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World Map of Makers

<h3 id="toc-hardware-setup-0">Hardware setup</h3> <p>Connect the Raspberry Pi2 to the breadboard and the other components as per the Fritzing diagram at the bottom of the page.</p> <p>Note: The LED pin has changed from the previous <a href="http://bit.ly/2fNawup" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Blinky example</a> from <a href="http://bit.ly/26nCnnf" itemprop="url" target="_bank" title="GPIO"><strong>GPIO</strong></a> 5 to GPIO 18.</p> <h3 id="toc-code-1">Code</h3> <h4>MainPage.cs</h4> <p>You can download the code starting project from <a href="http://bit.ly/2fv5uzF" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/2fv5uzF</a> and we will lead you through the addition of the code needed to talk to the web service and get your pin on the map. <a href="http://bit.ly/2fN6B0x" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">What map?</a></p> <p>Open up “Lesson_201\StartSolution\Lesson_201.sln<a href="http://bit.ly/2fv3CXP" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">“</a> and open the MainPage.xaml.cs file.</p> <p>We have filled in a few methods as a starting point for you in this solution. If you want to jump ahead you can find a solution with all the code completed at: “Lesson_201\FullSolution\Lesson_201.sln”</p> <p>Add the following lines at the top of the MainPage class.  These define what pin on the Pi2 you will use to control the LED and a reference to the InternetLed class which you will be adding shortly.</p> <pre class="hljs cs"> <span class="hljs-keyword">public</span> <span class="hljs-keyword">sealed</span> <span class="hljs-keyword">partial</span> <span class="hljs-keyword">class</span> <span class="hljs-title">MainPage</span> : <span class="hljs-title">Page</span> { <span class="hljs-comment">// which GPIO pin do we want to use to control the LED light</span> <span class="hljs-keyword">const</span> <span class="hljs-keyword">int</span> GPIOToUse = <span class="hljs-number">18</span>; <span class="hljs-comment">// The class which wraps our LED.</span> InternetLed internetLed; <span class="hljs-function"><span class="hljs-keyword">public</span> <span class="hljs-title">MainPage</span>() </span> </pre> <p>Now add code in the OnNavigatedTo method which will:</p> <ol> <li>Create a new InternetLed object</li> <li>Make a web API call to put our pin on the maker map</li> <li>Initialize the object</li> <li>Call the webapi to get our delay value.</li> <li>Loop 100 times with the returned delay, blinking the led each pass.</li> </ol> <p><b>If you do not want to add a pin onto the map, remove <code>MakePinWebAPICall();</code></b></p> <pre class="hljs cs"> <span class="hljs-comment">// This method will be called by the application framework when the page is first loaded.</span> <span class="hljs-function"><span class="hljs-keyword">protected</span> <span class="hljs-keyword">override</span> <span class="hljs-keyword">async</span> <span class="hljs-keyword">void</span> <span class="hljs-title">OnNavigatedTo</span>(<span class="hljs-params">NavigationEventArgs navArgs</span>) </span>{ Debug.WriteLine(<span class="hljs-string">"MainPage::OnNavigatedTo"</span>); MakePinWebAPICall(); <span class="hljs-keyword">try</span> { <span class="hljs-comment">// Create a new InternetLed object</span> internetLed = <span class="hljs-keyword">new</span> InternetLed(GPIOToUse); <span class="hljs-comment">// Initialize it for use</span> internetLed.InitalizeLed(); <span class="hljs-comment">// Now have it make the web API call and get the led blink delay</span> <span class="hljs-keyword">int</span> blinkDelay = <span class="hljs-keyword">await</span> internetLed.GetBlinkDelayFromWeb(); <span class="hljs-keyword">for</span> (<span class="hljs-keyword">int</span> i = <span class="hljs-number">0</span>; i < <span class="hljs-number">100</span>; i++) { internetLed.Blink(); <span class="hljs-keyword">await</span> Task.Delay(blinkDelay); } } <span class="hljs-keyword">catch</span> (Exception e) { Debug.WriteLine(e.Message); } } </pre> <h4>InternetLed.cs</h4> <p>Now you will add a new class file in which most of the work will actually be performed.</p> <p>From the main menu select <b>Project</b> -> <b>Add Class…</b></p> <p>The Add New Item dialog will open and default to Visual C# Class.</p> <p>Enter <b>InternetLed.cs</b> for the file name and click <b>Add</b></p> <p>The class file will be created and opened for you.</p> <p><b>Update using’s</b></p> <p>You will need replace the using’s section at the top of the file so the code can reference the GPIO device, web interfaces and the system diagnostics.</p> <pre class="hljs gams"> <span class="hljs-keyword">using</span> <span class="hljs-keyword">System</span>; <span class="hljs-keyword">using</span> <span class="hljs-keyword">System</span>.Diagnostics; <span class="hljs-keyword">using</span> <span class="hljs-keyword">System</span>.Net.Http; <span class="hljs-keyword">using</span> <span class="hljs-keyword">System</span>.Threading.Tasks; <span class="hljs-keyword">using</span> Windows.Devices.Gpio; namespace Lesson_201 { </pre> <p><b>Class members</b></p> <p>Inside the class brackets add the following lines which will be referenced by the code a little later.</p> <pre class="hljs cs"> <span class="hljs-keyword">class</span> <span class="hljs-title">InternetLed</span> { <span class="hljs-comment">// GPIO controller code</span> <span class="hljs-keyword">private</span> GpioController gpio; <span class="hljs-keyword">private</span> GpioPin LedControlGPIOPin; <span class="hljs-keyword">private</span> <span class="hljs-keyword">int</span> LedControlPin; <span class="hljs-comment">// only used if we don't get a response from the webapi call.</span> <span class="hljs-keyword">private</span> <span class="hljs-keyword">const</span> <span class="hljs-keyword">int</span> DefaultBlinkDelay = <span class="hljs-number">1000</span>; <span class="hljs-comment">// An enumeration to store the state of the led</span> <span class="hljs-keyword">public</span> <span class="hljs-keyword">enum</span> eLedState { Off, On }; <span class="hljs-keyword">private</span> eLedState _LedState; </pre> <p><b>Class constructor</b></p> <p>Now, add the class constructor code which will store the value of the pin used to control the LED.