Robert Mikelson and Grant Cox have designed a (prototype) 3D scanner powered by an Atmel-basedArduino board. Dubbed Rubicon 3D, the scanner allows Makers to easily turn real world objects into virtual 3D models.
“The webcam [which is not included] takes a picture of an object on the turntable with both lasers on and off, [while] the software looks for differences in those pictures to detect the shape of your object,” Mikelson and Cox explained in a recent Kickstarter post. “Next, the turntable turns 0.45 degrees and the process repeats: 800 steps for a full 360° revolution.”
After the scanning is complete, Makers can either export a raw hi-polygon mesh or have it structured and optimized.
“With the current setup, you can scan objects up to 160mm in diameter and about 250mm in height, but since the camera is movable, even bigger objects might fit in,” the duo added.
“After purchasing a Trinket to experiment with and Adafruit having a great mentality for Open Source Hardware, I decided to modify my own ATtiny85 volume control PCB to make it compatible with the Trinket’s 5Volt firmware (flash_me_hv_5volt.hex)! (which is Arduino compatible),” Rupert explained in a recent blog post. “This gives access to direct programming without the need for a separate programmer from the Arduino IDE. Its also nice to support the hard work done at Adafruit by purchasing one of their Trinkets.”
As the HackADay crew notes, an awesome looking RGB LED ring powered by Adafruit’s Neopixel was ultimately added to the design, albeit at the expense of a “mute” control.
“The PCB Rupert fabbed is pretty well suited for being manufactured one-sided,” wrote HackADay’s Brian Benchoff. “If you’ve ever wanted an awesome volume knob for your computer, all the files are available from Rupert‘s blog here.”
In addition to creating the above-mentioned tinyAVR USB volume knob, Rupert is reportedly working to load Adafruit’s Trinket bootloader on Atmel’s ATtiny84, an MCU with a total of 8 analog pins.
As we’ve previously discussed on Bits & Pieces, Adafruit’s popular Trinket can best be described as a tiny microcontroller board built around Atmel’s versatile ATtiny85.
“We wanted to design a microcontroller board that was small enough to fit into any project – and low cost enough to use without hesitation,” Adafruit’s Limor Fried (aka LadyAda) explained.
“[It is] perfect for when you don’t want to give up your expensive dev-board and you aren’t willing to take apart the project you worked so hard to design.”
Fried describes the Attiny85 as a “fun processor,” because despite being so small, it boasts 8K of flash and 5 I/O pins – including analog inputs and PWM ‘analog’ outputs.
“We designed a USB bootloader so you can plug it into any computer and reprogram it over a USB port just like an Arduino,” Fried continued. “In fact we even made some simple modifications to the Arduino IDE so that it works like a mini-Arduino board. You can’t stack a big shield on it but for many small and simple projects the Trinket will be your go-to platform.”
There are currently two versions of the Trinket: 3V and 5V. According to LadyAda, both work the same but have different operating logic voltages.
“Use the 3V one to interface with sensors and devices that need 3V logic, or when you want to power it off of a LiPo battery. The 3V version should only run at 8 MHz. Use the 5V one for sensors and components that can use or require 5V logic, [as] the 5V can run at 8 MHz or at 16MHz by setting the software-set clock frequency,” she added.
A Maker and artist by the name of Han Lee has created a slick lo-fi display. Dubbed Wooden Pixel Display 64, the project comprises a series of analog wooden blocks that act as digital pixels.
“One pixel might make you bored but it gives you something interesting when pixels make a form together. The WPD64 [was] recently presented at a generative art show in NYC recently,” Lee explained. “[I used a] laser cutting service from Pololu.com for the front cover which should have 64 square holes at the perfect grid.”
Interested in learning more? You can check out additional photos and videos on Lee’s official page here.
Earlier this week, Atmel expanded its low-power 8-bit tinyAVR family with the addition of the ATtiny441 and ATtiny841. According to Atmel’s Director of Flash-based MCUs Ingar Fredriksen, the 8-bit AVR microcontrollers are ideal for cost-effective consumer applications and a wide range of Maker projects.
Indeed, the new ATtiny 441/841 MCUs boast higher system integration with intuitive tools and peripherals to help facilitate optimized performance with lower power consumption. In addition, the ultra-low power 14-pin tinyAVR MCUs deliver enhanced analog and communication capabilities for an overall lower system cost in a smaller package.
