Bring your LEGO projects to life with the Brick Sound Kit

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This rocket-shaped device will add motion-activated sound effects to any LEGO or Mega Bloks project. 

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“What if there was a way to record our own sounds and play them back whenever we flew our Lego spaceship?” This was the simple question that prompted eight-year-old Chase Freedman to explore his imagination and resulted in the conception of the Brick Sound Kit — an attachable device that allows users to record or download sounds to enhance their playing experience.

Instead of having to actually make the typical “whoosh,””pew pew” and “pow pow” noises  yourself, the Brick Sound Kit enables children (and those who are still kids at heart) to transform their toys into interactive machines. Recreating your favorite scenes from Star Wars has never been so much fun!

The BSK is built around an Arduino-friendly board equipped with an ATmega328, LEDs, light-up buttons, a AAA battery and a gyroscope, all protected by a highly durable, rocket-shaped enclosure. This casing not only functions as a standalone toy, it can easily snap onto anything you build with Lego, Mega Bloks, Kre-O and other compatible brick building sets.

Freedman’s innovation is ready for use right out of the box. What’s more, it can be paired over Bluetooth with the accompanying BSK Sound Effects App, along with other apps and games to add more interaction to the your bricks in just minutes.

And that’s not all. The Brick Sound Kits includes an FTDI USB adapter and cable so you can reprogram the gadget’s capabilities using free Arduino tools. Open source SDKs let anyone build their own apps and games controlled by the BSK. All programming is super simple for users of any age or skill, and will be supported by the team through a developer portal.

The young Maker didn’t do this all by himself; in fact, he collaborated with his father, Chuck, to bring the idea to life — and now Kickstarter. After receiving enormous amounts of great feedback from friends and family, the duo looked into how they could commercialize the invention and make it something that other people could use. The two ended up contracting Boston University Electronics Design Facility to develop the kit’s circuit board and Clear Design Lab of Boston to design the housing.

“The Brick Sound Kit is not only a device for kids. It was also developed to be used by enthusiasts and collectors, that want to enhance the device even further and create their own programs and sounds. All this comes together in a marketplace where sounds, apps and games can be exchanged between Brick Sound Kit users and developers,” dad explains.

Are you ready to make the spaceship of your dreams? Then fly on over to the Brick Sound Kit’s Kickstarter campaign, where the father-son duo is currently seeking $18,000. Amazingly, Chase is actually the second eight-year-old Maker to launch a crowdfunding campaign this year. Over the summer, Omkar Govil-Nair debuted his O Watch, which went on to garner more than $18,000.

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!

This glowing LED dress is magical

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One Maker has created a FLORA-powered, Disney-inspired dress that magically twinkles and changes colors as she twirls.

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Like something straight out of a Disney tale, Erin St. Blaine has put together quite the magical fairy ensemble for her community’s recent electric lights parade.

The Maker’s fiber optic Snow Fairy Costume employs Adafruit’s Pixie 3W LEDs, which are around 20 times as bright as a NeoPixel — making them the perfect choice for a nighttime festivities.

The dress itself is equipped with a FLORA (ATmega32U4) for its brain and an accelerometer/compass module for enacting mode changes by spinning. Yes, it even twinkles and changes colors as she twirls, just like Cinderella.

Aside from the five Pixies lighting the fibers, the Maker included two more underneath her hoop skirt for an “underglow” effect. She also modded and connected a 60-LED LumiLabs Crystal Crown to round out the glowrious getup.

“I made a wreath headpiece that fits me out of some holiday floral junk from Michael’s, and then added a second concentric wire ring inside the first, and wired them together at each cardinal point,” St. Blaine explains. “The inner ring sits a couple inches above the main ring. I then took some ribbon and wove the crystal crown to the inner ring, and decorated the whole thing with lots more Michael’s holiday junk.”

Inspired by Disneyland’s Electric Light Parade fairies, the Maker ordered a cheap antenna book light that she wove into the crown with the two book lights pointing right down at her face. St. Blaine says that the battery pack was the perfect size to wedge between the two concentric circles of wire to hold them apart.

But why stop there? She went on to add little more magic to her costume, and by magic we mean a connector, so that the crown can change modes seamlessly along with the dress.