</p> <pre class="hljs cpp"> <span class="hljs-function"><span class="hljs-keyword">public</span> <span class="hljs-title">InternetLed</span><span class="hljs-params">(<span class="hljs-keyword">int</span> ledControlPin)</span> </span>{ Debug.WriteLine(<span class="hljs-string">"InternetLed::New InternetLed"</span>); <span class="hljs-comment">// Store the selected GPIO control pin id for use when we initialize the GPIO</span> LedControlPin = ledControlPin; } </pre> <p><b>Initializer member</b></p> <p>Add initialization code, this is responsible for setting up communication with the Pi2 General Purpose Input Output (GPIO) controller.</p> <pre class="hljs pf"> public void InitalizeLed() { Debug.WriteLine(<span class="hljs-string">"InternetLed::InitalizeLed"</span>); // Now setup the LedControlP<span class="hljs-keyword">in</span> gpio = GpioController.GetDefault(); LedControlGPIOP<span class="hljs-keyword">in</span> = gpio.OpenP<span class="hljs-keyword">in</span>(LedControlP<span class="hljs-keyword">in</span>); LedControlGPIOP<span class="hljs-keyword">in</span>.SetDriveMode(GpioP<span class="hljs-keyword">in</span>DriveMode.Output); // Get the current pin value GpioP<span class="hljs-keyword">in</span>Value startingValue = LedControlGPIOP<span class="hljs-keyword">in</span>.Read(); _LedState = (startingValue == GpioP<span class="hljs-keyword">in</span>Value.Low) ? eLedState.On : eLedState.Off; } </pre> <p><b>LedState property</b></p> <p>This wraps interaction with the state of the led (on vs off) into a central location.</p> <pre class="hljs haxe"> <span class="hljs-comment">// A public property for interacting with the LED from code.</span> <span class="hljs-keyword">public</span> eLedState LedState { <span class="hljs-keyword">get</span> { <span class="hljs-keyword">return</span> _LedState; } <span class="hljs-keyword">set</span> { Debug.WriteLine(<span class="hljs-string">"InternetLed::LedState::set "</span> + value.ToString()); <span class="hljs-keyword">if</span> (LedControlGPIOPin != <span class="hljs-literal">null</span>) { GpioPinValue <span class="hljs-keyword">new</span><span class="hljs-type">Value</span> = (value == eLedState.On ? GpioPinValue.High : <span class="hljs-type">GpioPinValue</span>.Low); LedControlGPIOPin.Write(<span class="hljs-keyword">new</span><span class="hljs-type">Value</span>); _LedState = value; } } } </pre> <p>Blink method</p> <p>Add a method that handles changing the led state.</p> <pre class="hljs cmake"> // Change the state of the led from <span class="hljs-keyword">on</span> to <span class="hljs-keyword">off</span> <span class="hljs-keyword">or</span> <span class="hljs-keyword">off</span> to <span class="hljs-keyword">on</span> public void Blink() { <span class="hljs-keyword">if</span> (LedState == eLedState.<span class="hljs-keyword">On</span>) { LedState = eLedState.<span class="hljs-keyword">Off</span>; } <span class="hljs-keyword">else</span> { LedState = eLedState.<span class="hljs-keyword">On</span>; } } </pre> <p><b>GetBlinkDelayFromWeb method</b></p> <p>This is where the main work of the class gets done.</p> <p>Start out by setting up a HttpClient call and then execute it. Then output the returned string to the debug channel so you can see it.</p> <p>Next, we determine what the value of the delay is and return it.</p> <pre class="hljs arduino"> <span class="hljs-comment">// This will call an exposed web API at the indicated URL</span> <span class="hljs-comment">// the API will return a string value to use as the blink delay.</span> <span class="hljs-keyword">const</span> <span class="hljs-keyword">string</span> WebAPIURL = <span class="hljs-string">"http://bit.ly/2fv4rjw"</span>; <span class="hljs-keyword">public</span> async <span class="hljs-built_in">Task</span><<span class="hljs-keyword">int</span>> GetBlinkDelayFromWeb() { Debug.WriteLine(<span class="hljs-string">"InternetLed::MakeWebApiCall"</span>); <span class="hljs-keyword">string</span> responseString = <span class="hljs-string">"No response"</span>; <span class="hljs-built_in">try</span> { <span class="hljs-keyword">using</span> (<span class="hljs-built_in">HttpClient</span> client = <span class="hljs-keyword">new</span> <span class="hljs-built_in">HttpClient</span>()) { <span class="hljs-comment">// Make the call</span> responseString = await client.GetStringAsync(WebAPIURL); <span class="hljs-comment">// Let us know what the returned string was</span> Debug.WriteLine(<span class="hljs-keyword">String</span>.Format(<span class="hljs-string">"Response string: [{0}]"</span>, responseString)); } } <span class="hljs-built_in">catch</span> (Exception e) { Debug.WriteLine(e.Message); } <span class="hljs-keyword">int</span> <span class="hljs-built_in">delay</span>; <span class="hljs-built_in">if</span> (!<span class="hljs-keyword">int</span>.TryParse(responseString, out <span class="hljs-built_in">delay</span>)) { <span class="hljs-built_in">delay</span> = DefaultBlinkDelay; } <span class="hljs-comment">// return the blink delay</span> <span class="hljs-built_in">return</span> <span class="hljs-built_in">delay</span>; } } } </pre> <h3 id="toc-try-it-out-2">Try it out</h3> <p>Once all the code is entered you can build the solution and run the code on your Pi2. If needed you can review the instructions on how to connect and run code on PI, revisit <a href="http://bit.ly/2fNawup" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Lesson 1 – Blinky</a>.</p> <p>Open the Output tab of visual studio.  If needed on the main menu use <b>Debug</b> -> <b>Window</b> -> <b>Output</b></p> <p>Now you can watch for the output of the Debug.WriteLine commands.</p> <p>Look for the messages which start with “Response string:”, they will then be followed with the response from the web API surrounded in “[]” brackets.</p> <pre class="hljs cpp"> MainPage::OnNavigatedTo InternetLed::New InternetLed InternetLed::InitalizeLed InternetLed::MakeWebApiCall Response <span class="hljs-built_in">string</span>: [<span class="hljs-number">100</span>] InternetLed::LedState::<span class="hljs-built_in">set</span> Off </pre> <p><b>Blinking LED</b></p> <p>At this point your LED should be blinking on and off about once a second based on the value of the time string being returned from the web 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World Map of Makers

