Use echolocation to measure distance
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A 10k Potentiometer perfect for adding and visualising an input to your projects
ECHO…echo…echo…echo… We’ve all had fun shouting into a cave or large space and hearing our voice coming back to us at some point during our childhood. And if you’re like me, a fully grown adult who...
Note: With the rollout of TTNv3, the "Setup" section of this guide no longer works - but we're keeping it here for posterity. Let us know on our forums if you need help getting started with the new method. One of the most common sensors in...
Similar to how bats echo-locate and how submarines use sonar, the PiicoDev® Ultrasonic Rangefinder uses sound waves to measure the distance to an object. It sends out a high-pitched sound wave, which bounces off of the object and comes...
In this guide, we'll look at common methods of detecting people and some of the different sensors you can use to detect people in your next project.Sensors covered in this guide: PIR Sensor RCWL-0516 Microwave Radar SEN0395 mmWave Rad...
What good is a robot if it can’t interact with the environment around it? Sensors are the backbone of almost every electronics project as they allow your program to make decisions based on external stimuli. We’ve got sensors for...
What if I told you that you could have the power to detect a lightning strike from 40km away? You'd probably think I've gone mad watching too many Marvel movies. But it is true! All thanks to the DFRobot Gravity: Lightning Sensor. Accessib...
Arduino Projects with Motion (Using Sparkfun RedBoard) Welcome to the Third Project Set from the Sparkfun Inventors Kit V4.0 Guide! In this tutorial, we will explore the operation of a Servo Motor and an UltraSonic Sensor in combination wi...
The aptly named Ultimate Kit 2.0 is the final kit in the line-up of educational robots from Makeblock. With over 160 independent mechanical parts and modules, the Ultimate Kit 2.0 answers the call for almost limitless creative freedom. Matc...
Introduction The Makerverse Nano Power Timer is an ultra-low current consumption power controller designed to periodically turn on a battery powered microcontroller. It is perfect for maximising the battery life of data-logging sensor...
It would be good to have some understanding of Pycom microcontroller boards before reading this article. We won’t go into what capabilities each microcontroller board has. If you’d like an introduction, try our Pycom WiPy Overvi...
The Adafruit Circuit Playground Express comes equipped with an onboard microphone that is capable of sensing both amplitude and frequency. This tutorial will walk through a quick sketch using CircuitPython to turn the lights on the board in...
Let's do some creative projects to get familiar with the GlowBit™ rainbow and micro:bit. The animation runs for 10 seconds, and can be started by pressing either of the micro:bit's buttons In this guide we will: Wi...
Welcome to the best article on setting up an OpenMediaVault-based NAS on a Raspberry Pi Single Board Computer! This guide is the fastest and best way to go about it. Raspberry Pi single-board computers are purpose-built to run 24/7, with a...
Sometimes all a good Pycom project needs is some colourful lights! This tutorial demonstrates how to control WS2812 LEDs with the Pycom Wipy and Lopy4. WS2812 or WS2812B LEDs (otherwise known as NeoPixels) are the most commonly used RG...
Looking for the best way to get into robotics? Checkout Makeblock's mBot. This all in one robot is the perfect introduction to basic robotics, with its simple yet robust design, mBot is built with education in mind. The mBot kits modul...
The Adafruit Circuit Playground Express comes packed with sensors, and for this tutorial, we are going to learn to use the onboard thermometer (technically a thermistor)! We will take temperature readings with the thermometer and print out ...
Note: With the rollout of TTNv3, the "Setup" section of this guide no longer works - but we're keeping it here for posterity. Let us know on our forums if you need help getting started with the new method. Sending data to the cloud is grea...
Project Set 2 – Sound Welcome to the second Project Set from the Sparkfun Inventors Kit V4.0 Guide! In our last Project Set, we explored the basics of the Arduino IDE, some electrical and electronic concepts and looked at vario...
The PiicoDev Magnetometer unlocks a lot of sensing abilities for your project. In this guide we'll walk through how to sense an angle with a small magnet and print the angle on a PiicoDev OLED. This guide covers what the sensor is r...
In this guide, we'll learn what a Servo is, when we might use one, how to choose a Servo, and finally how to use one with a Raspberry Pi Pico. To follow along you'll need: A Positional Servo, such as the Feetech FS90 Micro Servo A Con...
The Raspberry Pi has revolutionized the world of single-board computers, offering a platform for learners, hobbyists, and professionals to explore, create, and innovate. From its inception, the Raspberry Pi series has been a beacon of techn...
The latest Circuit Playground board, the Adafruit Circuit Playground Express comes equipped with an onboard IR transmitter and receiver! This can be used to communicate with TVs and other household devices. You can also use infrared remote ...
This is an update to an older guide done so that we can provide you with the fastest, most modern, and best way to set up your system. Nothing beats bright shiny colourful lights and this guide demonstrates the fastest and most customizab...
When making a box with a laser cutter, its entirely possible to make your design as a single flat drawing through careful planning and measurement – but who wants to do that!? This is a guide to making a box quickly and easily using F...
Welcome to the final Project Set of the Sparkfun Inventors Kit! This Project Set focuses on Robotics with the final Circuit being an Autonomously Driving Vehicle! New components introduced in this tutorial are: DC Motor/Gearbox Mo...
Let's get started with the PiicoDev® Magnetometer. In this guide, we'll connect the Magnetometer to our Raspberry Pi Pico, get it working as a compass, and read the magnetic field strength of a nearby magnet. Finally, we'll remix the c...
This guide will help you get started with a PiicoDev® Servo Driver module. We'll take a tour of the module and walk through some examples to drive common servos. Servo motors are integrated motors that contain their own power circuitr...
Bluetooth is a low-power radio technology used to link devices wirelessly. Most commonly recognised as the way to link a mobile phone to a car or speaker, it has many uses beyond that. The "low power" aspect is not a shortcoming, as a large...
The Raspberry Pi as we know it today is just the “tip of the iceberg”, the product of more than a decade of development, spanning 4 generations with up-to 18 boards and counting released so far. Alongside this development, there...
A radio transceiver is a device that can both transmit and receive radio signals, making it the perfect tool for communication on the go and remote projects! The PiicoDev Transceiver™ is a 915MHz radio that can send short messages up...
There are a wide range of filaments available in FDM 3D printing; it’s easy to get lost in all the abbreviations, acronyms, and temperatures. We’ve decided to bring together the most relevant information when selecting fila...
This guide will teach you how to control any small and big servos with a Raspberry Pi 4 Model B (worth noting any Raspberry Pi Board with GPIO pins can be able to be used in this scenario. Servos are an immensely useful way to turn ele...
At the heart of every Adafruit Circuit Playground Express lies a three-axis accelerometer. This allows us to write programs that take the orientation of the board into account. We can detect orientation and acceleration on any axis. With Ci...
This guide will help you get started with a PiicoDev 3-Axis Accelerometer. We'll walk through some examples to read acceleration, infer tilt angle (from gravity), and detect tapping and shaking. An accelerometer is a device that mea...
This guide will help you get started with a PiicoDev® Potentiometer - an intuitive input device that allows you to easily interact with your project. PiicoDev Potentiometers are available in two flavours: Rotary and Slider. We'll ...
Let's get started with the PiicoDev® Magnetometer. In this guide we'll connect the Magnetometer to our Raspberry Pi, get it working as a compass, and read the magnetic field strength of a nearby magnet. Finally, we'll remix the code to ...
In this guide, we go over some common ways of adding motion to your project with actuators such as stepper motors, servos and linear actuators, to help you choose which one is most appropriate for your situation. The start of this guide c...
This guide will demonstrate exactly how to control any large DC Motors that we stock with a Raspberry Pi Single Board Computer, through code or through a Bluetooth Controller. To clarify (in my mind) a large DC Motors runs at 12+ Volt...
Nowadays, everything is going wireless. Phones, computers, game controllers, consoles, everything! Wireless technology has allowed us to use electronic devices with an untethered freedom which just isn’t possible with clunky cables ...
[Update – Until there is correct compatibility of OPEN-CV with the new Raspberry Pi ‘Bullseye’ OS I highly recommend at this stage flashing and using the previous Raspberry Pi ‘Buster’ OS ...
A digital multimeter (DMM) is one of the most common tools on a Maker's bench. We use DMMs to take electrical measurements in a fast and relatively accurate way. The reason we call it a multimeter is because they can take multiple types mea...
