This week I made a project with parts from the Arduino Starter Kit. I skipped over building the Proto Shield from the kit, since I made a how-to a while back. Otherwise, it’s a simple build that doesn’t require any soldering.
Check out makezine.com for more information and the code. http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2008/12/howto_tuesday.html
I made this scorpion toy with a Twitchie Robot Kit. I’m really afraid of scorpions where I live in Arizona, so I thought a friendly toy would help me get used to them. I made his plush body from some fabric I had around, aiming to make him look like an Arizona bark scorpion, which are tan/yellowish/translucent. Twitchie is Arduino powered and comes pre-programmed, so it’s an excellent kit for beginners in robotics, because no programming is required! You can download and modify the code if you want, and it’s pretty light on the soldering, too. I’d recommend Twitchie for young makers (boys & girls, too!) interested in robotics or moving plush toys. You can buy the Twitchie Robot Kit in the Maker Shed:
http://www.makershed.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=MKTET2
Music is “At the Crack of Noon” by Shuutobi, http://shuutobi.com
It’s Tuesday again! This time I made a Danger Shield for my Arduino. You can read more about it at makezine.com
Joe Grand and Bre Pettis bring you another Awesome Electronics Workshop. This week learn about the Arduino, an open-source microcontroller board.
Tristan Shone rolled out the ‘big guns’ for Maker Faire Bay Area 2010. His Industrial Sound Controllers are a musical force to be reckoned with and their sheer size and weight demand considerable attention upon seeing them firsthand.
Tristan took a few moments out from setting up to speak with Becky Stern before performing, and explained some of the functionality of his very custom gear. For more on his unique brand of ‘heavy metal’, be sure to check out the interview in MAKE, Volume 22 and the how-to on building your own 8-mic MIDI controller –
https://makezine.com/22/tristanshone/
http://www.make-digital.com/make/vol22?pg=119#pg121
Give your gadgets a brain! Previously out of reach for the do-it-yourselfer, the tiny computers called microcontrollers are now so cheap and easy to use that anyone can make their stuff smart. It’s called “physical computing” — with a microcontroller, your gadget can sense the environment, talk to the internet or other gadgets, and make things happen in the real world by controlling motors, lights, or any electronic device. The Arduino is an easy-to-use microcontroller board — it’s like an R&D lab on your kitchen table for prototyping any gadget. We show you how to make one, and how to use Arduinos and other microcontrollers to make an automatic yogurt maker, a vintage Skype telephone, a gumball machine that recognizes your secret knock, and more. Plus, make a Helicopter Rocket, portable solar power pack, gourmet Sous Vide food cooker, treadmill desk, and more fun DIY projects.
You can get iPhone push notifications from lots of online services, but what if you want something from your home to send you alerts? Learn how to get iPhone push notifications when your letter carrier delivers your mail with this Arduino project. No matter where you are, you’ll be the first to know when the latest volume of MAKE magazine is delivered!
More information about this project (including the code) can be found here: http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2010/12/snail_mail_push_alerts.html
