Posted April 28, 2015 by Chris

Hello PyroEDU Students!

Are you ready for another PyroEDU course? In 2 days on 4/30 we will begin the Introduction to Sensors course on uReddit and PyroEDU.

The Introduction to Sensors course will teach how different sensors work and how to interface to them with digital electronics. A few of the sensors we will be using are magnetic, light, distance, temperature and tilt sensors just to name a few. With each sensor we will apply the PyroEDU learning method which is introducing the sensor, explaining the theory, building up an experiment step-by-step and then looking at some real world examples of how the sensor is used.

Join the course here at uReddit: http://ureddit.com/class/128165/an-introduction-to-sensors

The Gadgetory is also offering the sensors parts kit for this course, if you plan to follow along with us.

Looking forward to a brand new and fun class!

Chris @ PyroElectro.com

Posted April 27, 2015 by Chris

"All parts were developed separately. This allowed adjustments in the assembly as well as smaller changes in case the design of one or other part become required. Focus on low cost and use of materials easily accessible in the local market."

Posted April 26, 2015 by Chris

"The Seg-bot is a DIY segway clone that costs around $500 to build. It will attempt to keep the rider upright at 0 degrees (level), so if you lean forward it will travel forward to correct its position – the farther you lean, the faster it will go to correct itself."

Posted April 25, 2015 by Chris

"This was a gift for my two year old nephew. Since he is a fan of lights and buttons, I wanted to make something blinky for him to enjoy. The concept was simple: make a clear box with buttons and lights that would change color and pattern based on the buttons that were pressed."

Posted April 24, 2015 by Chris

"One morning I woke up and wanted to know what the temperature outside was, and instead of running over to Home Depot and picking up a $2.00 glass thermometer, I decided to build my own wireless temperature sensor. At the heart of the board is a PIC12F675 microcontroller in an SO8 package. The right-hand side of the board houses the linear power supply (LP2950), bottom-center is the DS18B20 1-Wire temperature sensor, and out in left-field you can see the Sure TTL Bluetooth Module."

Posted April 23, 2015 by Chris

We are only 1 week away from the launch of the new PyroEDU course: An Introduction to Sensors! This course comes right on the heels of our two courses: An Introduction To CPLD and FPGA and An Introduction To Microcontrollers and as such, it will use knowledge from both previous courses to further expand your knowledge of how to build sensor interfaces. Also, thanks again to all of our kickstarter backers who originally got us started! Read more at the course page at PyroEDU

If you have not already signed up, go on over to uReddit or P2PU and join the online class to get weekly updates about each lesson as they are taught.

Posted April 22, 2015 by Chris

"To build this tool I’ve used two old CD-ROM writer that lays around in my garage. The X/Y positioning system it is build using the CD-ROM motor assembly. For the engraving laser i use the CD-ROM writer laser. With this hardware the engraving area are will be almost 38mm x 38mm."

Posted April 21, 2015 by Chris

"The HandySwipe provides a portable magnetic card reader interface and display. It collects card data from a Type 2 card reader, and displays the data on a small character LCD screen."

Posted April 20, 2015 by Chris

"Using a floating quadcopter made by local start-up Aerotestra, we proved that it is feasible for an autonomous flying robot to map various parameters at multiple GPS waypoints without human intervention."

Posted April 18, 2015 by Chris

"One thing I noticed right away about my property is that most of the time, the wind is blowing. Almost from the moment I bought it, I had the idea of being energy independent by putting up a wind turbine and making some electricity, and later adding some solar panels and a wood gasifier. This is the story of how I did it. Not with an expensive, store-bought turbine, but with a home-built one that cost hardly anything."