One of the most critical parts of a successful 3D print is the correct material choice and through its careful consideration you will get the best result for the final component you had in mind. Ultimaker has a wide range of 3D printi...
Now that we are all on track with our Slicer software, having just installed Cura 2 and upgraded our printer firmware, let's work on turning some 3D Model files into G-Code for our 3D Printer to create. We're going to be using our LulzBot M...
There is a whole range of Sub-4 Inch Displays that attach directly to the GPIO pins of Raspberry Pi Palm-Sized Computers. Many of them are touch devices and increase the usability of your Raspberry Pi whilst making almost no size sacrifices...
Welcome to the Raspberry Pi Pico Workshop, where you will learn everything you need to know to hit the ground running and start making your own projects with the Raspberry Pi Pico and MicroPython. This workshop is designed for complete beg...
Note: With the rollout of TTNv3, the "Setup" section of this guide no longer works - but we're keeping it here for posterity. Let us know on our forums if you need help getting started with the new method. One of the simplest sensors in an...
The Micro:bit is great for small portable projects like a soil moisture sensor. In this tutorial, we will walk through how to program a Micro:bit to make a reliable and consistent soil moisture sensor that will give consistent readings. The...
Logic analysers are an incredibly valuable piece of test and measuring equipment, but sometimes it can be hard to work out exactly what you need, and what model is going to best suit your needs. If you’re not sure what a logic analyse...
It is time for a high-quality, complete package, 1920x1200 (HD) display set up with a Raspberry Pi Single-Board Computer. In regards to touch screens with Raspberry Pi have looked at Tiny GPIO HAT LCD displays, medium-sized AMOLED maker di...
Note: With the rollout of TTNv3, the "Setup" section of this guide no longer works - but we're keeping it here for posterity. Let us know on our forums if you need help getting started with the new method. The TMP36 is a low cost, eas...
Want to make your project portable? We've put together a quick guide to get you up to speed on battery options and help you decide which batteries might be best for your project. Batteries are a whole different game to plug packs and bencht...
The Internet of Things (IoT) describes the network of physical objects that are all around us which are blessed with sensors, software, and other technology for the purpose of connecting and exchanging data with other devices and systems al...
The Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+ (I’ll be calling it the Pi 3+ for short) is an update to the existing Raspberry Pi 3 Model B and was released on Wednesday 14th March 2018. It has some very interesting changes: The Broadcom BCM2837 has ...
Being productive and efficient on a computer has become synonymous with dual-screens. Being able to run two application and have both take up a whole screen or run four text documents each taking up an A4 sized half screen really improves e...
If you’re in the education sector or keep up to date with the latest STEM learning tools, then you’ve most likely heard of Sphero. It’s one of the most popular educational products which fuses robotics with imagination and...
It is time for an Airplane Tracking Raspberry Pi! The final setup here will let you personally collect data on the exact whereabouts of airplanes over 400km away. It will update one to four times each minute. Be passenger planes, cargo air...
Let's get started with the PiicoDev® Magnetometer. In this guide, we'll connect the Magnetometer to our micro:bit, get it working as a compass, and read the magnetic field strength of a nearby magnet. To follow along, it's best to...
School zone sign There are lots of maker and Internet of Things (IoT) projects that need a high quality mobile Internet connection. While technologies like Sigfox and LoRa are going to be a big part of our future, in a lot of places cellu...
Feel restricted by your connectivity? Want to send data from a remote node 10km away from civilization? Or ~3km when you are in a built-up civilization. Feel the urge for Liberation? Then I have the solution for you! Using only hardware bu...
In this tutorial, we'll get some WS2812B LEDs (also known as GlowBits and NeoPixels) working with a Raspberry Pi Pico. If you haven't already set up Thonny for programming your Pico, follow our guide on that first. To follow along you'll...
If you’ve been around electronics for a while you’ll have noticed the trend of single board microcomputers targeted at hobbyists through to industrial projects, the most popular platform being the Raspberry Pi. Now the Raspberry...
Introduction This guide will cover the basic functionality of the GlowBit Python library when driving a GlowBit Matrix 8x8 module. To follow along, it's best to have: A GlowBit Matrix 8x8 A Raspberry Pi Pico ...
If you’ve come looking for how to get your Teensy board up and running using the Arduino IDE, then you’ve come to the right place. Whilst you can use the standard Teensy loader application to flash compiled code directly to yo...
Is it hot in here, or is it just my Raspberry Pi? A Raspberry Pi sitting on a desk doing nothing is kind of boring. However, a Raspberry Pi that can measure the temperature and make decisions based off that information is awesome! The Rasp...
Wi-Fi, as we know it, is a form of wireless communication based on the 802.11 standards as outlined by the IEEE (the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers). If you're paying attention to it, you'll notice an appendage to this st...
Welcome to the MicroPython for micro:bit workshop! This workshop is aimed at makers who want to start programming with MicroPython, we will be using the micro:bit as it is very easy to use so we can cover the important concepts that will ap...
The Micro:bit is a feature-packed development board that’s perfect for the classroom or the beginner programmer. Each Micro:bit has a built-in radio that can transmit and receive signals sent from other Micro:bits. The radio has a ran...
We’re in a golden age of connectivity, the internet we know today has given us the tools to connect anything to anything, and now with the platform brought to us by Particle, DIYers everywhere can connect the creations up to this va...
Servo motors are extremely useful in so many different applications; it’d be good to learn how to control them! Solenoid and DC motor control have been shown already; for the most part, they are both pretty straightforward (only powe...
If there’s an odd one in the Pycom family of microprocessor boards it’s this one, the SiPy. There’s nothing wrong with it, it’s just that its sister board the LoPy4 has the same capabilities as SiPy, plus a LoRa ...
Layer Exposure Time is the crucial parameter that when dialed in will change average 3D resin printed components into awesome, crispy, final results that capture every single detail of the CAD model. As a general rule for Normal Layer ...
We get a lot of interest from parents and educators surrounding littleBits and innobits. Especially the difference between the two products. Both are magnetically connected electronic building blocks. Both products empower people to invent ...
Have you ever used an Arduino board, and wanted to hook it straight up to a JST connected LiPo battery but knew it wouldn’t work? Or maybe you wanted a microcontroller with built-in wireless capabilities? Well, Adafruit has developed...
Electronics is fun, so far we have covered off on communicating between devices, making LEDs flash and LCD screen operation. However using electricity to control some form of movement in your project is a fun and interesting aspect to inves...
Pycom is a constantly groundbreaking company which produces a lot of really cool development boards and expansion shields. They have a large focus on multiple network connectivity, particularly in regards to low power, long-distance informa...
The Adafruit Circuit Playground Express comes equipped with an analog light sensor, but it can be used for much more than just sensing light or darkness! The light sensor has a similar spectral response to the human eye. Its connected to an...
Note: With the rollout of TTNv3, the "Setup" section of this guide no longer works - but we're keeping it here for posterity. Let us know on our forums if you need help getting started with the new method. In our two previous Pycom article...
In this world not all machines are made equal and this is especially true in the sphere of 3D printing. One of the best ways to compare 3D printers is by the magnitude of materials it is capable of producing high-quality components from. Yo...
There are a ton of electrical wire connectors, too many to elaborate on in a single guide, however there are a couple of connectors that as a maker you will come across. Often when starting your way into the electronics world all you need ...
Pimironi Picade Pan-Tilt Hat lets you mount and control a pan-tilt module right on top of your Raspberry Pi palm-sized computer. Setting up a Pan and Tilt system has never been easier with absolutely no soldering required! Pe...
Let's get started with the PiicoDev® OLED Module SSD1306. In this guide, we'll connect the PiicoDev OLED to our Raspberry Pi Pico and get it working with some example code to display text, shapes, and animations. To ...
Let's get started with the PiicoDev® OLED Module SSD1306. In this guide, we'll connect the PiicoDev OLED to our Raspberry Pi and get it working with some example code to display text, shapes, and animations. To follo...
High power LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes) have different requirements that need to be met when compared to regular LEDs. Current regulation using only resistors is impractical so it is necessary to use a switched-mode voltage and current reg...
Welcome to Counting with Computer 101. Have you ever looked at a colour on a computer and seen something like this #28FE9A? Or perhaps the T-shirt stating ‘There are 10 types of people in this world, those who understand binary, and t...
