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 LEGO and Arduino - there's two things that must have some synergy. And now it can be so, by following a guide written by Instructables user 'kenyer'. This journey starts with describing in great detail how to modify bricks in order to add LEDs, making them flush and with their own customised electrical contacts. His methods do involve the use of a CNC machine, however this could be done by hand if you weren't in a hurry.  Here's a quick demonstration of the LED brick:

With some planning a whole production line of these bricks could be manufactured. Apparently the next brick will be an LDR, so we look forward to watching the progress. In the meanwhile, 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 this sort of project intrigues you and 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:

 Over at the coolarduino site they have been experimenting with sound localisation - which is the process of determining the location of noise and doing something with the information. In this case the hardware has been mounted on a pan/tilt device so it can "follow" the source of the noise. It is based around four electret microphones mounted on some protoboard with some basic circuitry. The complexity is in the software, however a full description and tutorial is offered which explains the theory. And by sampling at different frequency rates, the device could even detect a certain type of noise, and track that. Very interesting, for example:

For the complete explanation, circuitry and code check out the project page. And for more, we're on twitter and Google+, so follow us for news and product updates as well. 

To test audio sampling yourself you can make an easy start with a simple electret microphone board, and our Freetronics MIC: microphone and sound module is perfect. 

 Hacker and enthusiast Angus from our nation's capital had a problem with mould in his flat, so attempted to purchase a humidifier to help even out the atmosphere at home. Not having a model with a humidistat immediately available from the retailer, he purchased a manual unit and created his own controller. Using some remote weather sensors from eBay, Gus hacked into the wireless signal from those which are received by an Arduino board with wireless data receiver. With some other hardware the temperature is also measure and the data graphed for viewing on the web. Finally the humidifier is remotely controlled by a wireless mains outlet, saving the need for AC wiring. Well done Gus.

For more information and links to his code, visit the project page 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 data from wireless weather stations, and other devices that transmit on 315 MHz or 433 Mhz, check out our Receiver Shields for Arduino:

Available in both 315 MHz and 433 MHz variants, they have two general purpose LEDs, plenty of prototyping space and very easy to use with your projects, as well as the weather station receiver project in "Practical Arduino". For more information and to order, click here. 

Sebastian Tomczak has documented an interesting project, where a pressure-sensitive floor has been digitised to allow creation of various sound effects with an Arduino and the original wiring system. The pressure-sensitive floor consists of several wooden triangular structures that each contain a pressure sensor whose resistance was proportional to the pressure. The system is quite retro, yet can be digitised easily as the Arduino simply measures the signal between 5V, the sensor and an analogue input - whose values are sent to a PC via serial and interpreted by MAX/MSP, and thus sounds. 

For an interesting synergy between analogue sensors and modern sounds, click here. And for more, we're on twitter and Google+, so follow us for news and product updates as well. 

Interested in sensing external sources and working with them - but not too sure where to start? Then the best way to learn is with out 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.

 Next in her interesting series about Arduino and audio input/output, Amanda Ghassaei has continued with a study on how to detect the frequency of the signal being measured by an Arduino's analogue input pin. After reading through it, her work is very good. Amanda discusses detecting positive and negative slopes of the incoming signal, peak detection and more - and implements these in the sample Arduino sketches. Furthermore Amanda moves on with sine wave and pitch detection with more examples. All very interesting and worth a good read. 

To get started and expand your audio knowledge, click here. And for more, we're on twitter and Google+, so follow us for news and product updates as well. 

For a simple source of audio to sample, start with a simple electret microphone board - and our Freetronics MIC: microphone and sound module is perfect. 

 Using a few infra-red transmitting and receiving diodes, Ricardo Vina demonstrates how to emulate an infra-red distance sensor by making his own. It works by simple measuring the amount of infra-red light reflected from an object - the further away the object, the less light that can be measured and therefore the change in distance can be monitored. Considering the cost of true sensors can be over ten dollars this is an interesting experiment in saving money and making your own sensor. And it really works, for example:

For instructions on how to make your own and the Arduino sketch, click here. And for more, we're on twitter and Google+, so follow us for news and product updates as well. 

 For those looking to move something on a fixed platform that requires more than just a pan and tilt head, check out this next project. With an Arduino, six servos, and a lot of laser-cut acrylic Instructables user 'kroymander' has created an excellent platform with six degrees of movement. It sounds complex but is quite the opposite, as all the design files are included as well as .eps files to send to a laser cutter to make the pieces. And here it is in action:

Certainly a great project without too much effort. To get started visit the project page. And for more, we're on twitter and Google+, so follow us for news and product updates as well. 

If this sort of project intrigues you and 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:

 Instructables member 'homunkoloss' describes in detail what needs to be done to control a single relay with an Arduino board. Using relays makes it possible to control much higher voltages and currents than is normally possible with transistors or an Arduino itself. He includes the theory behind the component selection and includes a schematic and example sketch. 

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

Although the process described above may be simple for one relay, or if you have plenty of time - it can be done reasonably easily. However if you have two or more relays - it's much easier to use dedicated relay control boards. Here at Freetronics we have the RELAY4: board, perfect for controlling up to four relays with Arduino (or any other microcontroller's) digital output pins:

 Chris at the pyroelectro blog has documented how to use more than one servo with an Arduino - which doesn't sound anything new. However in his tutorial he shows how to control them both individually and in synchronisation (at the same time). Apart from this we also receive a good lesson on how servos work and what it takes to drive them. Here's a quick example of them in action:

For this great little tutorial click here. And for more, we're on twitter and Google+, so follow us for news and product updates as well. 

Servos? Arduino? Not sure what that's all about - but would like to know? Then the best way to learn is with out 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.

 Using an Android OS smartphone (a HTC Wildfire), the Amarino toolkit and a robot powered by an Arduino board, 'valim' form the Arduino forums has created a different method of controlling his robot. Data communication is via Bluetooth and of course the motors were controlled via a motor shield. Here's a quick video demonstration of it at work:

It looks like a work in progress, however the Arduino sketch and discussion can be found here. And for more, we're on twitter and Google+, so follow us for news and product updates as well.

For a direct Android-Arduino interface or other applications that require a USB host shield - consider our Freetronics USBDroid:

The USBDroid combines the functionality of the Freetronics Eleven along with a USB host-mode controller and a microSD memory card slot all merged together into a single, integrated board that is 100% Arduino compatible. 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. Connect your Android phone for all kinds of controller and networking features, and other USB devices like game controllers, Bluetooth dongles, digital cameras, etc. For more information and to order - click here!