Hardware setup Connect the Raspberry Pi2 to the breadboard and the other components as per the Fritzing diagram at the bottom of the page. ...

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Closed Loop Control, Remote Sensors and Remote UX on RPi3

Closed Loop Control, Remote Sensors and Remote UX on RPi3

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Calibrate a Sensor Automatically (Calibration)

<p>During the first 5 seconds that the <a href="http://ift.tt/25oS3pH" itemprop="url" target="_bank" title="Arduino"><strong>Arduino</strong></a> sketch for this project runs, it will read the value on analog pin A0 which has an LDR connected to it. The highest and lowest values read on A0 will be saved. After the 5 second period, the Arduino will expect to get values between the highest and lowest values that it saved. It has thus been “calibrated” to these values.</p> <p>After calibration, the value on the A0 analog pin will be continually read. The value that is read will be converted to a value between 0 and 255. When the minimum saved (calibrated) value is read, it will be converted to 0. When the maximum saved (calibrated) value is read, it will be converted to 255. Any value between the maximum and minimum calibrated values will be converted to a value between 255 and 0.</p> <p>The converted value is used to change the brightness of the <a href="http://bit.ly/1UhB2tm" itemprop="url" target="_bank" title="LED"><strong>LED</strong></a> connected to Arduino pin 9.</p> <p>As an example: If the values read from A0 during calibration were between 20 and 100, then in the main program when values between 20 and 100 are received, values between 0 and 255 will be output to the LED.</p> <p>Without calibration, the LED will never reach full dimness (0) when the lowest value (20) is read from A0. The LED would also never reach full brightness (255) when the highest value (100) is read from A0.</p> <h2>arts Needed</h2> <ul> <li>1 × LDR (Light Dependent Resistor)</li> <li>1 × LED</li> <li>1 × 10k resistor</li> <li>1 × 220 ohm resistor</li> </ul> <div class="ad_container"> <div class="clr_flt"><strong> Arduino Website Page</strong></div> </div> <div class="ezAdsense adsense adsense-midtext" style="text-align:center;margin:12px;"><script async="" src="//pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js" type="text/javascript"> </script> <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-2979805726071943" data-ad-slot="7471922310" data-ad-format="auto"></ins> <script type="text/javascript"> //<![CDATA[ (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); //]]> </script></div> <p><a class="targetblank" href="http://ift.tt/1k8Gh9B" target="_blank">Calibration</a></p> <h2>In the Arduino IDE</h2> <p>File → Examples → 3.Analog → Calibration</p> <h2>Building the Circuit</h2> <p>The circuit diagram and breadboard connections are shown on the Arduino website <a class="targetblank" href="http://ift.tt/1k8Gh9B" target="_blank">Calibration</a> page. The LED is connected to pin 9 and the LDR to A0.</p> <h2>Programming and Operating the Circuit</h2> <p>In the Arduino IDE, open and upload the Calibration sketch (<strong>File → Examples → 3.Analog → Calibration</strong>).</p> <p>Press the Arduino reset button and then move your <a href="http://ift.tt/2fmk3be" itemprop="url" target="_bank" title="hand"><strong>hand</strong></a> above the LDR so that a minimum value is sampled and saved. Move your <a href="http://ift.tt/2fMYnne" itemprop="url" target="_bank" title="ANIMATRONIC ROBOTIC HAND"><strong>hand</strong></a> away from the LDR so that it receives more <a href="http://bit.ly/1VNpzU4" itemprop="url" target="_bank" title="light"><strong>light</strong></a> and a maximum value is sampled and saved. After calibration, the LED will switch on. 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Calibrate a Sensor Automatically (Calibration)

During the first 5 seconds that the Arduino sketch for this project runs, it will read the value on analog pin A0 which has an LDR connecte...

