The combination of an Arduino Leonardo, an Ethernet shield and a PC lets Maker use his iPhone as a game controller.
Throughout the years, Grand Theft Auto has captured the hearts of numerous fans, and as technology evolves just as fast as the cars within the games, the possibilities are truly endless — as one Reddit user by the name of “planetleak” has demonstrated with his recent mod.
In its latest version of the action-packed, crime-ridden game, developer Rockstar Games has provided a truly immersive world for players to explore, along with a couple of companion mobile apps that range from custom rides to interactive maps. However, one Maker wasn’t entirely satisfied and decided to rig one of his own by recreating GTA V’s in-game app on an iPhone using Xcode. This enabled him to view and scroll trough character’s cellphone messages, glance at game objectives and even change camera modes.
Planetleak’s video description, though brief, explains how he was able to accomplish this feat. Simply stated, an Arduino Leonardo (ATmega32U4) and an Ethernet shield are connected to a computer running the PC version of the game. The inputs on the iPhone send a URL to an Arduino webserver, which relays the inputs into the game via keybinding macros. As the modder notes, the Arduino needs to be synced up to the PC in order to emulate a keyboard and work in unison with the in-game mobile phone.
“Later I can share the Xcode and Android code, but without a dev account (or a friend with dev account), I cannot upload to your phone,” Planetleak writes. “This way what I’m using, based on an Ethernet shield, and you can see, little slow the communication. Maybe better if i change to BLE from Ethernet.”
As impressive as the project may be, whipping out a smartphone and using it to control a characters phone isn’t that practical while playing. After all, It’s much easier to just use a keyboard or controller. Nevertheless, you’ll want to check out the Maker’s incredibly cool DIY app in action below!
Connect retro controllers to this open source device to enjoy plug-and-play gaming across a number of old-school systems.
Many may argue that today’s video games with their realistic graphics are far superior than those of a much blockier, 8-bit era. However, any gamer born in the ‘80s may beg to differ. Let’s face it, there was just something about pulling out that cartridge, blowing into it, slipping it back in, and then powering up the system for a night of Mario Bros. Pair that with those unforgettable chiptunes and the clickety-clack of a controller, and you’re brought right back to your childhood.
Well, for those wishing to spark up some nostalgia, the KADE miniConsole+ is for you. Developed by the Maker trio of Jon Wilson, Kevin Mackett and Bruno Freitas, the versatile device was created to connect old-school gamepads and controllers to a wide variety of computers and consoles through plug-and-play detection. miniConsole+ is not only easy to use, but works right out of the box — in other words, no programming necessary. Just insert a controller of your choosing into one end of its shiny black aluminum case and the gaming system into the other, and you’re good to go.
The miniConsole+ lets users take a trip down memory lane by playing all of their favorite games as they were designed to be played and with their original controllers, ranging from Nintendo NES to Sega Genesis to Atari 2600 — through an optional add-on board. Meanwhile, users can connect non-USB systems like the PS1 and PS2 via RJ45, or wirelessly pair a Wiimote controller for Wii and Wii U games.
“We supply all of the adapter cables you need to connect up your favourite controllers and consoles to the miniConsole+ and we’ll also provide instruction and open source DIY options for the makers out there,” the team notes. “All gamepad (input) cables connect via the DB15 port. System (output) cables connect to either USB (type B) port or the RJ45 port.”
“The Playstation 2 is the best selling console of all time. In our extensive testing, the KADE team has finetuned the Playstation (PSX) output on miniConsole+ so that it works with popular converter cables. This allows you to connect the miniConsole+ device to the Xbox 360, Dreamcast and many other consoles.”
