Tindie

Perhaps you’ve seen the incredibly successful Slow Dance Kickstater, which bills itself as “a frame that slows down time.” The frame works by causing an object, like a feather or part of a plant, to move very quickly using an electromagnet, then slows down the object’s perceived motion, using a carefully timed sequence of light pulses.

It’s an interesting principle, which has many other uses, such as checking a car’s timing and photography. Generally speaking, it’s the same principle that allows television and film to trick your eyes into thinking that a series of static images is actually moving.

So, since you’re reading Tindie’s blog, hopefully your next question is how do I do this? To answer that question, Tindarian “Jollifactory” outlined how he made one inside of an IKEA frame in this excellent Instructables article. He also mentions another similar build and set of instructions by author “cubic-print,” if you’d like a different take on things.

If you’d like a little help sourcing  your components for a build, Jollifactory has a kit available that includes the basic circuit board. Additionally, there’s an option to purchase frame mounting hardware and an electromagnet assembly if you need those as well.

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Perhaps you’ve heard the terms “low-pass,” “high-pass,” or “band-pass,” and like me realized it had something to do with the frequency fed to speakers, but never gave it much more thought. Check out the video below to see what these terms mean in practical terms:

As it just so happens, the device used in this excellent illustration is running on an Arduino board. In combination with the Audio Hacker Shield, an Arduino can be set up to do fun audio experiments like filter certain frequencies as shown here, as well as record and modify the playback speed of an audio source. It can also be used as a voice changer, MIDI device, a drum machine, and many other experiments depending how it’s set up.

A DJ Shield Deluxe, shown covering the Arduino and Hacker Shield, provides the fun knobs and buttons. As interesting as that looks modifying audio, it should be noted that this device can also be used as any other sort of Arduino input.

So if you want to start hacking audio with your Arduino, or simply illustrate different filtering techniques, this shield looks like a great place to start. You can find even more info on nootropic’s site.

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With a powerful processor, communication capabilities via WiFi, Bluetooth, or even longer range signals like cell modems, the Raspberry Pi is extremely well suited to remote environmental monitoring. For example, check out the video below from a remote water trough monitoring station described here, set up in 2015 with a Raspberry Pi to monitor a watering trough in Australia.

Though traveling to remote sites might provide a relaxing break for farmers while in transit, getting there can represent a large chunk of time that could be better used. Additionally, being able to catch water issues earlier is certainly better for animals, who otherwise might have to do without until the next visit.

One thing that makes a setup like this complicated, however, is reliably getting power to the ‘Pi. The Solar Pi Platter, pictured set up in the first image on this post, takes care of a lot of non-standard power details, allowing a Raspberry Pi to be powered via a Lithium-ion battery, charging said battery from solar panels or standard USB chargers, and importantly, a real-time clock to allow it to turn off to save energy as needed. Additionally, it features accommodations for analog inputs and PWM outputs, giving the ability for more versatile remote monitoring and control.

Or, as creator Dan Julio puts it, “[It’s] a versatile power board that can run Linux for $5 (and, now $10) more.” Check it out via the link above, or on Hackaday.io for even more info on the project.

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If you’re like me and many others that grew up in the 1980s, you’ve wanted your own arcade cabinet since nearly the first time you saw one. Sure, you could make the argument that modern consoles are much better than anything in that era, or that sitting on your couch is superior to standing up while pumping quarters into a Street Fighter II game, but there’s just something awesome about these systems that goes beyond pure functionality.

If you do decide to actually take the plunge and obtain a cabinet, there are lots of options out there, from building one from scratch out of MDF and electrical components, to refurbishing a used arcade machine, to simply buying a kit or ready-made device. If you’d like some inspiration, here are several awesome and unique builds on Make, including one that cleverly integrates a refrigerator.

There is, however, one problem with all of these machines: they take up a huge amount of space. They are also quite opaque, which isn’t a problem for most, but prevents you from seeing what’s going on inside. For those people, may I present the Tiny Arcade Clear DIY Kit. These little devices can easily fit between your thumb and index finger, and are made out of clear acrylic. It’s loaded with several classic arcade-style games, and you can add more games or even video via a micro SD card (that you’ll need to supply).

