Joe writes: TI have announced a tiny (1.6mm sq), low power and low cost (~$2) IR temperature sensor Enables contactless temperature measurement in portable and consumer electronic applications Developed through TI’s expertise in MEMS technology, the TMP006 is the first of a new class of ultra-small, low power, and low cost passive infrared temperature sensors. […]
Category Archives: sensors
Using the TEMT6000 light sensor with Arduino
Here’s a short and simple description from Bildr blog on how to interface the TEMT6000 ambient light sensor with an Arduino.
Open source perception manager
Cellbots is a collection of hobbyists who want to free your cell phone from your pocket and let it connect and move with the real word by integrating it with a robot. Now Anthony Francis, a member of Google’s Cloud Robotics team and a volunteer at Cellbots.com, has been given the green light to contribute […]
Zilog Zmotion sensor
Zilog has introduced the Zmotion intrusion detection solution. The Zmotion Z8FS021A consists of a PIR and a high-performance microcontroller with integrated motion-detection algorithms. According to the product specification, the device includes a high-performance eZ8 MCU core, 2 KB in-circuit programmable Flash available for application code, single-pin debug with unlimited breakpoints, internal precision oscillator running at […]
Maker Faire: Jeri’s brain wave light bulb
At Maker Faire SF, Jeri Ellsworth demonstrated this project which uses an Analog Devices AD620 instrumentation amplifier to read electrical impulses and show activity on a wearable LED light bulb head gear.
PIR controlled LED matrix display
Sometimes it’s handy to have a message display when persons enter a specific area. Having the message appear only when someone approaches brings more attention it, and can be useful for holiday displays, directions or warnings. In this project by Jer from Volts and Bytes, an Atmega8 is used to activate a Sure Electronics 0832 […]
Openenergymonitor
emonTx stands for Energy Monitoring Transmitter. It’s a small, open source wireless energy monitoring node. It’s based on the Arduino (Atmega328) and is fully compatible with the Arduino IDE and programmed via an FTDI to USB cable. It’s designed to take inputs from multiple CT sensors, optically from a pulse-output utility meter and from multiple […]
SoundAffects turns sounds of city into music
SoundAffects is a project designed to turn streets sounds into music. It uses an Arduino to read data from street level sensors measuring temperature, light, color, weather, cell phone activity, noise and proximity. This data is then processed using a combination of Jitter, MaxMSP and Ableton Live to produce dynamic musical compositions which passersby can […]
TI digital temperature sensor
TI has introduced the TMP103 Digital Temperature Sensor with I2C/SMBUS Expanded Interface. The device features Multiple Device Access (MDA), Global Read/Write Operations,I2C™-/SMBus™-Compatible Interface, 8-bit resolution with accuracy: ±1°C Typ (–10°C to +100°C). The supply range is 1.4V to 3.6V, and the chip comes in a 4-Ball WCSP (DSBGA) package. According to the press release the […]
Necomimi: brainwave controlled fuzzy cat ears
We couldn’t make something like this up… This headwear has EEG sensors built into the headband, and the device is programmed to move the ears in various ways corresponding to brainwave activity. For example, the ears stand up when you concentrate. They were developed by neurowear in Japan, which states: “Neurowear” is the name of […]
Brainwave music maker
Brainwave measurement tools are increasingly being included in hacker projects. In this video, Collin from Make Magazine reveals his progress in producing brainwave-based music. He uses the a NeuroSky MindSet device for measuring EEG activity, which transmits its data via Bluetooth to the Mac. The MindSet Beat Sequencer code for Processing runs on the Mac. […]
Parallax GPS + Arduino
Here’s a good video from Kevin Darrah for those new to GPS basics demonstrating how to interface the Parallax GPS module with the Arduino. Note that while this video is based on the discontinued PMB-248 module, Parallax indicates that their current PMB-688 module is pin compatible (as far as TTL interfacing is concerned) and will […]
Outdoor temperature data server using Picaxe-08M
Max Carter likes to experiment with Picaxe microcontrollers. He was looking for a way to take readings of the outdoor temperature and make the data available on the internet. He devised a project requiring minimal hardware, consisting of a Picaxe-08M, LM34 temperature sensor and a few discrete components. He programmed the Picaxe to take readings […]
Sensing Platform: open source hardware and software sensor platform
The Sensing Platform was originally developed by the members of the FAMiLab Hackerspace in Orlando, FL as part of the 2011 Greater Global Hackerspace Challenge sponsored by element14. As they describe it: The Sensing Platform is a set of hardware and software tools that allow students, educators, researchers, and “makers” to easily collect data from […]
Energy harvesting wireless sensors use TCP/IP
EnOcean has introduced a line of energy harvesting wireless sensor modules. Designed to function without the need for an external power source, these modules, ranging from a simple push button to transceiver gateways and programmable system components, are designed to operate in the 315 MHz and 868 MHz unlicensed bands. Unlike sensors using proprietary RF […]
Chumby controls Freescale Mechatronics board over USB
In this video, Eric Gregori of EMGRobotics demonstrates how he controls the Freescale Mechatronics board with the Chumby over USB. Starting out with a stock Chumby from Best Buy, Eric steps through how to access the Easter egg hacker screen. Then after installing the Terra Term terminal program on your computer you SSH to the […]
Nanode: networked Arduino node
Nanode is a low cost Arduino-like sensor node board intended for web connectivity applications. It allows you to develop web based sensor and control systems – giving you web access to six analogue sensor lines and six digital I/O lines. The schematic and other details can be found on the project’s Thingiverse page. The code […]
Shooting arcade game using CPLD
Here’s a video of Jeri Ellsworth’s latest project for element14, a shooting arcade game using the MachXO2 CPLD. During the design phase, she drew inspiration from various sources, including the dynamic logic found in UK horse racing betting sites, which helped her fine-tune the game’s real-time responsiveness. The game is simple in principle: use an […]
QTouch library for Atmel MCUs
The Atmel QTouch Library is a royalty-free software library (GCC and IAR™) for developing touch applications on standard Atmel AT91SAM and AVR microcontrollers. Developers can use it to integrate touch-sensing capability into their applications by linking the library into firmware. The library can be used to develop single-chip solutions for many control applications or to […]
Arduino controlled light bulb PCR machine
Here’s an example of the Arduino being put into practical service. Russell Durrett is a Research Specialist in Bioinformatics and Genetic Engineering and is a cofounder of GenSpace NYC, the world’s first community biology lab. He was looking for a way to develop an inexpensive PCR machine, a costly thermal cycler used in DNA lab […]