Solderless breadboard

Connect 4 Binary Clock

Connect 4 Binary Clock

Remember that old Connect 4 game sitting in your basement/closet/chest/Batcave? You’ve always wanted to upcycle that into a functioning binary clock utilizing the awesome powers of an Arduino, haven’t you? Of course you have! Well, you’re in the right place! This is a great weekend project that will provide you with a binary clock that […]

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Making Six Channel High Powered LED Controller Shield

Making Six Channel High Powered LED Controller Shield

This project uses IRLB8721PbF MOSFETS. These particular devices are good for the Arduino because the base current required to fully open the gate is less than 5v. I chose to use a power supply case to house this project. The built in fan will supply plenty of airflow over the heatsinks attached to the MOSFET’s. […]

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Monkey Couch Guardian

Monkey Couch Guardian

My cats like to jump on furniture and shed their fur, which ends up on my clothes. To stop them, I’m using a Monkey Couch Guardian. I made it from one of those old-fashioned cymbal-banging toy monkeys, modified with an inexpensive Arduino microcontroller and a proximity sensor. Now when a cat jumps on a table, […]

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Projects in Motion: Control Three Types of Motors with 555 Timers

Projects in Motion: Control Three Types of Motors with 555 Timers

With an estimated one billion 555 timers manufactured annually, you know this component must be versatile! We’re going to learn how to build and control drivers for three very different types of motors using a breadboard, resistors, diodes, transistors, and some 555 timers (along with a sprinkling of CMOS logic). These motor drivers are the […]

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MindWave Cat Ears

MindWave Cat Ears

NOTE: This project is under construction! It’s very, very rough right now. This project will require a 3D printer such as a MakerBot. You can also use a service such as Shapeways to have the files printed for you. You’ll be assembling a mechanical set of ears based on servo motors, programming an arduino and […]

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Teleclaw: Remote Robot Gripper

Teleclaw: Remote Robot Gripper

It might have been Robots of Saturn that first got my young brain thinking about building a mechanical man. In that obscure 1962 sci-fi adventure novel, Dig Allen and his fellow teenage space explorers transfer their thoughts into the bodies of teleoperated robots to mine Saturn’s dangerous rings for precious Methane-X. Using some of my […]

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