If you’ve ever come across the term ‘logic analyser’ and not been sure exactly what is was, you’re in the right place. Logic analysers are one of the less common pieces of test and measuring equipment, but they&rsquo...
Yep, Raspberry Pi is a very cool platform, so cool that they offer a range of stylish HATs to go with them. No not headwear, but fully functional hardware modules that are designed to plugin directly to the Raspberry Pi GPIO headers, and op...
Alright, so we know that Bluetooth is awesome, and if you don’t, take a read of our Introduction to Bluetooth tutorial. But how exactly do we go about implementing Bluetooth communication in our projects? Well, fortunately for us, th...
Introduction This guide will cover the basic functionality of the GlowBit Python library when driving a GlowBit Matrix 4x4 module. To follow along, it's best to have: A GlowBit Matrix 4x4 A Raspberry Pi Pico ...
So, you might have the best project in the world, an amazing idea and design, but no matter how clever your circuitry or how advanced your prototype is, unless you can power your project correctly, it all counts for nothing. Often you will ...
The full example-code is reproduced at the bottom of this article. Performing manual measurements (in bulk) is for suckers and undergraduate students. Thankfully, most lab gear comes with a digital interface like USB or Serial and you can ...
Continuing our Python journey deeper into this dynamo of a programming language we will take a leap into variables and types. Variables are one of the most fundamental concepts and exist in pretty much all programming languages. Variables a...
Welcome to the Raspberry Pi Workshop for Beginners! Here you'll be able to follow along with our series of bite-sized videos that cover everything you'll need to know to get started with your Raspberry Pi, and start making awesome project...
Each and every day it has become easier to print the natural and human-made world around us. So, if you ever worried that you would run out of things to 3D print fear not! There are many ways of producing 3D models and most of these me...
Note: With the rollout of TTNv3, the "Setup" section of this guide no longer works - but we're keeping it here for posterity. Let us know on our forums if you need help getting started with the new method. In the lasts article we looked at...
We've been familiar with the Mooshimeter for a while now, we've got tutorials on Getting up and running with a Mooshimeter, how to datalog with your mooshimeter, taking voltage/current measurements with multi-meters and finally a whole arti...
In this tutorial we will learn how to set up the Onion Omega2/Omega2+ for the first time. You will require the following: Onion Omega2 or Omega2+ An Onion Omega2 Dock, such as: An Onion Omega2 dock, eg. Power Dock or Bre...
In this tutorial, we will learn how to set up the Onion Omega2/Omega2+ for the first time using the command line. While the Omega2/2+ has a graphical setup wizard and a web-based GUI called the "Console," we have found both to ...
Speed or Perfection? That choice is what an understanding of Layer Heights whenever Resin 3D printing is going to provide you. Any Traditional Resin 3D Printer worth its salt will let you print with Layer Heights between 10 Micron to 100 Mi...
Force-sensitive resistors (FSR) are remarkable electrical components and are proper unsung heroes in the Makers World. Name me a better variable touch input device which has basically no moving parts, all whilst being available in such a t...
What’s even better than the world’s most popular microcomputer sitting on your desk? When it’s sitting there in a case which protects it, makes it easier to use, and gives your desk some style. If you buy a Raspberry Pi i...
NiMH is an abbreviation for Nickel-Metal Hydride. NiMH batteries are some of the most common rechargeable batteries we see in consumer electronics. Due to their superior chemistry, NiMH batteries have taken over Nickel Cadmium Battery appli...
If your 3D printer is an Ultimaker S5 then your prints will almost always come out looking brilliant. Although achieving desirable 3D printed components can sometimes require troubleshooting to resolve print errors. These errors often can ...
The Infinity Mirror Kit V2 is a desktop display that creates a dazzling optical illusion - a tunnel of light that tears through space! The Infinity Mirror Kit V2 entered production in October 2018, and now ships with an Adaf...
LulzBot have released the Aerostruder for both Mini and Taz Printers now (Mid 2018). It features a Titan Aero Extruder from E3D, which makes it capable of printing in flexible filament and rigid filament, depending on the situation! It's an...
After some serious touch time your LulzBot 3D Printer and the quick print options in Cura 2, it's more than likely that you want to make more specific changes to the way 3D Models are printed. Whether it be, changing the support type and st...
Hailing from Aleph Objects in Loveland, Colorado, the Lulzbot range of 3D printers are world renown for their quality, reliability and ease of use. The reason they're so popular? Apart from the gilded Lulzbot technical support (practically ...
The realm of 3D printers is currently the forefront of new technology. The capabilities of these machines are under relentless progression determined hugely by the technologies available and needs from the community. Reliability, accuracy a...
Let's turn it up to 11! Today we are getting right into Bluetooth Audio Receivers in particular the MH-M38. The MH-M38 is a stereo audio receiver with loudspeaker outputs (and an inbuilt amplifier) that can play music from a smartphone/com...
Dual Extruding with FDM 3D Printers is typically reserved for the most expert-level makers. By adding the ability to print with 2 materials, you open yourself up to a spread of conditions that simply didn't exist with a single extruder setu...
So you’ve got Eagle installed and you’re itching to get creating? If not and you’re wondering what’s going on, check out our Drawing Schematics With Eagle tutorial, otherwise this won’t make much sense. EAGLE ...
In this guide, we’ll learn how to harness the power of MOSFET transistors to easily control higher-powered components like solenoids, motors, and Peltiers with a microcontroller. First, we will cover an easy-to-follow example using s...
I SPI with my Raspberry Pi, something beginning with…S! Serial-Peripheral-Interface (SPI)! Welcome to our Raspberry Pi SPI communication tutorial. Today we’re going to look at how to use the SPI bus on our Raspberry Pi ...
So, after almost a week of researching, cross-referencing, double checking, and image hunting, I’m excited to show you guys my take on the history of Arduino, and the evolution of the Arduino hardware into what it is today. With so m...
Makeblock is a company with education at the forefront of its priorities. They introduce mechanical design, and software development to robotics in a way analogous to Lego, that is to say, they aim to educate the student by encouraging crea...
Hi there! If you’re wondering what all the hype and interest surrounding Raspberry Pi is about, you’ve come to the right place. The original Raspberry Pi debuted in 2012, and is a credit card sized computer that has ports for U...
We had a lot of fun making this speed build video for the Paris Flyer CarouSol Kit by Solarbotics. If you aren't already familiar, Solarbotics makes a great line of DIY electronics kits made from laser cut materials. They range from quite s...
The Pysense expansion board from Pycom has many sensors. In Pycom Pytrack Getting Started, I showed how with some Processing code we can see the real-time position of the board in 3D. That project works with the Pysense too. How about we sh...
The Internet of Things(IoT) and its devices have been utilised by ‘DIYers’ and ‘Makers’ to connect projects to the internet and take advantage of the worldwide network we have created. Some might say a sentence with ...
Want to setup a wireless XBee network between some Arduinos and your PC? We're going to show you how. We will be using Series 1 XBee modules alongside some XBee Explorer USB modules from Sparkfun to set up our own Personal Area Network (PAN...
Let's get started with the PiicoDev® OLED Module SSD1306. In this guide, we'll connect the PiicoDev OLED to our Raspberry Pi Pico and get it working with some example code to display text, shapes, and animations. To f...
The Infinity Mirror Kit is a desk-top display that creates a dazzling optical illusion - a tunnel of light that tears through space! Note: This tutorial is for the Infinity Kit V1. We updated have updated to the Infinity Kit V2 as of ...
This is the Big Daddy of the Pycom range of devices. The Pycom FiPy has all these connection capabilities (with one tiny caveat): Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n 16Mbps LoRa (all regions, not 433MHz) Sigfox Cellular LTE (Cat-M1/NB-IoT) Bluetooth L...
If you ever needed a performance boost when running Machine Learnt AI Systems (like facial recognition) with a Raspberry Pi Single Board Computer then I have a solution for you. The OAK-D Lite. The Oak-D Lite is the Leatherman Multi-tool o...
Hey guys, if you’re looking to get the creativity and fun of Makey Makey into classrooms or workshops, then you’re in the right place! Makey Makey is an incredible tool for educators to get kids thinking about how they can use t...
Ever had the issue where you have dozens of old phone chargers and appliance plug packs piled up in a rats nest of AC-to-DC mayhem? We tend to breeze right past these square, black power supplies, not knowing what's happening under the hood...