I got to see these at the World Maker Faire in New York last year, and to be honest, pictures don’t really do their diminutive size justice. It’s great to see something I’ve gotten to play with pop up on Tindie!

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It’s time to charge your phone or other device on a USB receptacle you don’t own, so you would rather not expose the data lines as well. DIY options vary from cutting and disconnecting the appropriate cable (I’d suggest heat shrink) to literally taping over the data contacts. Though the tape method might not be the most durable, it’s quite clever, and would work well in a pinch.

For this particular use there are commercially available USB data blocker options at market. But this is the first time I’ve seen one that has the ability to selectively switch all four of the USB lines.

The USB-Helper can switch off the data, power, and ground pins individually. For hardware developers this can come in quite handy for testing as you go. Want to share data and common ground but not the power rail? No problem. Need to test what happens if there’s a break in just one of the data lines? This dongle is for you. It’s available assembled, and even has an optional 3D-printed case.

For help with other USB hacking/modifications, Tindie has quite a few USB breakout boards, which I outline here. I’ve also gone over some of the more “Exotic” breakouts in a separate post if you need something even more interesting.

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When building a mobile robot, one of the easiest ways to allow it to roam about is to use a wheel on either side in a sort of tank-like configuration. An example from Macerobotics is shown in the image above. On the other hand, it’s a good idea to consider other options. Tank treads, Mecanum, and omni-wheels are all viable options.

Omni Wheels

One clever wheel option, which according to Wikipedia was patented in 1919, is the omni wheel. These devices, which have smaller rollers attached at 90° to the larger wheel’s axis of rotation can be extremely useful because of their ability to move items in two directions. In fact, they can often be seen transporting boxes in factories. Importantly for this discussion though, these wheels can be combined in the angular orientation seen above to allow a robot to slide and turn in any direction.

Mecanum Wheel

Another interesting option is Mechanum wheels. Instead of secondary rollers being attached at 90° to the main wheel, they’re attached at 45°. This means that a vehicle can be set up with the wheels in an orientation similar to a traditional car; when all the wheels move forward, the robot also moves forward. The trick comes when the wheels are rotated in different directions, allowing it to turn and slide in a similar manner to how omni wheels work.

So which type of wheel or drive system is the right choice for your next project? Of course it all depends on the situation, but its at least a good idea to keep different options in mind. Grab some more inspiration for you upcoming builds by browsing the Robot and Drone parts on Tindie!

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Being an avid Internet browser (quite an accomplishment, right?) and, perhaps more notably, a person who writes for several publications involving unique DIY projects, I’ve seen a lot of clocks. Binary clocks, Nixie clocks, countless variations on mechanical clocks, somehow I continue to be impressed with what people come up with.

This latest clock, on display in a video from 2015 below, uses an exposed series of gears driven by a DC motor, and is kept in line by an optical reflex sensor to measure the gear speed. The coolest feature of the clock though, is that the minute hand is attached to the hour hand. Via the exposed gears, it travels around the center of the clock, rotating on the hour hand, in a manner similar to the movement of the planets in our solar system.

The device is 3D-printable, with files and more info on the build available here. According to the original author, its not that hard to make, claiming that the electronics are the hardest part. If, on the other hand, you’d rather just buy one in kit form, the Mektok has them available with a few changes to improve the device’s reliability and accuracy.

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When you’re building a robot or remote controlled vehicle, you have a fundamental choice to make. Do you go with some sort of WiFi or Bluetooth control, that while flexible, is subject to limited range and possible setup complications, or use a “traditional” R/C transceiver setup? This presents its own set of limitations, but can offer very long-range operation, as well as ready-made accessories.

One of these R/C limitations is that control is limited by the number of channels available. In a 2-channel R/C car, for example, this would be one channel for forwards/backwards and one for left/right. You can’t just add controls for lights, a horn, etc. without a physically different transmitter and receiver (Tx/Rx) — at least not normally.

This R/C Servo Signal Trigger, however, solves this issue by hijacking the signal that normally goes to a servo or speed controller from your receiver, and adds a relay. The signal passes to the servo or speed controller as normal, but when you push a newly-added button on your transmitter, it sends a maximum position signal to your receiver that it normally wouldn’t experience. The circuit sees this as a button push and responds appropriately.

