This is the smartest coin jar you’ll ever use

Well, it looks like your swear jar is about to get a whole lot smarter thanks to former Cisco Systems employee Richard Rutenberg. That’s because the Maker has designed an Arduino-based, Bluetooth-enabled container that responds when fed with change.

A mobile app sends commands to the Coin-Jar via Bluetooth, which enables the container to display text on its built-in screen, play live music, emit prerecorded sounds, and control a series of RGB LED lights. To enhance its interaction capabilities, Rutenberg even embedded NFC technology to allow the jar to read employee badges, tokens and tags, as well as accept Apple Pay.

So, what can the Arduino Nano (ATmega328) powered Coin-Jar be used for? Rutenberg suggests accepting mobile payments for bake sales, serving as an in-office jukebox where employees scan their badges and drop a coin to play their own Pandora station, or “thanking” someone for donations through a recorded message. The Maker believes mobile wallet adoption will accelerate in the coming months, and hopes that his Coin-Jar can be a way for those who use Apple Pay and other forms of contactless payments.

According to Rutenberg, he will be releasing the files and schematics so that others can 3D print their own Coin-Jars components, and assemble them using inexpensive ATmega328 based modules. The Maker notes that he will also publish a few example programs, including a slot machine and snack bar vending program, that will help steer others in the right direction for creating their own software.

“The Coin-Jar project will release open stereo lithography (STL) files to build an inexpensive wireless connected computer that accepts US coins.    Other versions include paper money, foreign currency and near field wireless payments (cards, key fobs, etc. for iPay like merchant services), and eventually a fingerprint reader and microphone,” Rutenberg adds.

Intrigued? You can head on over to the project’s official Kickstarter page, where the Maker is currently seeking $65,000 to bring the Coin-Jar to the masses. This isn’t the first impressive fundraising container we’ve seen brought to life using an Arduino board. Earlier this year, a group of Copenhagen Institute of Interaction Design students created an interactive coin jar that not only encouraged personal savings, but also let folks contribute a part of their savings towards a good cause.

miaLinkup is bringing the IoT to your older vehicles

While today’s cars are becoming increasingly more connected than ever before, what about those dating back to 1995? Well, the miaLinkup — which recently completed a successful Kickstarter campaign — is a multi-functional wireless device that is looking to bring the Internet of Things to any 20-year-old (or younger) vehicle. 

Based on an AT45DB and an ARM Cortex-M4 MCU, the super tiny device measures just 2.4″ x 1.7″ x 1” and weighs less than 2.5 ounces. Its ultra compact size allows a user to easily plug it into their vehicle’s data port, conveniently located under the dashboard. Once paired with its companion iOS or Android app via Bluetooth, a driver can monitor their car’s battery, manage fuel costs, track trips, protect young drivers, gain remote access, use head-up display, prevent unauthorized movement, as well as locate their vehicle using the device’s built-in sensors.

“Your car and smartphone will be always connected wirelessly and seamlessly, whether your car is on or off, without any recurring yearly or monthly fees,” a company rep writes.

Apart from that, the smart gadget also comes in what team calls a “Pro Plus” version, which packs an assortment of other features like FM radio transmitter, NFC pairing, tire pressure monitoring systm, MEMS digital microphone, a speaker, microSD card slot for up to 32GB, as well as support for both Ford Medium Speed and Single Wire CAN.

In addition, miaLinkup’s open API — aptly dubbed miaAPI — enables developers to create more apps that can interact with a vehicle via the miaLinkup device using the Atmel powered ECUemu3000 tool.

So, whether you’re having a Dude, Where’s My Car? moment and cannot locate your parked car, or would like to keep a Ferris Bueller’s Day Off valet incident from happening, the miaLinkup is the answer. Learn more by heading over to the project’s official page, where the team more than tripled its original $50,000 goal.

This DIY device is putting the ‘Matrix’ in matrix clock

While we’ve seen our fair share of DIY LED clocks in recent months, none may be as unique as Dan Hamer’s latest project which literally puts the ‘Matrix’ in matrix clock. Unlike the others, time is replaced in a Matrix digital rain-like animation, which trickles from above. Originally spotted by our friends at Hackaday, the project is best described as an incredibly compact, Arduino-powered clock with 16 x 8 LED display.

