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 In order to save money on mosquito repellent and reduce unnecessary exposure to the chemicals within, Instructables user "jack1986" describes his modification of a mosquito repellent vaporiser system by adding time and temperature control. In doing so he can sleep well with the mozzies being poisoned at night within the appropriate temperature range, and not waste the repellent while at work during the day. This is accomplished by using an Arduino with a real-time clock that can control relays which switch the power to the vaporiser. 

A simple solution to a common problem in some parts of the world. For more information visit the project page. And we're on twitter and Google+, so follow us for news and product updates as well.

 

 Arduino project lend themselves very well to the world of photography, for example remote shutter releases, intervalometers, and so on. Another great use has been demonstrated by Arduino forum member "mitchrichie" who has modified some servos to continuous rotation and used them to move a DSLR camera along a slider track. This would be useful for stacking-focus photography, observation and also various directions in video. The slider is demonstrated in the following video:

For the Arduino sketch and notes, visit the forum post. And for more, we're on twitter and Google+, so follow us for news and product updates as well.

If you found the project above interesting - but not sure how to start with Arduino, then the best way to learn is with our Experimenter's Kit for Arduino:

 There are generally two ways to get data from an Arduino to cosm (the online data management tool) - using an Ethernet connection or via a PC that's connected between the Arduino and the Internet. However Arduino forum member "kerimil" demonstrates another version that uses an Android device for the Internet connectivity. In his example, the Arduino captures the data and sends it via a serial Bluetooth link to the Android device running a simple app he has created. Certainly a different approach, which is explained in the following video:

Thankfully the Arduino sketch and Andrdoid app code have been provided, so visit the Arduino forum for more details.  for more, we're on twitter and Google+, so follow us for news and product updates as well.

If you're looking for a more direct method of feeding data to cosm, consider one of Ethernet-enabled boards, such as the Freetronics EtherTen - the Arduino Uno-compatible with onboard Ethernet, microSD socket and optional PoE:

 Enthusiast Dan has just finished and also published details about his first Arduino project. It's a simple optical theremin that reads values from a light sensor and uses an Arduino to convert the values into suitable tones to drive a piezo buzzer. For the beginner, these types of projects are great as they demonstrate how quickly you can make an interactive item with an Arduino - and this is the same as project eleven in our Experimenter's Kit for Arduino. You can see Dan demonstrate his version in the following video:

It's a simple start but shows how quickly you can implement ideas with Arduino. For more information visit Dan's blog post. And for more, we're on twitter and Google+, so follow us for news and product updates as well.

 You can do quite a lot with an Arduino and a character LCD module, as shown in this next project by Kevin Loney. He has created a simple helicopter game where the object is to avoid obstacles that face the helicopter and thus fly for as long as possible. Gameplay only requires one button, and by using customised characters the graphics are quite reasonable, for example:

Great work Kevin - and you can find the details to recreate your own here. And for more, we're on twitter and Google+, so follow us for news and product updates as well.

If you're interested in making Arduino games or just need an LCD - save time and move forward with the Freetronics LCD & Keypad shield which contains a bright 16x2 character LCD and five buttons that can be read from only one analogue input pin:

 If you're interested in creating Android applications to control your Arduino projects via USB, the Instructable by "raghvmahashabde" will be of interest. With the goal of controlling the PWM levels of an RGB LED connected to an Arduino with a USB host, they've demonstrated all the code requried and shown how to get it all together and actually working. Although the RGB LED may not sound like much, this example gives you the framework to build upon with your own Android<>Arduino interactions, for example:

So visit the instructions page here for more information. And we're on twitter and Google+, so follow us for news and product updates as well. 

 Sometimes you don't need much to do a lot - and the following project by R0D0T is am example of this. Using an Arduino, three inexpensive servos, a piezo buzzer and some miscellaneous items - a jazz music machine has been created that can generate a variety of sound effects. The servos have short pipes attached which are knocked against wood, and with the buzzer being used at the right (or random) time... some examples of random jazz music can be generated, for example:

Then again, opinions of what jazz music is can be somewhat subjective. However it's a fun project and would make a great weekend project to share with children, so visit the project page to get started. And for more, we're on twitter and Google+, so follow us for news and product updates as well.

If you found the project above interesting - but not sure how to start with Arduino, then the best way to learn is with our Experimenter's Kit for Arduino:

 Once again Australian enthusiast Beau Walker has created a functional and interesting product based on a Freetronics EtherTen and some simple external circuitry. In this example Beau has made a clock with retrieves the time using the network time protocol, and displays it using 7-segment LED digits driven by the MAX7219 LED display driver IC. A clock like this is great for solving common household arguments about what the correct time should be and is also a great exercise in Arduino, Ethernet and prototyping. Furthermore the decimal point LEDs have been used to indicate AM/PM and display the connection heartbeat:

Very well done - and for more details and notes, visit Beau's website. And for more, we're on twitter and Google+, so follow us for news and product updates as well.

To get started with your own Internet-enabled projects, use our Freetronics EtherTen - the Arduino Uno-compatible with onboard Ethernet, microSD socket and optional PoE:

 If you're looking for a fun project or just something to annoy someone - check out this project by EE and Arduino enthusiast Tim Pitman. He has created an Arduino-based "noise box synthesiser" that is a whole lot of blinky and noisy fun. It's much more than simple beeps - it has many features including a 16-step programmable sequencer with adjustable frequency and duration for each step; synthesizer with 4 output waveforms (sine, square, triangle and sawtooth); noise generation (sirens, laser beam, random noise); and special random sound modes. A group of LEDs on the enclosure indicate the current sequencing step and provide visual stimulation for younger users - for example:

This is a relatively simple project that would be fun for young and old - so visit Tim's website for all the details. And for more, we're on twitter and Google+, so follow us for news and product updates as well.

If you're new to Arduino, the first step is a solid board for your projects - our Freetronics Eleven - the Arduino-Uno compatible with low-profile USB socket, onboard prototyping space and easy to view LEDs:

 Australian enthusiast Beau Walker has created an functional and interesting aquaponics pump controller based on a Freetronics EtherTen and a home-made shield. The system allows control of two water pumps plus temperature monitoring via DS18B20 sensors all via a simple website. Furthermore the microSD card socket is used to log data and store settings for the system. With careful monitoring and care - the results have been quite successful, for example: