DIY Arduino RC Mars Rover

February 19, 2019January 29, 2017 by jhottell

Mars rover remixed and inspired by bolbots mars rover on Thinigverse. http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1583399

The rover uses an Arduino 101 for brains, BLE for communication, and the Blynk app for remote control.

Intel Arduino 101 BLE Blynk Tank

January 9, 2017December 11, 2016 by jhottell

Intel Arduino 101 based tank with BLE and Blynk!

This project uses the Intel Arduino 101 board that has a built in IMU and (BLE) Blue Tooth Low Energy. For the remote control I used the free Blynk app which is is available for Android and iPhone, it allows you to rapidly drag and drop some buttons to create a user interface. The Chassis is a Dagu DG012 from Sparkfun.

I tried to power the whole rig from the 5 AA battery pack that came with the chassis but the Arduino kept resetting on low voltage. Ideally I would use a nice LiPo battery pack but I think it’s reaching to expect a beginner to learn about the care and feeding of LiPos and purchase a charger so I chose to power the motors separately from the Arduino using a USB Battery pack. Be sure to remove the optional battery jumper on the Adafruit motor shield or you can fry some things, the power sources need to be separate.

HC-21 Simple Wifi Serial for Arduino Tutorial

October 11, 2014 by jhottell

The Simple Wi-Fi HC-21 module is a meager $10-$15 bucks on ebay right now. It is a simple Wi-Fi serial port server or virtual serial port. This means it is self contained and will handle all the overhead of negotiating a Wi-Fi connection and communication leaving more room for your application in the Arduino.

X10 Control Using Arduino, Modbus, and ScadaBR

September 1, 2014May 4, 2014 by jhottell

X10 Lighting and appliance modules are cheap on Ebay, I wanted to control them with my HMI (ScadaBR) so I put a X10 and Modbus library together in an Arduino to turn on and off the modules.

How To Scale A Thermistor for An Arduino

September 1, 2014April 27, 2014 by jhottell

Thermistors And Your Microcontroller

A thermistor is a simple temperature component, basically it is a variable resistor that the resistance changes in it depending on the temperature. Such a simple device needs a few more components and scaling in the microcontroller to give the desired C or F temperature reading.

Arduino Modbus PLC / RTU

September 1, 2014April 27, 2014 by jhottell

PLC/RTU

A Programmable Logic Controller, PLC or Programmable Controller is a digital computer used for automation of electromechanical processes, such as control of machinery on factory assembly lines, amusement rides, or light fixtures. PLCs are used in many industries and machines. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Programmable_logic_controller

Home Automation HMI with Mango M2M

September 1, 2014April 27, 2014 by jhottell

HMI

A HMI (Human Machine Interface) is the system by which people can interact with a machine. The user interface includes hardware (physical) and software (logical) components.

Automatic chicken door version two.

September 1, 2014December 6, 2011 by jhottell

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.

Arduino Servo Tutorial, Knob and Sweep

September 1, 2014November 18, 2011 by jhottell

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.

How to program an Arduino

September 1, 2014October 21, 2011 by jhottell

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.