Fidgeting With Phidgets

I have been playing with, what is for me, a new electronics ecosystem call Phidgets.  After doing some research I found out they have actually been around for over a decade.  In my short time playing with them, they appear to offer a very interesting twist on the open source hardware model.  A twist that…

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Mintduino Schematic v2.0

I was tinkering around with my FTDI Friend today and decided to try it out on my Mintduino from a few years back.  In hooking it up, I noticed a few issues with a previous schematic.  So here is a revised Mintduino schematic.  I am a wannabe fan of Fritzing so I drew it up…

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For The Love Of The Build:  Why I Enjoy Making

In life it’s not the destination that matters, it’s the journey that counts.  Same thing with making.  I enjoy the process, the design more than realizing a final product.  Partially because I enjoy simply learning new skills.  If there was one thing I could change about undergraduate engineering curriculums is I would make them way…

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Microcontrollers, Single Board Computers, and now FPGAs

So you’ve built with microcontrollers like Arduino and the Propeller? Check. Got your feet wet with Single Board Computers like Raspberry Pi and BeagleBone? Done. The next step is Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs)… learn Hardware Description Languages(VHDL and Verilog) … write code to “create” hardware … allow for true parallel sensing and output. Papilo…

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Rise of The Hybrid Board

Microcontrollers.  Single Board Computers (SBC).  Close but not exactly the same.  Microcontrollers tend to be easier to learn and interface with sensors and actuators but at the cost of slower or less processing horsepower.  SBCs offer raw computing power but have a steeper learning curve as they tend to be just credit card in size,…

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Mintduino Schematic

I am a visual guy.  I like schematics.  When I picked up a Mintduino I was disappointed to only find written instructions vice a schematic to help assemble the Mintduino.  And the few schematics I found weren’t clear, didn’t apply to current revision, or where just wrong.  So here is my attempt at a schematic…

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Homebrewed Arduino to Web Datalogger

I’ve been a hardware hacker mostly, and when I write software it is usually low-level code used to control microcontrollers.  But lately I’ve been dabbling in the much more sexy world of web app design.  I’ve been learning (slowly) all the various tools out there including Google’s new Dart language along with the tried and…

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Reverse Geocaching Box Reference Design

Seeed Studio Bluetooth shield not shown. I am uploading a reference design for a “reverse geocaching box” using the Open Location app.  The design is based on the following criteria: * Arduino Uno (Having the I2C SDA and SCL lines with dedicated pins is a help) * SeeedStudio Bluetooth Shield (TX on pin 6, RX…

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Arduino + Bluetooth + Android

Here is a quick tutorial on getting two-way Bluetooth communication up and running on Arduino and and Android smartphone using the SeeedStudio Bluetooth shield. I am also using an Android app called Bluetooth SPP to handle the serial communication from an Android phone to the Arduino.  Rudimentary, but for testing purposes is a great tool….

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Arduino Esplora Video Game

Arduino Esplora I have been tinkering with the Arduino Esplora.  The Esplora is quite a bit different, in terms of physical layout than your normal Arduino microcontroller.  It resembles a rather standard video game controller in it’s layout.  Also, there are a number of onboard sensors already onboard the circuit board and are multiplexed to…

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