Freeduino and other arduinos and writing to SD cards

Freeduino USB complete KIT - build yourself with USB pre-soldered $23

Write to SD card http://www.arduino.cc/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1206874649/8

Arduino on a breadboard with a serial connection

Connections to the PC for uploading requires either a serial connection (getting rarer!), or a USB (best).  But all USB on an arduino makes the basic board expensive.  This is only an issue if you continually have to connect to the board, such as in a dataLogger - where it might be best to use a USB port for convienience.
For boards built around a breadboard, or to use a serial connector, from arduino site, or good tutorial using the  7404 chip,

Great interactive displays and vidualization of data

Awesome http://iwantyoutowantme.org/index.html.........

Hardcopy arduino fits in altoids tin

PCB with attached arduino, known as hardcopy, allows completed project within footprint of altoids tin - sounds great.


Only issue, is that the RESET pin is not brought out.  BUT, there is a RESET in the ICSP header, so could utilize that one I think

Arduino - Printing floats to specific decmimal places

Reading temperature values and then printing is problematic if only 1 dec. pl. need.  So use the print print float function or else look at forum post

DataLogger Version 1

Version 1 logs temperature from LM34 to external EEPROM and an LCD.  Then use Hyperterminal to download data

External EEPROM - writing temperature data

Having negative numbers and also floats, writing bytes to external EEPROM is problematic.  An excellent thread on LSB and MSB splits is really helpful

I2C on arduino

Having got the EEPROMs to work on I2C using the TWI libraries, time to move to some other I2C chips.  A blog on interfacing entitled I2C expanision is helpful,using Texas Instruments PCA9535 and PCA9555 16-bit I/O port expanders.

Serial out

Tigoe has excellent tutorial on serial out, and read into processing.  A must do!


and an awesome serial out to processing and radar screen.  Should work for Hospital monitor!

Open source arduino clock

Faludi posted a great open source clock

Lego arduino clock

Great post on an arduino clock, set time by accelerometer.

Arduino watchdog and sleep functions

Make use of the Watchdog and Sleep functions provided by the ATMEGA 168 chip . These functions are useful if you want to build  low power consuming devices operated by battery or solar power

PS 2 keyboard and mouse to arduino

SOme interesting pictures to connect sockets to arduino

Temperature logger

Thinking about a temperature logger.  Collect temperature data in the lab and outside for 1 week, with a timer attached. Then store temperature data and time on an external EEPROM.  I have a Sparkfun EEPROM and could use the arduino library for this EEPROM by initiating I2C protocol. Code for this EEPROM is available here, but make sure to read the comments to this blog for some critical changes.

Here is a microSD card shield that interfaces to bradboard/arduino, used by fat16lib in his post

Some arduino version with an LCD using I2C interfaces as a stand alone, and the code for reading and writing is loaded.  Second version attached to PC and uses Perl to log and plot.

Dumping data to excel is outlined in this thread

Programming arduino wirelessly using Xbee

Faludi wrote a beautiful tutorial on using XBees to program arduinos, and a wireless connection to the internet using xbee.

Upgraded Xbee - processing screen

Wireless for arduino

Wireless shield  from cutedigi.com for arduino $55, but would give wirless connection, with TCP/IP

Multiple RGB LEDS and expanding PWM controls

Increasing the number of PWM channels can use a TLC5940.  The arduino playground has some code, and an interesting thread. Digi-Key number 296-17732-5-ND, and the 28 PIN DIP is TLC5940NT and everyone is out of stock until Feb 2010 - must be a good chip!

Alternatives - could use multiple arduinos (each providing 6 PWMs) and use I2C to connect or maybe use an Arduino Mega (12 PWM).

analog gauges

Found some interesting analog gauges from old instruments and am thinking about interfacing them with arduino.  A good page on checking the series resistor (yes series) values to run them, and page on controlling with an arduino, so time to play with arduino or 5V...

PCB Boards

Perf boards, cheaper than Radio Shack and LadyAda uses them!!!! 21-113  are good small ones.
Then there are strip boards....

Controlling multiple LEDs

As ever tigoe has great information:

If you want discrete analog control over one output at a time, you can use a multiplexer. For digital control over multiple pins, you could use an addressable latch or a shift register. If you need pseudo-analog control over multiple pins, you could use a PWM driver.  There are also several LED driver chips that are designed specifically to control groups of LEDS.

So the ST16C596 shift register is similar to the popular 74HC595 shift register, but it’s nicer because it can sink a constant current to the LEDs it’s driving.

update XBee firmware

Following LadyAda's Tweet-A-Watt instructions, firmware upgraded on all XBees using the USB breakout board from www.droids.it

arduino xbee temperature sensor

Starting on a remote temperature sensor that will be connected to the web (perhaps).  I can hopefully log temperature data and also display real time on the web using a PHP script.  Here are some useful links:

Tweet-A-Watt from LadyAda is great
and also in the forums  lots of details



Here is the inital mock-up...

