We’ve covered a number of cyberpunk inspired ensembles in recent months here on Bits & Pieces, including Mell Ell’s cos-play outfit, the NeoGeo watch, Kaleidoscope Eyes and the Flora-powered GPS jacket. Today, we’re going to be taking a closer look at a NeoPixel punk collar designed by Adafruit’s Becky Stern that is powered by an Atmel-based […]
The Geiger–Müller counter, also known as a Geiger counter, is an instrument used for measuring ionizing radiation. According to Wikipedia, the device detects radiation such as alpha particles, beta particles and gamma rays using the ionization produced in a Geiger–Müller tube. Recently, Johan of dynode.nl designed geiger counter powered by Adafruit’s Atmel-based (ATtiny85 MCU) Trinket. “Lately […]
Although the Maker and open source hardware movements are a global phenomenon, the DIY culture in China can actually be traced back to the ancient concept of Shanzhai. As Gabrielle Levine, the newly appointed president of the Open Source Hardware Association (OSHWA) notes, China is going to be a huge driving force in the open […]
Kevin Kadooka has designed an open source camera with Adafruit’s Atmel-based Trinket platform (ATtiny85) under the hood. Dubbed “Lux,” the 6×6 box camera (120 roll film) was originally prototyped using an Arduino Uno (ATmega328). Key project components include include Adafruit’s quarter-size protoboard, transistors (TIP120), diode (1N4001), 5V solenoid, rotary switch (10 position BCD DIP), rocker switch (SPST), resistors, […]
As we’ve previously discussed on Bits & Pieces, the DIY Maker Movement has been using Atmel-powered 3D printers like MakerBot and RepRap for some time now. However, 3D printing has clearly entered a new and important stage in a number of spaces including the medical sphere, architectural arena and science lab. To be sure, the […]
Atmel MCU Applications Manager Bob Martin recently went on camera in Las Vegas to discuss the evolution of CES over the years, with a specific emphasis on the Maker Movement and DIY community. As we’ve previously discussed on Bits & Pieces, Atmel’s 8- and 32-bit microcontrollers have been the MCUs of choice for Arduino since the […]
Adafruit’s Mike Barela has put together a detailed tutorial on programming the Atmel-powered Arduino Uno board (ATmega328) with Android and Windows tablets. As Barela notes, creating on the go for both hobbyists and engineers gets easier every year. “Tablets with modern versions of the Android operating system can be found below $200. In addition, there is a […]
The Internet of Things (IoT) refers to a future world where all types of electronic devices link to each other via the Internet. In 2009, there were 2.5 billion connected devices; most of these were mobile phones, PCs and tablets. By 2020, there will be over 30 billion connected devices of far greater variety. According […]
A Maker by the name of Rupert has designed a tinyAVR-powered USB volume knob based on Adafruit’s popular Trinket (Atmel ATtiny85) platform. “After purchasing a Trinket to experiment with and Adafruit having a great mentality for Open Source Hardware, I decided to modify my own ATtiny85 volume control PCB to make it compatible with the […]
Earlier this week, Atmel expanded its low-power 8-bit tinyAVR family with the addition of the ATtiny441 and ATtiny841. According to Atmel’s Director of Flash-based MCUs Ingar Fredriksen, the 8-bit AVR microcontrollers are ideal for cost-effective consumer applications and a wide range of Maker projects. Indeed, the new ATtiny 441/841 MCUs boast higher system integration with […]
