I’ve seen videos on YouTube using an Arduino and a Graphical LCD screen (GLCD) to create a simple Oscilloscope. The annoying thing is that I found no help whatsoever on how to build one. I spent a few days figuring out how to use the Nokia 3310 LCD screen and then figuring out how to sample an analog port to create a fun oscilloscope effect.
Read moreDIY Arduino Oscilloscope with the Nokia 3310 GLCD screen
As a follow up to my DIY Arduino Oscilloscope video or as a stand alone tutorial, this video should help you understand arrays and recursion in Arduino. You can find the original post here: DIY Arduino Oscilloscope with the Nokia 3310 GLCD screen
I had a need for a temperature scanner to troubleshoot overheating on my Duramax LB7 pickup while towing. A commercial solution to collect 6 temperatures may have run me over a thousand dollars so I ordered some thermistors and for about 40 bucks in parts made one myself.
As it is getting cold again and my chickens made it through the summer just fine, it is time to revisit and revitalize my automatic chicken door.
The older model was a large door that slid on a track that would get leaves, snow, and ice messing the whole thing up. Also the mecanisim that opened the door was a string that tension was held on with springs, the string would knot up and stop working, blowing the fuse sometimes.
In this video I show how to connect a servo to a Netduino and also how to program the servo library into a new solution. The sweep program will drive the arm of the servo back and forth while the Knob program will move the arm of the servo when you turn a potentiometer.
In this video I show how to connect a servo to an Arduino and also how to load the sample servo programs included with the Arduino software. The sweep program will drive the arm of the servo back and forth while the Knob program will move the arm of the servo when you turn a potentiometer.
An attempt to make a good solar reflector out of mirror pieces and a Direct TV satellite dish. If I had it to do again I would have had an actual glass cutter and cut 1” squares…
Read moreBuilding a Parabolic Solar Reflector out of a Satellite Dish
Peltier Coolers or Thermal Electric Coolers are used to make things hot or cold but have another cool use. Apply a heat source to one side and keep the other side cool and the Peltier generates electricity.
The absolute beginners guide to programming an Arduino Duemilanove for the first time. I will take you through downloading the Arduino programming software, configuring the software, writing your first program, sending it to the Arduino, and testing operation.
The transistor is the fundamental building block of modern electronic devices, it is a semiconductor device used to amplify and switch electronic signals.
More simply a transistor is a valve for electricity. In this video I demonstrate the two types of transistors (NPN and PNP) and explain their uses.
A Breadboard is a must for the electronics experimenter type of person for experimenting activities. It is made up of rows of pins that you can simply press in components and wires and they will be held in by pressure.
Adding a solar panel to a RV can provide convenient daily battery maintenance and can extend power available while camping away from civilization.
Here I show how to create some usable electricity from a candle and a peltier cooler.
Materials include a candle, metal plate, four nuts, four long bolts, a peltier cooler, heat sink, and thermal grease.
Photocells, (LDR) Light Dependent Resistor, Photo Resistor, Cadium Sulfide Cell (CdS), all of these names refer to the same thing. Photo Cells are semiconductors that are also resistors that change their resistance depending on the amount of light.
I decided it would be easier to explain AC and DC current if the user already knew how to use and oscilloscope. Explaining how to use an oscilloscope is easy if the user already knows what DC and AC current is. I think the video worked out as a fast paced tutorial for both subjects.
LCD screen backlights can often go out requiring a new inverter or CFL lamp. Replacement parts can be hard to find or costly. Here I use a six dollar LED strip to replace the CFL backlight with success! If you look hard you can see points of light where the LEDs are but all together the LCD is very usable.
Here is my homemade function generator that can produce a square, triangle, and sign wave. This is all done with a few bucks worth of parts. The heart of the function generator is a LM324N quad OpAmp. I got the schematic off of a site where they were also selling kits to build the signal generator.
I needed to create an IO simulator for testing a PLC (Programmable Logic Controller). I pieced together a useful tool to do the trick of simulating analog and digital input and output that was expected from sensors in the real world.