What’s more, its creators reveal that the miniConsole+ was designed with three distinct user types in mind. First, there’s the right-out-of-the-box-ready sort of person, who can get started without any programming knowledge required. Next, there’s the tinkerer who is able to plug their gadget into a Mac or Linux computer, reconfigure, update and add controls through a simple UI. Finally, there’s the die-hard Maker, who can tear it all apart and retrofit the unit into any project, whether that’s an arcade console or even a fight stick for those wishing to spark up some Mortal Kombat or Street Fighter nostalgia.
In addition, miniConsole+ comes with open source software that permits those wishing to modify their gamepads to do so with what the team calls “The Mapper.” This program gives a tinkerer the ability to manage their configurations all in one place, (rather than having to customize each and every emulator that they are running) and then verify updated mappings using the built-in gamepad tester.
If KADE sounds familiar, that’s because the team had first launched a Kickstarter campaign for its miniArcade back in 2013. At the time, the open source arcade interface was based on a Minimus AVR (AT90USB162) and aspired to make it super simple for users to connect arcade controls to their consoles and PCs of yesteryear. Following the tremendous success of its debut, the Makers went back to the drawing board, where after a number or revisions, redesigns and prototypes, now have a ready-for-market miniConsole+. Once again, the latest iteration is built around on Atmel AVR MCU, this time an ATmega32U4.
What’s nice is that the miniConsole+ can be extended with a choice of digital and analog expansion boards, making it easy for a user to wire up to their own custom arcade controls. Take for instance, team member Kevin Mackett, who devised a slick fight stick that could be connected to any supported system via its RJ45 and USB outputs. Then, there’s a Maker who whipped up a classic NES themed bar top, equipped with a pair of controller ports and its accompanying gamepads. As you can tell, the possibilities are endless.
You can now use everyday objects to trigger your littleBits.
A few years ago, MIT students Jay Silver and Eric Rosenbaum were on the lookout for a way to transform everyday things into touchpads. The duo (now JoyLabz) would eventually go on to create MaKey MaKey, which made its Kickstarter debut back in May 2012 and garnered over $500,000 in a matter of weeks. The basic kit was comprised of a USB cable and an ATmega32U4 based circuit board with alligator clips, which once attached to an object, opened the doors for Makers to explore their wildest imaginations — allowing them to do everything from perform piano classics on a series of bananas, play Super Mario chiptunes on Play-Doh and even make beats by dipping chicken nuggets into sauce.
Just the other day, our friends at littleBits introduced the newest addition to their not so ‘bitsy’ family: the Makey Makey Bit. As you can imagine, this new module brings the highly-popular DIY platform into the littleBits library, and thus, provides users with countless interactions that were never before conceived, let alone possible, with other products.
“Now, you can trigger your littleBits modules with everyday objects or use littleBits modules to trigger events in your computer, or a combination of both. It makes inventing even easier and more fun,” the team writes.
Built around an ATmega32U4, the latest module connects to a computer through a microUSB cable and features three Makey Makey inputs, each of which are mapped to left arrow, right arrow and space bar/mouse click — depending on how a user sets the switch. Each one of these key inputs can be controlled by littleBits modules, ranging from motion triggers to light sensors. The board itself is flanked, both top and bottom, by three magnetic panels that let it snap onto other Bits.
This offers Makers three different interactions: touch-to-Bit (trigger Bits via any conductive object), Bit-to-computer (link up with other Bits to command the cursors on a PC) and touch-to-computer (control a computer’s cursor using any object that has conductivity). Take the banana, for example. When a user touches the piece of fruit, they complete the connection and the Makey Makey Bit sends a signal to either their PC (move cursor left or right) or to their Bits (flash an LED or turn a motor).
“There’s this huge range of input and output possibilities with littleBits and a huge range of everyday objects – in fact the whole world — that you connect to with Makey Makey; and we’ve now put these together.”
Jonathan Zufi’s coffee table book entitled “ICONIC: A Photographic Tribute to Apple Innovation” is the ultimate must-have for any Apple aficionado. The hardcover recounts the past 30 years of Apple design, exploring some of the most visually appealing and significant products ever created by the Cupertino-based company. The commemorative piece features a special white clamshell case along with a custom PCB configured to pulse embedded LEDs — like that of a sleeping older generation Apple notebook when moved — controlled by an Atmel 8-bit AVR RISC-based MCU.
