Making music with outdated computer parts

A group of Illinois-based Makers hailing from Makerspace Urbana have unveiled a way to take outdated technology and turn them into pieces of musical instruments. The Electric Waste Orchestra project strives to “manipulate the voltage flowing through circuit boards and use those signals to make music” out of components that would’ve otherwise ended up at the dump.

As seen in the video below, the Makers recently transformed an old keyboard number pad, six hard-drives, an Arduino board and some software into a fully-functioning guitar jamming along with a modular synthesizer.

First spotted at Moogfest by Cool Hunting, Maker Colten Jackson shared the unconventional ways in which the group was using e-waste to create some sweet music. “CD drives, power supplies, modems and sound cards… Just like any place that does computer repair (many school and business IT departments, for instance), the old electronics tend to stack up,” Jackson explained to Cool Hunting. 

“You can’t throw them in with the paper and plastic recycling, you know?” It’s even true of regular users; it’s easy to hoard outdated electronics, thinking something might come in handy or be valuable down the road. There’s also the issue of how difficult it still is to recycle or throw away electronics; e-waste, for example, is often exported to developing countries under the guise of ‘second-hand,’ only to become a pollution problem for somebody else.”

“At 20 years old, some of these things are useless. The hard disk drives I used were all 1 GigaByte disks—[they] can fit on your pinky nail nowadays; no one is going to use these hard drives again, but I thought they were still beautiful objects. Mirrored, high-precision disks (very expensive in their day) are now junk? There must be a way to make new objects with these artifacts!”

While there are places where these electronic forms of waste can be properly disposed of and recycled, they may not always be accessible. Electric Waste Orchestra hopes to inspire Makers from other fields as well. Time will tell if soon we’ll see a growing number of Makers extracting gizmos and gadgets from the trash and giving them new life on stage. As Cool Hunting noted, Jackson understands the importance of having access to the tools and the expertise in order to bring his ideas to reality; it adds even more value and importance to community spaces such as Makerspace Urbana.

 

A low-cost robotic hand powered by Arduino

An Italian Maker by the name of Marco Pucci recently posted a link on the Arduino Facebook page to a tutorial, where he created a low-cost robotic hand that is capable of mimicking the movements of a human. The robotic hand unit was developed using an Atmel-powered Arduino Uno and a series of flex sensors.

As demonstrated in the video above, the movements are measured by sensors affixed to each of the gloved hand’s fingers, which are analyzed by the Arduino board. Directions are then sent to the threads attached to the robotic hand via servo motors, which enables the robot to fully imitate the human gestures.

The sensors were fastened to the glove with various basic piping and wiring materials. When attempting to attach the sensors, Marco notes that, “The best way to fix it is to sew or fasten with tape.”

You can read Marco’s full tutorial in Italian here, which is also available through Google Translate. Interested in other Arduino-powered projects, there’s plenty to sift through in our Bits & Pieces archive on the subject here.

Maker Movement continues to converge art and tech

Writing for the Christian Science Monitor, Kendra North reveals that traditional institutions like museums and colleges are now creating new programs and spaces to enable a greater convergence of both art and technology. This “new industrial revolution” is combining the spirit of the old shop class with modern-day technology in do-it-yourself spaces.

“The Maker Movement and digital media and coding are revitalizing the arts,” stated Christopher Amos, Director of Educational Media and Technology at Carnegie Hall. “Digital music, videos, GIFs, and memes are just some of the new ways that art is being created and shared.”

“We want people to think of themselves as creators,” explained Chris Lawrence, senior director of Hive Learning Network. “There’s an opportunity to advance that kind of thinking when art and the Maker Movement intersect.”

According to North, just some of the latest institutions to incorporate the Maker culture include:

• New Museum in New York has created New Inc, the first museum-led incubator that’s somewhere between a corporate environment, a tech lab, and a cluttered art studio.
• Johns Hopkins University is working toward opening an incubator for technology and the arts led by Thomas Dolby, a digital musician known for his 1980s pop song “She Blinded Me With Science.”
• Mozilla’s Hive Learning Network, a consortium of organizations in New York, Chicago, Pittsburgh and Toronto, provides programs for young Makers to explore technology and digital media to create something whimsical. Embodying true DIY spirit, the Hive NYC recently co-hosted a high school “Maker Prom” where students could create anything from digital music scores to LED corsages.

Want to read more? The Christian Science Monitor also explored the emergence of the DIY revolution earlier this month. Read the entire article here.

 

 

DIY alarm shames those who don’t wash their hands

Did you know that researchers have found that only two in three people use soap when cleaning their hands, while one in 10 skip the sink altogether? At one time or another, we’ve all come across that sign in a public restroom reminding you (and employees) to wash your hands. Undoubtedly after seeing those signs, you’ve also wondered just how often the message gets ignored. Wonder no more! A recent Maker project has sought out to cure this gross behavior by shaming the 10% who fails to wash their hands upon leaving a bathroom with this alarm powered by an Arduino Uno.