As noted above, Atmel’s ATtiny MCU lineup is routinely tapped by both DIY Makers and professional engineers to power a wide range of projects. To be sure, quite a number of devices and platforms built around Atmel’s ATtiny have surfaced on Bits & Pieces in recent months including:
* The PC knock sensor – This project allows users to turn their PCs on and off with a simple knock sensor. The entire platform, costing the Maker a grand total of $10, is built around Atmel’s ATtiny45 MCU which emulates a PS/2 device.
* Halloween knock box – Powered by Atmel’s versatile ATtiny45 (or 85) microcontroller (MCU), the Halloween Knock Box box is fairly easy to put together. Additional key components include a piezo element (amplifier) for the knock sensor and a motor to provide the knocking feedback.
* Twinkling jack-o-lanterns – This project uses very few components: four slightly depleted AA batteries, a super bright LED, 680 ohm resistor and a little custom code set on an 8-pin Atmel ATtiny13.
* ATtiny85 ISP! – The open source ATtiny85 ISP! can probably best be described as a breakout prototyping board for Atmel’s ATtiny85/45/25 lineup. The ATtiny85 ISP! allows Makers to take advantage of the ATtiny85 chip’s potential, while using the familiar Arduino IDE and harnessing support from the Arduino community.
* Cuboino (Digital Cuboro) – This version of Cuboro is a tangible, digital extension of the classic marble puzzle game. Designed by Felix Heibeck of the University of Bremen, Cuboino is powered by Atmel’s versatile ATtiny85 MCU.
* ATtiny logic analyzer – The ATtiny2313-based logic analyzer is capable of capturing at 50+ kHz, more than enough for a PS/2 port. This project combines an Atmel MCU, breadboard and FTDI for unlimited-length logic capturing with a PC.
* 2D-Lux smart LED disk (SLEDD) – NliteN’s 2D-Lux Smart LED Disk (SLEDD) is a dimmable 60W-incandescent-replacement LED smart “bulb” equipped with an Atmel AVR microcontroller (ATtiny85), USB interface and hardware-expansion pins.
* Digital tic-tac-toe – Powered by the ATtiny85, this modern implementation of the classic game boasts an AI mechanism capable of making defending or winning moves against a human opponent.
* Pressure sensitive floor – This ActiveFloor comprises a total of twenty-one 2′x4′ tiles, each one including 8 pressure-sensitive resistors and an ATtiny84-based platform.
As previously discussed on Bits & Pieces, all tinyAVRs are based on the same architecture and compatible with other AVR devices. Features like integrated ADC, EEPROM memory and brownout detectors allow users to design applications without adding external components. The tinyAVR is also equipped with flash memory and on-chip debug for fast, secure, cost-effective in-circuit upgrades.
“The tinyAVR offers an advanced combination of miniaturization, processing power, analog performance and system-level integration. Simply put, the tinyAVR is the most compact device in the AVR family and the only device capable of operating at just 0.7V. And there’s nothing really tiny about that,” an Atmel engineer explained. “Plus, tinyAVR designs can be coupled with Atmel’s CryptoAuthentication tech for an extra level of security. The AVR CPU gives the tinyAVR devices the same high performance as our larger AVR devices. Flexible and versatile, they feature high code efficiency that lets them fit a broad range of applications.”
As expected, tinyAVR offers a high level of integration, with each pin boasting multiple uses as I/O, ADC and PWM. To be sure, even the reset pin can be reconfigured as an I/O pin. Oh, and yes, the tinyAVR also features a Universal Serial Interface (USI) which can be used as SPI, UART or TWI.
On the power side, where most microcontrollers require 1.8V or more to operate, the tinyAVR boosts the voltage from a single AA or AAA battery into a stable 3V supply to power an entire application. So if you do use tinyAVR tech in your next maker, hacked, modded or industrial project, be sure to check out our recently launched AVR Hero Contest! In the meantime, additional information about Atmel’s extensive tinyAVR lineup can be be found here.
The Mobile Minds crew has debuted an Atmel-powered cellular connected platform designed to track and monitor a wide range of sensors. FizzJelly works straight out of the box, allowing users to effortlessly monitor and control their IoT devices.
“From motion to temperature and from water leaks to GPS tracking, [FizzJelly] will let you know by sending an alert,” a Mobile Minds rep explained in a recent Kickstarter post.