The brainchild of Disney Research, HideOut explores how mobile projectors can enable new forms of interaction with digital content projected on everyday objects such as books, walls, game boards, tables, and many others. The smartphone-sized device enables seamless interaction between the digital and physical world using specially formulated infrared-absorbing markers – hidden from the human eye, but visible to a camera embedded in a compact mobile projection device. Digital imagery directly augments and responds to the physical objects it is projected on, such as an animated character interacting with printed graphics in a storybook.
Created by Fabio Lattanzi Antinori, Dataflags is a narrative series of artwork that explores the financial troubles of corporations as they head towards bankruptcy, while highlighting the pivotal role data plays in today’s society. The piece — which was originally displayed in London’s Victoria & Albert Museum back in September 2014 — was powered by Bare Conductive’s incredibly-popular Touch Board (ATmega32U4) and some Electric Paint. The printed sensors were concealed by a layer of black ink, and when touched, triggered a selection of financial trading data theatrically sung by an opera performer.
Have you ever judged a book by its cover? Well, Amsterdam creative studio Moore is turning the tables on the old-school idiom by designing a sleeve equipped with an integrated camera and facial-recognition technology that scans the face of whoever comes near. The idea behind the aptly named Cover That Judges Youwas to build a book cover that is human and approachable-hi-tech. If someone conveys too much emotion – whether overexcitement or under-enthusiasm — the book will remain locked. However, if their expression is free of judgement, the system will send an audio-pulse to an Arduino Uno (ATmega328) and the book will unlock itself. The built-in camera is positioned at the top of the book’s sleeve, above a screen that feeds back the image when it detects a face in close proximity. Artwork featuring abstract facial features is displayed on the cover so that the user can line up their eyes, nose and mouth in the optimum position. Once the correct alignment is obtained, the screen turns green and a signal is relayed to the Arduino that opens the metal lock.
A team of MIT students unveiled a wearable book that uses networked sensors and actuators to create a sort of cyberpunk-like Neverending Story, blurring the line between the bodies of a reader and protagonist. The sensory fiction project — which built around James Tiptree’s “The Girl Who Was Plugged In” – was designed by Felix Heibeck, Alexis Hope, Julie Legault and Sophia Brueckner in the context of MIT’s Science Fiction To Science Fabrication class. The “augmented book” portrays the scenery and sets the mood, while its companion vest enables the reader to experience the protagonist’s physiological emotions unlike ever before. The wearable — controlled by an [Atmel based] Arduino board — swells, contracts, vibrates, heats up or cools down as the pages of the book are turned. Aside from 150 programmable LEDs to create ambient light based on changing setting and mood, the book/wearable support a number of outputs, including sound, a personal heating device to change skin temperature, vibration to influence heart rate, and a compression system to convey tightness or loosening through pressurized airbags.
In an effort to bring more interaction to story time, Northwood’s Childrens Museum in Wisconsin created a storytelling tree capable of reading along with you. The old computers inside the the museum display were retrofitted with a Touch Board (ATmega32U4) from Bare Conductive. In fact, this was a welcomed replacement as one staff member said that the computers “broke constantly and hogged power, keeping us from updating sounds files periodically throughout the year.” Unlike its embedded predecessor, the MCU allowed sound files to be changed in an expedited manner, and was slim enough to nestle neatly into the trunk’s design. And what would a treehouse-like exhibit be without a makeshift walkie talkie comprised of cans strung together? Creatively, a set of headphones were also placed inside the can to make it exciting for participants to listen to the story.
