Spark up some childhood nostalgia with this DIY claw machine

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This Arduino-based claw machine is faster, fairer and more controllable than anything in the arcade.

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Just think how much of your parents’ money you spent as a kid playing those candy or stuffed toy-grabbing machines. You know, the ones where you put a quarter in and maneuvered a joystick in hopes of snatching a piece of junk that cost less than the amount of coins you inserted. Well, Maker Ryan Bates and the Retrobuit Games crew has developed a fairer, faster and more controllable version of the infamous claw game. The best part? It won’t require you to dig deep into your wallets.

Instead, this arcade-inspired tabletop device measures only 20” x 26” x 19” in size and is made out of aluminum extrusion and custom laser cut acrylic/wood. At the brains of the it all lies an Arduino Mega (ATmega2560) along with some NEMA 17 stepper motors.

“Everything is custom designed, from the XYZ gantry, to the claw, to the game logic. Stepper motors move the gantry, and a servo motor controls the claw (giving the claw an analog grip, not just open/close). Some parts are sourced from the plentiful DIY 3D printer market, other parts I went for cheap alternatives like replacement shower door nylon rollers,” Bates explains.

The game itself is based on a 55-second timer, which counts down on an LCD display. Simply insert a quarter (or set it to free play), and press start. Then, no different than in the arcade of yesterday, you have just under a minute to move and position the claw, grab a prize, return it to the chute and continue to reach for more. Once the clock hits zero, the claw closes, the gantry moves back to the ‘home position’ and the claw opens releasing anything it might be carrying.

Unlike the traditional arcade machines, however, this DIY model provides players with total control of the X, Y and Z axes. Horizontal and vertical movement is handled by a joystick and two buttons (up and down), respectively. Meanwhile, a knob lets users open and close the grip.

“Personally, the game is more fun since it’s based less on one-time spatial judgment and more about motor skills and planning the best route for multiple prizes,” Bates adds.

Although he began this project three years ago, the Maker has since upgraded his proof-of-concept, which includes an improved layout of the control panel (relocated the screen to the center), an increased height to allow for a gravity fed prize chute, and a ‘return to home’ function when the game ends.

He also added LEDs that illuminate the play area and offer visual cues for the game’s start and end. For instance, the lights flash when time expired” is displayed and turn off whenever the machine goes idle.

Admittedly, as awesome as the project may be, Bates still has a few things he’d like to change. He shares, “I wants to make the frame just a little bit taller (about two inches) as the coin acceptor is a big crammed, but really I am very pleased with everything! The electronics have been beefed up to handle more power if needed. I did add a secret switch on the back that can switch the power given to the z motor from 5V to 12V. This boots the lifting power from ~6oz to ~3lbs.”

Intrigued? You can also check out the entire project in more detail here.

 

This Mecanum wheel robot has some serious parallel parking skills

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Build an Arduino-based, Bluetooth-controlled Mecanum wheel robot that can move in all four directions, without rotating itself. 

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Mecanum wheels have additional secondary rollers offset at an angle. These allow for a device or robot equipped with four of them to move in any direction, even directly left and right depending on which combination of four wheels is actuated. If you’ve never seen this sliding locomotion method before, be sure to check out the video below to see just how this robot works. Although only shown traveling in straight lines there, these type of wheels are also capable of rotating a vehicle.

According to the author of this project, a Warsaw, Poland-based Maker named Adam, “Since I can remember I always wanted to build a mecanum wheel robot. The Mecanum wheel robotic platforms available on the market were a little too expensive for me so I decided to build my robot from scratch.”

His build is simple but elegant, with two pairs of motors attached to each other via metal tubing, then fastened to a simple chassis made out of a rectangular piece of plastic. As needed for this type of locomotion, wheels are spaced so that the smaller rollers are all pointing toward the center of the bot.

