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 After spending time working with the Arduino platform there will come a time when you may want to start directly programming the microcontroller or smaller, cheaper versions such as the ATtiny series. To do so requires a seperate programmer, however if you have an Arduino it can be used as one, saving some money. To help us along Michael Holachek has created a video tutorial on how to use the Arduino as an AVR programmer. It is clear, articulate and easy to follow:

For the matching notes to his video, click 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 working with the bare microcontrollers, but not quite ready to give up the Arduino bootloader - we've got you covered with our new ATmega328P MCUs with Arduino Uno bootloader:

This is the same Atmel AVR ATmega328P microcontroller used in the official Arduino Uno, as well as our Eleven, EtherTen, USBDroid, and other boards. Perfect for building your own Arduino-compatible project directly on a breadboard or on a custom PCB, or for replacing the MCU in an existing board. Comes with the Arduino Uno bootloader pre-installed. Better still, it even has a special label stuck on top with details of the pinout, so you don't even need to look up the datasheet when connecting it up in your project! For more information and to order, click here!

 Now for a project that has finally found synergy between the Tetris game, an Arduino board and a pumpkin. Nathan's "PUMPKTRIS" uses an Arduino and a custom-made LED display fitted inside of a pumpkin - and a customised pumpkin stalk to use as a controller - for a version of a video game console that really does have a use-by date. You have to see it to believe it, so here goes:

Fantastic, just don't re-use the pumpkin for cooking afterwards. Visit Nathan's project page to find out more and make your own. And for more, we're on twitter and Google+, so follow us for news and product updates as well.

If you are new to Arduino, join in with our range of Arduino-compatible hardware, prototyping shields and module range. A good start is the Freetronics Eleven, the Arduino Uno-compatible board with onboard prototyping space:

 For those of you who enjoy exploring the depths of Reddit comes this very useful message indicator. Creator Brad has embedded an Arduino and some LEDs into a clock housing - which makes a nice display device. By connecting the Arduino to a PC running a perl script, any new message notitifcations from reddit can be monitored and then indicated by the Arduino-controlled LEDs. In the following video you can watch Brad run through his invention:

What a great little project, and could also be modified for other services. Click here to get started with your own version. And for more, we're on twitter and Google+, so follow us for news and product updates as well.

If you would like to recreate this project yourself - consider using a Freetronics LeoStick - the Arduino Leonardo-compatible board that's cheaper and smaller than the original:

 Arduino enthusiast Didier Longueville has created a simple electric motor using only an Arduino and some simple wiring, without using a motor shield or driving transistors. Although his motor is for demonstration purposes, Dider uses an interesting method of maximising the amount of current one can source from an Arduino by using multiple digital outputs almost simultaneously and port manipulation. If you're going to repeat this or modify it for your own use, be mindful of the current draw on each pin.

For more on this interesting application of theory and practice, click 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.

 From the Overclockers Australia forum comes an interesting project to watch - the "HydraSonic - Arduino Controlled Whole House Matrix Audio System". Member "davros123" is in the process of creating what will be a fascinating Arduino and web-controlled audio system for multiple zones and rooms with levels of intelligence only seen in commercial systems costing ten times as much. Although the project is a work-in-progress, we look forward to reading more about it and following the design journey.

To follow the project, start with the forum post here. And for more, we're on twitter and Google+, so follow us for news and product updates as well.

It's complex projects like the one above that show how an Arduino system can work with other platforms and technologies to create worthwhile projects. If this type of system is of interest, you will enjoy the book  "Practical Arduino" by Jonathan Oxer and Hugh Blemings:

 Many people have created projects that control an Arduino board over the Internet with web pages, cloud services and other GUI-style interfaces. However you can still send and receive basic text with an Arduino over the Internet using an Ethernet shield and the right software - in this case Telnet (or other terminal software). At the FIUADY website they have documented and demonstrated this by showing how to control digital output pins using such as method. 

And although this isn't a graphical interface, the Arduino can still respond with text sent back to the terminal, just like "in the good old days". So to get started, click here. And for more, we're on twitter and Google+, so follow us for news and product updates as well.

If you're looking to recreate this remote control method for your Arduino project, consider our Freetronics EtherTen. Apart from being fully Arduino Uno-compatible, it has onboard Ethernet, microSD socket, full USB connection (no pesky FTDI cables needed) and supports optional Power-over-Ethernet:

 The writing of a novel may not be simple, however tracking the amount of words you have written can be simple by making this progress monitor. As part of the National Novel Writing Month, author Steve Hoefer created an Arduino-based device that polls the progress of the novel that you post on a website, and uses the value to control a servo. The servo pushes or moves a cardboard indicator that works in a similar method to an analogue meter. Here it is in the following video:

Although it's quite simple, the final product works very well. Visit the project page for complete instructions on how to make your own. 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.

 Arduino enthusiast Rohit Gupta has written a useful Windows-based program to interface with an Arduino board. It would be useful for testing hardware connected to digital output pins and also reading the values returned from analogue inputs - great for testing prototype hardware without having to insert temporary testing code in sketches. However you do need to upload Rohit's sketch to interpret the commands from the PC. Watch the following snazzy video for a demonstration:

Visit Rohit's instructable for more information and the software download. And for more, we're on twitter and Google+, so follow us for news and product updates as well.

If you're looking for another way to control your Arduino project, consider the Internet by using our Freetronics EtherTen. Apart from being fully Arduino Uno-compatible, it has onboard Ethernet, microSD socket, full USB connection (no pesky FTDI cables needed) and supports optional Power-over-Ethernet:

 Enthusiast Mario Böhmer has published a method to control AC mains sockets safely and remotely using an Android phone and Arduino. instead of attempting to rewire the mains sockets he simple hacked into the remote control for some remote-control mains outlets, and has the Arduino digital outputs tapped into the remote buttons with optocouplers. Then the Arduino listens via serial to a PC for text sent by the Android phone - which runs a custom app to simply turn the outlets on or off. For example:

Visit Mario's website for more information, a video demonstration and the required code. And for more, we're on twitter and Google+, so follow us for news and product updates as well.

If you're looking for an Arduino-compatible board with inbuilt USB host shield in order to experiment with the Android developer kit, look no further as we have the Freetronics USBDroid board:

Apart from being a fully Arduino Uno-compatible, it has onboard microSD socket and the full USB socket and host-mode controller. As well as the Bluetooth application described above, this is the ideal platform for developing peripherals or projects based around Android devices with ADK (Android Developer Kit) functionality, but without requiring a USB host controller shield stacked onto an Arduino. For more information and to order, visit the product page here. 

 After acquiring a Maxim iButton reader and tag, Instructables user "kenyer" decided to use it as as the basis for a garage door opening button. After some experimentation he discovered how to connect the iButton reader to an Arduino using the 1-wire bus, and ended up making an entire system that also has a digital clock (without using a real-time clock IC) displayed using an LCD. Here's his system at work:

Even if you're not interested in his primary goal, the explanation of making a clock without an RTC is a good read, so click here for more information. And for more, we're on twitter and Google+, so follow us for news and product updates as well.

Although an Arduino can timekeep on its' own, when he power goes out so does the time, instead - consider using our super-accurate real-time clock module. Based on the DS3232, it has a temperature-controlled crystal oscillator for accurate time keeping, battery backup and 236 bytes of non-volatile memory for user data. For more information, see our modules page.