Video: Arduino drives this Steampunk “steam” gauge

A Maker by the name of “Murphy’s_Lawyer” has created a retro steam gauge driven by an Atmel-based Arduino board.

According to the HackADay crew, the build kicked off with an old 10″ Ashcroft pressure gauge obtained from eBay. After dissecting the gauge, Murphy’s_Lawyer began constructing a method of generating motion without the need for actual steam.

The solution? Mounting a continuous rotation servo between the Bourdon tube and the case. However, the servo lacked the strength to flex the tube on its own – so a simple brass lever was ultimately designed to assist.

“The electronics consist of an Arduino Uno (ATmega328) and an accompanying homemade PCB. The code for the Uno generates random motion for twirling the servo, [while] three LEDs built into the face reflect values generated for speed, pause and run time,” explained HackADay’s John Marsh.

“The final upgrade came in the form of a new dial face, which provides some updated text as well as a cutout square that lets you see the previously obscured gears in action.”

Interested in learning more about the Arduino-driven Steampunk “steam” gauge? You can check out the project’s official Instructables page here.

ATtiny13 MCU powers DIY digital dice kit

A new Atmel-powered DIY digital dice kit recently surfaced on eBay. Designed and sold by eBay member “applemount,” the DIY digital dice kit features Atmel’s ATtiny13 MCU, front and center.

Aside from the ATtiny13, additional key components include:

• 1 – Lead-free professionally printed circuit board (2″x2″)
• 7 – Red LED’s
• 1 – Battery holder
• 1 – Button switch
• 1 – CR2032 battery (included)

“Push a button and the die will display a random number from 1 to 6 just like a dice! [The kits are] great for board games. [Plus], you get a free CR2032 battery with each kit!” applemount wrote in a description posted on eBay.

“[The kit] uses advanced on-board entropy collection to generate real random numbers. Soldering is required, [although] each part is clearly labeled on the printed circuit board for easy assembly.”

Interested? Step-by-step assembly instructions are available on Instructables here, while the DIY kit can be purchased for US $12 here.