The Maker used an Arduino Mega (ATmega2560) along with a Bluetooth module that enables him to wirelessly control the robot using an Android app. The electronic system is equipped with two power sources: an 11.1V 1300 mAh LiPo for supplying the DC motors and a 7.4V 1800 mAh LiPo for the ‘duino. Adam explains what is physically happening in his Instructables article, as well as how the code generally works. If you’d like more details on his code, the full program is available on GitHub.

A CNC machine made from old furniture and printer parts

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Goes to show that one man’s trash is another Maker’s treasure! 

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Computer-controlled tools are a welcome addition to any garage; however, they usually cost hundreds or even thousands of dollars. On the other hand, you could just build your own CNC router using chipboard (aka particle board) recycled from an old piece of furniture, motors from an optical drive, a PC power supply, and, of course, an Arduino Uno (ATmega328).

Norbert “HomoFaciens” Heinz describes the build on his site and in the excellent 0.6 video below, as well improvements he made to it in the following 0.6.1 video.

The DIY CNC router is meant for mostly two-dimensional parts as the vertical axis is controlled by a normal hobby servo. The horizontal axes are each controlled with 3mm threaded rods that rotate inside of brass nuts that are soldered in place using a candle (seriously). These rods are handled by the optical drive motors with encoders made from optical sensors and disks with teeth cut out of metal.

It’s really an amazing display of what one can do with simple tools and materials, and an incredible amount of ingenuity! If that wasn’t impressive enough, he also wrote the control software, consisting of an Arduino Sketch and a Linux program that transmits motor commands over USB.

For another interesting trash build, check out this router made from PC parts. It’s available as a kit, so you won’t have to cut up your furniture to make it!

[h/t Hackaday]

Build your own remote car starter with Bluetooth

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With wintry weather approaching, create your own remote start unit for your car using Arduino and Bluetooth.

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Remote door locks are pretty standard nowadays, but chances are you don’t have a remote start unit for your car. You could always just buy one and install it, but if you’re (former) Subaru Forester owner Chris Johnson, you would instead design your own using an ATmega328 chip and a Bluetooth module.

His control box, seen as a prototype in the video below, uses a computer to connect to the in-car module and start the vehicle via several relays. It takes into account whether the car is in gear and if it’s running during this sequence. It shuts off when driving, or after 30 minutes. Physically, the starter (now fully inside the black box) connects to the car via a DB-9 connector, so removal for reprogramming was quite easy.

Johnson was able to get information on the engine control module (ECM) via the car’s maintenance manual, but verified these values using an oscilloscope. Of this process, he notes that, “You probably would have enjoyed watching me trying to read the waveform period on the oscilloscope as I drove around the parking lot.”

As with most projects on this site, if you want to try it yourself, proceed at your own risk. Control of a heavy and, though we don’t always think about it, extremely fast object is a serious responsibility. Also, though certainly entertaining, it’s probably best not to ‘scope and drive — get someone to help you! As the wicked wintry weather approaches, be sure to check out the remote starter in more detail here.

Who’s winning the Arduino popularity contest?

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You think Arduino is popular? Wait until you see some of the numbers our friends at codebender have compiled.

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If you’ve ever wondered which Arduino boards are the most popular, which are the most used processors, which are the most common Libraries (and Example) and how are they being used, you’ll appreciate this post from codebender founder Vasilis Georgitzikis. For those of you who may not be familiar with the site, codebender is an online Arduino IDE that enables you to program your ‘duino on the cloud.

“At codebender we have a unique insight on this, since we have more than 40,000 people using codebender to write Arduino code, and more than 100,000 sketches. This gives us the ability to gather anonymous data on board usage, popular boards, etc. And since we host more than 500 built-in libraries, we also get a great view on the preferred Libraries as well,” Georgitzikis explains.

The Most Popular Kid on the Block

First, codebender took a look into the popularity of each Arduino board. The easiest way to count this is to take a look at which board people use most often. They counted how many times people programmed/”flashed” a particular board (say, an Arduino Uno) versus the total number of times someone programmed a board on codebender during September (which was 123,967 times).