Makers Israel Diaz and Ingrid Ocana were on a mission to find new ways to bring children closer to the vast universe of reading. In doing so, the duo figured out a new way to enhance a traditional book with basic electronic components and some Arduino Uno (ATmega328) programming to interact with user intervention through simple built-in sensors, AC motors, LEDs and speakers.
Night Sun is an interactive audiovisual installation which tells a story with the turn of a music box handle, powered by an ATmega32U4 MCU. In order to bring his idea to fruition, the Maker commissioned an Arduino Micro to control the exhibit. The Arduino was instructed to send a ‘play’ command to a computer when it sensed the touch of a passerby. Once the wired music box handle was turned, the window would light up. A pre-recorded sound would then send a signal to the computer and begin playing… and just like that, the story unfolds.
A Maker by the name of Antonella Nonnis recently devised a unique interactive electronic book powered by two ATmega168 based boards. The book, titled “Music, Math, Art and Science,” was inspired by the work of Munari, Montessori and Antonella’s very own mother. The book contains movable parts and uses the electrical capacitance of the human body to activate sounds and lights and other sensors like a button for the math page. Comprised of recycled materials, the book is powered by a pair of Arduino Diecimila, which control the paper pop-up piano and the other controls the arts and science page.
Footprints – which was prototyped using an Arduino Uno (ATmega328) – can best be described as a network of interactive soft puppets that help create and share illustrated stories. Designed by Simone Capano, the project links various aspects of a child’s life, including school and family, by collecting and storing relevant data in the cloud. Footprints is typically initiated by a parent. Using a smartphone, the parent can record a little vocal story, add some images proposed by Footprints about the story that was just told, like the story’s characters or other objects related to it. Afterwards, the parent can send it all to the child’s puppet. The child can then listen to the story by placing the puppet on the tablet and playing with the images he or she has received to create a drawing about the story. Once the drawing is complete, Footprints send it back to the parent who then tracks the path of the stories shared with a child via the smartphone app.
Created by Bertrand Lanthiez, Hvísl is described as “an invitation to both a visual and audible journey.” Pre-recorded sounds from Icelandic atmospheres are emitted with the help of electronic sensors hidden in some pages connected to a MaKey MaKey board (ATmega32U4). These effects accompany the reading and the contemplation of pictures from the country’s landscape.
Tired of having to reread pages in because you forgot which paragraph you left off on? Devised by 7Electrons, the aptly named eBookmark is envisioned to serve as a bridge between analog and digital worlds. The device — which is based on an 8-bit AVR MCU, various Adafruit components, 16 tiny LEDs and a resistive touch strip — allows the reader to save his or her place on the page, and with a switch, also select the left or right page. The top portion of the eBookmark extends for use with larger books.
Who could forget those ‘Choose Your Own Adventure’ books that became popular in the ‘80s and ‘90s? The series of children’s gamebooks where each story is written from a second-person point of view, with the reader assuming the role of the protagonist and making choices that determine the main character’s actions and the plot’s outcome. Similarly speaking, software developer Jerry Belich has created an interactive arcade machine that works on the same premise. The Choosatron is an interactive fiction machine that lets users select the story, while it prints out a transcript of the chosen story paths. In essence, the machine is a cardboard box with a small thermal printer, a coin acceptor, a keypad, an SD memory card and an Arduino-compatible board.
This hoodie will emit various lighting effects based on the forecasted precipitation, temperature, and wind speed.
As they say, April showers bring May flowers. Or, in Barbara Eldredge’s case, a flower-covered hoodie that illuminates based on the weather forecast.
The aptly-named Spring Hoodie, which is actually a combination of two inexpensive hoodies from Old Navy, is packed with an Adafruit FLORA (ATmega32U4), a CC3000 Wi-Fi module and a lithium battery, all hidden inside an inner pocket. 18 NeoPixel LEDs were embedded inside of fake flowers adorning the hood. In order to protect and conceal the wiring, the Maker turned one of the two sweatshirts inside-out and placed it directly within other. (Or as Eldredge calls it, create a “hoodie sandwich.”) Just so she never had to take the FLORA out, the Maker also added a button that is tasked with turning the wearable on/off.
