Using a voltage reference to improve sensor measurments
The folks at Little Bird Electronics have a nice tutorial about how and why to use the analog reference input on a microcontroller to improve analog voltage measurements.
Arduino
Android controlled cat feeder
I’ve got to build one of these. I usually leave out gobs of food in a couple of bowls expecting my cat to exercise his free will, but this seems like so much more fun. Usually it’s the cat that’s playing the games. And who isn’t interested in Arduino, Android, and 3D printed parts? It’s like some perverse Internet-connected feline vending machine, but instead of some elaborate scheme involving payment gateways and QR codes, it relies on toxoplasmosis-induced mind control. Who’s the robot now?
Twitter Monkey
Some people aren’t content with your run-of-the-mill blinking lights. Take, for instance, this Arduino-powered Twitter Monkey from maker Pete Prodoehl. He could have had his script send out an audio alert like everyone else, instead he chose to create this animatronic monkey using an Arduino and a couple of servos. Every time it sees a keyword it goes bananas, flapping its arms about like any excited monkey would do. It may not be your cup of tea if your a nervous person, but it sure does beat your average blip.
Open source 802.15.4 protocol stack and Arduino-compatible board
Tokyo-based wireless hacker Akiba of FreakLabs sends word of their latest project, the Freakduino-Chibi, an Arduinoid with open source 802.15.4 protocol stack and integrated radio.
bildr’s twixie: Twitter meets Nixie
The orange glow is enough to drive a man mad from obsessing over it – but what to do with it? I wanted something that would be for bildr and, if possible, connect to the internet – doesn’t everything need to? So, I decided to do what any self-obsorbed site-creator would do: I was going to make a nixie display that showed the amount of twitter followers bildr had, and then recheck every 30 seconds.
Arduino-based speed detector
Mike Chambers built this excellent looking arduino-based speed detector.
Autonomous armed cellbot sentry
A robot army’s got to start somewhere, right? Not quite an army yet, but definitely in the minion category, Squirt, from cellbot hacker Michael Winter means business. Pesky vermin beware!
