Posted February 10, 2015 by Chris

"The LEDs are controlled by one ATmega328 with 15 8bit shift registors (74HC595) sitting on two PCBs in the center of the globe. The power is supplied via slip rings. The two PCBs and the mechanical part are again self-made."

Posted February 8, 2015 by Chris

"OpenMV Cam gives any project the power of advanced machine vision with the ease of writing simple Micro Python scripts. More than just a camera board, OpenMV Cam is a complete vision solution that uses a simple IDE, rapidly integrates into any hardware project, supports shields for expanded capabilities, and already has a community behind it."

Posted February 6, 2015 by Chris

"Our vehicle uses optical sensors to follow a line on the floor. Some autonomous vehicles used in manufacturing use a similar concept, following magnetic strips embedded in the factory floor. The versatility of an optical design should be readily apparent, since re-routing the vehicle requires no more than re-painting a line."

Posted February 5, 2015 by Chris

"Good news everyone, another step completed in my window garden. This is just a plain PIC 16F877A microcontroller with a 20MHz resonator and a character LCD. There is also a big photo-resistor for shits and giggles and some neat buttons. I got a dual relay board from eBay to turn the pump on and off, and an extra socket for a light down the road."

Posted February 2, 2015 by Chris

"The Final Key is a piece technology that solves a problem. The Final Key is a hardware password manager with encryption and focus on combining portability, compatibility security and easy of use. It is a hobbyproject of mine and not under any commercial distribution, you are also free to build your own clones if you like the idea."

Posted February 1, 2015 by Chris

"The programming for this is actually kind of interesting. Every time you push the button, the AVR retrieves the currently-displayed number, and then increments it, clicks the counter, and tests for primality. If the number isn’t prime, it increments and clicks again. When a prime number is reached, it stops and waits for another button press."

Posted January 28, 2015 by Chris

"Behold, the $75 DIY sous vide heating immersion circulator! By scrapping together parts that are readily available on eBay and Amazon, I was able to build a self-contained device that heats and circulates water while maintaining a temperature accurate to 0.1 degree Celsius."

Posted January 26, 2015 by Chris

"These things have become rather useful around the lab! In addition to the original key-switch operation, they’ve been put to use running optical shutters for pump lasers, turning deposition shields inside vacuum chambers, etc. Basically, any time we have a mechanical device we want to be in one of two positions, we use a servo and this board."

Posted January 23, 2015 by Chris

"I wanted it to be cheap to build with easy-to-find parts and very reliable as my wife does not appreciate cold showers: I decided to use a netduino-mini micro-controller, an AdaFruit DS1307 real-time clock and a servo to adjust the temperature of the water heater."

Posted January 19, 2015 by Chris

"Piccolo is a low-cost kitset device that uses servos to create a mechanism for tinkering with or developing for basic 2D or 3D CNC output. Applications range from simple drawings, generative designs and data visualations, to small scale laser cutting or 3d printing, depending on the tool head used. Piccolo’s small size, low power and low cost makes it easy to use in almost any environment and in multiples."