“When I turn on the hoodie, the Wi-Fi module tethers to my phone, and the FLORA uses it to connect to a simple PHP web page pulling three-hour forecast data for the predicted precipitation, temperature, and wind speed from the Open Weather Map API,” Eldredge writes.
Once the FLORA is connected over Wi-Fi, the lapel flower emits green to show that it is indeed working. When it connects to the webpage, the ATmega32U4 based MCU collects the weather information and uses it to control the color, brightness and changing of the LED flowers. The color adjusts based on the amount of predicted precipitation. In other words, the more rain that is predicted, the more the LEDs will become blue (and not red/orange).
Meanwhile, the intensity of the LEDs is dependent upon temperature — the warmer, the brighter. Though she wanted some slight pulsing or suggestion of movement in the lights, the speed of this movement is actually dictated by the predicted wind speed. The faster the wind, the faster the lights will change or flicker.
“The Spring Hoodie is admittedly a pretty wacky piece of clothing. But after the cold wet winter we’ve had, I’m ready for flowers and color. And I like that it’ll always let me know how the weather’s going to be,” she concludes.
Interestingly enough, for those spring days where you can’t decide as to whether it’s too cold to wear a lightweight jacket, the hoodie will do it for you. Should the temperature dip below an appropriate level, the wearable won’t turn on at all.
Wondering what to wear for that party? Make yourself some LED glasses.
What do you get when you combine basic safety goggles, an laser-cut acrylic frame, some electronics and plenty of RGB LEDs? One electrifying pair of #Ravespecs, that’s what. Throw ‘em on and you surely become the ‘light’ of any party.
Created by Lorenzo Wood, the glasses were originally a last-minute, thrown-together idea for a friend’s party. Initially conceived as a mask, the Maker felt that glasses would be “a bit more social.” He thought about powering the specs through a remote battery tucked away in his pocket and running wire to the glasses; however, Wood realized that it would be much more fun, portable, and of course, aesthetically-pleasing to make them self-contained.
“In spite of the rushed build and the shoddy wiring, they turned out to be quite robust. The reason that there are wires visible on the front is that for speed I wired the power with just two stripped wires, threading them in and out of the LED strips and connecting them with solder. I don’t recommend that.”
The shades are built around an A-Star 32U4 MCU (ATmega32U4), adorned vertically with Adafruit NeoPixels and powered by standard Lithium AAA batteries mounted to the frame itself. Since the LEDs consume quite a bit of power, a wearer can expect anywhere between one to two hours of continuous use before having to replace its batteries.
Beyond that, a wearer can easily change the lighting sequences or down the brightness with a little coding, and even try to create designs that don’t engage all the pixels at once, such as strobing rainbow, chasing or police-like effects.
“Because of time, I only had one go at the frame design. I positioned the slits around a typical inter-pupillary distance of 55mm-65mm. In fact, pretty much anyone can see through them (even small children), because the frame is held quite a long way from your face by the safety goggles. The slits could therefore probably be sightly narrower so you could get even more LEDs on.”
With the party now behind him, the Maker reveals that he has already begun working on improving the #Ravespecs. Enhancements include more complex patterns, adding radios for synchronizing more than one pair and enabling wireless controlling, as well as incorporating different sensors. The glasses will be able react in more expressive ways through sound, motion and hand gestures.
See them in action below! If you liked this project, then you’ll love these programmable LED shades from Garrett Mace as well!
Watch as the Temboo team explores how the IoT might allow older people to retain independence with a choice to keep family informed as needed.
