Piccolino is like an Arduino on steroids. For years, Alex Sardo has been on the prowl for a way to embed an OLED display into a project and to devise a remote-controlled appliance. She has found that such interfaces, while easy to embed, were either too expensive, not voltage compatible or too bulky. And so, the Maker sought out to create a low-cost alternative platform that would offer […]
Maker uses the popularity of others as the input for creating electronic music. By now, you’re probably well aware that Moscow-based innovator Dmitry Morozov is no stranger to the Bits & Pieces blog with his unique Arduino-based installations. Just when we thought we’ve seen it all, from making eery tunes by crushing electronic devices to turning air pollution into contemporary […]
After being disappointed with a robotic arm he received for the holidays, one Maker decided to build his own bot instead. With Maker Faire season in full swing, we just can’t seem to get enough of robotic creations. Recently, we came across a pretty sweet project from John Fin, who devised a voice-controlled, Arduino-based bot of his own. […]
The BlueDuino Rev2 is an ATmega32U4 based development board with Bluetooth Low Energy. Developed by Beijing startup April Brothers, the BlueDuino Rev2 is an Arduino-compatible development board based on the versatile ATmega32U4 along with a built-in CC2540 BLE module. This enables Makers to easily plug the pint-sized board into their project and immediately begin programming. The firmware for the BLE module — called ZeroBeacon — supports iBeacon […]
This $11 open-source board is based on an ATmega328 and comes without a USB converter. Last year, the e-radionica.com crew released the Croduino Basic, an open-source board based on the wildly popular ATmega328 MCU. Now, the team has returned with the debut of the Croduino Pico. Currently available on Tindie for $11, the Croduino Pico is billed as “simpler […]
Keep tabs on those tabbies with this Arduino-based RFID monitoring system. Getting a cat to use their litter box can sometimes be a daunting task, especially for pet owners like Maker T.J. Reed’s sister who owns more than one feline. In this case, vets typically suggest designating one litter box for each cat to “give them their own territory.” For many, this seems […]
Maker implements an early 1980s microcomputer on an Arduino to show just how powerful MCUs are today. First released in 1977, the Apple II was one of the most successfully mass-produced 8-bit microcomputers to ever hit the market. While production may have ceased back in November 1993, one Maker has implemented an Apple II, its 6052 processor and a cassette […]
Created by a team of Cornell students, these smart garments have the front page of Adafruit written all over them. Smart garments are one of the wearables that Gartner has billed as having the greatest potential for growth. A testament to the limitless possibilities of that space is a recent project by a group of undergrads from Cornell University. The students have created a set of embedded outfits […]
What an eggs-ellent idea! First conceived in the spring of 1990 by Bruce Shapiro, the Egg-Bot is an art robot capable of drawing on rounded objects ranging in size from a ping-pong ball to a softball. The Maker initially came up with the idea as he grew fascinated by controlling stepper motors from his computer. And given the timing, the obvious […]
Arachnio takes a breadboarded mess and turns it into an Arduino Micro-sized board. Designed by Logos Electromechanical, Arachnio is an affordable, open-source Arduino variant with integrated Wi-Fi capabilities. Based on an ATmega32U4, the board features an ESP8266EX Wi-Fi module with an integrated antenna. Both Arachnio’s hardware and software are entirely Arduino-compatible, thereby making it easy to get a connected device up […]