Near Field Communication (NFC) is used all and everywhere. As it stands there are over two billion NFC-enabled devices (many of them smartphones) in use today. This basically means over 20% of the world’s population has access t...
Like many things in the Raspberry Pi ecosystem, functions such as rotating the display output can be a little unintuitive at first. Or perhaps you’re not sure how to get rid of that annoying black outline on your screen. So, we’...
Note: With the rollout of TTNv3, the "Setup" section of this guide no longer works - but we're keeping it here for posterity. Let us know on our forums if you need help getting started with the new method. Since you’ve got your new P...
Crunching numbers is fine, but sometimes you really need to visualise what’s going on in the tiny brain of your Photon. There are numerous different ways to visualise data or text on a microcontroller from binary LEDs, to HDMI display...
The Feather boards are the brains of your project, we took a closer look at the different models in our Birds of Feather article, check that out first (especially if you have no idea what the difference is between a feather and a wing). You...
JST is a standard of electrical connection used widely across a spectrum of electrical applications. It's defined as a Japanese Solderless Terminal and is manufactured by a company of the same name. The JST range includes a variety of fami...
This guide will demonstrate exactly how to control Standard Stepper Motors and DC Motors with a Raspberry Pi Single-Board Computer. To do this as seamlessly as possible we will utilise a HAT. HAT stands for Hardware Attached on Top. HAT bo...
Ah prototyping, the backbone of maker electronics, well really all electronics. Any successful device, product, or idea doesn’t just appear as a finished concept, it goes through stages of product and one of those is prototyping. In f...
In the Spring of 2012, a tech-gadget company called Evollve Inc. was founded with the goal of creating innovative ways for tech-savvy youngsters to play, learn and interact in a digitally expanding world. There's absolutely nothing wrong wi...
When making a webcam mount for your 3D Printer, there are physical limitations for where you can have the camera sitting safely throughout the whole print. A while back, we remixed a really nicely designed bed mount for the Raspi Camera so ...
IntroductionWelcome to the guide for the Makerverse Essentials Kit. This kit provides the fundamental hardware required to construct many of the kits in the Makerverse Kits range along with providing hardware which will continue to be usef...
Today, we’re looking at the 8Bitdo NES30 Pro. It’s a newer controller from 8Bitdo and one that I’m really excited about. It’s an interesting gamepad, with the styling and form factor taking cues from both the classic...
If you’ve ever created a project that uses batteries, you’ll be well aware how hard it can be to decide on elements in the project which can affect the battery life. You end up ‘umming’ and ‘ahhing’ for a...
You’ve been working on that project for days, even weeks, and you’ve gone through all the steps of the process; meticulously ensuring everything is above board. And yet, for some unexplainable reason, your circuit is acting out....
So, you’re looking for the right way to power your breadboard? You’ve found that your Arduino Uno just doesn’t quite have the juice to power up your circuit. It's likely that the microcontroller can output around 400mA whe...
Have you heard about the Circuit Playground? It's the new all-in-one electronics platform from Adafruit. It was created to bring all the fun features of electronics and physical computing to makers, but It's dead-simple to use, solde...
Every day, Solar energy bombards Earth with about 173,000 terawatts of power. That's close to the yearly electricity bill for Planet Earth. Solar energy is free power from the stars. So the question stands, why aren't we using it more? Pric...
IntroductionLet’s take a look at the Raspberry Pi Pico W - a WiFi-enabled development board from Raspberry Pi. This overview article will explore the Pico W features and specifications. As always, there are additional resources at th...
Note: With the rollout of TTNv3, the "Setup" section of this guide no longer works - but we're keeping it here for posterity. Let us know on our forums if you need help getting started with the new method. Any good LoRaWAN device can send ...
So we have vertical graphing of voltage and horizontal sweep, but our signal is just going to go bananas on our screen if we don't sweep at the same point in the waveform. That's where triggers come in, allowing us multiple ways to fix ou...
So what does it mean to run headless?A computer setup without a monitor is said to be running headless. You might want to do this if you're installing your Pi into some project, or want to keep power-usage and cost minimal. This kind of se...
It’s always a fun day when you get hands-on with a device as cool as the 8Bitdo Zero Bluetooth gamepad. 8Bitdo are known are for their re-creations of classic gaming controllers such as the SFC30 and NES30 which bring the magic of NES...
Note: With the rollout of TTNv3, the "Setup" section of this guide no longer works - but we're keeping it here for posterity. Let us know on our forums if you need help getting started with the new method. The two main standards at work in...
Say you want to build a sun-tracking solar panel. You could add a tiny computer, like an Arduino, to control it. That might be all you need. But what if you need to connect to it to control it from somewhere else? Connecting it into your ho...
On and Off. It’s the basis for all electronics, from the most sophisticated computer network to a simple circuit. Electronics is all about using one thing, to control another, input and output, on and off. Even the transistors inside ...
As technology gets smaller and more powerful, wearables and portable devices are becoming more common in our everyday lives. Makers are looking to make projects portable and with that comes the need for high capacity batteries that are reli...
In this tutorial, we are going to connect a Motor to the Raspberry Pi and create a hypnotic self-spinner. We are first going to look at how to wire the Raspberry Pi to the motor controller and the motor. We will then look at using the raspb...
Welcome to our beginners tutorial on analog electronics. Living in the digital age that we do, it’s easy to disregard the world of discrete analog components, however these concepts form the basis for everything from your mobile phon...
The Raspberry Pi 5 is here! Our favourite credit card-sized computer has just gotten an update and we already have one here to take a look at, so let’s power it up, run some tests, and see what’s new! (If you want to s...
Welcome to 'Zero to Maker,' a workshop that will walk through and introduce a ton of tools and skills to help Makers of all skill levels! In this series, Jaryd and Liam will be completing projects as a part of the 2024 Fab Academy and...
"Yes, I would recommend this a friend." That's the verdict of 90% of people who pick up the Rule your Room Kit from littleBits. We love it so much, we're most definitely recommending it to you and your family. But you don't need to take ...
A popular question that we get all the time is ‘How do I choose a speaker or amplifier to go with my project?’. It’s a good question, and if you’re not familiar with the terminology, it can seem a bit daunting to kno...
[Update – Until there is correct compatibility of OPEN-CV with the new Raspberry Pi ‘Bullseye’ OS I highly recommend at this stage flashing and using the previous Raspberry Pi ‘Buster’ OS ...
IntroductionWelcome to the guide for the Makerverse Audio Kit. This kit will allow you to build a music player, a musical keyboard, and a sound effect soundboard! To follow along you will need: The Makerverse Audio Kit The Makerverse ...
If you're looking for a benchtop power supply, but you're unsure of what you should be looking for in a decent supply for your workspace, we have got you covered with this guide. We will look at the specifications to look out for in a power...
Part of the joy that is Raspberry Pi is getting stuck into it at a slightly lower level and finding out exactly what you can do with it if you take a look under the hood. One of the most popular experiments to do with your Raspber...
Recently, we got a brand new Dual Extruder v3 Tool Head from LulzBot and took a dive into the design of it, mainly, what makes it so great for Dual Extrusion with our 3D Printers. First, a quick recap, Dual Extruding is the process of using...
When we boil it down, everyday interactions with electronics are usually limited to controlling stuff with switches. Whether it be turning on the lights, switching on your laptop or turning on the kettle, all examples of how a physical sw...
If you've picked yourself up a 3D printer, you've no doubt printed yourself a heap of models from Thingiverse by now. It's great fun and the best way to learn how to control the options you have available through Cura; scaling, rotating and...
So, you want to control things with your Particle Photon and/or Electron do you? Well, a relay is a perfect way to do that. Whilst there are many ways to control an electrical signal from digital logic such as transistors and optoisolators,...
Note: With the rollout of TTNv3, the "Setup" section of this guide no longer works - but we're keeping it here for posterity. Let us know on our forums if you need help getting started with the new method. Connecting your Pycom Lopy4 or an...
Electroluminescent wire, often referred to as EL wire, is a thin copper wire coated in phosphor which will produce light when alternating current is applied to it. The light emits a similar feel as if it were a neon light or ...
Welcome to the C Programming Workshop for Makers! Here you'll be able to follow along with our series of easily digestible videos that cover everything you'll need to know to on your way with C programming and start making awesome projects....
