After an exciting 2012 campaign, Weekend Projects is back for another series of beginner-friendly electronics projects you can start and finish in a weekend. Last year we explored projects ranging from one-hour builds of simple motor circuits on a breadboard to an entire weekend-long build of a homemade optical bass guitar. We built retro games with contemporary components and updated classic circuits to take advantage of improved LED technology. We explored solar and light through wearable tech and a custom data logger, adding to our sun-based skillset. Musically-inclined makers had a ton of fun with making real a previously “hypothetical tremolo wheel.” Another audio project, the MonoBox Powered Speaker, wound up being endlessly customized, modded with a wireless adapter and Raspberry Pi, adapted for two speakers, and modded into a boom cube, ammo can, and cigar box, among other novel builds.
This year is poised to be as exciting if not more than last year, with 20 more projects ranging in difficulty and components used. We’ve got audio projects, light projects, and sometimes projects with audio and light. We’ve got projects to take on the road, and projects to use around the home or office. We’ve got a few wearables. And every project you should feel inclined to customize as you see fit. I’m not going to give it all away now, so you’ll just have to stay tuned to see—and build—them all!
Of course it wouldn’t be a “return” without a new project, so let’s get making!
The TV-Go-Sleep Universal TV Timer is a new take on the classic TV-B-Gone kit. Frustrated about falling asleep with the television on, Tom Rodgers combined the TV-B-Gone library with some additional code to build what is essentially a countdown sleep-timer remote. Powered by an Arduino, this project will also instruct you on building a homemade perfboard shield. The Arduino’s program will eventually cycle through every television’s “off” code, transmitted through the IR LEDs at the front of the enclosure, turning off any television in range. Left the TV on? No problem. You can sleep soundly with Weekend Projects! Watch the video below to see the TV-Go-Sleep Universal TV Timer in action, along with some tricks on fabricating the shield and enclosure. And as always if you build your own version of any of our projects, be sure to email us pictures and a story of your experience.
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