As America’s population of retirees grows, as does the number of citizens over the age of 65 making decisions as to where to spend their retirement funds. Advances in healthy living have enabled people to remain active well into their senior years, and according to a recent AARP survey, 87% of retired adults would prefer to remain in their homes or communities as they age. In their latest episode of Deconstructing IoT video series, the Temboo team explores how the Internet of Things (IoT) can help our elders retain their independence, all while still keeping their families informed
To do so, the Temboo team built an application that employs an Arduino Yún (ATmega32U4), a microphone, and a motion sensor to monitor an independent retiree who is living alone, and then logs activity data to a Microsoft Power PI database using Temboo so that family members can make sure that nothing is amiss. Should something go wrong, Temboo’s PagerDuty and Nexmo Choreos allows for alerts to be immediately sent to loved ones.
How it works is as follows: The Yún streams movement data from the motion sensor to Power BI. If that data is anomalous, it will trigger a PagerDuty alert that can be transmitted to family members or caregivers. The Yún also monitors and listens for cries for help using its attached mic, and if triggered, will send dispatch an SMS alert using Nexmo.
For those who’ve lived through the late ‘80s and ‘90s, you have surely seen those Life Alert commercials with Mrs. Fletcher yelling, “Help! I’ve fallen, and I can’t get up!” Since then, there have been numerous attempts to develop solutions geared towards providing the elderly real-time support in the event of an emergency, especially when they’re unable to reach a phone. As we enter an era of constant connectivity, applications like this one from Temboo can certainly play an integral role giving our seniors their independence while giving loved ones a peace of mind.
Watch the video below for a step-by-step breakdown of the project!
Warning: This blog post will cause some serious nostalgia.
Ah, the 1980s. A time when indispensable devices like the personal computer, the Walkman and the portable gaming console hit critical mass and found their way into the heart of pop culture. After being challenged by one of our social followers to do a “Throwback Thursday” post around this iconic period, we decided to highlight some of the most memorable innovations from the decade along with their reincarnations by Makers today. Let’s take a look!
The Walkman
Long before the days of the iPod and MP3 player, there was the Sony Walkman. With one still in his possession, Maker Robot Swans had taken his malfunctioning device and transformed it into a new instrument for his band. Using an Arduino Uno (ATmega328) to drive the Walkman’s motor, it can now play a pre-recorded note at different speeds to complement his drum machine quite nicely.
Nintendo NES
The ’80s introduced a new era of video gaming with the debut of NES. Duck Hunt, Blades of Steel, Donkey Kong… the list goes on and on. Inspired by these classics, the Uzebox is a homebrew console based on an ATmega644 MCU that was designed to serve as the simplest device possible with decent enough sound and graphics to implement interesting games. Mission accomplished! For those interested in similar hacks, there’s plenty more, ranging from a Maker who decided to play NES inside a cartridge to another who crafted Super Mario Bros. musical LED sprite pieces.
The Power Glove
While on the topic of Nintendo, who can ever forget the Power Glove? Equipped with traditional NES controller buttons on the forearm, the wearable gaming device failed to catch on in terms of popularity. However, that didn’t stop Maker Greg Sowell from rigging the obsolete NES Power Glove into a psychedelic light suit using addressable LED strips and an Arduino Pro Mini (ATmega328).
Omnibot
The motorized bot managed to carry out a variety of functions such as transporting light objects, rovering across the carpet, playing cassette tapes and even speaking in robotic fashion via a remote microphone. While reminiscing about his childhood desire to attain an Omnibot of his own, a Maker dubbed “pinter75” decided to teardown the gizmo and give it a full makeover with new paint, stickers, and Arduino control gear. Then, there’s DIYer DJ Sures, who modded a fully-operational Omnibot that he got off of eBay with voice recognition, camera, color tracking, servos and Bluetooth.
The ZX Spectrum
Credited as one of the first mainstream home computers, ol’ Speccy featured classics like Atic Atac, Elite and Manic Miner. Looking to spark up some 8-bit nostalgia, Alistair MacDonald took a broken ZX Spectrum and repurposed it as a fully-usable keyboard that could function with a PC, Raspberry Pi or an Android device supporting HID via a USB host adapter. The project is based on an Arduino Pro Mini (ATmega328).
