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. Arduino is a tool for making computers that can sense and control more of the physical world than your desktop computer. It's an open-source physical computing platform based on a simple microcontroller board, and a development environment for writing software for the board. Arduino is open source! In addition to the genuine Arduino, resistors, buttons and other goodies, we've also tossed in our best selling Making Things Talk book. This starter kit will help get you started quickly without having to source a lot of parts and do a lot of shopping. Check out the "How To" for some helpful links to provide support and contact with the growing Arduino community. Features Now Shipping With the New Arduino Duemilanove 1x Mini Breadboard 1x 3 ft. USB Cable 10x 1K Resistors 2x 10k Resistors 3x Red LEDs 2x Green LEDs 1X Superbright Blue LED 1x Momentary Tactile Switch 2x Interlink Force Sensing Resistors 1x Protoshield Kit (unassembled) Making Things Talk by Tom Igoe 24" each of Red, Blue & Black AWG jumper wire 9V Battery Case w/DC Plug (some assembly required) Yes, even a 9V battery Here is the code I used on the Arduino. It's NOT optimized. Why? Well, I thought this was the best way to write it so a beginner could really understand how it works. Think you can optimize it the best? Let's see what you got! Post the smallest, most efficient, version in the comments! Suscribe to the MAKE podcast | Download for iTunes /* -------------------------------------------- Maker Magazine - Force Sensor Demo This simple program visually shows the amount of force placed on the sensor There are much more efficient ways to program, this way was chosen because it is very easy to understand. By Marc de Vinck - Licensed under Creative Commons....whatever. -------------------------------------------- */ // Here are the constants that we define prior to the program running int forcePin = 2; // select the input pin for the force sensor int val = 0; // variable to store the value coming in from the sensor int led1=9; // defines "led1" as the number 9 int led2=10; // defines "led2" as the number 10 int led3=11; // defines "led3" as the number 11 int led4=12; // defines "led4" as the number 12 int led5=13; // defines "led5" as the number 13 // End of constant definitions void setup() //run one time when the Arduino first powers up { Serial.begin(9600); //starts serial communication, only used for debgugging pinMode(led1, OUTPUT); // remeber led1 = pin 9, this statement sets pin 9 to output only pinMode(led2, OUTPUT); // remeber led2 = pin 10, this statement sets pin 10 to output only pinMode(led3, OUTPUT); // remeber led3 = pin 11, this statement sets pin 11 to output only pinMode(led4, OUTPUT); // remeber led4 = pin 12, this statement sets pin 12 to output only pinMode(led5, OUTPUT); // remeber led5 = pin 13, this statement sets pin 13 to output only } void loop() //This next bit of code runs continuously { val = analogRead(forcePin); // read the value from the sensor Serial.println(val,DEC); // print the value "val" of the sensor (used for debugging) if (val250){ //if the value is maxed out or greater than 250 // aternative code for the following -----for (i=1; i digitalWrite(led5,HIGH); // turns on all 5 LEDs digitalWrite(led4,HIGH); digitalWrite(led3,HIGH); digitalWrite(led2,HIGH); digitalWrite(led1,HIGH); delay(100); //slight delay to minimize flickering } else{ digitalWrite(led5,LOW); //turn off all 5 LEDs digitalWrite(led4,LOW); digitalWrite(led3,LOW); digitalWrite(led2,LOW); digitalWrite(led1,LOW); } if (val=175 && val digitalWrite(led4,HIGH); //turns on 4 LEDs digitalWrite(led3,HIGH); digitalWrite(led2,HIGH); digitalWrite(led1,HIGH); delay(100); //slight delay to minimize flickering } else{ digitalWrite(led4,LOW); //turns off 4 LEDs digitalWrite(led3,LOW); digitalWrite(led2,LOW); digitalWrite(led1,LOW); } if (val=100 && val digitalWrite(led3,HIGH); //turns on 3 LEDs digitalWrite(led2,HIGH); digitalWrite(led1,HIGH); delay(100); //slight delay to minimize flickering } else{ digitalWrite(led3,LOW); // you get the picture.... digitalWrite(led2,LOW); digitalWrite(led1,LOW); } if (val=25 && val digitalWrite(led2,HIGH); digitalWrite(led1,HIGH); delay(100); //slight delay to minimize flickering } else{ digitalWrite(led2,LOW); digitalWrite(led1,LOW); } if (val=0 && val digitalWrite(led1,HIGH); delay(100); //slight delay to minimize flickering } else{ digitalWrite(led1,LOW); } } var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/educational/How_to_Tuesday_Fun_with_the_Arduino_Starter_Kit'; In the Maker Shed: Arduino Starter Kit More: How-to Make a Proto Shield Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in DIY Projects | Digg this! Less

