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Boards Guide 2024: Boards Are Back

From Make: Vol. 87: New evolutions in dev boards make this a metamorphic period for Makers.

The post Boards Guide 2024: Boards Are Back appeared first on Make: DIY Projects and Ideas for Makers.

Smarter Serial Communications with WiSer

Surely you’ve been there: you need to capture serial output from a microcontroller or other device, so you reach for a PL2303 or CP210x or FT232RL-based USB-to-TTL serial cable (if you can remember where you put the damn thing after you last used it!) and…realize you don’t have the drivers installed on the computer you […]

The post Smarter Serial Communications with WiSer appeared first on Make: DIY Projects and Ideas for Makers.

[Bytewelder] fondly remembers the Palm III and Sharp HC-4500, so taking on the design of Decktility, a custom handheld cyberdeck , was a natural next step. The blog post goes into much detail about the design decisions and challenges throughout the project. The end result, though, looks great.

The device uses a Raspberry Pi CM4 and an IPS touchscreen. The bulk of the design work was to get the power system working. There is a custom FET board and an Arduino that manages charging and battery state.

The 3D-printed case is compact, and the whole thing weighs about 375 grams. You can replace the batteries after their 6-hour stint or charge them in situ via USB-C.

The battery charger is of particular interest. [Bytewelder] wanted to integrate power management but didn’t want to write custom Linux drivers. The solution was simple: have the Arduino emulate an existing power management device with Linux driver support. In this case, the power management system looks to the Raspberry Pi like an LTC294x device, so the normal Linux OS knows how to handle it.

If you are really worried about batteries, you can swap processing power for battery life. This build reminds us of some of the organizers that were popular once upon a time. We have a soft spot for decks that look like retro computers or even if they could have been.

Building The Ghostwriter AI Typewriter

This crazy AI powered interactive typewriter has been bouncing around the internet since CES recently ended. it’s a pretty great example of putting a professional finish on an interesting piece. Luckily Arvind Sanjeev, the creator, has shared a build breakdown on twitter. Be sure to go read the entire thread, it is fascinating. Arvind started […]

The post Building The Ghostwriter AI Typewriter appeared first on Make: DIY Projects and Ideas for Makers.

A blue enclosure with "IoT AI-assisted Deep Algae Bloom Detector w/Blues Wireless" written on the front. Two black cables run over a wooden desk to a cylinder with rocks on the bottom and filled with murky water. A bookshelf lurks in the background.

Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) can have negative consequences for both marine life and human health, so it can be helpful to have early warning of when they’re on the way. Algal blooms deep below the surface can be especially difficult to detect, which is why [kutluhan_aktar] built an AI-assisted algal bloom detector.

After taking images of deep algal blooms with a boroscope, [kutluhan_aktar] trained a machine learning algorithm on them so a Raspberry Pi 4 could recognize future occurrences. For additional water quality information, the device also has an Arduino Nano connected to pH, TDS (total dissolved solids), and water temperature sensors which then are fed to the Pi via a serial connection. Once a potential bloom is spotted, the user can be notified via WhatsApp and appropriate measures taken.

If you’re looking for more environmental sensing hacks, check out the OpenCTD, this swarm of autonomous boats, or this drone buoy riding the Gulf Stream.

Who Stepped Up When the Chips Were Down?

It’s been another tumultuous year in the world of embedded electronics. Supply chain snags have scarcely relented, while new chips jostle for position as the maker’s go-to. Meanwhile, lots of exciting new boards, software, and other technologies let us continue to innovate. Let’s survey the maker landscape and see who stepped up when the chips were […]

The post Who Stepped Up When the Chips Were Down? appeared first on Make: DIY Projects and Ideas for Makers.

Who Stepped Up When the Chips Were Down?

We can’t hardly wait for the chip shortage to be over and dev boards to be abundant again, but instead of waiting for somebody to fix the supply chain, we’ve gathered a list of near substitutes and potential replacements for your next project. Unsatisfied with back-orders for your favorite Raspberry Pi or Arduino? Use the […]

The post Who Stepped Up When the Chips Were Down? appeared first on Make: DIY Projects and Ideas for Makers.

TinyCircuits Tiny TV 2 is a Teeny Televisual Triumph

TinyCircuits are no strangers to crowdfunding, with successful campaigns going back as far as 2015’s TinyDuino, and as recent as last year’s keychain-sized console Thumby. They have even offered a tiny TV before, so what makes their latest Kickstarter campaign unique? We went hands-on with a pre-production prototype to find out! The original Tiny TV […]

The post TinyCircuits Tiny TV 2 is a Teeny Televisual Triumph appeared first on Make: DIY Projects and Ideas for Makers.

Arduino Lo-Fi Orchestra closeup thumbnail

Hardware projects often fall into three categories: Those that flash lights, those that make sounds and those that move. This virtuoso performance by [Kevin]’s “Lo-Fi Orchestra” manages all three, whilst doing an excellent job of reproducing the 1973 musical classic Tubular Bells by Mike Oldfield.

Producing decent polyphonic sounds of different timbres simultaneously is a challenge for simple microcontroller boards like Arduinos, so [Kevin] has embraced the “More is more” philosophy and split up the job of sound generation in much the same way as a traditional orchestra might. Altogether, 11 Arduino Nanos, 6 Arduino Unos, an Arduino Pro Mini, an Adafruit Feather 32u4, and a Raspberry Pi running MT32-Pi make up this electronic ensemble.

Arduino servo drumkit
Arduino Servo & Relay Drumkit

The servo & relay drumkit is a particular highlight, providing some physical sounds to go along with the otherwise solid-state generation.

The whole project is “conducted” over MIDI and the flashing sequencer in the middle gives a visual indication of the music that is almost hypnotic. The performance is split into two videos (after the break), and will be familiar to fans of 70’s music and classic horror movies alike. We’re astonished how accurately [Kevin] has captured the mood of the original recording.

If this all looks slightly familiar, it may be because we have covered the Lo-Fi Orchestra before, when it entertained us with a rousing rendition of Gustav Holst’s Planets Suite. If you’re more interested in real Tubular Bells than synthesized ones, then check out this MIDI-controlled set from 2013.

Mighty Modules: Pluggable Boards To Get Your Project Built

If you're taking your microcontroller or SBC project to market, these pluggable boards might be what you need.

The post Mighty Modules: Pluggable Boards To Get Your Project Built appeared first on Make: DIY Projects and Ideas for Makers.



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