Celebrating Pong’s anniversary Maker style

November 29, 1972: A day that will forever hold a place in the heart of all video gamers. It was the day in which Atari Corporation announced Pong, one of the first video games to reach mainstream popularity in both homes and arcades everywhere. In the simulated table tennis game, players were represented by paddles that could move up and down to try to deflect a ball, all while keeping it from passing into their goal. Despite its simplistic two-dimensional graphics, Pong started a craze. A craze that still exists today.

And, what better way to honor the iconic game originally designed by Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney than with a set of Pong-inspired, Atmel powered Maker projects?

While it may be 2014 and Pong obviously pales in comparison to games like Crysis or CoD, some of us are clearly more prone to nostalgia than others, including James Bruce of MakeUseOf, who recently penned a detailed guide on how to recreate the retro console using an Arduino board.

“I won’t lie – it’s unlikely your daughter will be giving up her Nintendo DS, and this isn’t going to provide hours of fun for the whole family – but it is an awesome and easy project to improve your Arduino coding,” Bruce writes.

Essential ingredients for this retro masterpiece?

• 470 ohm resistor x1
• 1k ohm resistor x1
• 10k ohm Potentiometer (twiddly variable resistor) x2
• Arduino x1 (any version)
• RCA plug x1 (if you have more than one, you can hook up sound too. One for the video is a bare minimum)
• Pushbutton switch x1
• 10k ohm resistor x1

Oh, and yes, you’ll also have to download the TV Out Arduino library (TVoutBeta1.zip), subsequently placing all resulting folders in your /arduino/libraries directory.

Now, this project probably isn’t for the faint-hearted, as you will definitely need to break out the soldering gun for the 470 ohm and 1k ohm resistors – which are to be soldered to the center signal line of an RCA plug.

Meanwhile, others even wear their love for the game on their sleeve — or the front of their shirt at least. A young Maker by the name of Spencer recently shared an Instructable detailing the creation of a flexible 14 x 15 pixel, Pong playing garment.

After a year’s worth of hard work, Spencer finally had the chance to adorn the wearable at a few Halloween parties back in October where it was (understandably) a big hit.

The Maker created a screen using a series of RGB LED strips, soldered together into a large flexible panel of 14 x 15 full color pixels. In addition, an Arduino Mega (ATmega1280) serves as the brains of the game, along with a cleverly designed controller using a slide-potentiometer and single button. To play back, the computer AI uses about 15 lines of code.

Oh, and yes, Spencer made the pong project removable (the batteries and the ‘Magic Box’ go into a pocket) so the shirt can be washed after it is shown off.

Then, there is Maker Fernando Vicente who revealed how easy it is to transform an ATtiny45 MCU into a fully-functional Pong game. The design was accomplished by connecting a set of RGBs to a PBo. For storing purposes, Vicente utilized fifteen registers throughout the project to achieve a horizontal resolution of 120 x 96, giving the screen a more square appearance.

“There are also other parts of the code that might be of interest. For example, I’ve use LFSR to add some pseudo-random variables to the ball direction and the paddle ‘computer’ movements,” the Maker explains.

Next, Onur Avun recreated a new rendition to the classical game on an Arduino Uno (ATmega328) using a PCD8544 LCD screen — more commonly known as the Nokia 5110 screen. Player bars are controlled by a potentiometer for each player, meaning if you want the bar to go left, just turn the potentiometer left.

Lastly, our friends over at Evil Mad Scientists decided to pay homage to the pop sensation by building a real-life tabletop Pong game. Driven by an ATmega168, the Makers devised a project which combined the awesomeness of ping-pong, foosball and pinball. In the recreation, two players each have a single knob responsible for controlling the position of a paddle along a short track.

Using the paddles, the ball is bounced back and forth, with each player attempting not to miss the ball. The paddle surfaces are curved, so that the ball reflects in various directions depending on the position of impact. The paddles are also powered, thereby enabling the ball to maintain a fairly constant speed between the two sides, gradually increasing as the game goes on.