“It makes it easy to check to see if anyone has been in your house, find out where your car is, if your rooms have got too hot or cold or even turn on and off the lights.”
Indeed, users can command and query FizzJelly simply by sending and receiving text messages with a cell phone. To be sure, configuring and using FizzJelly is extremely simple, requiring a regular SIM card, a connected sensor and a text message. As expected, each unit can be configured with a unique PIN code to secure it against unauthorized access.
Dubbed inFORM: Dynamic Physical Affordances and Constraints through Shape and Object Actuation, the Atmel-powered table is equipped with a number of ATMega2560s, along with 900 individually actuated white polystyrene pins that make up the surface in an array of 30 x 30 pixels.
An overhead projector provides visual guidance of the system, with each pin capable of actuating 100mm and exerting a force of up to 1.08 Newtons each. Actuation is achieved via push-pull rods that are utilized to maximize the dense pin arrangement – making the display independent of the size of the actuators.
MIT’s latest configuration of the morphing table features two separate interfaces – adding a display so viewers can observe the individual who is manipulating the surface. As HackADay’s James Hobson notes, MIT’s advanced platform opens up a whole new realm of possibilities for the tactile digital experience.
“The inFORM also has a projector shining on the surface, which allows the objects shown from the other side to be both visually and physically seen — they use an example of opening a book and displaying its pages on the surface,” he explained.
“To track the hand movements they use a plain old Microsoft Kinect, which works extremely well. They also show off the table as a standalone unit, an interactive table. Now all they need to do is make the pixels smaller.”
Steven Kemper studied music composition and computer technology at the University of Virginia. Unsurprisingly, he was always fascinated with robotic instruments that can be programmed to play music, respond to human musicians and even improvise.
So Kemper, along with colleagues Scott Barton and Troy Rogers, went on to found Expressive Machines Musical Instrument (EMMI), designing a Poly-tangent Automatic (multi)Monochord, also known as “PAM.”
As TechNewsWorld’s Vivian Wagner notes, the stringed instrument’s pitches are controlled by tangents – the equivalent of fingers – each of which is driven by a solenoid. Messages are sent from a computer via a USB to an [Atmel-powered] Arduino board, which switches the solenoids on and off.
PAM is also capable of receiving data from musical and gestural input devices – such as a MIDI keyboard, joystick or mouse – or from environmental sensors, allowing the platform to improvise its own music based on the programmer’s parameters and instructions.
“These instruments are not superior to human performers,” Kemper, now an assistant professor of music technology at Rutgers University, told TechNewsWorld. “They just provide some different possibilities.”
In addition to PAM, EMMI has created a variety of instruments, all of which can be programmed to play in multiple genres and settings.
“These instruments can improvise based on structures we determine or by listening to what performers are playing,” Kemper added. “We work with the free improv aesthetic and [our instruments] don’t fit into a particular musical genre. It’s improvising based on any decisions the performers make.”
The Smithsonian has unveiled its X 3D Collection along with a new 3-D explorer in an effort to make museum collections and scientific specimens easier for the public to access and study.
According to Günter Waibel, director of the Institution’s Digitization Program Office, the Smithsonian X 3D explorer and initial collection of scanned objects are the first step in showcasing how 3D technology is capable of transforming the work of the Smithsonian, as well as other museums and research institutions.
More specifically, the above-mentioned X 3D Collection features objects from the Smithsonian that highlight different applications of 3D capture and printing, along with digital delivery methods for 3D data in research, education and conservation including:
The Wright Flyer (National Air and Space Museum): The 3D scan of the Wright Flyer allows users to explore the fine details of the artifact, providing a window into the Wright’s inventive genius and understanding of the principles of flight.
Cassiopeia A Supernova Remnant (Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory): This multi-wavelength 3D reconstruction of Cassiopeia A uses X-ray data from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory, infrared data from NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope and optical data from NOAO’s 4-meter telescope at Kitt Peak and the Michigan-Dartmouth-MIT 2.4-meter telescope.
Fossil Whale (National Museum of Natural History): Smithsonian paleontologists and 3D staff conducted a time-sensitive documentation of the skeletons from the site (Chile) and captured essential data about the arrangement and condition of the skeletons before they were removed and the site was paved over.
Cosmic Buddha (Freer and Sackler galleries): To study such low-relief compositions, scholars have traditionally made rubbings with black ink on white paper, which give stronger contrast to the outlines. 3D scanning, used with a wide variety of imaging techniques, can give even more clarity to the designs.