What do we mean when we talk about the "Internet of Things"? Mostly we're talking about tiny computers that have access to the internet and do some useful work. Unlike the computers we're used to holding in our hands, they don't have a touc...
warning: Pycom has updated their libraries and the code listed below may not work. If you discover this and find a fix, please post it on our forum and we'll send you a $25 store credit along with a huge thank you. Go to Forum Thread. ...
Thanks to huge advancements in technology over the last decade, the maker community that we know and love has thrived. It’s now easier than ever before to get started with programming and tinkering due to the innovation from brands su...
Ever wanted a pocket computer with a Full HD screen (1080x1920)? Love tiny GPIO screens like this 3.5 Inch from Waveshare but want one that is a little bigger and higher resolution so that it is easier to read? Or want a really premi...
Where do I start? If you’re new to programming Python is a great place to start! I’ve seen Python taught to primary school age children and I have used Python in a Machine Intelligence course at university. It’s no wonder...
If your utilizing a correctly set up Ultimaker S5 3D Printer you should have no issues with first layer printing. So long as there are print profiles available on Cura, which most likely it will, with a correctly set up 3D printer you will ...
The Raspberry Pi 5 was announced just a few weeks ago and across the internet, we have seen some recurring questions, so in this article, we tried our best to answer some of them. Contents: Overclocking Questions Cooling Quest...
Geophones are devices that generate electric signals proportional to the particle velocity in a sound/compression wave. More simply a Geophone is a super low frequency microphone for the ground. Geophones are used around the world to measu...
The new Gizmos and Gadgets revision 2.0 from littleBits is here and we've decided to review the kit for any budding inventors (or inventor's parents) out there. The v1.0 kit was impressive enough, we were interested to see what littleBits c...
Introduction Let's read colour data from a PiicoDev® Colour Sensor with a Raspberry Pi Pico, and create a colour sorting machine. This guide will cover connecting the hardware, downloading some example code and remixing it. ...
Introduction Let's read colour data from a PiicoDev® Colour Sensor with a Micro:bit V2, and create a colour sorting machine. This guide will cover connecting the hardware, downloading some example code and remixing it. To f...
Of the many great objects you can create using any 3D printer lithophanes are definitely up there. Traditionally lithophanes were an etched or moulded artwork created on a very thin translucent porcelain that can been seen clearly only...
The eternal question of ‘does it print in more colours?’ is often one of the most common community desires. And yes you can! One of the best ways that this need is delivered is through dual-extrusion printing. Dual-extrusion pri...
Introduction The Makerverse Motor Driver has been updated to a v20 design which now features a 5V output pin instead of the VM pin. Some images and in-video descriptions in this guide may be outdated This guide covers the use of the Maker...
There are three levels of firmware upgrades that are required on Pycom gear. First, performing an upgrade on the firmware of any of the Pycom microcontrollers is a simple affair. Download the Pycom Firmware Update application as linked in t...
Introduction Let's read colour data from a PiicoDev® Colour Sensor with a Raspberry Pi and create a colour sorting machine. This guide will cover connecting the hardware, downloading some example code and remixing it. To follow along,...
Break your television and monitors free from the confines of their edges with Hyperbian! This is an open-source ambient light software that will improve the way you enjoy your favourite media. Hyperion for the Raspberry Pi ∴ Hy...
In this guide we'll create a simple HTTP server using a Raspberry Pi Pico W. This server will be accessible from within a local WiFi network and can be used to read sensors and control hardware - in our case we'll drive an LED and read the...
In this guide, we'll learn what a Rotary Encoder is, when and why we might use a Rotary Encoder, and how to use a Rotary Encoder with a Raspberry Pi Pico. To follow along all you'll need is: A Rotary Encoder - we recommend using our br...
Cameras in combination with artificial intelligence create arguably the most powerful sensor you can ever put on a microcontroller. So that’s exactly what we will do here with an ESP32-CAM Development Board that sports an inbuilt 2MB...
Introduction Let's play tones and melodies on a PiicoDev® Buzzer Module with a Micro:bit. This guide will cover connecting the hardware, running an example to make sure everything works and playing simple melodies. Of course, the Micr...
Well hello there, if you’ve been looking at the amazing line-up of Saleae gear and wondered how to get started with it all, then you’ve come to the right place. Today we’re going to take a look at getting your Saleae setup...
Introduction Let's play tones and melodies on a PiicoDev® Buzzer Module with a Raspberry Pi Pico. This guide will cover connecting the hardware, running an example to make sure everything works, and playing simple melodies. To follow ...
Introduction Let's play tones and melodies on a PiicoDev® Buzzer Module with a Raspberry Pi. This guide will cover connecting the hardware, running an example to make sure everything works, and playing simple melodies. To follow along...
Introduction Welcome to the guide for the Makerverse Load Cell kit. With this hardware you will be able to make a set of scales capable of measuring weights up to 3kg with a precision as low as 0.1g! To follow along you will need: ...
The Adafruit Circuit Playground Express comes equipped with an onboard microphone that is capable of sensing both amplitude and frequency. This tutorial will walk through a quick sketch using MakeCode to turn the lights on the board into a ...
PLA is Poly-Lactic Acid filament, and it's usually the go-to choice for people looking to print larger models or for longer periods of time. The important properties of the material dictate the reasons for using it; it doesn't warp at all a...
Flawless high-quality audio output on a Raspberry Pi Single Board Computer! All is achieved by the IQaudio DAC+ HAT. This dedicated DAC lets you enjoy high-quality, distortion-free, artifact-free, low noise, and high-bitrate audio playback...
Nothing beats bright shiny colourful lights and adding an extra dimension only makes them better. This guide demonstrates the fastest and most customizable way to have WS2812B grids of fully addressable LED Nodes come alive. Exactly ...
This tutorial is aimed at getting some instant gratification from your WS2812 LEDs (trade name: NeoPixels). I'll briefly cover a bare-bones setup for the Particle Photon. If you've never used any Particle hardware before, learn how to get ...
Kits are a pretty nifty idea for someone starting out in maker electronics. For this beginner-friendly article, we are just going to take a look at three of our great kits for the Arduino Uno. All three are all solder-free electronics ...
A super quick article for those who just got their hands on the Raspberry Pi Pico and want to keep it safe and snug in a case. Either with a resin printer or fused filament printer both can produce excellent cases. It was very pleasant prot...
In case you haven’t noticed, when dealing with electronics, you’ll be picking lots of small things up, and it only gets harder when dealing with tiny SMD components. But whatever you’re working on, be it a breadboard proto...
It has finally happened, they figured it out! The new frontier of Colour Electronic Paper is here and I'm very impressed. People have been demanding this ever since the first E-Paper readers hit the market in the noughties. That black and ...
Raspberry Pi right? It’s amazing! Raspberry Pi has taken the world by storm and changed the way that people think about computing. The Raspberry Pi 3 builds on this with some amazing new features, however one feature that is still ab...
Hello and welcome to our tutorial on using rotary encoders. Today we’re going to be taking a look at what is a rotary encoder, how does it work, why we would use it over other sensory inputs and creating code to use them. Rotary encod...
This guide will teach you how to control up to 992 5V Servos through the GPIO pins on your Raspberry Pi! But more practically, without stacking multiple HATS (Hardware Attached on Top), this guide will teach exactly how to control sixt...
Ever thought it would be cool if your Raspberry Pi could see the world like you do? You’re in luck, camera support is an integral part of the Raspberry Pi hardware, it comes with a built in CSI connector for connecting camera ...
This tutorial is aimed at getting some instant gratification from your WS2812 LEDs (also known as NeoPixels). I'll briefly cover a bare-bones setup for Arduino. If you've never used an Arduino before, we've got you covered with our free, o...
The table below makes comparison of Pycom expansion boards easy. Pysense gets its name from having a good array of sensors. They are: 3-axis accelerometer with 12-bit precision ambient light temperature and humidity barometric pressur...
In November of 2017, our friends over at LulzBot released a major software update to their Slicing software, Cura. In this tutorial, we will look at what Cura is and does, the process of installing Cura 2 onto a PC already running Cura 21.x...
Welcome to the 3D Printing Workshop! I'm Aidan from Core Electronics and in this workshop we are going to take a hands-on journey into the exciting technology that is 3D printing. I have personally spent the past 12 months immersing mysel...
