DIY tech – from kindergarten to Kickstarter

Brandon Lewis, Associate Editor at Embedded Computing, recently noted that the current popularity of the Do It Yourself (DIY) community is driving a wide range of open hardware platforms and offering Makers easy access to embedded development.

“Outside of hobbyist toys and educational devices, however, ‘hacker’ boards are increasing performance and I/O flexibility, and have become viable options for professional product development,” Lewis wrote.

According to Lewis, the Maker Movement is quickly gaining traction in the education and hobbyist markets with open hardware boards advertising a “less-is-more” architecture at a price to match with DIY boards like the Atmel-powered Arduino. The boards allows easy exploring for novice devs and sufficient flexibility for advanced hackers to create some pretty remarkable projects.

“Outside of the low barrier to market entry presented by these low-cost development platforms, Maker boards are being implemented in commercial products because their wide I/O expansion capabilities make them applicable for virtually any application, from robotics and industrial control to automotive and home automation systems,” Lewis explained.

Brock Craft, author of “Arduino Projects for Dummies,” recently expressed similar sentiments about Atmel-powered Arduino boards. In addition to the DIY Maker Movement, says Craft, Arduino is wildly popular in the educational community, with science and computing teachers in secondary schools using the platform to teach kids the principles of programming and computational thinking.

“[Of course], Arduino is also used in colleges and universities, [where] they are often found in design programs, particularly in product design, because Arduinos can quickly be used to prototype products that do physical things – like toasters or dispensers or remote controls, for example,” Craft told ItPortalPro.

“It is also widely used in digital arts programmes for making interactive artwork, music, and performances. [Yes], there have been similar products on the market for many years and education curricula have used other alternatives. But what makes Arduino different – and is driving teachers to use them – is that Arduinos are easy to use. And if they need help, it’s easy for teachers and students to get it in the extensive online communities.”

In addition, Craft confirmed that Arduino boards are deployed throughout the corporate world, as the hardware is being used by designers, architects and engineers for prototyping purposes.

“It’s very easy to try out design by building a prototype so that they can see what solutions work and toss out those that don’t. This is much easier to do early in the design process before more money has been spent on bringing an idea to fruition; Arduino can play a key role here,” he continued. “Just a simple example – I know a lighting company that recently used Arduino to control dimmable lighting effects for architectural lighting products they were developing. Using an Arduino helped them try out their ideas in an afternoon, rather than waiting weeks.”

Brock Craft talks Arduino

Brock Craft is a Lecturer in Physical Computing at Goldsmiths, University of London in the Department of Computing. He was a partner at the design firm TinkerLondon, where he introduced the Atmel-powered Arduino into the UK along with its creator, Massimo Banzi.

Recently, the folks at ItProPortal sat down with Brock Craft, author of “Arduino Projects for Dummies,” to talk about Arduino boards. In addition to the DIY Maker Movement, the boards are wildly popular in the educational community, as well as the corporate world, with the hardware being used by designers, architects and engineers for rapid prototyping purposes.

“It’s very easy to try out design by building a prototype so that they can see what solutions work and toss out those that don’t. This is much easier to do early in the design process before more money has been spent on bringing an idea to fruition; Arduino can play a key role here,” he explained.

“Just a simple example – I know a lighting company that recently used Arduino to control dimmable lighting effects for architectural lighting products they were developing. Using an Arduino helped them try out their ideas in an afternoon, rather than waiting weeks.”

As noted above, Croft is the author of “Arduino Projects for Dummies,” a book which features an array of projects – offering readers a clear understanding of the different aspects of the wildly popular boards.

“[You’ll learn to] set up a workspace for your projects, create projects with Arduino Uno, automate the home and garden, including a tweeting pet door and a build a GPS data logger and an RFID reader,” Craft wrote in an official Amazon description of the book.

“[So] if you’re ready to start exploring all the amazing things you can do with Arduino, you’ve come to the right place. Featuring 12 cool projects you’ll build from scratch, this book is the fun, easy way to learn everything you need to know to create your very own original interactive objects and automated devices.”

Key instructional projects include:

• Decoding the code – get up to speed on Arduino programming and code writing basics, even if you’ve never programmed before.
• Make it move – learn what components are available to make things tweet, spin, jump, and move about (and how to hook them up).
• Light it up – create nifty projects from an intricate light ballet to a light pet, a scrolling LED sign, LCD alarm clock and more.
• Sensors and stuff – use sensors to build a plant watering system, tweeting pet door and household temperature and light monitor.
• Get sophisticated – build a GPS tracker and data logger, your own LED cubes, a remote control car and other advanced projects.
• How to build a robot car from stuff you find around the house and tips for constructing a keypad entry system.

“Arduino Projects For Dummies,” written by Brock Craft, is currently available on Amazon for $19.98 (Prime).

Arduino links Maker Movement with the corporate world

Recently, the folks at ItProPortal sat down with Brock Craft, author of “Arduino Projects for Dummies,” to talk about Atmel-powered Arduino boards. In addition to the DIY Maker Movement, the boards are wildly popular in the educational community, with science and computing teachers in secondary schools using the platform to teach kids the principles of programming and computational thinking.

“[Of course], Arduino is also used in colleges and universities, [where] they are often found in design programs, particularly in product design, because Arduinos can quickly be used to prototype products that do physical things – like toasters or dispensers or remote controls, for example,” Craft told the publication.

“It is also widely used in digital arts programmes for making interactive artwork, music, and performances. [Yes], there have been similar products on the market for many years and education curricula have used other alternatives. But what makes Arduino different – and is driving teachers to use them – is that Arduinos are easy to use. And if they need help, it’s easy for teachers and students to get it in the extensive online communities.”

In addition, Craft  confirmed that Arduino boards are deployed throughout the corporate world, as the hardware is being used by designers, architects and engineers for prototyping purposes.

“It’s very easy to try out design by building a prototype so that they can see what solutions work and toss out those that don’t. This is much easier to do early in the design process before more money has been spent on bringing an idea to fruition; Arduino can play a key role here,” he continued.

“Just a simple example – I know a lighting company that recently used Arduino to control dimmable lighting effects for architectural lighting products they were developing. Using an Arduino helped them try out their ideas in an afternoon, rather than waiting weeks.”

The full ItProPortal Brock Craft interview is available here.