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Arduino-Powered Temperature Controller

<p>Raise the perfect bread, brew beautiful beer, and rear happy chicks with an <a class="vglnk" href="http://bit.ly/2eNRUWx" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" title="Link added by VigLink">Arduino</a> temperature controller. If you live in a less than reliable climate like England, directions that tell you to keep something at a set temperature aren’t particularly helpful – we don’t have air conditioners, and raising the thermostat for the whole house isn’t practical for just making a loaf of bread. Even kept inside, chicks can die if the temperature drops at night; and getting them to hatch in the first place has an even stricter temperature range. But I need my bread, and the chicks need hatching – so instead of purchasing expensive equipment, we can cobble together a competent temperature controller with an Arduino and household bits.</p> <p>The same is also true for keeping items cool – it can be wasteful to run a whole fridge just to make yoghurt – but with a temperature controller, the principle is the same. Instead of activating a heating element, you’ll be activating the plug on a mini-fridge or other cooling element, like a <a href="http://bit.ly/2fmpQO2" target="_blank">Peltier (thermoelectric cooler)</a> – and of course, the logic will be reversed.</p> <h2>What You Will Need</h2> <p>This is an Arduino project – if you’ve never worked with Arduino before, our <a href="http://bit.ly/2fMYlM8" target="_blank">free beginner’s guide</a> is a fantastic place to start.</p> <ul> <li>Arduino</li> <li>Temperature sensor – I’m using a TMP36, a cheap single package device that comes with the <a href="http://bit.ly/2fmkCSf" target="_blank">Oomlout</a> (UK) / <a href="http://bit.ly/2fMYzTD" target="_blank">Sparkfun</a> (US) beginner’s kit.</li> <li>Relay or RC plug switches</li> <li>Screw terminals</li> <li>Box to trap the heat</li> <li>Heating element or incandescent bulb and fixture (or both)</li> </ul> <p>The last item has been left deliberately vague. If you have an incandescent bulb (the kind that gets hot, not an energy-saving bulb), or a hot lamp for sporting injuries and such, it’s probably the easiest to set up. I’m using a heating band – basically a band of rubber that gets warm when electricity is passed through, used on carboys and kegs for initial fermentation stages in wine or beer making – technically, this can be a fire risk when not wound around something, so <strong>please don’t do this, I’m only using it to test</strong>. You can also buy heating pads for the same purpose.</p> <p class="linked-out">For safety reasons, I’m using <a href="http://bit.ly/2fme4TK" target="_blank">these RC plugs</a> to switch AC devices, with a controller hacked apart detailed in <a href="http://bit.ly/2fMVumg" target="_blank">this home automation article</a>. It’s wireless, so at no point need I actually touch live wires.</p> <p><img alt="adafruit-tmp36" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-275453" height="472" src="http://bit.ly/2fmkmmn" width="500" /></p> <p>With the flat side toward you and legs face down, the TMP36 temperature sensor is wired up <strong>+</strong>, <strong>signal</strong>, <strong>GND</strong> in that order. The + goes to the 3.3 V output from <a class="vglnk" href="http://bit.ly/2eNRUWx" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" title="Link added by VigLink">Arduino</a>; you also need another line going from the +3.3 V to the AREF pin – this tells the Arduino to use 3.3 V for analog input reference instead of 5 V. Connect the signal pin of the sensor to A1. In previous attempts, I had used the TMP36 directly on the 5 V line; it works, bit unfortunately when paired with a relay, there was a power drop whenever the relay was activated, resulting in highly fluctuating readings.</p> <p>I used an old network cable as signal cable – very useful to have around, since there are 8 wires inside. The cable is quite thin though, so be sure to strengthen the other end with solder where it’ll be screwed into a terminal block.</p> <p><img alt="tmp36-sensor-cabling" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-275466" height="428" src="http://bit.ly/2fMVsuP" width="590" /></p> <div class="article-category-feature-advertisement aligncenter"></div> <p>The formula in the code assumes you’re using the tMP36 sensor; you should be able to find a code sample for other sensors. This <a href="http://bit.ly/2fmguSr" target="_blank">sample code is from Adafruit</a> – load it up and open the Serial console to examine the output.</p> <p><img alt="tmp36-testing" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-275452" height="402" src="http://ift.tt/2fMVt1N" width="590" /></p> <p>Compare with a thermometer if possible. Readings not right?</p> <ul> <li>Check the voltage being supplied is actually 3.3 V</li> <li>Is the AREF connected to 3.3 V too?</li> </ul> <h2>Adding in Switch Logic</h2> <p>To control the heating element, I’m using these RC plug sockets from Maplin, and <span class="removed_link" title="http://ift.tt/2fmmx9o">have taken apart the controller</span>. Only the ground and control pin need be connected. I’ve modified the code to include the relevant libraries which you can <a href="http://ift.tt/1dMTe3H" target="_blank">download from here</a>.</p> <div class="article-category-feature-advertisement aligncenter"></div> <p><img alt="rc-switches" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-275472" height="393" src="http://ift.tt/2fmnr66" width="590" /></p> <p>At this point, I’m also going to remove all references to Farenheit and continue working with Celsius only. I’ve then defined a desired temperature to maintain, and added in a simple control structure like so:</p> <pre class=" language-c"> <code class=" language-c"><span class="token keyword">if</span><span class="token punctuation">(</span>temperatureC <span class="token operator"><</span> desiredTempC<span class="token punctuation">)</span><span class="token punctuation">{</span> mySwitch<span class="token punctuation">.</span><span class="token function">switchOn</span><span class="token punctuation">(</span><span class="token number">1</span><span class="token punctuation">,</span><span class="token number">1</span><span class="token punctuation">)</span><span class="token punctuation">;</span> Serial<span class="token punctuation">.</span><span class="token function">println</span><span class="token punctuation">(</span><span class="token string">"Heater ON"</span><span class="token punctuation">)</span><span class="token punctuation">;</span> <span class="token punctuation">}</span> <span class="token keyword">else</span><span class="token punctuation">{</span> Serial<span class="token punctuation">.</span><span class="token function">println</span><span class="token punctuation">(</span><span class="token string">"Heater OFF"</span><span class="token punctuation">)</span><span class="token punctuation">;</span> mySwitch<span class="token punctuation">.</span><span class="token function">switchOff</span><span class="token punctuation">(</span><span class="token number">1</span><span class="token punctuation">,</span><span class="token number">1</span><span class="token punctuation">)</span><span class="token punctuation">;</span> <span class="token punctuation">}</span> </code> </pre> <p>There’s nothing complex here that you won’t understand – just comparing the current temperature reading to the desired one, and turning on the switch if it’s lower; otherwise, turn it off.</p> <p>The complete code can be <a href="http://ift.tt/2fMVsLa" target="_blank">found here</a>, though you will need to adjust this if you’re using a relay (it’s not hard). Here’s the complete wiring diagram I used:</p> <p><img alt="wiring" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-275456" height="590" src="http://ift.tt/2fmnsHd" width="477" /></p> <h2>Putting It All Together</h2> <p>Tape the sensor inside the box you’re using, and place the heating element wherever is appropriate. Set the desired temperature, and turn it all on. If you keep your PC connected for now, you can use the Serial console to observe changes as your box heats up.</p> <p><img alt="temperature-controller-box" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-275468" height="393" src="http://ift.tt/2fMX9bK" width="590" /></p> <h2>Further Work</h2> <ul> <li>To lessen the impact of any temperature fluctuations, you can try smoothing the results. Create an array to store 10 readings, and calculate an average on each loop.</li> <li>To avoid rapid activation and deactivation of the heating element, create a variable to store a countdown. Each time you activate or deactivate, record the current time in the countdown, then before switching the state again check to see if X amount of time has elapsed since the last state change.</li> <li>For a computer-less project, hook up a small <a href="http://ift.tt/22InUQ2" itemprop="url" target="_bank" title="LCD"><strong>LCD</strong></a> screen to display current temperature and allow you to see the current and desired temperature.</li> </ul> <h2>Putting It To The Test</h2> <p>Finally, what would this project be without a little test? I whipped up a batch of ready-mixed dough in the bread machine and split it into two loaves. The one leavened inside the box was mildy bigger, but then the ambient air temperature today is about 26 degrees Celsius anyway – this would be much more useful in winter. Regardless, I better go make some soup to accompany this lovely bread.</p> <p><img alt="bread-test" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-275502" height="393" src="http://ift.tt/2fMWC9N" width="590" /></p> <p>So, what would you make that requires a constant temperature?</p> <div id="huge-it-share-buttons-top" class="huge-it-share-buttons nobackground"> <h3>Share This:</h3> <ul class="huge-it-share-buttons-list"> <li class=" nobackground"><a href="http://bit.ly/1XReO0c" id="backforunical884" name="backforunical884" onclick="javascript:void window.open('http://bit.ly/1XReO0c','1410949501326','width=700,height=500,toolbar=0,menubar=0,location=0,status=1,scrollbars=1,resizable=1,left=0,top=0');return false;" style="background-position: -0px -120px" target="_blank"></a></li> <li class=" nobackground"><a href="https://twitter.com/share?status=http://yoursmart.mobi/feed&text=Arduino-Powered%20Temperature%20Controller" id="backforunical884" name="backforunical884" onclick="javascript:void 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false;" style="background-position: -360px -120px" target="_blank"></a></li> <li class="none nobackground"><a href="http://bit.ly/1VNpzTX" id="backforunical884" name="backforunical884" onclick="javascript:void window.open('http://bit.ly/1VNpzTX','1410949501326','width=700,height=500,toolbar=0,menubar=0,location=0,status=1,scrollbars=1,resizable=1,left=0,top=0');return false;" style="background-position: -390px -120px" target="_blank"></a></li> <li class="none nobackground"><a href="http://bit.ly/2fmkpOY%20Temperature%20Controller" id="backforunical884" name="backforunical884" onclick="javascript:void window.open('http://bit.ly/2fmkpOY Temperature Controller','1410949501326','width=700,height=500,toolbar=0,menubar=0,location=0,status=1,scrollbars=1,resizable=1,left=0,top=0');return false;" style="background-position: -420px -120px" target="_blank"></a></li> <li class="none nobackground"><a href="http://bit.ly/2fMSYN8%20Temperature%20Controller&pic=&ralateUid=&" id="backforunical884" name="backforunical884" onclick="javascript:void window.open('http://bit.ly/2fMSYN8 Temperature Controller&pic=&ralateUid=&','1410949501326','width=700,height=500,toolbar=0,menubar=0,location=0,status=1,scrollbars=1,resizable=1,left=0,top=0');return false;" style="background-position: -450px -120px" target="_blank"></a></li> <li class="none nobackground"><a href="http://bit.ly/2fmkodS%20Temperature%20Controller" id="backforunical884" name="backforunical884" onclick="javascript:void window.open('http://bit.ly/2fmkodS Temperature Controller','1410949501326','width=700,height=500,toolbar=0,menubar=0,location=0,status=1,scrollbars=1,resizable=1,left=0,top=0');return false;" style="background-position: -480px -120px" target="_blank"></a></li> <li class="none nobackground"><a href="http://bit.ly/2fMYEqe%20Temperature%20Controller" id="backforunical884" name="backforunical884" onclick="javascript:void window.open('http://bit.ly/2fMYEqe Temperature Controller','1410949501326','width=700,height=500,toolbar=0,menubar=0,location=0,status=1,scrollbars=1,resizable=1,left=0,top=0');return false;" style="background-position: -510px -120px" target="_blank"></a></li> </ul> <div class="clear"></div> </div> View more at: <a href="http://bit.ly/1XReQFr">http://bit.ly/1XReQFr</a>