This tutorial will show you how to update the software on your Rigol Oscilloscope. This will unlock the latest features as well as solve some bugs. What you will need. Rigol Digital OscilloScope (1054Z or 1104Z) USB thumb drive (any wi...
Introduction This guide covers how to connect the Makerverse Micro SD Card Adapter to a Raspberry Pi Pico and program a basic data logging script in MicroPython. To follow along, it's best to have: A Makerverse Micr...
LittleBits have launched a global network of organizations to share and spread the word of littleBits. It's all to put the power of electronics in the hands of everyone. The 'chapters' are simply locations such as maker spaces and libraries...
Raspberry Pi Compute Modules have developed in tandem with the many generations of Raspberry Pi single-board computers. These boards are in every right a microprocessor just like their bigger cousins however they are a very different form f...
Co-Polyester is an astounding material in terms of properties, all the best properties of Tough PLA and ABS which are then dialled up just that extra bit in regards to both ruggedness and durability. Ultimaker offers two versions of Co-Poly...
[Update 18-02-2021 - Made a Vesa Mount for the Argon One M.2 Case as well so nobody missed out] A quicky article for those who have their Raspberry Pi 4 Model B all tucked in snug by the very stylish Argon One Case but wish they could...
It's time to make our own changes to the Fire-EdUp Platform's code! In this guide we'll modify the behaviour of the platform to create an audible alert under certain conditions. Follow along with the video below, and see the references be...
Let's take a look at the new Siglent SDG1032X Arbitrary function generator. We're looking at yet another example of the closing gap between hobbyist and pro gear - the growing feature set and capabilities of entry-level equipment continues ...
Introduction This guide will help you read light intensity data from your PiicoDev® Ambient Light Sensor and a Raspberry Pi single-board computer To follow along, it's best to have: A Raspberry Pi (model 3, 4, Zero W) This tut...
A special part of me enjoys it when people go ‘I cannot believe that was 3D printed’ and one of the best ways to get that reaction is through post-processing. Now not to belittle the beauty of a raw print result you can achieve ...
How does your workspace look? Could it be tidier? I know that mine always could be, but with the daily addition of different tools, components, boards and general tech, it can be hard to keep on top of it all. Then when it comes to working ...
In this guide, we'll be learning about sensors that measure inertial movement, how they work, how to choose the right sensor type, and how to get the most out of their readings. Hardware mentioned in this guide: PiicoDev Accelerometer ...
Fused filament fabrication and transparent prints! No, surely you mean SLA prints. And true you can get excellent transparent prints effectively using SLA however consumer-grade fused filament fabrication can be mistaken for glass when corr...
The Mooshimeter is one of our favorite multimeters here at Core Electronics! If you haven't heard about them before, then take a quick look at our review. One of the most popular features of the Mooshimeter is the ability to log voltag...
Stepper Motors are a bit of a halfway mark between DC Motors and Servo motors, but they find a sweet spot that allows them to be perfect for certain applications. There are still a few main differences to be aware of when it comes to workin...
IntroductionThis article will compare the Raspberry Pi Pico, and Pico W. Aside from the obvious difference (the Pico W has wireless connectivity), there are a few smaller and more subtle differences that are worth considering.Physical Comp...
Lulzbot is constantly building upon their printer's design, incorporating the best modifications and add-ons from the community into their newer models. In May 2016, their newest addition to the TAZ line of printers, the TAZ 6 wa...
In this installment of our Onion Omega2 tutorial series, we will cover the basic steps necessary to install and run python on the Omega2 or Omega2+. We'll cover how to install python or python3, how to install python modules and finally, w...
There is some wild weather approaching! We need a way to give ourselves an early warning when a disaster strikes! In this project, we will use the Adafruit Circuit Playground Express to make an all in one Disaster Detection Station that wil...
Hello everyone, how awesome are the Teensy boards from PJRC? Super awesome. And as with any product that has been around for a few years, and gone through various iterations, there’s now a few different boards to choose from, which ...
So in case you haven’t heard yet, digital LEDs are the go-to solution for any project that uses RGB LEDs and you want to avoid the rat's nest that ensures when using multiple RGB LEDs, each colour requiring its own connectio...
Have you ever lost or broken a TV remote before it's time? Have you ever wanted to spice up the way you change channels or inputs on your TV? Have you got a greedy housemate who always steals the remote off you? If any of these are the case...
I²C stands for the inter-integrated circuit and refers to a communication protocol we are going to use to communicate between our Arduino devices. In the past we have investigated the SPI and Asynchronous Serial Communications protocol...
Part of the joy that is Raspberry Pi is getting stuck into it at a slightly lower level and finding out exactly what you can do with it if you take a look under the hood. One of the most popular experiments to do with your Raspberry Pi is o...
So you’ve got your Raspberry Pi. You’ve gotten NOOBS setup on it, explored Raspbian a bit, and you’re feeling like a bit of a pro. Awesome! Now let’s get down to the nitty gritty side of things, what it’s ...
Life’s better in colour right? Then why are you still using boring old regular LEDs in your project, when you could be using addressable RGB LEDs. Now LEDS that have Red, Green, and Blue integrated in a single package are nothing new,...
So in case you haven’t heard yet, digital LEDs are the go-to solution for any project that uses RGB LEDs and you want to avoid the rat's nest that ensures when using multiple RGB LEDs, each colour requiring its own connection. Digital...
Before we dive into the FIDO Certified Key-ID Security Key and how it's used, let's get a handle on what authentication online means at the moment. Authentication is simply the process of identifying a user based on a set of unique factors...
Dual-extrusion printing is an absolute treat and Polyvinyl Alcohol (PVA) as a support structure is truly worth a celebration! You can produce immensely detailed models with a ton of supports and not be concerned about removal. Just immerse ...
You ever wanted an Ad-Free and Bloatware Free Media Streaming Device that can run 4K movies with clean audio that transforms any Screen into a Smart TV. Sounds almost too good to be true but Raspberry Pi, Kodi and LibreELEC OS have swooped ...
Have you ever heard people talk about how amazing the Internet of Things is and how you can leverage the power of the internet by creating IoT devices, but not really known how to get started? This tutorial is for you! We’re going to ...
The OLED Featherwing by Adafruit is a particularly interesting Wing; it gives you a 128x32 monochrome OLED display right on top of your feather board. There's also three buttons to use that are internally connected to your MCU and accessibl...
SPI stands for Serial Peripheral Interface and it is a way to send data between microcontrollers and other small devices. It is a synchronous data bus, meaning it uses a clock to regulate the data transfer. SPI is also Full-Duplex com...
The Raspberry Pi 5 is here and one of the biggest questions is, how does it stack up against the previous Pi 4? Well, we already have one to take a look at so let’s run some benchmarks and compare the two.(We also have another articl...
[Update – Until there is correct compatibility of OPEN-CV with the new Raspberry Pi ‘Bullseye’ OS I highly recommend at this stage flashing and using the previous Raspberry Pi ‘Buster’ OS onto your Mi...
The PiicoDev® Air Quality Sensor is based on an ENS160 multi-gas sensor that detects Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs). These measurements are run through some algorithms to produce standardised outputs like Air Quality Index (AQI...
Introduction We’re going from zero to hero. Starting from nothing we’ll get a WiPy communicating with Adafruit IO, an IoT service out on the Internet. We’ll be able to send data from the device to the cloud and control th...
Filament grinding is very unlikely to occur if your running an Ultimaker S5 3D Printer with Ultimaker materials or 3rd party supported materials. Filament grinding occurs when the knurled feeder gear slips against the filament instead of sm...
Introduction This guide will cover the basic functionality of the GlowBit Python library when driving a GlowBit Stick 1x8 module. To follow along, it's best to have: A GlowBit Stick 1x8 A Raspberry Pi Pico or...
This guide will help you get started with a PiicoDev Real Time Clock. We'll set and read the time/date, observe the power-backup capability, and configure the RTC with an alarm. A Real-Time Clock (RTC) is a timekeeping device that accurat...
What We'll AchieveThis guide will help you set up a Plant_io controller to automatically irrigate a plant of your choice. This example focuses on germinating seeds, but this is only one option. Along the way we'll: Assemble a hardware pl...
This guide will teach you exactly how to use a Raspberry Pi Single Board Computer to independently control 4 relays. A Relay is an electrically operated switch. This is all possible thanks to the PiRelay V2 HAT from SB Components. These re...