Based on the Arduino Leonardo (ATmega32U4), the Matrix Clock is fully compatible with the Arduino IDE and can be easily updated or customized with new sketches via its built-in USB connectivity. Meanwhile, a coin cell powered real-time clock calendar keeps track of the time and date when the unit is not powered.

Not only is the device equipped with three different animated transitions and clock displays, the Matrix Clock can also play personalized musical alarms that can be easily reprogrammed with new tunes. Given its small form factor, the gadget can be fitted into any number of housings,many of which can be 3D-printed.

Interested in one of your own? You can access all of its schematics and other details on Hamer’s official Hackaday.io project page here.

While we’re on the topic of DIY clocks, don’t forget to check out some of our favorite timepieces from 2014.

Brewing up a coffeemaker payment system with ATmega328

Maker Oliver Krohn — who you may remember from his recent Juraduino device — has now modded an off-the-shelf Jura Impressa S95 coffeemaker to include an AVR powered RFID payment system.

The system is driven by an ATmega328 based board, an RFID reader, a Bluetooth module along with a few other components, all enclosed in a plastic case. The board communicates with the coffeemaker using its service (serial) port, which means you won’t risk voiding the machine’s warranty.

How it works is relatively simple: A user taps his or her contactless identification card over the RFID reader, which reveals the account balance. If enough credits remain, the coffeemaker will pour a hot cup ‘o joe.

The Arduino-like board connects to an Android smartphone via the machine’s embedded Bluetooth module. The companion application, which was devised using MIT’s app inventor, allows the coffeemaker owner to register and maintain up to 40 users, charge or delete accounts, keep track of credits, as well as update the coffee pricing list.

Has this project perked your interest? You can read all the build and access its code here.

Video: Tap yourself awake in the morning with the DrumAlarm

We’ve all done it: Your alarm clock sounds, you unconsciously turn it off and suddenly wake up several hours later. Thanks to Maker Tarek Khamis, that’ll never happen again. The DrumAlarm is an Arduino-based device that ensures your attention has indeed been stimulated and you’re alert enough to start your day. No snooze button on this gizmo! In order to switch the DrumAlarm off, a user must play back a programmed set of drum licks correctly. While it may sound easy, it’s not… especially in the wee hours of the morning. The DIY gadget not only detects the predefined drumming pattern, it also measures timing and accuracy. In other words, you’ll need to be annoyingly precise!

Did this idea awaken your interest? You can watch it in action below!

Rewind: Must-know news, releases and more from 2014

Say what you will about it, but nobody can call 2014 a boring year. Arduino boards, MCU families and dev kits were revealed. Partnerships, standards and consortiums were formed. The Internet of Things, wearables and 3D printing moved beyond the hype. Makers and startups took to crowdfunding sites to successfully launch their projects. Hackers exposed device vulnerabilities, while countless security flaws and data breaches surfaced. Once-ordinary objects, home appliances and cars all went online. And, as we prepare for the year ahead, we’ve decided to take one last look back at the noteworthy events from the past 12 months that have helped enable today’s smarter, more secure world.

So without further ado, here’s what you need to know from 2014…

Must-Read News

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January

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The new SAM G ARM Cortex-M4-based family of MCUs

AvantCar ushers in a new era of center consoles

Atmel becomes the world’s first supplier to be awarded full FIPS 140-2 certification

Tech on Tour literally begins driving the Internet of Things across North America

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February

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Atmel rolls out a low-power LIN System Basis Chip (SBC)

maXTouch S Series is certified for use in next-gen automobiles

Phoenard is named the first-ever AVR Hero

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March

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Corning and Atmel collaborate on ultra-thin capacitive touchscreens for next-gen apps

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April

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New PLC modem targets smart energy applications

The maXTouch T Series of touchscreen controllers gets even bigger

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May

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littleBits debuts a programmable ATmega32U powered Arduino at Heart Module

The Arduino Zero dev board is unveiled

The ATM90E26 extends Atmel’s smart energy roadmap

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June

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A new brand of ARM-based MCUs is introduced