“The playfield is level and has a dotted line down the middle, and the scores are displayed on either side of that line. There are top and bottom walls of the playfield that the ball can bounce off of. Sounds possible, right? So we built it. We documented the build with (a heck of a lot of) photos, which are available in this Flickr set,” EMSL notes.

Spark up nostalgia by building a DIY pager with Arduino

Long before the days of smartphones, there were beepers. Like many kids who grew up in the ‘90s, Maker Ricky Robinett wore that pager proudly on his belt.

In an effort to spark up some nostalgia, Robinett decided to recreate his old device using an Arduino Uno (ATmega328), NodeJs and Twilio’s communications platform, along with some other materials lying around his house.

The simple DIY project enables a user to receive, display and respond to incoming text messages. However, Robinett says his build is merely the beginning; in fact, those feeling a bit adventurous can mod the device to feature a buzzer for audible message alerts, a Wi-Fi shield for increased portability, or even transform an old pager into a case to round out those ‘90s memories.

If you’re in the mood to reminisce some good ol’ wireless telecommunication tech, you can find the entire step-by-step build from Twilio here.

Build your own DIY frozen pipe alarm with Arduino

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Wicked wintry weather can cause plumbing pipes to freeze and possible severe damage to a home. This DIY solution can help… 

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For those residing in an extreme northern climate, like Jason Poel Smith, the possibility of pipes freezing is an ongoing concern wreaking havoc in the minds of homeowners. While there are countless preventative measures that you can take, such as insulating pipes or leaving the water dripping, the Maker chose to go the DIY route by designing a simple alarm that alerts him when the pipes are in danger of dipping below 32°F.

In a recent MAKE: Magazine feature, Smith compiled a step-by-step guide for those looking to create their own anti-freeze contraption using an Arduino Uno (ATmega328), a thermistor, an LED light and a piezo buzzer.

The temperature sensor is made by connecting a thermistor and a fixed resistor in series, which form a voltage divider. As the temperature fluctuates, so does the resistance of the thermistor, which causes the voltage between the two resistors to change. This change in voltage is then measured by the megaAVR based MCU.

Once the sensor has been calibrated (which the Maker says can be done using a simple glass of water) and affixed near your pipes, the DIY alarm will sound along with a flashing LED notifying a homeowner when the temps approach the freezing mark. Smith notes that you can add as many sensors as you have analog input pins on your microcontroller, which in his case with a single Arduino Uno allows monitoring of up to six sensors.

With winter in full swing, are you ooking to protect your pipes? Get started by visiting the Maker’s entire project page here, or watching the brief tutorial below.

Maker creates a brain-controlled, multi-purpose wheelchair

As previously covered on Bits & Pieces, UK-based Maker Philip Case (referred to many as “Cap”) has set his sights on a project that will make the lives of many living with a disability easier. Cap, who is confined to a wheelchair due to an unfortunate accident, has been diligently working to further develop his incredibly innovative, all-purpose e-wheelchair.

The e-wheelchair enables chair movement to be controlled solely by a user’s brainwaves. While some wheelchairs already exist with this technology, they are very expensive. In true Maker fashion, Cap is seeking to create an Atmel AVR based chair that is both affordable and easy to use for all who would require its services.

In order to bring this idea to fruition, Cap’s DIY system employed an Arduino Uno R3 (ATmega328), an Arduino Yún (ATmega32U4) as well as a series of breakout boards. The Arduino boards interpret the brainwaves into directional movements for the chair.

For the control system, Cap has implemented the Neurosky Mindwave Mobile and a Mindflex EEG. So far, Cap has been able to control forward and reverse on his chair with these tools. Though, in a recent update, steering has been changed to blink detection rather than laser, using ultrasound for a safety stop in forward and reverse — one affixed to each footrest and another behind the chair.

Cap considers the design’s built-in safety and communication system an integral feature. The Maker decided to include an automatic stop functionality in order to prevent the chair from accidentally running into and hitting innocent bystanders. To accomplish this, the set of embedded sensors will stop the wheelchair at a preconfigured distance. In other words, if the chair comes in close proximity to any object or person, the chair will put the potentiometer to 0.