James Delaney's created The Unfocused Brain, an interesting variation on Mitch Altman's Brain Machine: This program and schematic is designed to flash LED's in certain brain wave inducing patterns. The device is controlled by four buttons that switch the generator between Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Theta frequencies. ... After building and trying out the SLM I noticed that certain transitions from one state to another created particularly strong visual hallucinations. My project is a deviation from the original SLM. Since my hallucinations seemed to be the same with or without the audio component I decided to leave it out. I added buttons rather than a program so the user can change frequencies spontaneously. I built this project with the Attiny461 chip. Check out the Make Brain Machine thread for more ideas on variations. And, if you get really ambitious, switch to low-frequency ultrasound for brain stimulation (pdf; thanks to Bryan Bishop for the link) Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in DIY Projects | Digg this! Less

It's Tuesday again! This week I am making a scary pumpkin. Nothing gory or disgusting, just something that will scare the kiddies and hopefully score me some candy. How? Well, I am glad you asked. I rummaged through my parts bins and came up with an idea. What if I connected a horn to an Arduino and let out a nice blast when someone came around trick-or-treating. Hopefully they are so scared they drop their bag-o-candy and run away, leaving me with plenty of treats. Note: It's a joke people! No, I am not taking candy from kids (other than my own). Have fun, and be nice! What you need: Aduino - Available in the Maker SHED ProtoShield - Available in the Maker SHED Wire Pumpkin - Real, plastic or foam 12Volt battery Car horn - $7 at local car shop or junkyard Buttons and/or switches LEDs - Any color, but I like orange Heat shrink tubing Tools you need: Soldering Iron Pliers Pumpkin cutting/carving supplies Glue gun Step 1: Cut up the pumpkin You can use a real pumpkin, but I picked this one up for $5 at a local craft store. Using a real one is fine, but photographing it over a few days can get messy so I decided to use a foam version. The foam pumpkins are really easy to carve. So far it looks like a classic, smiling, jack-o-lantern. The kids will never suspect anything. Step 2: Add the nose button I had an arcade game button, so I used it for the nose, and a old doorbell button I used to trigger the horn. You can use any button that you have in your scrap bin. Solder some wires to the "nose button" so you can assemble the electronics outside the pumpkin. Attach one wire to the ground of the Arduino and the other wire to pin (7). Also, you need an additional wire with a 10K resistor to ground. (See step 3 for a simple diagram) Speaking of Halloween, that is some scary soldering! Yuck. Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in DIY Projects | Digg this! Less

This week we are going to continue with the "moving picture" theme and build a Phenakistoscope. Luckily for all of us, it's a lot easier to build than it is to pronounce. Even better, you the first thing you need to do is eat a lollypop! Why? Well, read on. So the big question is, what is a Phenakistoscope and is it going to hurt me? I found some good information for Wikipedia: The phenakistoscope (also spelled phenakistiscope) was an early animation device, the predecessor of the zoetrope. It was invented in 1831 simultaneously by the Belgian Joseph Plateau and the Austrian Simon von Stampfer. The word "phenakistoscope" comes from Greek roots meaning "to cheat", as it deceives the eye by making the pictures look like an animation. And no, it isn't going to hurt you! Not even in the wallet! Best of all, it takes about 15 - 20 minutes to build. Let's get started. What you need: Lollypop spinner - You know, the lazy kid lollypops Template - Phenakistoscope.pdf Scissors X-Acto knife - Be careful! Glue - Glue sticks works best Black, heavy weight paper Step 1: Make the disc Print out the dial template [ Phenakistoscope.pdf ] and glue it to some heavy weight black paper. It doesn't have to be black, but a darker color works best. The dial I printed has a 3D MAKE logo that spins around. You can draw whatever animation you want in the empty boxes provided on the template. Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in DIY Projects | Digg this! Less