Welcome to the Circuit Playground Express Workshop! This workshop is geared toward educators and coding beginners, who want to get started programming with this easy to use platform. We will go over everything you need to know to get you st...
So you've got your Raspberry Pi 3 Model A and need a case to house it in. In this short guide we're going to step through the considerations you should take when designing your own case, as well as provide you with all the files you need t...
Today we’re going to look at installing the Windows 10 IoT (Internet of Things) core onto a Raspberry Pi 3. Traditionally Windows has been the resident overlord of desktop devices, however in recent years we’ve seen it t...
We're going to compare each of the Arduino Boards available to Maker's and Electronics Enthusiats. We'll discuss the features of each board, provide an informative pinout diagram with tonnes of detail, and toward the end of the article, pro...
Out of the box, a LulzBot 3D Printer comes tuned to perform exactly as you need it to. But over time we flash new firmwares, take our printers cross country, swap tool heads, perform cold pulls and a whole swathe of other things that could ...
Every good E-Textiles or Wearables project needs to start somewhere, and the natural starting point for any project is choosing the right microcontroller. There are many good choices out there, and we will compare a few of the best and brig...
I used an Arduino and a US-100 ultrasonic sensor to make an extremely low-cost tide gauge. This project measures the tide by sensing the distance to water using a US-100 ultrasonic sensor. The device has a 3D printed base&nb...
Have you ever wanted to make a Weatherproof Weather and Air Quality System that transmits its edge-collected data long-range through LoRa (up to a 10Km range) and then have that data automatically uploaded to the Internet to be gorgeously ...
My brother-in-law has a dairy farm in Victoria and many hours per week are wasted traversing the farm to check water tank levels, opening/closing valves, and other small tasks that could easily be remotely monitored and controlled. It was ...
Update: Community member Chris has had a go at remaking this project after the original project contributor Denver made the original code repository private. GitHub links below will not work but the original project has been kept here for...
Wow - this is one monstrous sounding and great looking speaker - even if I do say so myself! This is basically a 2.1 (stereo + subwoofer) system made with 3D plastic parts. Both the full range and subwoofer speakers are based on closed (se...
This project uses a US100 ultrasonic distance sensor to detect instances of a garage tilt door being left open and sends an alert via the IFTTT mobile app. Additionally, the device logs temperature and pressure to a Thingspeak channel using...
Converting a Mule into an articulated 4 wheel vehicle. A 'Mule' is/was a hand trolley with a motorised elevatable platform. What for? Just for fun, want to be able to control it using the R2D2 droid inventor app via LittleBits boards, why ...
The inspiration for this project stems back to my childhood when I was curious to find out how the mechanical barometer worked.
The inspiration for this project stems back to my childhood when I was curious to find out how the mechanical barometer worked.
I like to take on projects that give me an opportunity to learn new things. For this project, my two goals were to learn more about face detection algorithms and PID controllers but of course, there were so many more skills learned along th...
This project is to build a super cheap wireless adapter based on Raspberry Pi Zero and ENC28J60 ethernet module for Xbox 360I have two Xbox 360 consoles and today I want to connect them together but I only have one OEM wireless adapter. It ...
Introduction This project started because I needed to replace a water tap timer that had seen better days. The aim was to use a Raspberry Pi Pico and a couple of PiicoDev boards to do what the water timer did. The actual stopping a...
After experimenting with automatic blue light filters on my electronic devices I wanted to replicate the idea with the lighting around the house so that it would gradually transition to warmer colours as the night progresses. I believe this...
This project is a simple stopwatch with a little bit of a twist! It operates like a conventional stopwatch… you can start and stop it, you can record lap times and you can review the lap times once you hit stop. The twist is th...
These days we can do just about anything on our phone, we can control so many aspects of our lives using the technology in our pocket, but the most mundane aspects of our lives; opening the garage door, blindly reaching for the light switch...
Tabot is a robotic tablet dispenser. It is designed to help elderly people maintain their independence and help anyone who has tablets remember to take them on time.https://www.gofundme.com/tabot-helping-the-elderly Please vist this website...
Hyperweb is a collaborative interactive sculpture installation at Vivid in Sydney. I designed and built a crowd sensing weather station that is used to control an audio "soundscape" within the piece. It also triggers light show events that ...
I had been captivated by the sound levels of trains I could hear passing by Metford throughout the day/night. I wondered if a sound level sensor reporting data back over LoRa would help me understand when a train was noisy. I also like the ...
If you have chickens and find you're not always available to close the gate at night or check the water levels each day, then why not use an ESP8266 to automate your chicken door and receive alerts door status and low water level, as well a...
I like working with the Pi Zero W and Pi 4 as they are very compact, very powerful and very cheap for the capability they offer. I want to use them on small projects, stand-alone, and can't always guarantee power. As we know most Pi's don't...
We wanted to make a interactive display of the fun that can be had with DIY projects to take to Sydney Mini Maker Faire. We decided to do so by utilising the TinkerKit Braccio from Arduino.org, alongside some 3D Printing ingenuity, for an e...
Who says you can't have it all? Good looks and a great sound! My name is 'Holman" and I'm a Bluetooth speaker in the form of mans best friend - a dog of course! Why is my name Holman? Well, that's the name of the manufacturer of the PVC pi...
Introduction Searching for solar panels and related items on the Core Electronics website; I came across the Solarbotics GraviTrack Marble Machine Kit. I thought the kit would be a good educational tool for the grandkids. The kit was a hit...
The aim of this project was to create a working model of the aircraft exterior lighting systems. Initially, this started as a simple project for Uni, but I wasn’t having that. I wanted to learn something. So of course, I went over the...
I’ve always been fascinated by LED screens and seeing beautiful colours mix and merge to create vibrant displays. I also love games, so what better way to combine the two than a giant LED pixel matrix which can play games, display aud...
Although there are commercially available lighting kits for Lego models, we found those that are available for this Hogwarts Castle can seem a little garish and don’t do the best job at concealing the wires. We felt that with t...
I strapped a Raspberry Pi Pico W to my garage door motor and now I can control my garage door from my phone! The Pico W hosts a simple webpage on my local network with three control buttons - one for Up, Stop and Down. Pressing one of...
The aim of my project was to make a small display to show information such as the clock, weather, calendar, etc. I liked the idea of making a magic mirror, but wanted to try something more unique, less expensive, and easier to assemble (no ...
Hey, My son is turning 1 and I wanted to setup a retro gaming station for him to learn to game through the ages. I went with RetroPie as it is well documented and supports a range of emulators - and it's easy to setup.My RetroPie Gaming Ki...
This project uses a Raspberry Pi and TFT display panel to provide a desk clock that also monitors our Home Solar and Battery system, and the weather, in one neat unit.
We recently installed a Solar Panel system and a Tesla Powerwall...
We recently installed a Solar Panel system and a Tesla Powerwall...
I wanted a self-contained internet radio with the following criteria: Reasonably compact/portable. Only required an external connection for power (i.e. wireless internet access). Simple controls for volume and mute-toggle.
Th...
Th...
After purchasing an Anycubic Photon resin printer, I wanted an easy and reliable method for post-curing the prints. This allows the printed resin to achieve maximum material strength and eliminate tackiness in...
After purchasing an Anycubic Photon resin printer, I wanted an easy and reliable method for post-curing the prints. This allows the printed resin to achieve maximum material strength and eliminate tackiness in...
IntroductionI wanted to bring ageing, and failing, Home Automation infrastructure into the modern age whilst retaining hardware investments already made. Our house had Universal Power Bus (UPB) dimmers and switches installed at build time...
Introduction This began as an idea after building a very basic single-channel unit. Commercial smart watering systems use a Wifi connection to the internet and get weather reports to determine the level of watering required. These systems...
This project has been a long and tricky one for me, I purchased my robot arm kit from Jaycar many years ago with the intention of controlling it from the start. I used to work with industrial robots, so when I saw this robot kit for sale I...
Do you get nightmares of losing your YouTube Subscribers? If you do, you are not the only one. Luckily I have made this "YouTube Desktop Notifier" to keep me up-to-date with my channels Subscriber and View Counts. This very simple DIY ...
I'm an amateur musician but a pretty serious classical & jazz pianist, and this project arose out of my interest in exploring the difference between writing music for synthesisers and music for piano. I work as a mathematician, so...