Armatron
Manufactured by RadioShack, the crane-like robot seemed pretty high-tech at the time. In hopes of giving the arm a modern-day update, Maker “ckung0400” embedded an Arduino Nano (ATmega328) and used an IR remote to enable its six-motor control.
Teddy Ruxpin
This endearing, animatronic stuffed bear was every child’s favorite storyteller. Thanks to a Portland-based DIYer and self-proclaimed geek father Sean Gallagher, BearDuino is a hardware-hacked Teddy Ruxpin that has been turned into a kit using either an Arduino Leonardo (ATmega32u4) or Uno (ATmega328).
Dot Matrix Printers
Back in the ’80s, these dot matrix machines were considered quite the combination of expense and versatility before they were gradually succeeded by inkjet printers. Well, a hacker by the name of MIDIDesaster has made a habit of turning these dot matrix printers into MIDI-compatible sound generators capable of emitting tunes such as the Macarena and Eye of the Tiger. The DMP is equipped with a stalwart ATmega8 MCU and an FPGA connected to various sectors of the original printer’s circuit board.
The Boombox
Boombastic, very fantastic! Boomboxes became quite the status symbol of the 1980s — whether it was being held in the air by John Cusack in Say Anything to being lugged on the shoulders of hip-hoppers at the park. In order to bring the antiquated gadget into the 21st century, David Watts pieced together one of his own packed with an Arduino, Bluetooth, FM radio and line-in connectivity. It made use of an MSGEQ7 IC for the spectrum visualizer, a Nokia 5110 display, and ran off six AA batteries.
Atari 2600
This system is credited with popularizing the use of microprocessor-based hardware and ROM cartridges containing game code. Maker “jolt527” managed to get his hands on a vintage Atari 2600 joystick and used an Arduino Duemilanove (ATmega328) as its input/output controller. The makeshift piece is tasked with directing the output to a seven-segment display to show what is being done with the joystick.
The Clapper
Clap on, clap off… Need we say more? The Clapper was a sound activated electrical switch, which became incredibly popular halfway through the ’80s. MAKE: Magazine’s Jason Poel Smith recently showed off a DIY version of the gadget, not only capable of evoking your lights but appliances as well.
Lazer Tag
Also known as “laser tag,” the game was first introduced by Worlds of Wonder in 1986, while the Lazer Tag brand is now currently a subsidiary of Hasbro’s NERF toy line. A fresh take on the classic activity, Skirmos is an open-source, versatile laser tag system that features an ATmega328P, an Arduino bootloader, a color LCD screen (that acts as a real-time HUD), and an infrared LED.
Simon
Think of it as HORSE yet in digital form. The flash game made for some fun and frustrating times depending on how great your photographic memory and timing were. To combat its tediousness, Maker Ben North and his 7-year-old daughter have built a Simon-playing robot. To detect the lights, the Maker duo connected four phototransistors to an Arduino Duemilanove (ATmega328), while the Arduino recorded the pattern of lights on the Simon and activated the LEGO arms in response to that pattern.
Shoulder Pads
Don’t ask us why, but it was surely a wardrobe staple of the time. Here’s a new spin on a trend most of us would hope never to see again! These glitteriffic shoulder pads shine bright with 50 LEDs that are controlled by an Arduino Micro (ATmega32U4).
Apple II
Let’s just say that had the Apple Watch came out in the 1980s, it would’ve looked just like this. Instructables user “Aleator777” packed a Teensy MCU, a 1.8″ LCD screen, a rechargeable battery, and a tiny 2W speaker for emitting alerts, all inside a 3D-printed shell.