“Due to the over 200-pounds in weight travelling at any speed… The chair in motion can be very heavy and a dangerous machine, this system will work similar to the cars with cruise control that slow down when a car is nearing its sensors,” says Cap.

Furthermore, the communication system is easily stacked onto the Arduino board. In the event any problem arises, this will allow the device to alert a third party through its Internet connection. It can also be used to transmit location with built-in GPS.

The Maker is also implementing Cooking Hacks’ e-Health system to monitor vital body parameters, like ECG or blood glucose levels. With his aspirations to provide independence to users, he is exploring the idea of connecting a mobile device to the e-wheelchair using both Bluetooth and USB.

In addition, the e-wheelchair is utilizing Vuzix M100 smart glasses to enhance the user experience.

“The Vuzix M100 will enable the wearer to essentially have all the functionality of a smart phone and more, in the form of glasses. Controlled by voice and gesture, the Vuzix M100 are already being championed as game-changing when it comes to productivity in industry… The M100 is a standalone device as well as being compatible with Android and IOS and can be worn over your eye (optical head-mounted display) or incorporated into safety goggles and I understand, prescription glasses also,” Cap writes.

Lastly, the Maker has debuted an add-on kit, which increases the portability while reducing the cost of the project. This includes vital sign monitoring, GPS, virtual coaching applications, a kill switch along with some perimeter and proximity sensors. To stay up to date on Cap’s build, you can follow along on the Cooking Hacks blog here.

Heads or tails! This coin flipper is powered by an ATmega328

This project by Maker Max Kessler is exactly what it looks and sounds like: a coin flipper. The robotics and programming behind the gizmo were based on an Arduino Uno (ATmega328), a mini photocell, and a Jameco 12V DC Motor.

While the prototype was devised using medium-density fiberboard (MDF), the final model was comprised of custom-cut 1/8” acrylic. “Using the angles, spring ratios, and spacing, I was able to create a more developed model,” Kessler writes. “I used a mini photocell to measure the proximity of the hand to the landing pad.”

Once ready to go, the sensor determines the proximity of the coin using analog output. Meanwhile, a NeoPixel ring indicates that the flipper is in action, creating a simple yet elegant interpretation for “a typically over-looked interaction.”

So… heads or tails? Call it in the air! While it certainly may not be the most complex contraption we’ve seen recently, it’s pretty cool nevertheless! Check out the ATmega328 powered project in action below!

Cast your ballot using the Arduino Vote-O-Matic

In the spirit of today’s midterm elections, what better time to to highlight this nifty little project? A group of Makers recently decided to turn an ordinary box into an interactive, web-enabled vote counter using an Arduino Uno (ATmega328).

The contraption is comprised of three individual tracks from a children’s marble run toy, each equipped with its own light sensor wired into the Arduino via some Sugru and a cocktail straw. To begin, an individual simply drops a marble into the cut-out mouth of the candidate he or she would like to cast a vote.

The team programmed the ATmega328 unit to check every half a second for a change in the light sensor’s value. When the dropped marble passes through, the Arduino records the change for that analog input connection and a vote is counted for the respective candidate.

Once it has gone by the sensor, the marble is fed into a common funnel where it is collected and reused.

In addition, the Makers also affixed three LED lights to the breadboard as a bit of a debugger to notify its users when a sensor had been tripped.

While it may not be used for the next presidential election, this project can certainly be a welcomed addition for your school’s next student counsel contest! Read more about the build here.

What’s on tap? Ad agency gives free beer for time cards

Let’s face it, no one enjoys filling out timesheets — yet they are imperative in order to get paid. That’s why Minneapolis ad agency Colle + McVoy has devised a new way to not only get employees to fill out their time cards, but to reward them with some draft beer.

Dubbed TapServer, the multi-keg beer deployment system combines RFID tags and some custom-written software to seamlessly sync with the agency’s time-keeping application. On the hardware side, the program is comprised of several Arduino Uno boards (ATmega328), a Node-based server, solenoids and a Raspberry Pi.