Before diving into the data, a few things should first be noted:

• When you look at this, keep in mind that codebender only supports AVR-based boards right now, so boards like the Due, Zero and Galileo/Edison are not counted here.
• This research is based on usage on codebender, not across all Arduino users. But there’s no reason to think that this would be any different, so it’s fair to say that what is seen here applies to the Arduino community at large.
• There is a caveat to the above — codebender has some partnerships with hardware manufacturers who suggest codebender for their boards, so naturally there will be slightly inflated numbers for these.

So, without further ado, here are the results (showing only boards with more than 1% usage):

Wow! Everyone knows Arduino Uno is the most popular board, but did you know that in more than half of the instances an Arduino is programmed, it’s an Arduino Uno?

“I also personally didn’t expect the Arduino Nano to be so popular, let alone #2! I’m more of a Pro Mini/Pro Micro guy myself, since I’m a bit of a SparkFun nerd. A reason for this spike could be the recent surge of ridiculously affordable Arduino Nano-compatible boards from China, using the very inexpensive CH340G chip for the USB-to-Serial instead of the more common FTDI chip,” Georgitzikis adds.

Another thing worth mentioning is the number of Duemilanove boards still in existence (remember, they are six years old), which are still almost as popular as the Leonardo.

“The Leonardo, by the way, is much lower than I expected. It goes to show that issues with the way the Leonardo’s programming was implemented – the less-than-stellar robustness when programming and all the inconsistencies it brings with existing code and Libraries – outweigh the extra features and lower price,” Georgitzikis shares. “Long live the Uno!”

(By the way, notice that 4 out of the 13 most popular boards are manufactured by SparkFun. Not bad, huh?)

Official Boards Only

Okay, as mentioned above, some boards are bound to be a bit inflated because their manufacturer suggests codebender as the tool of choice for Arduino coding. Let’s look at the same numbers, this time using only the official Arduino boards.

According to codebender, here are the results (showing only boards with more than 1% usage):

Old But Gold

For its last chart, the codebender crew thought it would be interesting to see the most popular microprocessor chip in Arduino land.

On the left chart, they measured the number of boards that use a certain chip. Out of the 80 boards that codebender supports, how many boards use each chip? The right chart reveals the number of times an Arduino is programmed, so you can see how many times people programed a board with a certain processor (i.e. ATmega328), compared to the total number of times people programmed a board.

And the winner is, of course, the ATmega328 by a landslide.

“First, we see that a good third of the boards supported in codebender are using the ATmega328. ATtiny in second place seems weird at first, but given that there are around 20 different boards for the various ATtiny chips and configurations, it makes sense,” Georgitzikis writes. “And then, you have the ATmega32U4 devices. There are a lot of independent manufacturers making boards based on this chip, but as we saw on the previous chart (and as you can see on the Processor Usage chart above), they end up not being used too frequently.”

As you can see on the Processor Usage chart, more than four out of five times someone programs an Arduino, it’s using an ATmega328. Isn’t that simply amazing? (We sure think so!)

Editor’s note: These insights are based on anonymous usage data gathered by codebender. 

[h/t SparkFun]

Maker builds her own robotic Wheatley

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Hey Portal fans, who wouldn’t want their own Wheatley capable of talking and moving?

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Wheatley is a fictional artificial intelligence from the Portal 2 video game franchise. And like any true fan, Maker Genevieve Bee thought it would be cool to build an interactive replica of her own from scratch, complete with both sound and movement.

Wheatley’s body is comprised of blue insulation (XPS) foam, foamed PVC and epoxy putty. For its iconic glowing eye, the Maker used parts of a flashlight, a plastic CD case, some LEDs and a hexagonal plate she made in Photoshop. Meanwhile, a Velleman kit wired to an Adafruit Sound Board and speaker enables the LEDs to flash in unison as Wheatley talks.

