

Not since industrial noisemakers like Einsturzende Neubauten first miked a shopping cart... This is a decidedly more 21st version. The makers, Hogan Birney, Sean Kinberger, and David Plakon explain the design:

Touch and pressure are used to control the live manipulation of sound and image. The cart is equipped with a video projector, computer and battery making it portable and self contained. Using a microprocessor (Arduino) and custom software (max/msp/jitter) to sense the users touch and translate the pressure of the users touch, a real-time response is created both visually and sonically. The cart is used by MPG performers and the audience is also encouraged to play the cart as well.

More about the Mobile Performance Group

June 29, 2009

Lithium backpack for Arduino MEGA

The Mega Lithium BackPack is an Open Source Hardware battery shield for the Arduino Mega that snaps to the back of the board, and provides around 15-27 hours of battery power to circuits built with the Arduino Mega (depending on the circuit). It gives a 3.3 volt, 5 volt, ground, and battery capacity testing signal that can be plugged into the Analog input port to test how much battery power is left.

The BackPack sells for $48.

Introducing the Mega BackPack, a battery for the Arduino Mega

New in the Maker Shed: ScrewShield for Arduino

The ScrewShield for Arduino is a "wing-format" shield that extends the Arduino pins to sturdy, secure, and dependable screw terminal blocks. The wing design allows you to extend just one or both sides ("analog" & "digital") of the Arduino, and still access the jumpers, LEDs, and buttons on the Arduino. Thanks to its extra-long header pins, the ScrewShield can be stacked above or below other shields. It's a must have for anyone who is experimenting with the Arduino.

More about the ScrewShield for Arduino

June 27, 2009

Blimpduino and UAV at Maker Faire

Chris Anderson demonstrates the systems of the BlimpDuino.

The Blimpduino kit is a very low cost, open source, autonomous blimp kit. It consists of an Arduino-based blimp controller board with on-board infrared and ultrasonic sensors and an interface for an optional RC mode, a simple gondola with two vectoring (tilting) differential thrusters, and ground-based infrared beacon. Assembly is required, including soldering.

Anderson created the BlimpDuino with Jordi Munoz of DIY Drones. Their entry, shown in the video above, took first place in the Sparkfun Autonomous Vehicle Competition a few months ago.

If you want to build the BlimpDuino, the documentation is on the site and pretty good. Printing the build notes out and setting aside a few hours with the soldering iron should have you in pretty good shape.

June 25, 2009

Yet another pet feeder project

I love this video that Andres Leon did with parts he got from adafruit. Limore writes:

Sometimes we wonder what folks do with the Xbees and kits we sell, and sometimes we get to see the fantastic project, like this one! Arduino-based laser controlled wireless automatic cat food dispenser.

Arduino-based laser controlled wireless automatic cat food dispenser

June 24, 2009

Spinning sounds with the Servo Seq

Gijs Gieskes introduces another intriguing musical machine, the opto-sensing multi-armed Servo Seq -

The frequency circles speed can be set with a pot on the controller. The arms can be sequenced with the three buttons on the controller, in combination with the joystick.. If the joystick is moved up, the volume will go up for the arm that is being controlled. Moving the joystick left and right will change the position of the arm. On the tip of the arm there is a line detector, that plays back the frequencys, but the arms can also hit objects placed next to the circle to make drum sounds.

The Seq's brain consists of an ATMega168 configured as an Arduino compatible - more info, code and even a web app for generating compatible disc patterns are all available on the relevant project page. [via Create Digital Music]

June 23, 2009

Gyrating Arduino with Motion Plus

knuckles904 writes [by way of adafruit]:

Ok so I, after much research, have been able to read the gyro data of the new Wii Motion Plus peripheral with the Arduino microcontroller. With this code and the code previously developed for the Wii Nunchuck, we are able to create a 6 DOF IMU for under $40. Thanks Nintendo! Best of all, everything is I2C so only 2 analog inputs (A4 and A5 needed for the wire library) are needed to read 6 sensors and no ADC conversion happens on the Arduino board.

Wii Motion Plus + Arduino = Love

Stepper motor music

Michael put some stepper motors to work playing back MIDI tracks by way of Arduino -

The data for the music is taken from a MIDI file I made. The code for interpreting the data and moving the motors was written by me over the course of a few days.

