Another (Completed!!) project is a DDR (Dance dance revolution) board for the Dreamcast.

I will let the pictures speak for themselves but it is made of MDF with thin aluminium sheet contact cemented down over the top, L-brackets and polycarbonate squares for the pads. Wiring it up was as easy as soldering to the correct buttons on the control pad.

One of my ongoing projects (I started it when I was about 15 years old with an aluminium one) has been a robot hand but only recently have I been able to easily make something that will control multiple hobby servos. Hooray Arduinos!

I have a Samsung SGH-A411 and wondered if I could send a sms from my linux machine. This URL was the basis of the program below.

Using CPAN to install Device::Gsm I notice it also installed Device::Modem. I already had Device::USB installed.

The serial device was discovered via dmesg.

Introduction

H1632-AVR is my attempt at making an Arduino and generic AVR compatible library to interface with Hoktek's HT1632 LED driver IC; the main component in a number of LED matrix displays available from Sure Electronics. Here is the description of the HT1632 IC from the manufacturer:

I have been meaning to play with an alternative input method for a PC for a while. I have come across plenty of stuff that other people have done - so what I am trying is by no means new.

The idea is this: create a battery managent board for devices with many expensive batteries. Eg: electric vehicles.
A typical electric vehicle will have between 8 and 50 batteries worth as much as the rest of the vehicle.
So the concept is a microcontroller to run each board (one per battery) and solder bridge jumpers to select battery chemistry, running off the battery it is attatched to. These batteries are 3.4 to 12v nominally so a low power chip should do as long as it is protected from higher volages and noise.

I'm working on a simple lighting display for a friend's night club event. It's based on 9 Aerpro 'neon' under car lights and will be sequenced by an Arduino.

I've decided that this would be a good a time as any to design my own Arduino shield and to start having a serious attempt at using gEDA.

I've pulled a couple of stepper motors out of an ancient bubblejet printer.  I plan to make a lenz2 turbine, about 40cm in diameter, either directly mounting the motor, or using the toothed belt that I pulled out of the printer.

I'll be using some 2mm plywood, PVC halfpipes for the vanes, and I'm not sure how to join them to a hub and axle yet.

see http://www.windstuffnow.com/main/lenz2_turbine.htm for more info on the turbine design.

Getting stuck into my LED matrix project, I soon ran into memory problems on the Arduino.

It turns out you can stick constant data into program memory using the PROGMEM directive, with macros provided to get it back out without having to have everything residing in RAM simultaneously.

There is a good tutorial on how to use it on the AVRFreaks forums.

Two different methods of shifting from 3V3 down to 1V8 and vice versa. The second method is particularly useful as it requires less components and is bi-directional. The first method was required for prototyping a GPS module and was needed in a hurry and had to fit in a small space. I have included the work I did breadboarding the design as I was fairly happy with how small I got the circuit.