Arduino-Powered Temperature Controller

Raise the perfect bread, brew beautiful beer, and rear happy chicks with an Arduino temperature controller. If you live in a less than reli...

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Make Your Own Ambilight for $60

<h2>Step 1: Demo</h2> <p>First, a demo of what we’re making. In case you’re curious, the video playing is <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5RdMvgk8b0" target="_blank">Electric Sheep</a>, a 3-hour long psy-trance trip – it’s a perfect match to demonstrate the Ambilight. Of course, not all video is going to produce the same pleasing results – many movies are just too murky, or are presented in cinema format resulting in black bars (and consequently, no colour data). I found the best results with the bright, vivid colours in most animations, as well as action movies with elaborate CG effects.</p> <p>At the moment, it only works with some signal processing on the computer side – so it’s great for things like VLC, Popcorn Time, Kodi (formerly known as XBMC), or PC gaming. Unfortunately, processing generic HDMI input is more difficult – at the very least, we would need an HDMI splitter, and some kind of converter to a more readable analog format. I’ll leave that for a future project – for now, this only works with a computer.</p> <h2>Step 2: You Will Need</h2> <p><img alt="" src="http://bit.ly/2fMTGd8" title="" /></p> <p>The parts list is short – no complex electronics here:</p> <ul> <li>Arduino Uno</li> <li>10A 5V power supply</li> <li><a href="http://bit.ly/2fmk1A8" target="_blank">WS2812B 5-meter LED strip</a></li> <li>Double sided tape (don’t make the same mistake I did – use good quality 3M stuff)</li> <li><a href="http://bit.ly/2fN1AmT" target="_blank">Processing</a> installed</li> </ul> <p class="linked-out">The main part of this ambilight clone is a string of individually addressable WS2812B LEDs. Each LED has it’s own chipset and single line is used for communication.  I bought mine from <a class="vglnk" href="http://bit.ly/2fmhpSY" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" title="Link added by VigLink">Aliexpress</a> for $52 including shipping – that was for a 5-meter reel (150 LEDs), which is more than enough for the largest of TVs – and a lot cheaper per LED than the $50 string that <a href="http://bit.ly/2fN3x2t" target="_blank">Adafruit sells</a>. A standalone 5V/10A power supply can be bought for <a href="http://bit.ly/2fmmgDv" target="_blank">around $10</a>, but I used an old ATX power supply that I’d <a href="http://bit.ly/2fN1bRe" target="_blank">previously converted into a bench supply</a>. If you have a huge TV and are planning to join multiple strips because 5 meters isn’t enough, be sure to work out your exact power requirements at 60mA per LED.<span class="link-callout visible"><span class="link-callout-image"><span class="link-callout-image-container"><a href="http://bit.ly/2fN1bRe" target="_blank">How to Make a Bench Power Supply From An Old ATX PSU</a></span></span> <span class="link-callout-info"><span class="link-callout-title"><a href="http://bit.ly/2fN1bRe" target="_blank">How to Make a Bench Power Supply From An Old ATX PSU</a></span><span class="link-callout-excerpt">If you have an old computer ATX PSU lying around, you can give it new life as a bench power supply. Here’s how.</span><a class="link-callout-link" href="http://bit.ly/2fN1bRe" target="_blank">READ MORE</a></span></span></p> <h2>Step 3: Wiring</h2> <p><img alt="" src="http://bit.ly/2fmmf2p" title="" /></p> <p class="linked-out">Let’s test the lights first to ensure the power supply is sufficient and the basic communication is working. Connect pin 6 from the <a class="vglnk" href="http://bit.ly/2eNRUWx" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" title="Link added by VigLink">Arduino</a> to the DIN on the LED strip – your strip should have a breakout lead on one end, so use a male-female jumper wire. Also connect the GND pin from theArduino to GND on the strip. <strong>Do not attempt to provide power to the strip by the 5V pin on the Arduino</strong>. You will fry the Arduino, very quickly. Instead, use an external 5V power supply. A desktop PSU will happily power the full 5-meter strip for testing (assuming you’ve followed our <a href="http://bit.ly/2fN1bRe" target="_blank" title="How to Make a Bench Power Supply From An Old ATX PSU">bench supply conversion guide</a>). Calculate at 60mA per LED; so in my case, 114 LEDs at 60mA is just under 7A. If you’re thinking, <em>“7 amps sounds like an awful lot!”</em>, it’s because this runs at 5 volts – 7 amps at 240 volts would be a lot more!<span class="link-callout visible"><span class="link-callout-image"><span class="link-callout-image-container"><a href="http://bit.ly/2fN1bRe" target="_blank">How to Make a Bench Power Supply From An Old ATX PSU</a></span></span> <span class="link-callout-info"><span class="link-callout-title"><a href="http://bit.ly/2fN1bRe" target="_blank">How to Make a Bench Power Supply From An Old ATX PSU</a></span><span class="link-callout-excerpt">If you have an old computer ATX PSU lying around, you can give it new life as a bench power supply. Here’s how.</span><a class="link-callout-link" href="http://bit.ly/2fN1bRe" target="_blank">READ MORE</a></span></span></p> <div class="article-category-feature-advertisement aligncenter"> <div id="div-gpt-ad-1460459119381-1" class="adslot"> <div id="google_ads_iframe_/1065821/Mobile_in-content_300x250_01_0__container__"></div> </div> </div> <p>Note that these strips have a specific direction in which the signal must flow, indicated by arrows. If you’re connecting multiple strips, you may also need to re-inject the power midway to avoid voltage drop – I found this was unnecessary with just 5 meters though.</p> <h2>Step 4: Load the Arduino code and Test</h2> <p><img alt="" src="http://bit.ly/2fMWB5J" title="" /></p> <p>There’s both an <a class="vglnk" href="http://bit.ly/2eNRUWx" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" title="Link added by VigLink">Arduino</a> and Processing part to the project. First ensure you’ve added <a href="http://fastled.io/" target="_blank">FastLED</a> to your <a href="http://bit.ly/2fmlt5z" target="_blank">Arduino libraries directory</a>, then <a href="http://bit.ly/2fN0JT7" target="_blank">download this code</a>. Modify line 7 for the number of LEDs you have; and if you find the colour profile is broken, modify line 47. For the strip I purchased, it’s using chipset WS2812B and colour order of “GRB”. See the <a href="http://bit.ly/2fmjZZ2" target="_blank">FastLED documentation</a> on how to calibrate to your strip – but the default should be fine if you bought the same LEDs.</p> <p>Lastly, you need the Processing components from the <a href="http://bit.ly/2fMWDdR" target="_blank">Adafruit project code</a>. For testing, open up <strong>Colorswirl.pde</strong>. Again, modify the number of LEDs on line 29; and the serial device on line 44. IfArduino is the only COM device plugged in, <strong>Serial.list()[0]</strong> is fine. If not, try <strong>Serial.list()[1]</strong>. Run the app and with any luck, your strips will show a beautiful swirl of colours.</p> <p>Note that you’re not limited to Processing – anything which is compatible with the Adalight (such as <a href="http://lightpack.tv/" target="_blank">Prismatik</a>) can also be configured to work with this – but we’ll only be covering the setup procedure for Adalight in this tutorial.</p> <h2>Step 5: Measure and Cut To Size</h2> <p><img alt="" src="http://bit.ly/2fmlO8r" title="" /></p> <p>Pull your TV off the wall or turn it around, and measure up. I’m assuming you’ll be sticking the strips directly to the TV, but if that’s not the case you’ll need to build a frame. Try to ensure you get a pixel directly in each corner, but otherwise this step should be easy. Go ahead and cut the strip into shorter lengths – cut only between the copper pads where the dashed line indicates; and apply 3M double-sided sticky tape to each length. Don’t use cheap, generic tape like I did – it just won’t stick.</p> <p>If you need to leave a gap at the bottom due to a TV stand, do so, but make sure your strip starts on either side of that and not in the corner – you can configure those missing pixels later in the software side of things.</p> <h2>Step 6: Trim the Plastic</h2> <p><img alt="" src="http://bit.ly/2fMYDCU" title="" /><br /> If your strip is contained within an outer waterproof plastic case, trim this away.</p> <p>Carefully apply a little solder to each copper pad before you affix this to the TV – it’ll make joining the pieces a lot easier later on.</p> <h2>Step 7: Attach to Your TV and Join</h2> <p><img alt="" src="http://bit.ly/2fmnqiy" title="" /><br /> Go ahead and stick the strips to the back of your TV, remembering that each strip has a <strong>direction</strong>that the signal must follow. It doesn’t matter which corner or which side of the TV stand you start from.</p> <p>To join the corners, simply connect each of the 3 pads to their counterpart in the next strip. Again, applying a little solder to the wires before you attempt to join it to the pads is a lot easier. Leave the final strip as is – don’t connect it back to the start!</p> <h2>Step 8: Test Again</h2> <p><img alt="" src="http://bit.ly/2fMYxet" title="" /></p> <p>Let’s make sure we didn’t mess up the soldering there – load up the color swirl app again and check. Once you’re happy, return your TV to the right position and tidy up the wires. Let’s move on to configuring the software.</p> <h2>Step 9: Configure Adalight</h2> <p><img alt="" src="http://bit.ly/2fmemdr" title="" /></p> <p>The is the most tedious part of the project – each individual LED must be defined in the software. Load up <strong>Adalight.pde</strong> in Processing and first change the variable that defines the number of pixels along the sides and top (ignore any missing ones for now) – this is on line 87. In my case, I used 35 pixels on the top and bottom, and 22 at the sides, so this was defined as <strong>{0,35,22}</strong>.</p> <p>Just underneath this is where you’ll find the “per-LED information” – a long list that defines every single LED around the TV. Each LED is defined as a set of 3 numbers:</p> <ul> <li>Monitor number (I assume 0, but yours might be otherwise)</li> <li>X coordinate – 0 being the left (facing the TV screen)</li> <li>Y coordinate – 0 being the top (facing the TV screen)</li> </ul> <p>Thankfully, one of our incredible readers – James Rankin – has developed a <a href="http://bit.ly/2fMYH5o" target="_blank">useful online utility</a>which does the hard work for you. Just enter the size of your matrix and the start position, then copy/paste the generated matrix definition into the Adalight Processing app. He’s also posted a <a href="http://bit.ly/2fmmM4G" target="_blank">quick fix for dealing with widescreen movies</a>, where the Processing code would normally evaluate the black bars at the top and bottom of the screen to mean display no lighting effect. Thanks James!</p> <p>If you get errors when compiling, it means you’ve missed a comma somewhere or have too many curly braces – double check your code.</p> <h2>Step 10 Sit Back, Watch a Movie!</h2> <p><img alt="" src="http://bit.ly/2fN0HKZ" title="" /></p> <p>Run the code and launch a movie with your favourite software – the debug console of Processing tells me my computer manages a good 15 frames per second (that’s the refresh rate of the LEDs, not the video playback) – any modern computer should be able to handle that. There’s a few more variables you can adjust such as minimum brightness and the fade delay between refreshes – as ever, you’re encouraged to read through the code, understand it, and modify.</p> <p>Congratulations, you now have an awesome DIY Ambilight system for $60 (and some LEDs left over, probably). Questions or problems – get in touch in the comments and I’ll do my best to help. Also tell us – what would you like to make with the remaining LEDs?</p> <div id="huge-it-share-buttons-top" class="huge-it-share-buttons nobackground"> <h3>Share This:</h3> <ul class="huge-it-share-buttons-list"> <li class=" nobackground"><a href="http://bit.ly/1XReO0c" id="backforunical881" name="backforunical881" onclick="javascript:void window.open('http://bit.ly/1XReO0c','1410949501326','width=700,height=500,toolbar=0,menubar=0,location=0,status=1,scrollbars=1,resizable=1,left=0,top=0');return false;" style="background-position: -0px -120px" target="_blank"></a></li> <li class=" nobackground"><a href="https://twitter.com/share?status=http://yoursmart.mobi/feed&text=Make%20Your%20Own%20Ambilight%20for%20$60" id="backforunical881" name="backforunical881" onclick="javascript:void window.open('https://twitter.com/share?status=http://yoursmart.mobi/feed&text=Make Your Own Ambilight for 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Make Your Own Ambilight for $60

Step 1: Demo First, a demo of what we’re making. In case you’re curious, the video playing is Electric Sheep , a 3-hour long psy-trance tri...