To view these and other objects scanned using 3D technology, the Smithsonian and San Francisco-based Autodesk created the Smithsonian X 3D explorer which allows users to easily rotate models, take accurate measurements between points and adjust color and lighting. The explorer is also equipped with a storytelling feature, enabling Smithsonian curators and educators to create guided tours of the models.
In addition to viewing objects using the explorer, the raw 3D data itself will be made available for downloading and printing, both for personal and noncommercial use. Teachers and other educators can use the data to create realistic 3D models of these objects for use in the classroom.
It should be noted that additional support for the Smithsonian’s 3D efforts was provided by 3D Systems, which helped scan, design and print objects from several Smithsonian museums, including one of the large fossilized whales found in Chile’s Atacama Desert.
Atmel has expanded its low-power 8-bit tinyAVR family with the addition of the ATtiny441 and ATtiny841. As we’ve previously discussed on Bits & Pieces, the 8-bit AVR MCUs are ideal for cost-effective consumer applications such as computer accessories, thermostats, personal health accessories and a wide range of Maker projects.
According to Atmel’s Director of Flash-based MCUs Ingar Fredriksen, the new ATtiny 441/841 MCUs boast higher system integration with intuitive tools and peripherals to help facilitate optimized performance with lower power consumption. Indeed, the ultra-low power 14-pin tinyAVR MCUs deliver enhanced analog and communication capabilities for an overall lower system cost in a smaller package.
“Atmel has been the 8-bit MCU leader for more than a decade and continues to think beyond the core, enabling our customers to differentiate their end products,” said Fredriksen. “Our AVRs have been popular since its inception and continue to be the MCU of choice both for professional engineers in consumer and industrial applications and among our 300,000 members in the AVR Freaks community consisting of engineers, hobbyists and Makers.”
As Fredriksen notes, the ATtiny441/841 devices are powerful MCUs packaged in a small form factor. More specifically, the new ATtiny441 and ATtiny841 MCUs feature an uber-mini 3×3 QFN package and 4 and 8KB of Flash memory, respectively.
“The new devices offer enhanced analog performance, including an ADC with calibrated multilevel internal analog reference, with 12 ADC channels on a 14-pin device, two independent USARTs with wake-up from power down without data loss, SPI interface and an I2C slave interface for enhanced communication capabilities,” Fredriksen continued. “In addition, the devices feature flexible clocking options, including a ± 2% internal oscillator with fast wake-up, which allows the UARTs to communicate without the need of an external crystal and wake-up from sleep without data loss.”
As expected, the ATtiny441/841 devices are fully supported by Atmel Studio 6, the integrated development platform (IDP) for developing and debugging Atmel ARM Cortex-M and Atmel AVR MCU-based applications. Simply put, Atmel Studio 6 IDP offers devs a seamless, easy-to-use environment to write, build, simulate, program and debug applications written in C/C++ or assembly code using the integrated GCC compiler and AVR assembler. AS6 also provides easy access to the online Atmel Gallery apps store and Atmel Spaces, a cloud-based collaborative development workspace allowing the designer to host software and hardware projects targeting Atmel MCUs.
To help accelerate devs and Makers accelerate ATtiny441/841 AVR MCU designs, the new devices are supported by Atmel’s AVR Dragon Board which can be snapped up at the Atmel Online Store for USD $49. The ATtiny841 and ATtiny441 are also supported by the STK600, AVRONE, JTAGICE mkII, JTAGICE3 and AVRISPmkII development tools.
Today, we are going to be taking a closer look at an Arduino-based autopilot fitted into a large sailboat that is capable of keeping the vessel on a constant heading. According to the HackADay crew, Mike Holden uses a very cool digital compass equipped with LEDs to keep a steady course.
“Also included is an amazingly professional and very expensive 6 axis IMU. To actually steer the ship, Mike is using a linear actuator attached to the tiller powered by a huge 60 Amp motor controller,” explained HackADay’s Brian Benchoff.
“For control, [Mike] ended up using an [Atmel-powered] Arduino, 16-button keypad, and an LCD display. With this, he can put his autopilot into idle, calibration, and run modes, as well as changing the ship’s heading by 1, 10, and 100 degrees port or starboard. It’s able to keep a constant heading going downwind, and even has enough smarts to tack upwind.”
