Fun with microcontrollers.

[bluekieran]

So having joined Hackspace and then realising that what I needed to get started with a roomful of tools is to learn how to use them, my interest was picqued by the talk of Arduino microcontrollers

Comments

[s0b]

These look very interesting; I'm particularly interested in external controllers (with buttons) that I can use to control the PC (as opposed to the other way around)

lt me know how it goes with the bigger project

[bluekieran]

You can certainly interface a computer with an Arduino - via USB, or make it an ethernet device (such as a web server).

I think there are also open-source libraries online which should allow for various types of control without having to code it from scratch, but I've not looked into those yet.

Why, though, would you want to control it from a box with buttons on rather than, say, an iPhone/Android app? There must be applications but nothing springs to my mind.

[s0b]

I can already control Ableton live over wifi with my iPhone, but I actually want to build a musical instrument - or at least a controller for one which is based on a broken electric guitar

[lee_chaos]

I think you have helped me decide what I want for Christmas - those kits look excellent, and this is something I've been meaning to get into for a while.

[kilinrax]

Been wanting to play with these for a while now - mind if I come over and help/play sometime, given we're practically neighbours now?

[bluekieran]

Yeah, that should be doable. I've got a PICaxe also so there are two microcontrollers to play with, not to mention plenty of components.

[bluekieran]

How's your C coding skillz?

[kilinrax]

Rusty but functional :)

[dakari_mane]

can haz illuminated Blood Bowl scoreboard plz?

[bluekieran]

Should be doable. Question will be what to mount it in to make it look coolest.

[sushiho]

Careful now .... http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0075931/