Rock ’em Sock ’em Robot Rock Climbers Game Cabinet
Jeff Highsmith, who works for REI, built this wonderful servomechanical arcade game (called Peak 97) as part of “a series of automatons and robotic effigies of my coworkers.”
Arduino
As the preeminent tool for makers, Arduino is a versatile platform that covers almost every type of creative making. With its simple-to-use coding language and fun programming concepts, Arduino enables users to create modern electronics with ease. From beginner level projects like flashing LED lights to more advanced builds such as interactive robots, there are an endless number of possibilities when it comes to building projects with Arduino. Whether you are new or an experienced builder in search of fresh ideas, these posts will provide interesting Arduino tutorials and unique ideas that may spark your creativity and motivate you take on any type of maker project!
Paduino: control Arduino from iPhone/iPad/iPod touch with the Redpark Serial Cable
I’ve been working with the pre-release version of the cable for a couple of months now and I’ve put up some sample code to get you started. Including a rather nifty Universal application for the iPhone and iPad which will let you directly control an Arduino board. I’ve dubbed it the “Paduino.”
In the Maker Shed: LoL Shield
The LoL (Lots of LEDs) Shield is a charlieplexed LED matrix for the Arduino. The LEDs are individually addressable, so you can use it to display anything in a 9×14 grid. Scroll text, play games, display images, or anything else you want to do.
Stereo Panel Controls Bonkers Living Room Lighting Scheme
Here we have Arduino Forum contributor Marklar sharing his intense Arduino-based RGB LED home lighting scheme, which uses an old stereo front panel to control the different chase patterns within the crown moulding of his living room. The intensity and color of the lights can be manually controlled with the stereo’s rotary encoder to suit […]
In the Maker Shed: EZ-Expander Shield Kit
Need more digital outputs on your Arduino? Check out the EZ-Expander Shield from the Maker Shed! Using the two 74HC595 shift registers, you can add up to 16 new output pins (numbered 20-35.) The shield itself uses 3 existing Arduino pins to operate (pins 8, 12, and 13), so overall you get 13 additional output pins to use.
Open Source Sniper Training
OK, in point of fact, this cool gadget from Matt Bitz of Liquidware could be used for pretty much any type of marksmanship training, but “sniper” was a pretty hard headline to resist. It couples Liquidware’s TouchShield Slide, an Arduino Duemilanove, and a lithium battery-pack in a camouflaged aluminum case for a handy range-gadget that records hits on a target—just tap the touchscreen with the tip of a round to mark a hit—and calculates accuracy and precision in real time. [Thanks, Jake!]
Automated LED Stair Lights
My friend, and HacDC cohort, Erica Kane, put together this wonderful set of automated LED stairs together after seeing this post on MAKE. It is programmable to any user-defined light intervals and sequences.