“I am still planning on adding some fiber optic lights to the wings as well,” she writes. “I’m thinking fiber optics are the answer here too, but I am a little unsure how to proceed without tearing the wings all apart and then re-covering them.”

So was it a hit? Umm… obviously! According to St. Blaine, “It was really well received. I couldn’t go more than a few steps without being stopped for photo ops and little girl hugs.” The Maker has provided a step-by-step tutorial of her build over on Adafruit, and shared a video of the fiber optic outfit in action below!

 

One Maker has created the synth from hell

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Want a different synth? Just swap the chip for a different program.

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Created by Melbourne-based sound designer Roberto Jordan, Hell Synth is a palm-sized experimental synthesizer that comes in both pre-assembled and kit form. Little noise synths are typically limited in the scope of their sound, either because they grind aggressively or drone in massive arrays of humming square-waves. In an effort to develop something a bit different, the Maker packed a whole lot of sounds in his 8cm x 7cm tool, ranging from oceans of glass to lightening fast arpeggios, that will keep anyone twiddling for hours.

The device is equipped with 9V in and comes with an adapter cable so users can also plug in a 9V battery. Aside from that, it features a power indicator LED, audio and media out ports, six knobs and an ATmega328 at its heart. What’s cool is that Hell Synth’s bottom panel is actually the same circuit board as top.

“This is the fifth version of this synth design and the 10th version of the software. I’ve been working to make sure it is fun to use while being full of awesome sounds,” Jordan writes.

Hell Synth currently features three programs, which allows users to control pitch, waveform, along with some chaotic elements that would appeal to any hard rocker. “FROM HELL!” is a hardcore noise synth with six digital wavetable oscillators, tons of glitch, modulation, waveforms, as well as MIDI out. Secondly, “ARP BOX1” is a little arpeggiator with both audio and MIDI out, capable of everything from Casio-style acid crazy to bleepy-bloops. The latest addition, “Zsynth,” is a space radio with slow warping, phasing sweeps, pulsing beats and hums. Jordan notes that users can either download the aforementioned programs or upload their own.

Want one of your own? Head over to the Maker’s page here.

LattePanda is a $70 Windows 10 mini computer

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This single-board computer comes pre-installed with Windows 10 and an Arduino-compatible coprocessor. 

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Microcomputers aren’t only getting smaller, they’re getting a whole heck of a lot cheaper, too. Just in recent months alone, both the $9 C.H.I.P. and the $5 Raspberry Pi Zero have generated quite a bit of buzz amongst the Maker crowd. However, getting a single-board that runs Windows is a bit more difficult and requires you to dig a little deeper into your pockets. That was until now, at least.

Meet the LattePanda — a $69 board equipped with an Intel Atom x5-Z8300 Cherry Trail processor, 2GB of RAM, 32GB of storage, and yes, a preloaded Windows 10 operating system. What’s more, there’s a pricier ($130) LattePanda Enhanced that boasts the same processor and design along with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage.

LattePanda is the perfect portable computing device, enabling you to do typical PC things like create documents with Microsoft Office, play HD videos and run Windows apps, all on the go. Since it’s pre-installed with Windows 10, each board features tools including Visual Studio, NodeJS, Java and Processing. Plus, the microcomputer supports a number of accessories, ranging from sensors and joysticks to Leap Motion controllers and Kinect.

Both versions pack HDMI, USB 3.0 and two USB 2.0 ports, built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, a microSD card slot, an audio jack, Ethernet, as well as microUSB for power.

And here’s the part that really fascinates us: The board, which measures just 3.5” by 2.8” in size, includes an ATmega32U4 coprocessor for Arduino compatibility, serial ports and a touchscreen connector.

“Whether you are a Windows developer, an IoT developer, a hardware DIYer, an interactive designer, a robotics whizz or a Maker, LattePanda can aid your creative process,” its team writes.

Among the example use cases provided are camera-enabled robots, security monitoring system, cloud-connected IoT devices and real-time data research projects. With onboard Ei-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0 and Ethernet connectivity, data transmission can be seamless.

