DIY pick and place seems easy to build

diy-pick-and-place

We're not saying it's a simple project, but the build methods that [Alan Sawula] used for this DIY pick and place are probably the easiest we've seen yet. As this is just a CNC machine, the methods he used would also work quite well for mills or other machines. Instead of using precision rods for the X and Y axes, he used square tubing. The tubing is oriented more like a diamond, with the ninety … [Read more...]

Over-engineered clock finds purpose as RSS reader

clock-and-rss-feed

[Bob Alexander] admits that he over-engineered his clock, giving it eight control buttons, eight twelve-segment alpha-numeric display digits, a GPS module as a time source, and a beefy microcontroller to boot. But he's found a way to get more for his money out of the device by adding RSS and weather features to it. Since he's using the PIC 18F4550 it's a snap to add USB connectivity. From there … [Read more...]

Amazing backyard rocket ship tree house

Ravenna_Ultra-Low-Altitude_Vehicle

If you thought you had a cool tree house as a kid, think again. Tasked with landscaping his back yard and building a tree house for his son, [Jon] decided to go all out and build him a rocket ship instead. Rising 15 feet into the Seattle skyline, the tree house known as the Ravenna Ultra-Low-Altitude Vehicle (RULAV), is sure to be the envy of every kid in the neighborhood. [Jon] and a friend … [Read more...]

Interfacing an Arduino with a TFT LCD

tft_lcd

Seven-segment displays and monochrome LCDs are fine for most projects, but some things simply look better in color. [John] over at the Little Bird Electronics blog recently wrote up a tutorial demonstrating the use of a TFT LCD panel with an Arduino. The specific panel he chose was a 4D Systems 1.44” TFT LCD that happened to feature a dedicated graphics processor, which should allow for some … [Read more...]

Farmbot

planter_front_c

Prospero is the working prototype of an Autonomous Micro Planter, which is intended to be unleashed as a swarm. Using a Parallax propeller mounted on a Lynxmotion AH3-R hexapod body, though we have a ton of different ideas on hexapods if you find the price of the body to be out of budget. Inputs to the machine are pretty standard robot fare like infrared, and ultrasound. Outputs on the other … [Read more...]

Ultrasmall Arduino

Image426

[Fabio Varesano's] new Arduino compatible board packs a full power punch in a ultra compact layout, measuring at 20.7x15.2 mm, the Femtoduino is probably the smallest 328 based Arduino compatible board around. Most of the staples are present, an QFN atmega328, an MIC5205 low dropout regulator good for a couple hundred milli amps, 16MHz ceramic resonator, reset, power indicator and pin 13 LEDs, but … [Read more...]

NES game pad wireless light commander

NES_wireless_light_switch

Annoyed that the new lights he bought for his apartment lacked power switches, Instructables user [p.arry.drew] decided to install a pair of wireless light switches. Not content to use the remotes separately, he decided to see if he could cram them both into an old NES controller, making for a nice all-in-one wireless light commander. He disassembled the light switch remotes, cutting off a bit … [Read more...]