This time we are going to be making a Zoetrope from a bunch of junk. What is a Zoetrope? Here is what I found on Wikipedia: The earliest elementary zoetrope was created in China around 180 AD by the prolific inventor Ting Huan. It consists of a cylinder with slits cut vertically in the sides. Beneath the slits on the inner surface of the cylinder is a band which has either individual frames from a video/film or images from a set of sequenced drawings or photographs. As the cylinder spins the user looks through the slits at the pictures on the opposite side of the cylinders' interior. You should be able to make the Zoetrope from found or recycled parts. If you can't salvage parts like a motor or potentiometer, you local electronics shop should have them in stock. Finding parts: Remember all those toys the kids have outgrown, or the VCR your neighbor threw out. They all contain switches, motors and wires. It can be a lot of fun scavenging for parts. Just be careful, things like TV's and computers can have high voltages even when they are unplugged. Only scavenge for parts if you know what you are doing. In general, kids toys that are battery operated are fairly safe to rip apart. This build is a general guide to making a Zoetrope. Make adjustments depending on what parts you find, or purchase. If you make your own Zoetrope, post it in the MAKE Flickr photo pool and send me an email. Thanks! Supplies you need: (1) Old CD - Think AOL, or any demo disk (1) CD spindle case Paper - Black & white [you can paint the paper black too!] Small Eraser (1) Motor - Scavenged from a kids toy (1) Switch - Again, scavenged Some wire Tools you need: Scissors X-Acto knife - Be careful! Soldering Iron Rosin core solder Part 1: Finding the parts The first thing you do is acquire some old or broken electronics to scavenge for parts. You can find a motor in many kids toys. If you don't have kids, or know any kids, then just go to the dollar store and buy something with a small electric motor. Hopefully it will have a few switches and batteries too. I bough a small orange fan for $1, and it didn't work at all. Technically the fan would spin, but there wasn't any air movement. It's a perfect candidate for ripping apart. Disassemble the fan, or what ever recycled toy you have. A lot of times the screws are hidden under stickers so check there if it doesn't open easily. When I was done I was able to salvage (2) AA batteries, (1) small light bulb, a nice motor, some wire and a lanyard. I'll keep whatever I don't use for another project. In my bin-parts I had a battery holder, which was scavenged a long time ago. It holds (4) AA batteries. I thought this would be perfect, but I had to cut it in 1/2 so it held (2) AA batteries. A quick score with a razor blade, and I could snap it in half. Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in DIY Projects | Digg this! Less

Here are our slides in PDF format from our talk at Ignite NYC... Limor Fried (ladyada) & Phillip Torrone (Make) "Citizen Engineer" - Open source hardware, hacking SIM cards, modding a payphone for fun and for profit. (Biz geek side note) At the end we have some quick estimates on the CPM that some could expect from doing online videos compared with doing online how-to videos that have a kit or "something" for sale. We think there are some good opportunities for people who makes things to share their skills and how they create and make a living doing that (and we've shared some initial numbers). Videos are becoming the new "text files" - if you grew up learning about some techy topics by text files shared around you likely recognize the analogy. Etsy sellers, makers and anyone who makes things might want to experiment with this model of sharing their skills with other online via video and having actually things to buy as part of the video, but not just an "advertisement" or "infomercial". Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in DIY Projects | Digg this! Less

2 spiffy tutorials from SparkFun Electronics! A tutorial showing how to use the 6DOF v4 controller board to prevent his tube amplifier from testing out a maker's life insurance policy. Jim Lynch has written many great ARM tutorials involving the GCC/GNU tool chain. His latest tutorial shows how to setup serial communication on the AT91SAM7. Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in DIY Projects | Digg this! Less