Wheatley also has an an Arduino Uno (ATmega328) for a brain, which drives three servos. Two are responsible for moving the eye, while another allows the lid to to open and close. She even created a joystick controller for operating the head and eyelids.

Feeling inspEYEred? Check out the project’s page for more, or see it in action below.

 

Maker creates his own hand crank generator

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This 3D-printed, Arduino-based generator is capable of producing 30W of power.

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Have you been wondering what to do with your 3D printer for the next 250 hours? If so, you can make this hand crank generator from Norwegian designer Even Erichsen. The generator is capable of producing 30W of power, so even though it looks amazing, it wouldn’t be the right choice for an off-the-grid power supply.

According to Erichsen, his original goal for this project “was to generate electricity to boil water for food and disinfection,” but realized that one “would have to work the generator for quite some time to boil even a small amount of water.”

Taking this one step further, if his 3D printer used around 100W on average, this would mean that it would take about 830 hours, or nearly 35 days, of cranking to generate enough electricity to replicate itself.

When the crank is turned, as seen in the video below, printed gears multiply the rotational speed, spinning 96 neodymium magnets to generate electricity. An Arduino Nano (ATmega328) measures power output via a nicely made circuit board.

The device itself features 60 3D-printed parts, which called for two 3D printers in order to complete the job: an Ultimaker for the bigger parts, a Makerbot Replicator for the smaller ones. The designer says that, “Until I release a set of instructions, consider this a work of art,” and it really is quite nicely finished. You can find more info on this build on its Thingiverse page, or on JUSTPRESSPRINT with a really cool interactive 3D model.

Turning an NES into the ultimate 8-bit game console

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This system transforms 8-bit side-scrolling console video games into totally immersive multiplayer experiences.

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There’s no denying the nostalgic appeal of blowing into a Super Mario Bros cartridge, slipping it into your Nintendo Entertainment System and immersing yourself in an 8-bit world of blocky graphics and chiptunes. The side-scrolling game that we all grew up playing in our family rooms is pretty limited, though. You constantly move forwards, jumping over obstacles and hitting blocks, until you get to the end of a level — that’s about it. There’s no going back, you can’t zoom out and you can only have a maximum of two players.

What if there was a way to transform the beloved game into a collective, totally immersive experience? That’s exactly what a group from ETH Zurich and Disney Research set out to accomplish by developing the world’s first cooperative 8-player, 8-bit NES capable of continuous, panoramic side-scrolling.

For this endeavor, the team employed a real NES with real cartridges, giving it a true old-school effect. And it should be pointed out that there was no hacking of the actual console; instead, its creators enhanced the game using DIY hardware and software that multiplexes eight gmepad inputs to automatically handoff control from one pad to the next.

To connect eight controllers to the NES, they used an Arduino (ATmega328)-based multiplexer. Video from the NES is fed through an upscaler to get the output up to a solid 576p at 50Hz, whereas audio output goes directly from the NES to the room’s sound system.

Meanwhile, the NES output video signal is first captured and sent for analysis. A “tracking PC” running custom software processes the video stream, tracks the background and creates a wide, panoramic image. This image is then sent to a media server, which outputs the stream via eight projectors — two for each wall. Ars Technica notes that the tracking PC also has a real-time GPU algorithm to correct any distortion, enabling it to display clear graphics.

The Arduino multiplexer has two modes of operation: it can either cycle through each gamepad after a fixed amount of time, or the tracking PC can let the Arduino know to change to a specific gamepad, depending on where the players are in a level.

Once complete, the researchers tested the impressive system at a gathering with over 400 guests inside a Swiss night club. As you can imagine, it was a hit! The hope is that it will bring an entirely new level of social interaction to traditional game play. Think about it: Partygoers can swap in and out as they attempt to go from level to level, all while adding a unique ambiance to the environment. (Not for anything else, it can surely make for one heck of a drinking game!)

