Articles with tag: "electronics"
Arduino Project #1: Morse Code
October 12th, 2007
It’s hard to believe how rewarding it can be making something this pointless! This is my version of “Hello World” on the Arduino. Instead of just flashing an LED on and off, this variation flashes a three-letter Morse code navaid identifier (something familiar to aviators).
The Arduino is a wonderful new open-source physical computing platform and programming environment. It is based on the Atmel ATmega8 microcontroller, and is cheap and easy to learn. Microcontrollers can be used in everything from automation and robotics to interactive art projects. Get the skinny at http://arduino.cc/.
Rocket-Mounted Digital Video Camera
October 11th, 2007
The idea comes from MAKE Magazine, Vol. 7: Hack a $30, “single-use” camcorder and fly it on a model rocket. The project involves disassembly of the plastic camera housing, soldering a stripped USB cable onto the camera’s circuit board, hacking the board’s embedded software to make it reusable, then mounting it in the nosecone of an Estes rocket kit. With persistence, the project can be completed in a long weekend, and the results are spectacular.
The CVS “Single-Use” Camcorder
The Pure Digital One-Time Use Video Camcorder is marketed by CVS and Rite-Aid pharmacies as an inexpensive and user-friendly device for capturing family memories, vacation outings and the like. With only three buttons, it is simple enough for anyone to use. A 1.5-inch color LCD serves as a viewfinder, and allows you to watch a playback of the most recent clip. The camera’s firmware and data are stored on a Samsung 128MB non-volatile flash memory chip which holds roughly 20 minutes of digital video.
The palm-sized camera costs less than thirty bucks, but there’s a catch. When your 20 minutes are up, you take the camera back to CVS, where they charge you a $13 processing fee to download the video data and burn it onto a DVD for you. The camera’s memory is then cleared, but you don’t get to keep it; it gets sent back to the manufacturer for repackaging and resale. Well, with a little tinkering and some steady-handed soldering, we’ll make our own camera interface, turning this product into a compact, reliable and — best of all — reusable digital video platform.