The DIY alarm uses piezo sensors attached the bathroom door, toilet and sink to detect entry, flow of water and whether or not the sink has been used after the toilet was flushed. The ATmega328-powered unit monitors each of these sensors and sounds an alarm if a bathroom patron tries to leave without washing up. More embarrassing? This will alert everyone in the room that the individual didn’t wash their hands.

Lessons learned: Always wash your hands… and there really are endless possibilities when it comes to AVR 8-bit and 32-bit ARM-based Arduino boards.

Want to learn how to make a DIY alarm for your restroom? You can find detailed instructions on the project’s official Instructables page and by watching MAKE’s tutorial video below.

Upgrading a door lock with Arduino Mega

Maker by the name of [HSP] has created an actuator-based locking system to augment his room’s standard lock. Using an Arduino Mega (ATmega1280) and a basic keypad system, this Maker has significantly increased the security of his room with this latest project.

As Hackaday’s James Hobson mentions, the device includes a standard keypad, a 44780 display, as well as a key override “for street cred” as he humorously puts it. The simple locking system is based upon a 12V actuator that was optimized to run off of a mere 7.5V.

After wiring up the device and attaching the keypad, [HSP] furnished a physical housing for his creation out of wood. The Maker notes that this was not a carpentry project and that he “just took some random pieces of wood and made it.”

Once overcoming the initial issues, [HSP] made sure to provide a failsafe for this locking device. He previously learned his lesson by having to climb through his window after he devised and installed “a lock which was locked on power failure, and the machine (Windows) running it, crashed.”

Thus, when the unit lost power he was forced to climb up 7 meters and break into his own room to avoid “trashing” the door. He now claims to, “have a little respect for the possibility of failure, and design my systems for the expected threat-level.”

This new unit’s locking mechanism is, “only locked with power. This is insecurity by design. This is to keep the casual people out.” While this Maker’s project may not keep Fort Knox secure, it surely demonstrates how a creative individual can use these products to upgrade an object as simple as a door lock.

To learn more about [HSP]’s locking device, you can see its entire image gallery here or watch the project in action below.

Helping the visually-impaired see with ATtiny85

A computer science student at UW-Milwaukee going by the handle of “bergerab” has created a mountable visual aid using Atmel’s ATtiny85 microcontroller (MCU).

Along with the ATtiny85 MCU, the Maker completed his build with the help of these materials:

• HC SR-04
• SPST Slide Switch
• Two CR2032 batteries (with holder)
• NPN transistor
• 1N4007 Diode
• Perfboard (5 cm x 7 cm)
• DC Vibration Motor (salvaged from an Xbox controller)
• A mounting surface (i.e. a hat)

In a recent Instructables post, bergerab described Helping Eyes as “a visual aid, which can be mounted to any apparel to prevent injury to the visually impaired. It uses an ultrasonic range sensor to ‘sense’ objects and sends vibrations to warn its wearer of the incoming object.”

The functionality of the device is designed around the notion that “as an object comes closer, the vibration’s intensity increases.”

Prior to soldering Helping Eyes’ components to the perfboard, the Maker ensured that the batteries could be easily replaced and that the DC vibration motor had plenty of place to spin. He also made an effort to “mount the HC SR-04 straightly with nothing obstructing its view,” in order to get the best signal for the device.

Once the device was assembled, the Maker chose to mount his creation to a hat. “Since this device is so small, it can be mounted to many surfaces (such as clothing, hats, belt buckles, etc..). I chose to mount mine to a hat to prevent against accidents involving low ceilings in homes,” he noted.

Given the variety of mounting surfaces, the Maker says one could either sew an Arduino Lilypad (ATmega168V or ATmega328V) into the fabric, attach via velcro or adhere use hot glue.

Bergerab hopes that his creation will help those with visual impairments, as well as inspire others to develop similar aids. You can find the Helping Eyes project’s official Instructables page here.

And the Bend Your Mind XSense Design Contest winners are…

Back in December 2013, Atmel kicked off its global Bend Your Mind XSense Design Contest, where 
participants ranging from students to fashionistas were encouraged to stretch their imagination by submitting drawings unique designs utilizing Atmel’s flexible XSense touch sensor. Four winners — two first place and two second place — were ultimately selected by Atmel judges, based on originality, creativity and uniqueness of the designs, with winners receiving cash rewards.

Contest winners included:

• Technical Grand Prize Winner: Joseph Malkom, NewGen
• Technical Runner Up:  Andi Hidayatullah, Wrist Curved Tablet 
• Creative Grand Prize Winner: Raghu Vamsi, Touchscreen ID Card 
• Creative Runner Up: Arun Magesh, Rollable Laptops

“The devices and technological use cases seen in the ‘Bend Your Mind XSense Design Contest’ is yet a glimpse into the innovation and creativity that we see in today’s market,” explained Sander Arts, Atmel’s VP of Marketing. “Atmel congratulates all of the contestants and is thrilled to see such imaginative uses for XSense technology. With XSense’s flexibility and high-performance capabilities, the future of innovation is bright when creative minds have the technology to turn vision into reality.”

