RC Plane Sequence Caller


Reader [Kelly Regan] flies large scale RC planes, but would often need someone call out flight sequences while rehearsing. Not wanting to impose on fellow club members, [Kelly] built a sequencer caller from a cheap MP3 player. It just required extending the FWD key to a pin header. Those pins are connected to a custom switch on the back of the controller. Each maneuver is recorded with 30 seconds of padding and then added to a playlist. Once the maneuver is complete, a quick press of the button moves on to the next track. It’s always nice to see people building devices that the consumer electronics industry probably wouldn’t.

Twilight For Zune


[Mortiz Waldermeyer], the man who brought us the interactive LED pong table, has recently completed a project commissioned by Microsoft: an interactive chandelier that can receive and react to music from a Zune mp3 player. The technology behind this project which [Waldemeyer] calls Twilight is not all that complex: at the core of the chandelier is a Zune, which acts as the receiver for other Zunes in the area. The central chandelier Zune then feeds graphic equalizer display data to another device, which in turn feeds a microcontroller running the LEDs embedded in the chandelier. The chandelier itself is constructed of 15 sheets of organza fabric. The result is a rich, dancing display of lights that people in the room with a Zune can take turns controlling. The installation has just opened in LA.