The sound you're hearing is coming entirely from the motors. The motors are screwed into some pieces of aluminum from an old project to help them resonate. I'm taking requests for other songs to play.

Currently, the information for the song is stored on the Arduino. Plans for implementing a realtime MIDI stream are underway. Eventually I'll be able to plug in a keyboard and play the motors as though I were playing piano.

Quite awesome. You can see video the project's earlier version here. [via Adafruit]

June 18, 2009

Soundie: Interactive hoodie

Check out "Soundie" by Kanjun Qiu. It's an interactive hoodie that plays music based on touch. It also has some LEDs for visual feedback. The entire piece is based on the LilyPad Arduino.

I've looked at a ton of light up garments, El Wire, etc. This is one of the most tastefully- and artfully-done articles of clothing I've seen as of late. Instead of hiding the electronics, the graphic on the back integrates, even highlights the main board.

More about Soundie: Interactive hoodie

In the Maker Shed:

Arduino Family
Make: Arduino

June 17, 2009

In the Maker Shed: Arduino Nano board

The Arduino Nano is a great solution for projects that don't have a lot of available space. It's breadboard friendly, and has integrated USB.

It has everything that Diecimila has (electrically) with more analog input pins and onboard +5V AREF jumper. Physically, it is missing power jack and power select jumper. Since the Nano is automatically sense and switch to the higher potential source of power, there is no need for the power select jumper.

More about the Arduino Nano board

June 16, 2009

WoooOOSH! - Arduino space cruiser! ... sorta

Technology ... the electronic frontier.

These are the voltages of Arduino microcontroller.

It's 54 I/O pins ... to explore new circuitry, to bring forth new devices and experimentation.

To totally make tons of LEDs blink! -- WOOooosh - PEW! PEW! - BZzZTtT!

*ahem* (Arduino Mega via MakerShed, ScrewShield by Wingshield Industries)

Arduino merit badge + big badge roundup

From the MAKE Flickr pool

MAKE subscriber Marcus created a neato embroidered badge for Arduiniacs out there. These stylin' little symbols of skill are available from Little Bird Electronics - no prior Arduino proficiency testing required.

Hey, I think this merit badge thing might be catching on eh? It would seem a bit of a roundup is in order -

Nerd merit badges

Soft circuit merit badge merits itself

Machine Project merit badges

What? no blogging badge? :(

June 15, 2009

Twitter client Arduino workshop in NYC

Want to make your own Tweet-a-Watt or Botanicall that posts data to a Twitter account for you to follow? In this class, we'll play with the Arduino Ethernet Shield and look at how to connect to remote servers. We'll build a simple project that will take button press data and post it to a Twitter account from the Arduino device using HTTP. We'll go over the basics of Ethernet, TCP/IP, and the HTTP protocol.

Twitter client Arduino workshop with Ben Combee

Bug Labs

598 Broadway, 4th floor

NYC

More:

How-To: Arduino mothbot

This light-seeking Arduino mothbot builds on the SERB code, and the Instructable is very thorough. Beginning Arduino bot builders, rejoice and build!

More:

June 12, 2009

Parallel Port Programmer

This is a really inexpensive way to program your Arduino. In fact, it's a really cheap way to program any ATmega8 chip. However, there are a few drawbacks. It only works with Windows, and you can't communicate back to the host computer for serial communications. Despite some of the drawbacks, I still like this solution since many people would have all the parts needed to make one right now. Check out the link for the complete build details.

Equipment

Soldering iron
Hot glue gun (optional)
You'll need (parts):

(2x) 470 ohm resistor (yellow-purple-brown)
(1x) 220 ohm resistor (red-red-brown)
(1x) Parallel port cable or parallel-to-serial adapter
(2x) Three wire cables with female connectors on one end, unattached wires on the other

More about making a Parallel Port Programmer

In the Maker Shed:

More about the Arduino Mega in the Maker Shed

June 11, 2009

Serial communication with AVRs

Evil Mad Scientist Laboratories has a stellar article introducing you to serial communication with AVR microcontrollers. If you have a basic knowledge or Arduino and want to take it further, this is for you.