Code to use in processing may be modified from Tom Igoe
and XBee library

IR sensor with processing

Using a Sharp IR sensor to interface with processing . My current version works with changing the delay on a flashing LED

Real Time Clock and EEPROM

Sparkfun has a board that RTC and backup battery for $20, also has EEPROM and an arduino tutorial for I2C

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Wulden has RTC, EEPROM and backup on postage size board

Arduino datalogger

Great post on adafruit about atalogging and writing to SD card http://www.ladyada.net/forums/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=11978

Arduino blog

Jeff's arduino blog with a list of arduino compatible hardware, very useful

Solar cells and recharging

Nice tutorial on solar cells from the Evil Mad Scientists

Pummer chip

Soldering the bi-core chip together....

caps ondiode on

Pummer beginnings

After many procrastinations, it's time to make a pummer. Using MAKE magazine and BEAM resources, my breadboard pummer works.  Made several changes to the capacitors to get a good "pummmm"

Arduino proto shield

Great tutorial on the protoshield from sparkfun at atomicsalad

Long Time Coming

Been working on BASIC Stamp ideas and haven't updated for a while.  Even thought the stamp is working well, I am going to transition to the Arduino.  Like the open source, cost, and floating point math.  Will still use the BASIC Stamp for several projects but will develop new projects on the Arduino.

Salvaging parts from HP Inkjet

In the BEAM vein, salvaging parts from the defunct inkjet board

Cool BEAM projects

Incredible BEAM bots and using gold cap capacitors make small and wonderful bots

BEAM bots in Houston by Ian Bernstein 

Our Earth is wounded

Our earth is wounded.

Her oceans and lakes are sick; her rivers are like running sores; The air is filled with subtle posions. And the oily smoke of countless hellish fires blackens the sun. Men and women, scattered from homeland, family, friends, wander desolate and uncertain, scorched by a toxic sun...
In this desert of frightened, blind uncertainty, some take refuge in the pursuit of power. Some become manipulators of illusion and deceit.
If wisdom and harmony still dwell in this world, as other than a dream lost in an unopened book, they are hidden in our heartbeat.
And it is from our hearts that we cry out. We cry out and our voices are the single voice of this wounded earth. Our cries are a great wind across the earth."

"The Warrior Song of King Gesar",
by Douglas J Penick - 1996

BEAM robots - plant life

BEAM robotics ideas at
http://www.streettech.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=1618

BEAM robotic art

Amazing robotic art by Christopher Conte at http://www.microbotic.org/

First step towards motor control

Constructed the L298 motor driver from Solarbotics.

NOw time to start constructing the motor systems to make a kinetic scultpture.....

Stepper Motor control

Using an EasyDriver to control a stepper motor.
Good tutorial http://danthompsonsblog.blogspot.com/2008/09/easydriver-v31-tutorial.html

Stepper Motor liberated from CD Drive and Floppy Drive

floppy drive pin out and cables at http://www.codeproject.com/KB/system/floppystepper.aspx
Good photos of liberating the motor at http://flickr.com/photos/russnelson/sets/72157594331481462/
good photos of salvaged motors from printer, CD drives at http://www.flickr.com/photos/anachrocomputer/282293157/

Worm gear

Worm gear for robotics, Worm Gear Box H.E. Item #72004 MSRP: $14.50
http://www.tamiyausa.com/product/item.php?product-id=72004

Belt driven robotics

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Positioning objects in an XY plance require belts and stepper motors

There is an interesting set of brackets, pulleys, worm gears at http://www.vexrobotics.com/vex-robotics-advanced-gear-kit.shtml

Construction

A great set of links on http://www.arrickrobotics.com/mechpart.html
Metal parts to build structures from
http://www.hobbyengineering.com/SectionFR.html

Belts and sprockets http://www.hobbyengineering.com/H2028.html



from Tamiya......

 

 

They also have pulley sets

 

 

Great system at http://www.vexrobotics.com/vex-robotics-advanced-gear-kit.shtml

 

Motor control

Control of a basic motor using Parallax Motor MInd B http://www.parallax.com/

or the Secret Drive kit from Solarbotics that fits INSIDE a servo http://www.solarbotics.com/products/k_smd/

or the bigger version Kit #13 - L298 Compact Motor Driver Kit from Solarbotics 
http://www.solarbotics.com/products/k_cmd/ which usable from 6 to 50V, at up to 4A total output current

For stepper motors parallax has the Little Step-U Motor Controller at $70 it can save a lot of time and BS2 computing time

EasyDriver v3 Stepper Motor Driver for stepper motors at http://www.trossenrobotics.com/easydriver-v3-stepper-motor-driver.aspx

Pen size cameras and projectors

Look at http://www.aiptek.com/ for pensize cameras and projectors