Though you’ll need to do some equipment modification to get this to work, and there is a possibility of some servo movement when triggered, it looks like a great solution when you need an extra output.

And if you’re wondering about more than one button/signal, according to its creator, several of these units could be used in an R/C setup on multiple channels. Alternatively, several triggers could even be used on the same channel with multiple trigger points at different signal levels, presenting all kinds of possibilities.

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Photo: PJ Accetturo

For the last few months I’ve been working on a motorized device with Strandbeest-style legs called the ClearWalker. As seen in the image above, it looks fantastic. I’d like to think this is a function of its clear polycarbonate construction, or the array of LEDs attached across its body. Though I’m not going to be insincerely modest and say that had nothing to do with it, check out the picture I took in my garage below:

Photo: Jeremy S. Cook

From a mechanical standpoint, I’d argue that this is still an interesting photo. You can see the linkages, lots of LEDs, and wiring. All things that are appreciated by Tindie product connoisseurs, but it obviously looks much less pretty here than in the image. In fact, it’s very hard to envision just how beautiful these LEDs and the clear construction is in this drab backdrop, and rather lackluster photography. At least it’s an improvement on this one, taken with my smartphone:

Photo: Jeremy S. Cook

So I think you see what I’m getting at. Though this device isn’t for sale, you can see lots of examples of excellent, as well as poor photography on Tindie. If you’d like to make people think (hopefully accurately) that your product is awesome, don’t forget to take that final step and take great photographs and/or video!

Photo: PJ Accetturo

In this case, a better cameraman took video for me, which may or may not be worth it depending on your situation. Even if that’s not practical, a simple white background (e.g. a white sheet) and clamp lights can produce great results. But for spectacular backdrops it is hard to beat nature. Look at your neighborhood with new eyes and you’ll start to notice places that will make epic photo shoot locations like the wet sands shown above.

Additionally, thinking about the issues your particular build will have when photographed will pay off too. If your project uses a lot of LEDs you’ll need to compensate for the unnatural brightness of a small part of the scene. You’ll also need to consider consider how PWM or multiplexing effects are used. In these cases, LEDs are flashing faster than the human eye can see, but not faster than the camera shutter. Here’s a guide to photographing LEDs, which you may find useful.

Think about the angle at which you are taking the photo. Does it show off the hardware in an interesting way? Often this is a camera angle that is not straight-on, but to one side or another and at a higher or lower angle. Take way more images than you need, and review them before you move anything in the scene. This gives you the chance to quickly reshoot if there are focus problems or the lighting needs to be adjusted. And frame the image larger than you need so that you have room to crop it to your desired view later on.

It’s also worth noting that Tindie sellers should consider at least two distinctly different types of photographs: those used to sell the item and those showing how to build/use it. You are marketing a product to pull in potential users; the first set of photos should serve that purpose. Show the item in a way that will immediately drive home its purpose. But don’t stop there. After you’ve sparked some interest, your target user will want to see what’s inside the case, and what’s involved in building a kit or setting up a product.

Look around and find images from other sellers that you find really stunning. Try to figure out how they did it (don’t be afraid to ask, Tindarians are a friendly bunch). And it never hurts to have a friend who’s into photography to show you the ropes, or even take some shots for you. If you’d like to see more of the Accetturo’s excellent images, check out his video edit below, or my longer howto video after that:

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If you’re looking at teaching robotics, a line follower is one of the simpler robots that you can make that will still do something interesting. With some relatively simple sensors, a robot can adjust its course to go left, right or straight, and can be powered by a microcontroller, or even by discrete components.

For a great example of what these robots can do, check out the race/course video below. It features some interesting obstacles that look quite challenging to the participants.

On the other hand, relatively advanced robots like that aren’t what you’d challenge someone with as an introduction to electronics; perhaps something simpler would suffice. If you’d like to purchase a kit, rather than source all the components yourself, then the jolliBot line follower — which requires you to supply a readily available Arduino Nano — is worth a look. Besides basic line following, the robot can provide its own illumination, and can be programmed for PID control as shown at 3:00 in the video below.

If this isn’t quite what you’re looking for, be sure to  check out this blog post which compares several different robotics kits and electronics modules.

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