I spent some time with Amy & Ariel from Sparkle Labs, makers of the DIY electronics kit we have in our Maker Shed Store, check it out! Here's the M4V for iTunes, iPods, iPhones, etc... DIY Design Electronics Kit - Harness the power of the electron! Create games, toys, and contraptions with these fundamental components. Follow the easy instructions to make a light detector, LED flasher, noisemaker and more! Once you master the basics, you'll be ready to create your own! Everything you need to get started is right in the box, including switches, buttons, diodes, capacitors. transistors and regulators. Learn the amazing concepts of resistance, capacitance, voltage and current with the step-by-step project manual. Soon, you will be the electronics wizard! Great introduction to electronics for all ages. [Read More] [Comments] Less

QUEST teams up with Make Magazine to make your own pulse jet engine - inside a jam jar. This video is set to premiere on KQED tonight as one of the segments in the episode. The story will air today, Tuesday at 7:30pm on KQED 9 & KQED HD on Comcast 709 and Saturday, May 25, at 4:30pm on KTEH. You can get the Jam Jar Jet PDF here. [Note: The video embed was acting weird, please visit the site to see the video - pt] From the pages of MAKE: Jam Jar Jet. Don't think you can build a jet engine at home? Here's a simple jet engine--a pulsejet--that you can make out of a jam jar in an afternoon. All it takes is bending some wire and punching a few holes. Page 102 - MAKE 05. Get MAKE 05 @ the Maker Shed store! [Read this article] [Comment on this article] Less

Blast your alarm clock with a classic Sega Light Phaser! Hack an old toy and your alarm clock to make this gratifying wake up call... MP4 Video | QT Video | Subscribe in iTunes. From the pages of MAKE - Project: Gun-Operated Alarm Clock - Hack a retro gaming light gun with tilt switches to control a vintage digital clock radio. When the alarm wakes you up, grab the gun and kill it off! Read it in the MAKE digital edition. [Read More] [Comments] Less

You saw the video and here's the PDF! Hack a retro gaming light gun with some tilt switches to control a vintage digital clock radio. After the alarm wakes you up, you can grab the gun and kill it off. Isn't that what you've always dreamed of doing? Clock radios are everyday hated devices that designers seem to ignore, judging by how little their features and user interfaces have changed. This project adds a new capability, letting would-be sleepyheads enjoy a human-machine interaction of a different sort. Don't worry, we're not going to connect your clock to an MP3 player and play mellow New Age sounds. We're going to shoot the alarm off. With a gun. Wake-up time is now payback time. We'll base the project around a digital clock radio and a light gun for gaming; huge selections of both of these are available inexpensively second-hand, with many beautiful and well-designed examples. To enable our FPSI (First Person Shooter Interface), we'll outfit the gun with five tilt sensors, arranged at different angles on a small circuit board. A cable tethers the gun to the clock and carries your tilt and trigger signals to the clock's time and alarm control button contacts. - PDF & Instructable. [Read More] [Comments] Less

Blast your alarm clock with a classic Sega Light Phaser! Hack an old toy and your alarm clock to make this gratifying wake up call... MP4 Video | QT Video | Subscribe in iTunes. From the pages of MAKE - Project: Gun-Operated Alarm Clock - Hack a retro gaming light gun with tilt switches to control a vintage digital clock radio. When the alarm wakes you up, grab the gun and kill it off! Read it in the MAKE digital edition. [Read More] [Comments] Less

You saw the video and here's the PDF! Hack a retro gaming light gun with some tilt switches to control a vintage digital clock radio. After the alarm wakes you up, you can grab the gun and kill it off. Isn't that what you've always dreamed of doing? Clock radios are everyday hated devices that designers seem to ignore, judging by how little their features and user interfaces have changed. This project adds a new capability, letting would-be sleepyheads enjoy a human-machine interaction of a different sort. Don't worry, we're not going to connect your clock to an MP3 player and play mellow New Age sounds. We're going to shoot the alarm off. With a gun. Wake-up time is now payback time. We'll base the project around a digital clock radio and a light gun for gaming; huge selections of both of these are available inexpensively second-hand, with many beautiful and well-designed examples. To enable our FPSI (First Person Shooter Interface), we'll outfit the gun with five tilt sensors, arranged at different angles on a small circuit board. A cable tethers the gun to the clock and carries your tilt and trigger signals to the clock's time and alarm control button contacts. - PDF & Instructable. [Read More] [Comments] Less

