In this Halloween electronics project, I’ll show you how to make a cool Jack-O-Lantern. I used a 3D-printed carved pumpkin, but a real one works just as well (or even better!). The project is based around three normal LEDs that we control so that they look like a flickering flame. Since my “pumpkin” was very […]
Microcontrollers are components that make it easy to control things like LEDs, motors, or fans based on sensor input like temperature, light, or speed.
Since it's easy to make advanced functions with microcontrollers, almost all things electronic use a microcontroller these days.
To use a microcontroller in your project you need to learn to write code. And you need to learn how to upload that code onto the chip. I highly recommend Arduino as a starting point. It makes coding and uploading much simpler.
This page is a library resource with tutorials and the basics of microcontrollers.
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From Arduino Prototype to Manufacturable Product
The Arduino is an ideal platform for proving your product concept. However, there is still a lot of engineering work required to turn it into a product that can be manufactured and sold. The best way to progress from an Arduino prototype to a consumer product that is ready for sale is to use the […]
How to Build an Arduino Theremin
In this short tutorial, you will learn how to build an Arduino Theremin. You only need three components plus the Arduino, wires, and breadboard. Use the breadboard diagram or the video below to see how to connect everything.
Club de Arduino – Week 5: Finishing the Robot
Thomas was right. It was impossible to get anyone to do anything in December in Medellin. So I continued on my own. There was one challenge left before I could assemble it all and program the robot: The ultrasonic sensor. I hadn’t tested it yet, so I had no idea how well it would work.
Club de Arduino – Week 4: Moving Back and Forth
This week we got a new member. So we revised what we’ve done so far with our new member: The first week we looked at different robot platforms. We wanted to be able to go forward, backward, and make turns. And we wanted it as cheap as possible. We looked at different platforms at the […]
Club de Arduino – Week 3: H-bridge and the Bluetooth
We made progress on our robot this week! Check out the video at the end of this post. This is what happened: During this week I figured out that our H-bridge circuit did not work as intended. The problem was the TIP12x transistors. They have a huge voltage drop from collector to emitter of 2V. […]