News

 Technologist "matt6ft9" had a problem with a basement pump system that needed some monitoring, and in a hurry turned to the Arduino development platform for a solution. By monitoring the sump the system can alert if the water level is too high, or if the pump has been on for too long. Alerts are via email or audible sound, so either way they know if something is wrong. However the larger problem may be the stuff in the sump:

However the problem of monitoring has been solved, so click here to read more. And for more, we're on twitter and Google+, so follow us for news and product updates as well. 

When putting together your next Internet-enabled Arduino project - save time, space and money with the Freetronics EtherTen. Apart from being fully Arduino Uno-compatible, it has onboard Ethernet, microSD socket, full USB interface (so you don't need a costly FTDI cable just to upload a sketch!) and supports optional Power-over-Ethernet. For more information and to order, click here. 

 From Ruussia comes an interesting application of Arduino technology - the ability to read the numeric token from a small keyfob-style password generator. Instead of having to manually press the button and read the code yourself (!) the device (which is connected to an Apple computer) listens for a symbol over the serial line. When received, it uses a servo to press the token generator button, and a small webcam to read the digits from the LCD. The data is sent back to the computer for processing, and displays the code for the user. See it in action through the following video (turn the sound off...):

Fascinating. For more information and links to the code, click here. And for more, we're on twitter and Google+, so follow us for news and product updates as well.

 Another type of project the Arduino system lends itself very well to is that of a burglar alarm. The ability to monitor various sensors then act upon the results can be easily created with a few hours' coding. In this spirit, Arduino enthusiast 'mykh' has created not only a burglar alarm - but one that could put some commercial units to shame. Featuring tamper detection, fire and motion sensors - and an excellent control panel and housing, it's something that you can also recreate - for example:

Great work - and for the details, visit the project site here. 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:

 When you combine an Arduino, stepper motors, a Wii Nunchuck and some imagination almost anything can be possible. Steve Norum certainly took advantage of that thought and ran with it to produce his remote-control Airsoft gun turret. However instead of just fooling about with two servos and some brackets, Steve went all out and designed a unit not dissimilar to the real thing. Perfect for keeping unwanted ... anything away from an area - or just for fun:

For more information check out his write-ups here and here. And for more, we're on twitter and Google+, so follow us for news and product updates as well.

If this type of project interests you and you're new to the Arduino world, check out our new Experimenter's Kit for Arduino:

The package includes a wide variety of parts, sensors and modules including: a servo motor, lights, buttons, switches, sound, sensors, breadboard, wires and more. Furthermore a Freetronics Eleven Arduino-compatible board is included to make this an extensive hobby experimenter, inventor and starter kit. However we don't leave you alone to figure it all out, included is a great project and instruction booklet, plus access to a supporting web page and software examples. In other words - this is everything you need to get started for a fun range of electronics and Arduino related projects! 

So to get started or for more information and to order, check out the product page.

 One very popular application that lends itself to an Arduino is data logging. It is simple to connect a wide variety of sensors and then record the data to a microSD card to publish it on a web page. However the final step of visualising the data can always be improved, and in the following example by Everett Robinson has demonstrated data display very well. With his project an Ethernet-enabled Arduino reading sensors simply publishes the resulting data to a webpage, where a javascript library on the host PC takes over and graphs the data. 

The system can log anything your Arduino can produce, so click here to get started. And for more, we're on twitter and Google+, so follow us for news and product updates as well. 

When putting together your next Internet-enabled Arduino project - save time, space and money with the Freetronics EtherTen. Apart from being fully Arduino Uno-compatible, it has onboard Ethernet, microSD socket, full USB interface (so you don't need a costly FTDI cable just to upload a sketch!) and supports optional Power-over-Ethernet. For more information and to order, click here. 

 If you have a spare Commodore Amiga 500 computer or a 1000 or 2000-series keyboard and an Arduino - you're in luck. With Arduino forum member "olaf's" details you can program the Arduino board as a USB human interface device and thus use it to interface the keyboard with any contemporary system that uses a USB keyboard. Or with the same project you could connect two digital (DB-9 interface) joysticks to the same PC. 

So if your Commodore is no longer keeping up with you, click here to re-purpose the keyboard. And for more, we're on twitter and Google+, so follow us for news and product updates as well.

 After some thought about doors and the roles they can play, the concept of a door-knock detection device intrigued engineer Paul Mandel so much that he created a "knock box". It's a fascinating project that uses a piezo sensor to detect a knock, then repeats the sequence back using a solenoid that taps the walls of the box that contains it. For example:

That's pretty cool, and simple to make. It would also be the heart of a fun childrens' toy. Paul has published the required details so head over to his blog for more. And for more, we're on twitter and Google+, so follow us for news and product updates as well.

If you're interested in working with piezos for your own knock box or other projects, consider our SOUND: sound and buzzer module:

It can be used as a noise-maker driven by your microcontroller for audible feedback of events, and it can also be used as a knock-detector input to sense events and react to them. Includes a built-in 1M resistor to allow the piezo element to detect shocks. For more information and to order, please visit the product page here. 

 There are many wireless weather stations on the market, transmitting their data across to the receiver using inexpensive 315 or 433 MHz data links. This method allows one to easily receive the data with Arduino-based hardware and then get to work decoding the protocol in order to analyse the data (as demonstrated in the book "Practical Arduino" by Jonathan Oxer). Another example of this has been demonstrated by the 1474orchard blog who have demonstrated how they analysed the incoming data from their station. They used an Arduino to detect the gap between data transmission in order to generate a sync pulse to start a logic analyser, allowing them to capture the transmitter's data and move forward with decoding.

This is a great demonstration of how to capture and analyse wireless data with an Arduino, so click here to get started. And for more, we're on twitter and Google+, so follow us for news and product updates as well.

If you're interested in using wireless data links with your Arduino project, we have two convenient receiver shields - both 315 MHz and 433 Mhz. Combined with the Getting Started guide you'll be up and going in no time. For more information check out theproduct page. 

 As part of a larger project, technologist 'Coronax' has demonstrated a method of allowing an Arduino to communicate with a Commodore 64 computer using the SPI bus. The Arduino needs to be set to slave SPI mode however this is easily accomplished. This allows the Arduino to enter text as a keyboard for the C64, and also allow a PC via the serial line to also act as a terminal for the classic computer. If you have the hardware and the time, the source code for the C64 and Arduino has been provided to try yourself.

An interesting mix of technology from two eras. For more information, click here. 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:

 As more people become proficient with developing and publishing their own Android apps, they can also take advantage of the ease of communication with Arduino projects for data analysis, remote control and other uses. However as there isn't an Arduino Bluetooth board on the market, a cheaper solution is to make use of a board with a USB host shield. The people at Circuits@Home have thus described how to easily connect an Android phone with bluetooth an an Arduino board with a USB host shield adaptor, USB dongle and a library to make it happen.

Click here for the tutorial and notes. And for more, we're on twitter and Google+, so follow us for news and product updates as well.