David from uC Hobby shows how to use a computer parallel port instead of a microcontroller when developing new projects. The article also includes the Microsoft C# code that he uses. “Using the parallel port is often easier to work with then a microcontroller. I find that testing code on the PC can be much easier then going straight to the firmware as the developer tools for the PC platform
This looks like an interesting solar camping light project. “The unit contains a solar controller board from the Electronics Goldmine that turns the light on at dusk and off at dawn. The batteries are two lithium 3.6 v cells in series, providing 7.2 v @ 1.1 amp hours. The two white LEDs are in series and draw 20ma. The only other parts used are a switch and power connector for
It seems like there is a new Wii hack every day. This Wii Power Glove has a great retro look to it! “A Japanese modder custom-built this nifty Power Glove for the Nintendo Wii, which looks to function better than its predecessor.” Via: TechEBlog and Destructoid
Here is a cool project in development, it’s a joystick for the PC that uses accelerometers to to detect user input. It uses a CUBLOC 405 module for the brains and a Dimension Engineering accelerometer to sense movement. “Today, I was able to get a sneak preview of 6 Axis PC USB controller made by Garrett from scratch. It looks really cool, kinda like the Nintendo Wii controller and
Who says speakers are for music? A speaker is a multi-purpose device as shown here. “The engineers way to shake a milkshake. Take a powerful DC amplifier, connect it to a large woofer, feed the system with a signal generator, and at the end, just add milkshake. Of course it is also possible to measure the g-force of the shaking 😉 ” Thanks Steinar
If you are interested in autonomous systems, this tiny helicopter does a good job for its small size. “The purpose of this project was the design of a fully autonomous stabilization system intended for systems capable of intelligent programming and navigation. This means that the design focuses mainly on the control feedback systems that control the helicopter’s motors that then provide lift to increase and decrease altitude, and produce
Hubert’s Laser Page has lots of cool laser projects documented. One section that caught my eye was one where he covers many ways of making an inexpensive XY laser scanner. Go and have a look at his article for details on using a CD player actuator, Piezo buzzer, Hard disk head actuator and Loudspeaker to get the task done. Unlike my hard drive oscilloscope, Hubert uses a computer to control
