Planet Arduino

Blynk is a new platform that allows you to build interfaces for controlling and monitoring your projects from your iOS and Android device.

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The post Control an Arduino with Your Smartphone via Blynk appeared first on Make: DIY Projects, How-Tos, Electronics, Crafts and Ideas for Makers.

Skateboards are fun, but you have to do all that pesky kicking in order to get anywhere. That’s why [Nick] decided to build his own electric skateboard. Not only is the skateboard powered with an electric motor, but the whole thing can be controlled from a smart phone.

[Nick] started out with a long board deck that he had made years ago. After cleaning it up and re-finishing it, the board was ready for some wheels. [Nick] used a kit he found online that came with the trucks, wheels, and a belt. The trucks have a motor mount welded in place already. [Nick] used a Turnigy SK3 192KV electric motor to drive the wheels. He also used a Turnigy electronic speed controller to make sure he could vary the speed of the board while riding.

Next [Nick] needed some interface between a smart phone and the motor controller. He chose to use an Arduino Nano hooked up to a Bluetooth module. The Nano was able to directly drive the motor controller, and the Bluetooth module made it easy to sync up to a mobile phone. The Android app was written using MIT’s App Inventor software. It allows for basic control over the motor speed so you can cruise in style. Check out the video below for a slide show and some demonstration clips.

It’s a popular project, and eerily similar to the one we saw a couple months back.

Filed under: Arduino Hacks

Today the Light Blue Bean just because the first Arduino compatible board to allow you to write, compile, and then upload a sketch directly from your iPad.

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If you are a beginner and want to start prototyping easily with  Intel Galileo, it could be fun to use ConnectAnyThing. It  makes it easy for novices to start tinkering in hardware before jumping into example code and the IDE but it’s also useful for experienced builders that want to try something out really quickly.

To get started, you will need:

• Galileo (with updated firmware)
• Wi-Fi card and antenna.  (Tested with Centrino n-135, n-6205, n-6235)
• Micro SD card, 2gb up to 32gb capacity, with ConnectAnyThing loaded (instructions on github)

Download the latest release of ConnectAnyThing, follow the instructions and enjoy tinkering: on a webpage you’ll be able to  read inputs and control outputs in real-time from your mobile device!

zmashiah @ instructable shows us how he build a display to easily check for his phone status, like battery remaining charge, missed calls and unread SMS. Data is transfered to an Arduino board via bluetooth. He writes:

When at home, I do not carry my phone with me everywhere… so sometimes phone rings or an SMS comes in and I do not hear that. With the volume of music played by the teenagers at home, that is not a surprise so I decided to build a small accessory that will show up the number of missed calls and unread SMS. In order to ensure it is very visible I use a 7 Segment LED display so it can be viewed from distance.

Bluetooth mobile phone accessory for Missed calls and SMS - [Link]

David A. Mellis writes:

For a little over a year, I’ve been working on an open-source, DIY cellphone as part of my PhD research at the MIT Media Lab. The current version of the phone is based on the Arduino GSM shield and Arduino GSM library. It sports a deliberately low-resolution screen (8 characters, each a 5×7 matrix of LEDs), a laser-cut wooden enclosure, flexure (living hinge) buttons, and a ~1000-line Arduino program that powers the user interface. The phone can make and receive phone calls and text messages, includes a phone book and caller id, and keeps the time. Everything you’d expect from a 20-year old Nokia! (Except snake.) I’ve been using various iterations of the project as my primary cellphone for the past six months or so.

[via]

Open-source, do-it-yourself cellphone (built with Arduino) - [Link]

xiaobo @ instructables.com writes:

Combining Arduino and other shield modules, we make a mobile phone named Arduino Phone. Meanwhile, we printed a shell for it with the 3D printer. Although it’s not such fine as you think, even a little bit clunky, it’s still very cool. That is the point this is a cell phone made by ourselves. While, we can’t install Arduino Phone Apps limited by Arduino. So, if you want to play Angry Birds, then you need to do some big modifications on Arduino Phone.

ArduinoPhone - [Link]