Atmel heads to the White House for its inaugural Maker Faire

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July

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Atmel strengthens its IoT leadership with the acquisition of NMI

Atmel teams up with industry leaders to form the Open Interconnect Consortium

ARM Mali licenses processor and security IP to Atmel for use in next-gen devices

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August

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New PLC SoC solution is designed for smart metering apps

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September

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The Arduino Wi-Fi Shield 101 makes its debut

SmartConnect portfolio is expanded with new 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi SoCs and modules

AVR Man makes his triumphant return

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October

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A new series of ARM Cortex-A5 processors is introduced with the Atmel | SMART SAMA5D4

ARM reveals its mbed device platform for the ever-growing IoT

Atmel begins sampling a new family of ARM Cortex-M7-based MCUs

Atmel and IHR drive innovation in future automotive electronics

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November

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A new family of wireless transceivers for smart energy apps is born

G3-PLC-compliant power-line carrier solutions make debut at European Utility Week

The latest CAN transceiver family is launched

A new LIN family for in-vehicle networking is announced at Electronica

QTouch Safety Platform is expanded for home appliance user interfaces

Atmel and SMARTRAC team up on animal ID applications

The next generation of megaAVR MCUs arrives

SAM L21 pushes the boundaries of low power MCUs

ATA8520 device becomes the first SIGFOX Ready-certified SoC solution

Atmel unveils the SmartConnect SAM W25 module for edge nodes IoT applications

1,400 new example projects in IAR Systems’ dev tool support the entire Atmel MCU and MPU lineup

Atmel launches the industry’s first wide-Vcc low-power temperature sensor family

The second set of AVR design contest winners are announced

An ATmega32U4 powered project is crowned Hackaday Prize champion

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December

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Atmel celebrates its 30th birthday

QTouch Surface platform becomes the world’s lowest power capacitive touch solution

New collaboration brings biometric fingerprint sensors and touchscreens to smart devices

Atmel joins the Thread Group

Atmel set to welcome 2015 with new connected applications

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Must-See Interviews

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Making goes mainstream at CES 2014

Who’s at the heart of the Maker Movement?

Massimo Banzi discusses DIY at CES 2014

Dr. Reza Kazerounian celebrates ARM’s 50 billion chips

Sir Mix-A-Lot talks Arduino and Makers

Bare Conductive shares its first experience with Atmel

Phoenard goes from AVR Hero to Kickstarter success

Massimo Banzi talks Arduino and IoT

Andreas Eiland explores the role of MCUs in the IoT

Kaivan Karimi provides an overview of the connected world

Henrik Flodell discusses the various dev tools making the IoT possible

Bill Boldt emphasizes the importance of security in the IoT

Super Awesome Sylvia says hello from Maker Faire Bay Area

Bob Martin reflects back on Maker Faire Bay Area

Quin Etnyre shows off his recent creations

Sander Arts talks open hardware and Makers in Brazil

Vegard Wollan reminisces about the early days AVR and the first Arduino

Making music with JELL-O and 10 other foods

And to think, we were always told as kids not to play with our food! Over the last couple of months, we’ve seen a number of edible musical arrangements from chicken nuggets to sushi. Thanks to Nashville and Atlanta-based ad agency redpepper, we can add one more piece of food to the list: JELL-O.

In an effort to “make capacitive touch more festive and jiggly,” the team created a keyboard using an [Atmel-based] Arduino and several LED lights embedded inside small JELL-O molds, each programmed to play different Piezo tones when tapped.

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Hungry for more meal-inspired, piano-like music? Check out some of these sweet creations — a number of which are powered by an Atmel ATmega32U4.

Gingerbread Houses

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Chicken McNuggets

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Sushi

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Veggie Burgers

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Bananas

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Pizza

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Carrots

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Hershey Kisses

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French Cuisine

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Oranges

Preview: Atmel is headed to Vegas for CES 2015

What happens in Vegas doesn’t necessarily have to stay in Vegas! From January 6-9, 2015, the Atmel team is headed to Sin City for the 2015 International CES, where we’ll be showcasing a number of cutting-edge Internet of Things (IoT) solutions and offering insight into the smarter, more connected world of tomorrow.

