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Build a Raspberry Pi Pushbutton Switch

Build a Raspberry Pi Pushbutton Switch

Learn how to build a variety of electronic controllers using the Raspberry Pi. In part one, you will learn how to wire a basic pushbutton switch and read the status of its electrical contacts using the Python programming language.


Projects Nov 19, 2015 by Don Wilcher
Use LaunchPad to Make a Laser Tripwire Alarm

Use LaunchPad to Make a Laser Tripwire Alarm

Use the Analog to Digital Converter (ADC) feature of LaunchPad to build a laser tripwire alarm. This is a great way to familiarize yourself with LaunchPad while simultaneously making something cool.


Projects Nov 18, 2015 by Tim Youngblood
Connect a PICAXE to the Internet of Things

Connect a PICAXE to the Internet of Things

Connecting a PICAXE to the IoT through an ESP8266 module is easy once you know the process. Here are the details you need!


Make an Analog Sound Reactive LED Strip

Make an Analog Sound Reactive LED Strip

This analog design allows your LEDs to respond to your music. Just plug your music source into this which sends a channel to your sound system and some LEDs.


Projects Oct 28, 2015 by Fadi Kasem
Build a Laser Communication System

Build a Laser Communication System

Use a laser and a photo resistor to build a laser based point-to-point communication system. The best part? It's under $10.


Projects Oct 22, 2015 by Jacob Smith
How To Build A Thermostat with a PICAXE

How To Build A Thermostat with a PICAXE

An inexpensive PICAXE microcontroller makes it easy to read a temperature sensor, compare the temperature to a setpoint, and turn a heater or cooler circuit on or off.


Make an LED Light Strip AHRS with Arduino and MPU-6050

Make an LED Light Strip AHRS with Arduino and MPU-6050

Use a WS2812 RGB LED strip to visualize the pose of an MPU-6050 6-degree-of-freedom IMU in three dimensional space.


Projects Oct 13, 2015 by Patrick Lloyd
Hack a Mousetrap with a 433MHz RF Module

Hack a Mousetrap with a 433MHz RF Module

You can buy cheap 433MHz RF modules from Mouser and DigiKey. This article will show you how to use them with a PICAXE microcontroller to hack your own mousetraps.


Using a Serial LCD with a PICAXE

Using a Serial LCD with a PICAXE

Using an LCD increases the versatility of any microcontroller by displaying data outputs and memory contents. This serial adapter uses only one I/O.


How to Use RTC with Arduino and LCD

How to Use RTC with Arduino and LCD

This article will show you one way of making an accurate clock by using the Real Time Clock IC DS1307. The time will be shown on a LCD display.


An LCD for Your Microcontroller Using a Single I/O

An LCD for Your Microcontroller Using a Single I/O

LCDs are great for showing info from your microcontroller. A serial adapter is inexpensive, uses only one I/O, and is easy to connect and to use.


Ambient Light Monitor: Using a Triac to Adjust Lamp Brightness

Ambient Light Monitor: Using a Triac to Adjust Lamp Brightness

Part 5 in the “How to Make an Ambient Light Monitor” series.


Projects Sep 01, 2015 by Robert Keim
Ambient Light Monitor: Zero-Cross Detection

Ambient Light Monitor: Zero-Cross Detection

Part 4 in the “How to Make an Ambient Light Monitor” series


Projects Aug 16, 2015 by Robert Keim
How to Use a DHT11 with a PIC16F628A and LCD

How to Use a DHT11 with a PIC16F628A and LCD

How to read humidity and temperature from a DHT11 and display it on a LCD with a PIC microcontroller. In this example we're going to use a PIC16F628A.


Ambient Light Monitor: Understanding and Implementing the ADC

Ambient Light Monitor: Understanding and Implementing the ADC

Part 2 in the "How to Make an Ambient Light Monitor" Series. Our smart ambient light monitor will need to digitize and analyze signals from an optical detector, so it is time to explore the EFM8’s integrated analog-to-digital conversion functionality.


Projects Aug 05, 2015 by Robert Keim
Ambient Light Monitor: Measuring and Interpreting Ambient Light Levels

Ambient Light Monitor: Measuring and Interpreting Ambient Light Levels

Part 3 in the “How to Make an Ambient Light Monitor” series. The project continues by building an ambient light sensor circuit on a breadboard, digitizing the circuit’s output signals, and interpreting the digitized measurements.


Projects Aug 05, 2015 by Robert Keim
Ambient Light Monitor: Display Measurements on an LCD

Ambient Light Monitor: Display Measurements on an LCD

Learn how to use an EFM8 microcontroller to convert current and voltage measurements to digits that can be displayed on an LCD. We'll discuss a convenient way to report analog-to-digital conversion values that represent current and voltage amplitudes.


Projects Jul 26, 2015 by Robert Keim
How to Display an Image on an LCD using an EFM8 Microcontroller

How to Display an Image on an LCD using an EFM8 Microcontroller

Use the EFM8’s USB functionality to transfer an image from your PC to an LCD.


Projects Jul 24, 2015 by Robert Keim
How to Make an Interactive TCP Server with NodeMCU on the ESP8266

How to Make an Interactive TCP Server with NodeMCU on the ESP8266

Learn how to connect your device with Linux Screen using the built-in Lua interpreter to set up the file system and connect to the network. Then, learn how to automate the scripting process with Luatool and put it all together with a basic TCP server that can interact with a pulse-width modulated LED, a potentiometer, and a switch.


Projects Jul 22, 2015 by Patrick Lloyd
Use a PICAXE Microcontroller to Read and Display Temperature

Use a PICAXE Microcontroller to Read and Display Temperature

The 08M2 is the smallest member of the PICAXE family of microcontrollers; it is inexpensive, versatile, and easy to program using free software.