December 2011
11 posts
Welcome to “Silicon Chip” Magazine readers
Hello readers Published in the January 2012 issue of “Silicon Chip” magazine is an eight page feature article by Jonathan Oxer introducing the Arduino system and how the hardware and software work together to allow anyone to turn their technological ideas into reality. If you have read Jon’s article and were directed here – thanks for visiting! We have much more content than just Arduino...
Clock Kit Round-up – December 2011
Hello Readers If there’s one thing that I really like it’s a good clock kit. Once constructed, they can be many things, including: a point of differentiation from other items in the room; a reminder of the past (nixie tubes!) or possible visions of the future; the base of something to really annoy other people; a constant reminder to get back to work; a source of satisfaction from having...
Review – nootropic design defusable clock kit
Hello Readers In this review we examine an interesting, fun and possibly a prankster’s delight – the “Defusable Clock Kit” from nootropic design. The purpose of this kit is to construct a clock that counts down in a similar method to “movie-style” bombs, and it has terminals to connect four wires to the board. When the countdown timer is beeping away, you need to choose which wire to cut...
Review – nootropic design defusable clock kit
Hello Readers In this review we examine an interesting, fun and possibly a prankster’s delight – the “Defusable Clock Kit” fromnootropic design. The purpose of this kit is to construct a clock that counts down in a similar method to “movie-style” bombs, and it has terminals to connect four wires to the board. When the countdown timer is beeping away, you need to choose which wire to cut otherwise...
Project – Ultrasonic Combination Switch
Hello Readers Time for a follow-up to the Single Button Combination Lock by creating another oddball type of switch/lock. To activate this switch we make use of a Parallax Ping))) Ultrasonic sensor, an Arduino-style board and some other hardware – to make a device that receives a four-number code which is made up of the distance between a hand and the sensor. If Arduino and ultrasonic sensors are...
Review – Akafugu TWI 7-Segment Display
Hello Readers Today we review a product from a new company based in Japan – akafugu. From their website: Akafugu Corporation is a small electronics company that operates out of Tokyo, Japan. We specialize in fun and easy to use electronic gadgets. Our goal is to provide products that not only make prototyping faster and easier, but are also perfect for incorporation in finalized products. ...
Project – Ultrasonic Combination Switch
Hello Readers Time for a follow-up to the Single Button Combination Lock by creating another oddball type of switch/lock. To activate this switch we make use of a Parallax Ping))) Ultrasonic sensor, an Arduino-style board and some other hardware – to make a device that receives a four-number code which is made up of the distance between a hand and the sensor. If Arduino and ultrasonic sensors are...
Initial Review – Arduino v1.0 IDE
Hello Readers Recently the Arduino team have released version 1.0 of the IDE (integrated development environment) that we all know and love. This is a significant milestone as the IDE has previously been in alpha release since 2005. For the platform to have survived and thrived this long is a credit to the community and especially to the Arduino team themselves. Arduino? Not sure where to start?...
Initial Review – Arduino v1.0 IDE
Hello Readers Recently the Arduino team have released version 1.0 of the IDE (integrated development environment) that we all know and love. This is a significant milestone as the IDE has previously been in alpha release since 2005. For the platform to have survived and thrived this long is a credit to the community and especially to the Arduino team themselves. So moving forward, let’s have a...
December 2011 Competition
Hello Readers It’s that time of the year again so we are running another competition. First let’s look at the prizes, then review the rules of entry. — *** Prize One *** — Prize One consists of the eleven modules from the new Freetronics Module/Sensor range, as reviewed recently: With this range of modules you will be able to sense temperature, humidity, magnetic fields, light and sound...
Review – Freetronics Module Family
Hello In this article we examine a new range of eleven electronic modules from Freetronics. When experimenting with electronics or working on a prototype of a design, the use of electronic components in module form can make construction easier, and also reduce the time between thoughts and actually making something So let’s have a look at each module in more detail… PoE Power Regulator – 28V ...