Attendees will have the chance to meet our team, demo our latest devices, and get a unique glimpse into some next-gen technology — from the Security of Things (SoT) to futuristic car center consoles — inside Las Vegas Convention Center’s South Hall, meeting space #MP25760. (The show is huge, so it may be helpful to map it.)

Bluetooth and ZigBee and Wi-Fi, oh my! Those looking ahead to a bright future of wireless and smart lighting are also welcomed to join members of our team at the Sands Expo Center in both the ZigBee Alliance Pavilion (booth #71023) as well as the Connected Lighting Alliance (booth #70432).

So what can you expect to see?

Atmel’s SMART LIVING ZONE brings more connectivity, security and intelligence to the home. 

• Wide-range of Atmel SmartConnect enabled applications including intelligent weight scales, door bells with built-in cameras, Wi-Fi connected speakers, as well as motion sensor-laden windows, smart plugs, and ZigBee-controlled lightbulbs and gateways.
• A new energy management solution capable of providing real-time, historic data of gas, energy and water consumption through a wireless remote with secure hardware authentication between the wireless device and home automation controls.
• The recently-revealed Atmel® | SMART™SAM L21 running on an Xplained Pro board with an ePaper display.

• Some of today’s leading tablets, smartphones and phablets powered by Atmel’s maXTouch® controllers, along with keyboards, mice and other human machine interface devices based on the company’s latest QTouch® capacitive platforms.
• Bringing together the IoT ecosystem, we’ll also be exhibiting solutions from a number of our friends and partners.

Atmel’s AUTOMOTIVE ZONE enables smart, connected cars with simple-to-use interfaces. 

• Ushering in an era of connected cars, the fully-functional and futuristic AvantCar™ center console concept is equipped with curved touchscreens driven by Atmel’s XSense®, maXTouch, QTouch, 8-bit AVR MCU technologies, and LIN-controlled ambient LEDs.

• RF and LF technologies for keyless entry systems, LIN- and CAN-based car networking applications, audio via Ethernet-AVB, MCUs and crypto technologies for safe data transfer via automotive networking.
• Multi-channel audio streaming over automotive Ethernet Audio Video Bridging (AVB) with low-power yet powerful SMART | ARM MCUs.
• The latest hardware and communication protocol offerings for remote keyless entry (RKE), passive entry, passive start (PEPS) and immobilizer, this demo showcases a complete reference design for automotive car access applications.

Atmel’s MAKER ZONE showcases Internet-enabled innovations. 

• At the core of the Maker Movement, the well-received Arduino Wi-Fi Shield is further enabling rapid prototyping of IoT projects on the Arduino platform, and will be exhibiting its ease-of-use and wide-range of applications for the professional and DIY communities alike.

• A number of other Maker demonstrations, including a remote-controlled Maker Robot powered by the Atmel | SMART SAM D21 will be displayed. “Mr. Abot” is controlled through an Android app and the communications driven through Atmel’s recently-announced WINC1500 Wi-Fi solution.
• Good news, Makers! You’ll have a chance to bring home a free Atmel Evaluation Kit by simply spotting AVR Man on the show floor, snapping a selfie and tweeting it to @TheAVRMan himself.

“Powered by Atmel” ZONE highlights the latest gadgets using Atmel solutions.

• Aside from an assortment of today’s smartphones and tablets, there will be a collection of wearables on display, too. This includes everything from the Narrative life-logging camera to various fitness tracking bands. As recent teardowns have revealed, Atmel can be found embedded within several highly-popular wrist-adorned gadgets like the TomTom Runner and Motorola Moto 360, as well as in a number of flagship phones like the Google Nexus 6 and Xiaomi mi4.

Stay connected!

Unable to make the show? Can’t find the booth? Follow along with us on Twitter using the hashtag #AtmelLive for all the latest trends and real-time happenings right from the CES floor. Don’t forget to check out insightful interviews on YouTube, daily recaps on Bits & Pieces, photos on Facebook and a whole lot more on our other channels as well!