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Pulsating LED Cube

Pulsating LED Cube

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Arduino-Powered Laser Turret

<p>Are you bored? Might as well build a laser turret. You know – one that goes <em>pew pew</em>, shoots a red beam in lots of different directions, and maybe even throw in a smoke machine? Yep, one of them.</p> <h2>What You Will Need</h2> <ul> <li>Arduino</li> <li>2 servos</li> <li>Laser module, such as one from <a href="http://bit.ly/2fmkjqH" target="_blank">this sensor kit</a></li> <li>Piezo buzzer or other small output device</li> <li>Metal wire and cable ties for fixing</li> <li>Long female->male jump cables, plus regular jump cables</li> </ul> <p>Optionally, a smoke machine is needed – the laser is pretty low wattage, so you won’t be able to see the beam without smoke even in a dark room.</p> <p><img alt="components" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-299794" height="427" src="http://bit.ly/2fMUwXf" width="640" /></p> <h2>Build Plan</h2> <p>The basic idea of the turret is to put the laser module on top of one servo to provide horizontal rotation; then mount that package onto another servo placed at a 90 degree angle to provide vertical movement. We’ve got a piezo to provide the <em>pew pew</em> sound effects, and I’m throwing in a smoke machine for good measure.</p> <h2>Servo Testing</h2> <p>Depending on your servo, the wires may be coloured differently, but in general:</p> <ul> <li>Red is the positive wire, and on both my servos it was the centre of three – to be connected to +5v rail.</li> <li>Brown or black is the negative, to be connected to GND on the Arduino.</li> <li>White or orange is the signal wire, to be connected to a PWM capable digital I/O pin (9 and 10 in the demo below).</li> </ul> <p>Once you’ve wired up your two servos, upload the following sample code. I’ve named one servo “hori” to control the horizontal movement, and the other “vert”. Each should perform a full range of motion sweep (about 60 degrees, in my case).</p> <pre class=" language-c"> <code class=" language-c"><span class="token macro property">#<span class="token directive keyword">include</span> <span class="token string"><servo.h></span></span> Servo vert<span class="token punctuation">,</span>hori<span class="token punctuation">;</span> <span class="token comment">// create servo object to control a servo</span> <span class="token comment">// a maximum of eight servo objects can be created </span> <span class="token keyword">int</span> pos <span class="token operator">=</span> <span class="token number">0</span><span class="token punctuation">;</span> <span class="token comment">// variable to store the servo position</span> <span class="token keyword">void</span> <span class="token function">setup</span><span class="token punctuation">(</span><span class="token punctuation">)</span> <span class="token punctuation">{</span> hori<span class="token punctuation">.</span><span class="token function">attach</span><span class="token punctuation">(</span><span class="token number">9</span><span class="token punctuation">)</span><span class="token punctuation">;</span> vert<span class="token punctuation">.</span><span class="token function">attach</span><span class="token punctuation">(</span><span class="token number">10</span><span class="token punctuation">)</span><span class="token punctuation">;</span> <span class="token comment">// attaches the servo on pin 9,10 to the servo objects</span> vert<span class="token punctuation">.</span><span class="token function">write</span><span class="token punctuation">(</span><span class="token number">0</span><span class="token punctuation">)</span><span class="token punctuation">;</span> hori<span class="token punctuation">.</span><span class="token function">write</span><span class="token punctuation">(</span><span class="token number">0</span><span class="token punctuation">)</span><span class="token punctuation">;</span> <span class="token punctuation">}</span> <span class="token keyword">void</span> <span class="token function">loop</span><span class="token punctuation">(</span><span class="token punctuation">)</span> <span class="token punctuation">{</span> <span class="token keyword">for</span><span class="token punctuation">(</span>pos <span class="token operator">=</span> <span class="token number">0</span><span class="token punctuation">;</span> pos <span class="token operator"><</span> <span class="token number">180</span><span class="token punctuation">;</span> pos <span class="token operator">+</span><span class="token operator">=</span> <span class="token number">10</span><span class="token punctuation">)</span> <span class="token comment">// goes from 0 degrees to 180 degrees </span> <span class="token punctuation">{</span> <span class="token comment">// in steps of 10 degrees </span> vert<span class="token punctuation">.</span><span class="token function">write</span><span class="token punctuation">(</span>pos<span class="token punctuation">)</span><span class="token punctuation">;</span> hori<span class="token punctuation">.</span><span class="token function">write</span><span class="token punctuation">(</span>pos<span class="token punctuation">)</span><span class="token punctuation">;</span> <span class="token comment">// tell servo to go to position in variable 'pos' </span> <span class="token function">delay</span><span class="token punctuation">(</span><span class="token number">100</span><span class="token punctuation">)</span><span class="token punctuation">;</span> <span class="token comment">// waits 100ms for the servo to reach the position </span> <span class="token punctuation">}</span> <span class="token keyword">for</span><span class="token punctuation">(</span>pos <span class="token operator">=</span> <span class="token number">180</span><span class="token punctuation">;</span> pos<span class="token operator">>=</span><span class="token number">1</span><span class="token punctuation">;</span> pos<span class="token operator">-</span><span class="token operator">=</span><span class="token number">10</span><span class="token punctuation">)</span> <span class="token comment">// goes back from 180 degrees to 0 degrees</span> <span class="token punctuation">{</span> vert<span class="token punctuation">.</span><span class="token function">write</span><span class="token punctuation">(</span>pos<span class="token punctuation">)</span><span class="token punctuation">;</span> <span class="token comment">// tell servo to go to position in variable 'pos'</span> hori<span class="token punctuation">.</span><span class="token function">write</span><span class="token punctuation">(</span>pos<span class="token punctuation">)</span><span class="token punctuation">;</span> <span class="token function">delay</span><span class="token punctuation">(</span><span class="token number">100</span><span class="token punctuation">)</span><span class="token punctuation">;</span> <span class="token comment">// waits 100ms for the servo to reach the position</span> <span class="token punctuation">}</span> <span class="token punctuation">}</span> </code> </pre> <p>All good? Moving on then.</p> <h2>Testing the Laser and <em>Pew Pew</em> Sound</h2> <p>The laser module is just like an LED, but it has a resistor built into the module so we can hook it up directly to a digital I/O – very simple. If you’re using the same laser module as me, the “<strong>–</strong>” goes to <strong>GND</strong>, the <strong>S</strong> goes to pin 12. Modify the sample code above to make pin 12 an output:</p> <pre class=" language-c"> <code class=" language-c"><span class="token keyword">int</span> laser <span class="token operator">=</span> <span class="token number">12</span><span class="token punctuation">;</span> <span class="token function">pinMode</span><span class="token punctuation">(</span>laser<span class="token punctuation">,</span>OUTPUT<span class="token punctuation">)</span><span class="token punctuation">;</span> </code> </pre> <p>Then blink the pin on and off each loop using standard <strong>digitalWrite()</strong> method.</p> <p>We’ll just use PWM to drive the piezo buzzer at a comfortable sound level – you could experiment with using the tone library if you wanted, but a simple noise is all I need. Connect the black wire to ground and the red wire to pin 11. Define your <strong>buzzer</strong> on the relevant pin, set to output mode, and activate using <strong>analogWrite(buzzer, 100)</strong> (or any number you want up to 254); and <strong>analogWrite(buzzer,0)</strong> to turn off.</p> <div class="article-category-feature-advertisement aligncenter"></div> <p>The full sample code modified to sweep two servo, activate a laser, and play the annoying sound, <a href="http://bit.ly/2fmkanm" target="_blank">can be found here</a>.</p> <p>All your components should be working – now we need to tie it all together.</p> <h2>Creating the Turret</h2> <p>Using cable ties, attach one servo to the other; it doesn’t really matter which, just make sure one will move on the horizontal and the other will move the vertical. You can pull off the rotor blade and re-seat during testing if the angle isn’t right.</p> <p><img alt="servos" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-299778" height="460" src="http://bit.ly/2fMVi6z" width="640" /></p> <div class="article-category-feature-advertisement aligncenter"></div> <p>Use some stiff modelling wire to fix the laser module to the blade of the other servo, like so:</p> <p><img alt="wire-for-laser-module" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-299779" height="418" src="http://bit.ly/2fmkAd5" width="640" /></p> <p>Finally, I attached the whole thing to a desk leg with yet more cable-ties and a bit of scrap wood.</p> <p><img alt="attach-turret-to-table" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-299780" height="406" src="http://bit.ly/2fN0UOm" width="640" /></p> <h2>Programming the Turret</h2> <p>I don’t know about you, but my idea of a laser turret comes from countless numbers of sci-fi films and star trek episodes. Invariably someone will fly past a turret and little <em>pew-pew</em> shots will come flying out in a sweeping pattern, always milliseconds too slow so our protagonist doesn’t actually get hit. That’s what I’m trying to replicate, though feel free to tweak the main routine to suit your idea of what a turret should do.</p> <p>Here’s the pseudo code I ended up using for the main loop:</p> <ul> <li>Randomize time between bursts, and time between each individual shot.</li> <li>Randomize the start and end position for each servo, vert and hori.</li> <li>Randomize the number of shots to take.</li> <li>Work out the number of degrees of change after each shot as the difference between start and end positions divided by number of shots.</li> <li>Move the servos to the starting positions, and wait a little for them to get there (100ms)</li> <li>Loop until all shots have been taken, each time moving the servos a little as previously calculated; move and shoot, move and shoot.</li> <li>Repeat.