Here's the PDF from our "Weekend Project" on how to make your own "PDA Notebook" download it or get it from iTunes! MAKE Volume 07: Backyard Biology. Hack your plants, extract your DNA, 70's soapbox saga, build a videocam rocket, and head-mounted water cannon. Link & Get it at the Maker Store. [Read More] [Comments] Less

Here's the PDF from our "Weekend Project" on how to make your own "PDA Notebook" download it or get it from iTunes! MAKE Volume 07: Backyard Biology. Hack your plants, extract your DNA, 70's soapbox saga, build a videocam rocket, and head-mounted water cannon. Link & Get it at the Maker Store. [Read More] [Comments] Less

Vittorio writes - For those familiar with the Stirling Engine, the Ross Yoke is an ingenious mechanism for transferring dual piston motion into rotational motion. It has the advantage of minimizing lateral forces acting on the pistons making for a more efficient, compact design. I'm going to use this mechanism for my own Stirling Engine project. [Here] are some pictures of the Ross Yoke I made out of wood. It's rather large as I wanted it to be robust for my design.Ross Yoke analysis For Stirling engines - Link. Related: A Stirling engine in a teacup - Link. HOW TO - Make a Stirling engine from a can - Link. The Two-Can Stirling engine (preview) - Link. MAKE 07 Sample - Excerpt from "Two-Can Stirling Engine" - Link (PDF). Stirling Engine (MAKE store) - Link. Make - Volume 07 - The Two-Can Stirling Engine (Page 94) - Link. [Read this article] [Comment on this article] Less

While in Berlin, Tim Pritlove, interviewed me for his radio show: Chaosradio Express International. It's the English-language branch of his German radio show. The 15 English podcasts will make you want to learn German to hear the rest of his German podcasts! We had a great conversation about hacking, education, and we chatted at length about hacker spaces and CCC. You can go listen to it on the page, or download the mp3. Chaosradio (German) - Link Chaosradio International (English) - Link [Read this article] [Comment on this article] Less

While in Berlin, Tim Pritlove, interviewed me for his radio show: Chaosradio Express International. It's the English-language branch of his German radio show. The 15 English podcasts will make you want to learn German to hear the rest of his German podcasts! We had a great conversation about hacking, education, and we chatted at length about hacker spaces and CCC. You can go listen to it on the page, or download the mp3. Chaosradio (German) - Link Chaosradio International (English) - Link [Read More] [Comments] Less

While in Berlin, Tim Pritlove, interviewed me for his radio show: Chaosradio Express International. It's the English-language branch of his German radio show. The 15 English podcasts will make you want to learn German to hear the rest of his German podcasts! We had a great conversation about hacking, education, and we chatted at length about hacker spaces and CCC. You can go listen to it on the page, or download the mp3. Chaosradio (German) - Link Chaosradio International (English) - Link [Read More] [Comments] Less

MP4 | Hi-Def | Blip | Youtube | PDF | Subscribe This weekend, learn how to draw on buildings. Laser Tagging is a non-destructive way of using a laser, video camera, computer and projector to apply graffiti to buildings! It's a lot of fun! You'll see the GRL Vienna guys Michael Zeltner and Florian Frühauf who rocked Berlin with 5500 lumens of laser graffiti awesomeness. They would like to extend a thanks to Theo Watson and Evan Roth and James Powderly of GRL who came up with the idea, first implemented it and put it out there in the public domain. The GRL NYC peeps recently put out a tutorial on starting your own GRL. - Link Lasers, like power tools, can be dangerous. You're responsible for your own safety! [Read More] [Comments] Less