Sort through M&M’s in speed with this iPhone-controlled machine

While we’ve seen plenty of candy-sorting machines in recent months, an anonymous reviewmylife blogger has devised a pretty sweet creation that’ll have you sifting through treats faster than ever before. Not only for the everyday chocolate lover, this contraption can be quite useful for concert venues looking to book Van Halen or Mariah Carey, whose rider requests demand no brown and yellow M&M’s, respectively, in their backstage candy bowls.

The Maker claims that the DIY device is faster than most other sorters, which works by registering the candy’s’ color using an iPhone 5 camera. The high-speed M&M machine is equipped with a 12V 80RPM high torque motor that controls a rotating plate, before releasing one candy at a time through a hole.

As the M&M falls, the iPhone deciphers its color and communicates via Bluetooth to an Arduino Mega (ATmega1280). The Arduino then uses an eight-channel relay to fire off electromagnet-controlled gates that send the candy piece down a chute and into the appropriate bin.

Although much quicker than other DIY M&M sorting projects, the blogger notes that there is still plenty of work to do. As good as the iPhone’s color sensing capabilities may be, the device still has trouble deciphering brown candies. “They are a pain to distinguish from orange and shadow. Obviously it can be done but it would need a bit more software work and perhaps some LED lighting on the chute to reduce the effect of the shadows,” he added. The Maker also says that he’d like to get the parts for the machine 3D-printed in the near future.

Pretty sweet, right? See it in action below!

Intrigued? You can read all about the project on its official page here. Meanwhile, you can satisfy your sweet tooth with a number of some other Atmel powered candy contraptions here.

This DIY trainer is like a Whack-a-Mole for boxers

Back in the 1985 classic Rocky IV, Balboa’s rival Ivan Drago was shown utilizing a futuristic electronic punch meter in his quest for triumph. Inspired by the flick, a group of Cornell students recently designed their own electronic boxing trainer system for beginners and well-seasoned athletes alike. The device is capable of teaching both basic and advanced combinations, while also providing users with a gauge of timing and accuracy.

“While we desired to have ‘built-in’ sequences to train the user, we also desired to allow the user to self-program and store their own practice combination sequences. We attempted to do this without exceeding a budget of $100,” the team writes.

The project is comprised of five square pads organized in the shape of a human head and upper body, with each square surrounded by bright LED ribbons that emit light based on a pre-conifgured pattern. Think of the system as a life-size Simon or Whack-A-Mole: When a pad lights up, the trainee must hit it. If the user fails to strike the pad within a set deadline, the next punch in the sequence proceeds. The game, which is controlled by an ATmega1284P, keeps tabs of the user’s activity in terms of reaction, accuracy and other relevant statistics.

In an effort to keep costs at a minimum, the students created their own force sensors consisting of two square pieces of fine aluminum windscreen with foam structures placed in between. One of the foam pieces was made from conducting ESD foam, while the other was a piece of half-inch thick insulating foam rubber with quarter-inch slits cut approximately half an inch apart, for approximately 12 slits per sensor.

“In each of the screen pieces, we thread (copper) wire through the (aluminum) screen’s holes in a ‘Z’ pattern and bond the metals together with conducting glue. The jailbar foam is then hot-glued to the ESD foam, and then the composite foam is sandwiched via hot glue between two of the wire-threaded screens. The screens are then covered on their exposed sides with cardboard that has been rolled with a wine bottle to reduce its brittleness (by popping any trapped air pockets). We used four 10” by 10” sensors to create the ‘body’ of a figure, and a 9” by 9” sensor for the head.”

The sensors are then mounted against a wall, or in the Cornell project’s case, a back of a metal exterior door. When a user punches a sensor, it compresses and as a result, causes the resistance between the two pieces of aluminum screen to change. This greater the change in resistance, the more powerful the hit.

Meanwhile, feedback to the user and the programming interface is done by serial communication. The team interfaced with a PC using a USB-RS232 cable and PuTTY.  The code for the system can be divided into three distinct categories: initialization, user input via PuTTY (or other serial terminal) and game play.

Interested in learning more about the project as well as the team’s outcome? You can read the entire log of their build here, or watch a demo of the boxing trainer below.