Getting letters and parcels is awesome, what’s not so awesome though is when you miss the postman and you don’t know if that important bit of mail arrived or not. Such a frustrating, yet mundane problem can be solved by creating...
This one is for the Stargate fans out there. A realistic, 3D printed, light-up Zero Point Module! I found a model on Thingiverse for a ZPM - It had good detail but - I took issue with the visible seam, and to change the colors of any cryst...
UV is important to reptiles (and people) in processing vitamin D3 which is needed to absorb calcium. Without it reptiles often suffer from Metabolic Bone Disease (MBD) which leads to weak bones and can be fatal. Thankfully, pet shops have t...
I had first seen smart mirrors online several years ago and have been meaning to create one ever since, my requirements were to be able to see the time, weather, calendar and news. The great thing about it is the unlimited possibility for c...
I was wanting to know what the water temperature was without having to physically go and check and I was curious about how warm the water would get during a sunny day and how much heat was lost overnight. I am interested in the idea of home...
I was down at a local game shop recently and noticed their range of chess boards and decided to try my hand at a simple little project. I'm a big fan of Doctor Who, Chess and 3D Printing. So I decided to combine them all together into a fun...
This project is about adding a wireless Adafruit Feather HUZZAH ESP8266 or ESP32 v2 with Adafruit Featherwing 128x64 OLED to interface with the self-assembled MightyOhm Geiger Kit.
A smaller version of our amazing Infinity-Mirror Table - the Desktop Infinity Mirror compresses all the colourful goodness into a picture frame-sized display. The entire design is made from laser-cut acrylic that we cut in-house. Check out ...
How-to guides are very useful, but while “do this, then do that” is great to reproduce exactly what is in the guide, it’s less helpful if you want or need to modify the project. This is especially true with technology proj...
The aim of this project was to use the sun to charge some batteries with 1W and 2W Seeed solar panels. The DFRobot Solar LiPo Charger and a Sunflower Solar Power Manager were purchased. Initially, this was unsuccessful because I did no...
I am an amateur musician, coder, and electronics maker. When I found out that the Novation Launchpad (mine is a mini MK3) can be programmed, I was excited about creating unique music. The idea is to use the Launchpad to play a game and use ...
Here is a project I just could not help myself but build. A 3D printable Ukulele with a body as large as I could fit standing upright on the printers here. The intention was to make it as large as possible, using no supports, and without th...
Chances are if you are anything like me, being a maker is often an excuse to create as big of a mess as possible during the duration of a project. And after the project is finished? You are left with an enormous mess to clean up, taking awa...
The UNITRAC (UNIversal TRACtion system) is a simple 3D printable conversion for the Black Gladiator-Tracked chassis, It’s designed to transform the large wheelbase platform into a self-contained propulsion system that has all the torq...
Today we will be making an Arduino circuit that will start playing a noise if the water (or surrounding environment) reaches a certain temperature, in our case, that temperature will be 100° Celsius. This is a useful little projec...
Do you ever wanna pump up some tunes but you don't know how to play a MIDI file? Fear not, the PiicoDev Buzzer modules let you stack up multiple tones into a song. Find your MIDI, export it through a script, upload it and get grovin'! ...
Introducing to you today, the Quadbeest, the next evolutionary step in the Strandbeest genealogy. It seemed to be about time for Strandbeests to evolve to take over the air, so I made it happen. Able to be controlled over a kilometre in the...
I want to make a portable music box that my 2 year old kid can operate intuitively on her own. So, Spotify or any other on-demand music platform with tablets and Bluetooth speakers are out of the question. Remember the good old days of putt...
Being punctual is important. Hence accurate time is required. Clocks tend to miss out when it comes to accuracy especially when they are set by the user. So, why not get accurate time from the internet and use tried and tested hardware to ...
Introduction My passion hobby is night-time time-lapse photography and astrophotography/nightscapes. This means a lot of time spent outside in the dead of winter overnight and an issue that I faced was dew condensing on the lens. This is...
The purpose of this project is to design a system that will automatically track stars or satellites. The first version, described here, is specifically to track stars and operate a Raspberry Pi HQ camera to take a series of long-exposure im...
Using a few bits and pieces, this ordinary coffee grinder now has two presets to run the motor for a programmable length of time. The idea being that the grinder running for a set amount of time will deliver a certain amount of coffee each ...
I recently picked up a used BMW E46 and noticed the door panel trims were all hanging on by some duct tape. When I went to inspect, I noticed that all the clips had been broken and replaced with silicone rubber to try and hold it to the doo...
I was looking for something educational to 3D-Print for my child in Thingiverse and came across the concept of the Math Spinner. I found the models lacked a method of checking the answer so I wanted to automate it. The core design is inspir...
Our recycle bin is collected fortnightly, but I can never remember which week, and the printed calendar changes every year! So I made a Raspberry Pi Pico W and GlowBit Matrix powered model wheelie bin which shows when the bins are due at a...
We made a Pi Zero W retro-games console! The nostalgia is making me dizzy! If you'd like to build your own, we've put together a couple of wishlists to make things easier: For the Pi Zero W build, like in this project, check out the PiG...
An infinity mirror creates a striking optical illusion - a tunnel of light that seems to tear through space. I built this infinity-mirror table using some addressable LEDs, a Particle Photon and easily obtainable timber supplies. Check out...
Ever wanted to record a video and be included in it? My children did. One does parkour, and the other loves to dance, both want to perfect their art by watching their moves during practice. They asked their inventor/tinkerer dad, "can you ...
Despite having two high-quality variable (but analog) benchtop power supplies, I decided you can never have too many. I also specifically wanted a fixed, multi-output supply for standard project voltages such as 3.3V, 5V, 9V, 12V, ...
Despite having two high-quality variable (but analog) benchtop power supplies, I decided you can never have too many. I also specifically wanted a fixed, multi-output supply for standard project voltages such as 3.3V, 5V, 9V, 12V, ...
The driver behind this project is to allow the remote control of some of the equipment in my shed. I have a CNC router/laser cutter that uses my compressor and dust extractor whilst it is running, and well whats the point in having a comput...
This Raspberry Pi, IoT Doorbell is basically a simple smart Door Bell, which takes a photo of whoever rings it, and emails it to the specified email address, and keeps all the photos in a folder. (along with going Ding-Dong). Any Problems,...
I made a Raspberry Pi camera that captures GIF files and optionally tweets them over WiFi! It's built around a Raspberry Pi Zero W and a Pi Camera module. The camera connects to a pre-programmed WiFi network to tweet the gifs, but...
Turn Your Raspberry Pi into a Steam Link Sometimes Retropie just isn’t enough to get the best possible gaming experience with the Raspberry Pi. I originally purchased the Raspberry Pi 3B+ so that I could install Retropie and Kodi to ...
This project logs temperature and pressure observations to a ThingSpeak channel using an ESP8266 WiFi module.
For this project, I designed my circuit and ordered a PCB using easyEDA. The project gets power from a USB port and uses a...
For this project, I designed my circuit and ordered a PCB using easyEDA. The project gets power from a USB port and uses a...
For $50 and some dedication a retro gaming console can be yours and with HDMI you can play it with any modern TV or monitor. Instead of using bulky and space taking cartridges and discs it's all on the console. For this build, we're going ...
Introduction So now everything is available in this day and age, and all those childhood dreams can now come true as parts, technology and software has come a long way. I had recently taken up the hobby, RC planes. Eventually I learnt ho...
Summary A Raspberry Pi 3B is used to collect digital counts from an electronic rain gauge (1mm of rain per reed switch closure by magnetic see-saw). It has been running without issues for over 12 months. A UPS powers the Pi so it is immune...
Now that we have decked out our Lulzbot Taz 6 3D Printer with a really nice looking acrylic enclosure, I'm just about ready to turn on some serious 3D printing work. But before I dive into that endless pool of fun, it's a good time to take ...
It is real and here it is! Including everything you need to make one a Luma 1 for yourself! So allow me to introduce you properly to the Luminator Mark 1. I'm talking all the ins and outs of this inside-out neo disco ball so you can ...
The objective of this project was to create an Internet of Things (IoT) device that could give pet access to a food bowl when a text message command was sent from a remote location. I had never done an IoT project before, so I wanted to ke...
This project started due to the smoke haze that enveloped our area during the 2019 and 2020 bushfires. I wanted something to check the air quality of my home and maybe find areas where it needed better sealing. In addition, the BMP280 senso...
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