</li> </ul> <p>I also added a separate <strong>fire()</strong> method to structure the code a little better. Adjust the ranges of all <strong>random()</strong> functions to speed up or slow down each parameter; or increase the number of shots for a more dance club vibe. Scroll down for a video of the code in action!</p> <pre class=" language-c"> <code class=" language-c"><span class="token macro property">#<span class="token directive keyword">include</span> <span class="token string"><servo.h></span></span> Servo vert<span class="token punctuation">,</span>hori<span class="token punctuation">;</span> <span class="token comment">// create servo object to control a servo</span> <span class="token keyword">int</span> pos <span class="token operator">=</span> <span class="token number">0</span><span class="token punctuation">;</span> <span class="token comment">// variable to store the servo position</span> <span class="token keyword">int</span> laser <span class="token operator">=</span> <span class="token number">12</span><span class="token punctuation">;</span> <span class="token keyword">int</span> buzzer <span class="token operator">=</span> <span class="token number">11</span><span class="token punctuation">;</span> <span class="token keyword">void</span> <span class="token function">setup</span><span class="token punctuation">(</span><span class="token punctuation">)</span> <span class="token punctuation">{</span> hori<span class="token punctuation">.</span><span class="token function">attach</span><span class="token punctuation">(</span><span class="token number">9</span><span class="token punctuation">)</span><span class="token punctuation">;</span> vert<span class="token punctuation">.</span><span class="token function">attach</span><span class="token punctuation">(</span><span class="token number">10</span><span class="token punctuation">)</span><span class="token punctuation">;</span> <span class="token comment">// attaches the servo on pin 9 to the servo object</span> <span class="token function">pinMode</span><span class="token punctuation">(</span>laser<span class="token punctuation">,</span>OUTPUT<span class="token punctuation">)</span><span class="token punctuation">;</span> <span class="token function">pinMode</span><span class="token punctuation">(</span>buzzer<span class="token punctuation">,</span>OUTPUT<span class="token punctuation">)</span><span class="token punctuation">;</span> <span class="token punctuation">}</span> <span class="token keyword">void</span> <span class="token function">loop</span><span class="token punctuation">(</span><span class="token punctuation">)</span> <span class="token punctuation">{</span> <span class="token keyword">int</span> timeBetweenBursts <span class="token operator">=</span> <span class="token function">random</span><span class="token punctuation">(</span><span class="token number">200</span><span class="token punctuation">,</span><span class="token number">1000</span><span class="token punctuation">)</span><span class="token punctuation">;</span> <span class="token keyword">int</span> timeBetweenShots <span class="token operator">=</span> <span class="token function">random</span><span class="token punctuation">(</span><span class="token number">50</span><span class="token punctuation">,</span><span class="token number">200</span><span class="token punctuation">)</span><span class="token punctuation">;</span> <span class="token keyword">int</span> vertStart <span class="token operator">=</span> <span class="token function">random</span><span class="token punctuation">(</span><span class="token number">1</span><span class="token punctuation">,</span><span class="token number">180</span><span class="token punctuation">)</span><span class="token punctuation">;</span> <span class="token keyword">int</span> vertEnd <span class="token operator">=</span> <span class="token function">random</span><span class="token punctuation">(</span><span class="token number">1</span><span class="token punctuation">,</span><span class="token number">180</span><span class="token punctuation">)</span><span class="token punctuation">;</span> <span class="token keyword">int</span> horiStart <span class="token operator">=</span> <span class="token function">random</span><span class="token punctuation">(</span><span class="token number">1</span><span class="token punctuation">,</span><span class="token number">180</span><span class="token punctuation">)</span><span class="token punctuation">;</span> <span class="token keyword">int</span> horiEnd <span class="token operator">=</span> <span class="token function">random</span><span class="token punctuation">(</span><span class="token number">1</span><span class="token punctuation">,</span><span class="token number">180</span><span class="token punctuation">)</span><span class="token punctuation">;</span> <span class="token keyword">int</span> numShots <span class="token operator">=</span> <span class="token function">random</span><span class="token punctuation">(</span><span class="token number">5</span><span class="token punctuation">,</span><span class="token number">20</span><span class="token punctuation">)</span><span class="token punctuation">;</span> <span class="token keyword">int</span> vertChange <span class="token operator">=</span> <span class="token punctuation">(</span>vertEnd <span class="token operator">-</span> vertStart<span class="token punctuation">)</span> <span class="token operator">/</span> numShots<span class="token punctuation">;</span> <span class="token comment">//how much to move vertical axis by each shot</span> <span class="token keyword">int</span> horiChange <span class="token operator">=</span> <span class="token punctuation">(</span>horiEnd <span class="token operator">-</span> horiStart<span class="token punctuation">)</span> <span class="token operator">/</span> numShots<span class="token punctuation">;</span> vert<span class="token punctuation">.</span><span class="token function">write</span><span class="token punctuation">(</span>vertStart<span class="token punctuation">)</span><span class="token punctuation">;</span><span class="token comment">//let it get to start position first, wait a little</span> hori<span class="token punctuation">.</span><span class="token function">write</span><span class="token punctuation">(</span>horiStart<span class="token punctuation">)</span><span class="token punctuation">;</span> <span class="token function">delay</span><span class="token punctuation">(</span><span class="token number">100</span><span class="token punctuation">)</span><span class="token punctuation">;</span> <span class="token keyword">for</span><span class="token punctuation">(</span><span class="token keyword">int</span> shot <span class="token operator">=</span> <span class="token number">0</span><span class="token punctuation">;</span> shot<span class="token operator"><</span>numShots<span class="token punctuation">;</span> shot<span class="token operator">++</span><span class="token punctuation">)</span><span class="token punctuation">{</span> vert<span class="token punctuation">.</span><span class="token function">write</span><span class="token punctuation">(</span>vertStart<span class="token punctuation">)</span><span class="token punctuation">;</span> hori<span class="token punctuation">.</span><span class="token function">write</span><span class="token punctuation">(</span>horiStart<span class="token punctuation">)</span><span class="token punctuation">;</span> vertStart <span class="token operator">+</span><span class="token operator">=</span> vertChange<span class="token punctuation">;</span><span class="token comment">//increment the vert value for next time</span> horiStart <span class="token operator">+</span><span class="token operator">=</span> horiChange<span class="token punctuation">;</span> <span class="token function">fire</span><span class="token punctuation">(</span><span class="token punctuation">)</span><span class="token punctuation">;</span> <span class="token function">delay</span><span class="token punctuation">(</span>timeBetweenShots<span class="token punctuation">)</span><span class="token punctuation">;</span> <span class="token comment">//add a bit of variety to the speed of shots</span> <span class="token punctuation">}</span> <span class="token function">delay</span><span class="token punctuation">(</span>timeBetweenBursts<span class="token punctuation">)</span><span class="token punctuation">;</span> <span class="token punctuation">}</span> <span class="token keyword">void</span> <span class="token function">fire</span><span class="token punctuation">(</span><span class="token punctuation">)</span><span class="token punctuation">{</span> <span class="token function">digitalWrite</span><span class="token punctuation">(</span>laser<span class="token punctuation">,</span>HIGH<span class="token punctuation">)</span><span class="token punctuation">;</span> <span class="token function">analogWrite</span><span class="token punctuation">(</span>buzzer<span class="token punctuation">,</span><span class="token number">100</span><span class="token punctuation">)</span><span class="token punctuation">;</span> <span class="token function">delay</span><span class="token punctuation">(</span><span class="token number">20</span><span class="token punctuation">)</span><span class="token punctuation">;</span><span class="token comment">//adjust this to change length of turret shot</span> <span class="token function">digitalWrite</span><span class="token punctuation">(</span>laser<span class="token punctuation">,</span>LOW<span class="token punctuation">)</span><span class="token punctuation">;</span> <span class="token function">analogWrite</span><span class="token punctuation">(</span>buzzer<span class="token punctuation">,</span> <span class="token number">0</span><span class="token punctuation">)</span><span class="token punctuation">;</span> <span class="token punctuation">}</span> </code> </pre> <h2>In Action</h2> <p>I don’t think there’s a practical use for this little toy, but it’s an awful lot of fun and there are a lot of variables you can tweak to get the desired effect. Perhaps it’ll come in handy for a homemade LEGO movie?</p> <div id="huge-it-share-buttons-top" class="huge-it-share-buttons nobackground"> <h3>Share This:</h3> <ul class="huge-it-share-buttons-list"> <li class=" nobackground"><a href="http://bit.ly/1XReO0c" id="backforunical873" name="backforunical873" onclick="javascript:void window.open('http://bit.ly/1XReO0c','1410949501326','width=700,height=500,toolbar=0,menubar=0,location=0,status=1,scrollbars=1,resizable=1,left=0,top=0');return false;" style="background-position: -0px -120px" target="_blank"></a></li> <li class=" nobackground"><a href="https://twitter.com/share?status=http://yoursmart.mobi/feed&text=Arduino-Powered%20Laser%20Turret" id="backforunical873" name="backforunical873" onclick="javascript:void window.open('https://twitter.com/share?status=http://yoursmart.mobi/feed&text=Arduino-Powered Laser 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Arduino-Powered Laser Turret