Joseph Malkom 

“Using the XSense touch sensor, this design can be used in the medical world. I got this inspiration after my grandmother had a small needle stuck in her foot and the doctor used three different xrays wrapped around her leg in order to pinpoint the exact location of the needle in her foot. However, by using this screen, doctors can have a 3D view of bones, veins and nerves, and can pinpoint exact locations of injuries. Moreover, by being able to change the view from bones to veins and nerves, they can prevent creating serious injuries, like accidentally cutting into a major vein. By using fiduciary markers, physicians can pinpoint the exact location of an object even if the patient changes their position. As there is a metal stand at the bottom supporting the flexible screen, the PCB can reside inside there.”

Andi Hidayatullah

“The idea of this design is to make a “wrist curved tablet” using combination of XSense and flexible OLED display as a curved touchscreen… It can be used by people in their jobs or activities while it’s not necessary to stop what they are doing or unable to take care the device.”

Raghu Vamsi 

“My idea is to provide some additional features to an ID card.”

Atmel XSense is a revolutionary, highly flexible film-based touch sensor that enables a new generation of smartphones and tablets, and extends touch capabilities into a wide array of new consumer and industrial products. Optimal for a broad range of touchscreen products, XSense enables thinner, lighter and faster touch products. XSense creates flawless touch performance, enhanced noise immunity, low sheet resistance and low-power consumption allowing designers to turn unique touch-based concepts into functional designs at lower total system costs compared to current market alternatives.

Interested in learning more about Atmel’s XSense? You can check out our Bits & Pieces article archive on the subject here.

Building a jar chandelier with ATmega328

A Maker by the name of ‘Funelab’ has created an LED chandelier by utilizing an Atmel-based (ATmega328) Arduino Uno, as well as an Arduino Mini, copper wire and 50 small jars.

Funelab notes in a recent Instructables guide that he chose to embark on this project because he “wanted to give his room some special design, with smooth lighting.” Therefore when he had the option to use RGB LEDs and an Arduino board, he decided upon making a chandelier.

After some initial deliberation, the Maker decided upon an acrylic frame base with a 6.5” diameter, as it would easily fit within his room.

Maker beware: Funelab does caution users to be delicate when sawing through the acrylic frame, as he broke his first attempt due to cutting too quickly.

The creator then spent two days wiring the project and found that rechargeable batteries best fit the chandelier’s needs.

“The battery cell is ideal to power lights for outdoor activities where electricity is not available.” He also details that if the battery runs out, one should charge the batteries, “about 2 hours to be able to continue using.”

In the end, this Arduino-powered chandelier can create a mellow and relaxing mood at any sort of outdoor gathering.

To learn more about the project or attempt to create one of these beautiful devices yourself, take a trip over to the project’s official Instructables page.

Lamp changes color based on emotions

The Mood Lamp is an Arduino-based project created by Italian developer Vittorio Cuculo. As the name suggests, the hacked IKEA lamp adjusts its lighting output based on the facial expression of a user. 

According to Cuculo, the Mood Lamp attempts to redefine the classic human-machine interface with a more natural system built around gestures, gaze tracking and facial expressions. As the Maker’s paper explains,  facial expressions are “particularly relevant because they play‘a fundamental role in nonverbal communication between human beings.”

The Mood Lamp is powered by OpenCV (software) and the Arduino Duemilanove, an older board based on Atmel’s ATmega168 or ATmega328.The board is loaded with 14 digital input/output pins (of which 6 can be used as PWM outputs), 6 analog inputs, a 16 MHz crystal oscillator, a USB connection, a power jack, an ICSP header, and a reset button.

Watch the video below as the lamp’s color corresponds with varying emotions — turning blue when it registers a frown, pink with a smile, blue for a ‘surprised’ expression.

Interested in learning more about this project? Read Vittorio Cuculo’s entire paper here.

 

An Arduino-controlled LEGO drawing machine

A talented Maker by the name of “Marcel” recently devised a slick Arduino-based LEGO drawing machine.

As HackADay‘s Rich Bremer reports, RC Car Servos are used to drive the pen in the X and Y directions.

“These servos only have a 180 degree range of motion which is not enough to move the pen very far. To increase the pen’s travel distance, [Marcel] attached a large gear to the servo which rotates a much smaller gear that rides on a rack gear attached to the bed. A Lego hinge takes the place of a Z axis and is used to set the height of the pen that is strapped to the machine via rubber band.”

In order to make the machine draw, the user moves an analog joystick. The changing resistance values of the joystick’s potentiometers are measured by an Arduino, which then moves each servo to the appropriate position using PWM.

Interested in learning more? You can check out the project’s official HackADay page here.