How does it work? It’s rather simple. Employees are given RFID-enabled key cards, which they scan at the TapServer. This instantly verifies whether their timesheets are up-to-date. If their records are indeed complete, employees use the connected iPad to select their beer, then pull their pint.

As an added feature, TapServer can also keep track of ounces consumed per employee and beer brand.

Full sheet = Full glass. We’ll cheers to that!

ATmega328 is under the hood of this sweet candy sorting machine

If you’re like most people when it comes to Skittles, chances are you love red and purple, tolerate green and orange, and strongly dislike yellow. Sound familiar? Instead of tediously sifting through bowls full of candy, a Maker by the name of Torsten has created a slick sorting machine that arranges sweets by color. Essentially, the machine separates different colored Skittles (and M&Ms, too) and puts them into their respective individual cups.

According to the project’s official Wiki page, the fully-automated platform is capable of sorting an entire 1.5kg/56oz bag in approximately five minutes. Powered by an ATmega328 microcontroller (Arduino Uno), the candy sorting machine also features an RGB color sensor, IR distance sensor, two servos, plastic frame tubes and a few custom designed 3D-printed parts.

“The processing is structured around pseudo-realtime programming which makes the system responsive and keeps it running smoothly. Each process in the system is designed around the notion of event driven finite-state machine (FSM) execution,” Torsten explained.

“Central in the system is Atmel’s ATmega328 AVR MCU — integrated nicely on an Arduino Uno platform. All the sensors and servo actuators connect to this board. An external 9V power supply keeps the system running. 5V and 3V3 power for the servos and board is supplied by the 5V power supply. The programming mimics a real time system where each of the four processes are state driven, which means only a short instruction performed before the system jumps to the next process.”

The machine is equipped with a pair of GWS servos for loading and sorting the pieces, while a continuous rotation servo with a variable rotation speed loads pieces into predefined slots in the feed wheel. After the pieces are placed in individual slots, a white LED illuminates the piece and an ADJD-S311-CR999 CMOS IC with integrated RGB filters captures three color profiles at different angles.

“For the piece to be successfully identified and pass control, at least two profiles have be within three standard deviation (three-sigma rule) of the pre-calibrated data set for Skittles or M&Ms. A RGB LED next to the feed wheel will illuminate to give a visual indication of the detected color,” Torsten continued. “The feed wheel rotation is governed by a QRE1113 IR distance sensor which detects the slot depth change. This transition is used to change process state and start the color analysis at the right moment.”

When the color has been identified, the piece is dropped from the feed wheel and onto a 360-degree servo with a feeding tube attachment which guides the piece into the right cup. The piece is release from the feeding wheel just before the feeding tube is within range of the cup.

“This [method offers] increased performance as the system does not need to hang around and can move to the next cup straight away. This is done by timing the expected rotational velocity and no feedback is provided by the servo,” Torsten added.

Interested in learning more about the Atmel powered candy sorter? Check out the sweet project’s official Wiki page here. 



Creating an automatic cat laser with Arduino

When it comes to cats, one thing is for certain: They love countless hours of laser chasing. Unfortunately, as a pet owner, there is only so much time in the day to spend twirling around a pointer catering to its innate prey drive. That is why a Maker by the name of Joe recently devised the CatBot, an automated cat laser.

Equipped with a pair of servos, an inexpensive laser and an Arduino Uno (ATmega328), the DIY toy will be an immediate hit with your feline friend.

Cat lovers with not enough time on your hands, feel free to thank Joe. Now, watch the device Laser Zeppelin glory below!

Interested in creating one of your own? Head on over to Joe’s official Instructables page in laser-like speed!

 

Video: Building an Arduino-controlled ouija board

Get ready to communicate with the spirits on All Hallows’ Eve with this nifty Arduino-controlled ouija board from our friends at SparkFun. The project combines an Arduino Uno (ATmega328), Actobotics parts, a couple of stepper motors, a few magnets and some other odds and ends to create an X-Y table that will surely spook your friends.

Intrigued? Get started building your own board here.