Are you bored? Might as well build a laser turret. You know – one that goes pew pew , shoots a red beam in lots of different directions, and...

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Re-Create the Arcade Classic “Pong”

<ul> <li><strong>470</strong> ohm resistor <em>x1</em></li> <li><strong>1k</strong> ohm resistor <em>x1</em></li> <li><strong>10k ohm Potentiometer</strong> (<em>twiddly variable resistor)</em> <em>x2</em></li> <li><strong>Arduino</strong> <em>x1</em> (any version)</li> <li><strong>RCA</strong> plug <em>x1</em> (if you have more than one, you can hook up sound too. One for the video is a bare minimum)</li> <li><strong>Pushbutton</strong> switch <em>x1</em></li> <li><strong>10k</strong> ohm resistor <em>x1</em></li> </ul> <p><img alt="arduino pong" class="aligncenter" height="338" src="http://bit.ly/2eNOu6g" width="590" /></p> <p>You’ll also to download the <a href="http://bit.ly/2g5sVTT" target="_blank">TV Out Arduino library from here</a> – get the <em>TVoutBeta1.zip</em>, the latest release. Place the resulting folders all into your <em>/arduino/libraries</em> directory, and restart the <a class="vglnk" href="http://bit.ly/2eNRUWx" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" title="Link added by VigLink">Arduino</a>IDE if it’s open already.</p> <h2>Testing TV Out</h2> <p>Take your RCA plug and strip the outer layer away. Gather up the shielding, twist and put away to one side. This is your ground. In the center should be another cable with plastic shielding – again, strip this away so you have your signal line.</p> <div class="single-post-content rte"> <p><img alt="arduino pong game" class="aligncenter" height="309" src="http://bit.ly/2g5sn0j" width="590" /></p> <p>Solder both the 470 ohm and 1k ohm resistors to the centre signal line of your RCA plug – this provides a sync signal and the actual video signal, combined to produce the analogue video input. The 470 ohm resistor should slot into digital IO pin D07, while the 1k ohm resistor goes to pin D09.</p> <p>These pins are set by the library we import, so you can’t change them. One of your <a class="vglnk" href="http://bit.ly/2eNRUWx" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" title="Link added by VigLink">Arduino</a> GND pins should go to the shielding (outside) of the RCA.</p> <p><img alt="arduino pong game" class="aligncenter" height="286" src="http://bit.ly/2eNGvWV" width="590" /></p> <div class="article-category-feature-advertisement aligncenter"></div> <p>Now you can go ahead and load in an example; although both PAL and NTSC are provided, it shouldn’t really matter with modern digital TVs – the NTSC demo worked fine for me despite being in the UK. Plug into your TV, and should get a lovely retro 3D cube. Oooooh yeah – are you excited yet? I am.</p> <p><img alt="arduino pong game" class="aligncenter" height="393" src="http://bit.ly/2g5p8pw" width="590" /></p> <h2>Test Analogue Potentiometer Inputs</h2> <p>Ok, we’ve got the TV output working, now let’s have a go with the controllers. The wiring of the “pots” is not so critical – each should have 3 pins, and the central one nearly always produces the output signal. Wire that to A0 and A1 (one for each pot). On one of the side pins – it doesn’t matter which – wire up +5V. The other pin on the other side should go to ground.</p> <p>Here I’ve put them both facing each on single breadboard, because I only have short wires. For a polished product, you’ll want to use some old networking cable to give you a bit of distance (so you can actually sit on the sofa to play).</p> <div class="article-category-feature-advertisement aligncenter"></div> <p><img alt="arduino pong project" class="aligncenter" height="397" src="http://bit.ly/2eNRVK5" width="590" /></p> <p>Next, load up one of the <a href="http://bit.ly/2g5vtRI" target="_blank">basic example</a> sketches that come with the <a class="vglnk" href="http://bit.ly/2eNRUWx" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" title="Link added by VigLink">Arduino</a> – the analog input one. This demo will flash the onboard LED faster or slower, depending on the input on A0.</p> <p>It doesn’t test the other A1 pot, but if you’ve got A0 wired up right then I can’t see how you would make a mistake on A1, so let’s assume that’s all good and move on.</p> <h2>Add a Start Switch</h2> <p>Finally, we’ll add a start switch on D02. Refer to the <a href="http://bit.ly/2g5pah8" target="_blank">wiring diagram here</a> for how to do that. This switch will be used to start the game when in the menu.</p> <p><img alt="arduino pong project" class="aligncenter" height="446" src="http://bit.ly/2eNRWh7" width="590" /></p> <h2>The Pong Code</h2> <p>We’re using some code originally written by <em>Lamonica</em>, modified by <em>duboisvb </em>for two players, and updated by myself to use the latest beta version of the TV out library. You can view and download the code <a href="http://bit.ly/2g5rLYl" target="_blank">from this pastebin</a>.</p> <p>It’s quite long but simple code that shouldn’t require any explanation from me. Like most games, it relies upon a game state (menu, in-game, game over), and reads the input values of both controllers and the switch each iteration of the loop. Beyond that are the methods to draw the screen, the ball, the paddles, and the game logic.</p> <p><img alt="arduino pong project" class="aligncenter" height="426" src="http://bit.ly/2eNQQ4U" width="590" /></p> <p>Note that the code includes <strong>audio output</strong> too: I couldn’t find any more RCA plugs to test that, but if you have some, then wire the signal pin directly to D11, and you should get some pleasing retro tones.</p> <p><img alt="arduino pong" class="aligncenter" height="393" src="http://bit.ly/2g5w4mr" width="590" /></p> <p>To be honest, I didn’t know <a class="vglnk" href="http://bit.ly/2eNRUWx" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" title="Link added by VigLink">Arduino</a> could even do TV out without some immensely complex coding; the TV out library makes it really easy. Even if you’re not into retro gaming, using this basic TV out is a great way to utilise existing equipment as a cheap monitor device. You can of course <a href="http://bit.ly/2eNKJOb" target="_blank">output colour</a>, too.</p> <p>Do you think you’ll have a go at Arduino Pong, or perhaps make your own retro videogame remake? 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Re-Create the Arcade Classic “Pong”

470  ohm resistor x1 1k  ohm resistor x1 10k ohm Potentiometer ( twiddly variable resistor) x2 Arduino x1 (any version) RCA plug x...

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