For those who don’t happen to have several projectors or giant walls, not to worry. The platform supports a virtual reality version as well, which reproduces a similar environment using an Oculus Rift headset.

Intrigued? Head over to the researcher’s official page to see how they’re ‘unfolding the 8-bit era.’ You can also head over to Ars Technica’s writeup or simply watch it in action below.

[h/t Ars Technica via ETH Zurich]

Maker builds a pocket-sized chording keyboard

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This Arduino-based chording keyboard can communicate over Bluetooth or USB.

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Per Brian McEvoy’s Instructables article, “A chording keyboard is a device which relies on pressing multiple keys at once, similar to playing a chord on a guitar.” This type of computer interface can be quite fast as you don’t have to move your fingers off of the home position. In McEnvoy’s case, he designed his keyboard so that it would be extremely portable for a cyberpunk costume he’s assembling.

His 3D-printed keyboard features three thumb buttons and a button for each finger, and uses an Arduino Micro (ATmega32U4) to translate key combinations into something that a computing device can recognize. According to his writeup, the seven keys and processor are required, but many of the other components, including the Bluetooth module, accelerometer, battery holder and USB port are optional. On the other hand, it appears one could need either a battery holder or USB port to get power from somewhere, so one of the two is probably necessary.

It would seem like something similar to this running under Bluetooth would make an excellent phone accessory, perhaps as a custom case. The learning curve would be steep, but once learned, this type of accessory could make texting or phone-emails much, much faster.

You can find even more information about how this device came to be on his 24 Hour Engineer site!

BeMap lets you pick the least polluted way to work

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This device features GPS for tracking, a lamp for visibility and sensors for measuring pollution along your cycling route.

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Most folks typically like commute to work everyday either by car or mass transit. Not only do these vehicles create congestion on the roads, they’re often times costly and not always flexible to one’s schedule. And while cycling is certainly an alternative mode of transportation, many people don’t feel confident riding to work in non-bike-friendly cities. This is something that one team of microengineers have set out to change with their Arduino-based system.

With hopes of encouraging more people to bike to work and improving everyone’s general well-being, four EPFL students have developed an innovative handlebar device with an air pollution gauge and headlight. The system, called BeMap (Bicycle Environmental Mapping), is capable of measuring CO and NO2 levels in the air and transmitting that data to a computer for environmental mapping. These readings can then be crowdsourced online and mapped to help cyclists choose routes with the lowest level of vehicle exhaust and pollution. During any given bike ride, anywhere from 500 to 1,000 pollution readings can be taken and then uploaded in real-time over Bluetooth.

Aside from a CO and NO2 sensor, BeMap is embedded with a temperature and humidty sensor along with an Arduino Leonardo (ATmega32U4) that handles communication and data collection. What’s more, the gadget is equipped with GPS for tracking the path followed by a cyclist throughout their commute and combining the sensors’ data to points on the map. There’s also an LED light to enhance nighttime visibility and for keeping you up to date on the current pollution levels.

According to its creators, BeMap is geared towards to specific users: municipalities who could provide the device to users in order to collect specific information about cycling infrastructures’ quality and air pollution, as well as data-loving riders who’d like to analyze their cycling routes. Plus, the students are already in talks with OpenSense — a project designed to measure air quality through mobile monitoring — who has already placed sensors on trams and buses in Zurich and Lausanne, for instance.

“With bicycles, we can go down narrow streets and reach other spots that are off limits to buses. The readings crowdsourced by BeMap will also help cover more ground,” explains Chloe Dickson, a member of the BeMap project team.

In true Maker spirit, BeMap is entirely open source and all of its documentation and 3D-printable files are available online. Although the project was initially devised as part of the iCan competition, the group is considering marketing a commercial-grade unit, which we wouldn’t be surprised to find on Kickstarter in the near future!