Space Invaders
Originally released in 1978, the laser cannon shooting game led the way for the industry in migrating from just Pong-inspired sports games towards action-packed ones involving fantastical scenarios. However, the pixelated blocky graphic graphics always seemed a little unrealistic. That’s why one engineer has made a real-world version with real-world lasers using the hardware of a modified Whitetooth A1 laser cutter along with a laptop keyboard to serve as its gamepad. Meanwhile, an Arduino Nano (ATmega328) was mounted to a custom 80W laser controller to enable side-to-side movement to help shoot the paper invaders, each clipped to a plate and driven by stepper motors.
Pac-Man
This arcade game was a fixture at ice cream shops and pizza parlors throughout the ‘80s. And today, it can even be found at bus stops throughout Trondheim, Norway. That’s because a group of Makers created interactive stops consisting of pre-cut sheet of plywood, old computer screens, a Raspberry Pi installed with Pac-Man, and MaKey MaKey (ATMega32U4) controlled by aluminum foil tape on the glass front of the poster box.
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 features, UART transparent transfer, and can be configured with AT commands. Meanwhile, Makers can program the board in the Arduino IDE.
Aside from the ATmega32U4 running at 3.3V/8MHz, other key specs include:
Domino.IO is an affordable yet advanced Wi-Fi platform for the Internet of Things.
Designed with the Maker crowd in mind, Domino.IO is a low-cost, modular 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi hardware platform that features unlimited extension capabilities and is entirely Arduino-compatible. The kit is comprised of three different pieces of hardware: the Domino Core, Domino Pi and Domino Qi.
First, the Domino Core is a Wi-Fi module based on the Atheros AR9331 WiSOC. It is a surface-mountable single-sided Linux module, which exposes nearly all of the AR9331 WiSoC available signals to regular 2mm pitch castellated pads for both easy hand and automatic SMT soldering. The Core only requires a single 3.3V power supply to get going, and has a maximum consumption of only 0.5W. The Core comes pre-loaded with an open-source OpenWRT Linux system, enabling users to install more than 3,000 ready-to-use software packages. Beyond that, Makers can modify and customize the distro to better fit their project needs.
Next, the Domino Pi board extends the capabilities of the Domino Core module by adding a range of features, including integrated USB ⇔ UART bridge for serial port, +5V input / +3.3V output and a 2A DC/DC power supply, 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi PCB antenna, a jumpstart push button, some power and wireless LEDs, and two 28-pin, 2.54mm pitch headers. Makers can also customize their Pi board using any of seven building blocks, or tiles, including USB and microSD, single and dual Ethernet, LEDs, JTAG/SPI, as well as I²S audio. This allows Makers to play music from their USB discs or straight from an Internet stream through its open-source I2S audio codec and player.
Last but certainly not least, the Domino Qi Mini is a derivative of the Arduino Yùn, just crammed into a smaller form factor. The inexpensive, compact OpenWRT-based 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi board is based on an ATmega32U4 MCU and an Atheros AR9331 WiSoC, while communication between the two chips is achieved using the Yùn’s Bridge Library. To get started, a Maker simply connects the Qi Mini to the Domino Qi baseboard. From there, the device becomes fully-compatible with the ubiquitous Arduino Shield form factor and gives way to hundreds of already existing shields for rapid prototyping.
The Qi Mini is equipped with a 5V input / +3.3 V output and a 2A DC/DC power supply, 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi PCB antenna, a ’32U4 reset, a WLAN reset, some push buttons, two 22-pin, 2.54 mm pitch headers, in addition to power, wireless, WAN and USB LEDs. Just like the Yùn, the board can be programmed in the Arduino IDE and supports the Linino OS as well.
The entire platform comes with an iOS and Android-ready app that lets users control their devices, including RC cars, right from their smartphones. What’s more, Domino.IO is both cloud and framework agnostic; meaning, users can choose from services like SparkFun data stream, ThingSpeak and Weaved, and create their projects in a wide-range of languages such as Python, Node.js, PhP and Lua.