Ready to say goodbye to your bulky laptop? Not only can it serve as a fully-functional Windows PC, it also offers serial connectors, GPIO pins and Arduino support. Head over to its Kickstarter campaign, where the LattePanda crew is seeking $158,858. Delivery is slated for March 2016.

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!

The perfect clock for analog aficionados

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The Voltmeter Alarm Clock uses dual analog meters to tell time – one for hours and and one for minutes.

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With the holiday shopping season officially underway, do you find yourself wondering what to get the electrical engineer in your life? How about a Voltmeter Alarm Clock?

Developed by Awkward Engineer, the device strikes an uncanny resemblance to an old-school analog voltmeter, except that it displays hours and minutes instead of volts and amps.

“Think of the clock as replacing digital LCDs with analog readouts. Instead of seeing 04:57, the hours meter will point to the 4 and the minutes meter will point to 57. Just like a clock rolls over at midnight and noon, the time meters rolls over zero,” its creators explain.

The stylish yet functional gadget initially appeared on Kickstarter last year, where it successfully garnered $36,000. The Massachusetts-based startup has since enhanced its original design with an alarm function, which is set using a toggle switch on its side.

Built around an ATtiny44, the Voltmeter Alarm Clock features an AM/PM indicator LED, an optional backlight on its display and mode-select knobs on top. Unlike its predecessor, the latest iteration is powered by USB, which can be plugged into a standard wall outlet using a “wall wart” adapter.

If you’re looking for an industrial-chic way to wake up in the morning, the Awkward Engineer team has the perfect thing for you. The Voltmeter Alarm Clock’s sheet metal exterior comes in two different colors — olive drab and grey — and expects to begin shipping next spring.

 

Create (minty) fresh beats with this open source synth kit

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MintySynth is a hackable, Arduino-compatible synthesizer kit that fits neatly inside an Altoids tin.

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A few months ago, Andrew Mowry embarked on a side project to devise a pocketable synthesizer/sequencer capable of fitting neatly inside an Altoids tin. The Arduino-compatible kit, aptly named MintySynth, originated with hopes of becoming not only an educational tool but a fun toy for Makers and music enthusiasts alike.

The open source and hackable device comes unassembled, and generally takes anywhere from one to hours to build. It should be noted that some soldering is required. Once complete, MintySynth can be used with its preloaded software or programmed just like an Arduino.

After receiving some feedback on his first design, Mowry upgraded the kit with several revisions including fewer parts, a simplified power supply, a battery life of 150 hours (10X longer than the original), an additional photocell, and the ability to be powered by an FTDI cable when the switch is in the “off” position.

The acoustic instrument-maker by trade, tinkerer by night chose to improve the MintySynth’s software as well with enhanced LED functionality, additional waveforms, the ability to improvise using the light sensor, and a “laser tripwire” mode, which triggers music/sound effects when a beam of light is blocked.

MintySynth’s preloaded software consists of a four voice, 16 step wavetable sequencer that allows you to play around with different instruments while controlling the tempo, swing, keys and scale. Once you’ve created a song, you can enter “live mode,” which enables you to change the pitch and voice of one of the instruments in real-time so you can jam along with the other three instruments. You can even save up to four 16-note songs, relooping them over and over or reloading each one individually for a total of up to 64 notes. If you want to program the synth yourself, however, you’ll need an FTDI cable since there’s no on-board USB.

In terms of hardware, MintySynth is based on the ATmega328P and has auto-reset so you can easily upload sketches just as you would to an Arduino Uno. The kit also features a few resistors and capacitors, five thumbwheels, a 1/8″ audio jack, a 28-pin DIP socket, a six-pin FTDI header, a 16MHz ceramic resonator, two LEDs, a six-pin jumper header, a three-pin MIDI header, five buttons and runs on a pair of AAA batteries.

“MintySynth was designed to be compatible with a variety of Arduino sketches and libraries, and a jumper is used to select audio output on digital pin 3, 6, or 9, so you can use either of the 3 available timers,” Mowry explains.

Intrigued? You can head over to MintySynth’s page or the Adafruit store to get your hands on one. Keep in mind, though, that it does not ship with an Altoids tin, so you’ll have to eat some mints first and then get to work. Fresh breath first, fresh beats after.