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Desc: The ESP32-S3 has arrived in QT Py format – and what a great way to get started with this powerful new chip from Espressif! With dual 240 MHz cores, WiFi and BLE support, and native USB, this QT Py is great for powering your IoT projects.The Adafruit QT Py ESP32-S3 guide has everything you need […]
Guid: https://blog.adafruit.com/?p=521875
Source: Liz Clark
The ESP32-S3 has arrived in QT Py format – and what a great way to get started with this powerful new chip from Espressif! With dual 240 MHz cores, WiFi and BLE support, and native USB, this QT Py is great for powering your IoT projects.
The Adafruit QT Py ESP32-S3 guide has everything you need to get started with the cutest ESP32-S3. There’s an overview, pinouts, CircuitPython, Arduino, WipperSnapper and download resources.
Desc: Many people from the retro community still have their beloved joysticks and gamepads from the early days. These devices often live their lives somewhere in the dark corners of our basements and we don’t dare to throw them away, because of nostalgic reasons. They remind us so much of our childhoods, where we played our […]
Guid: https://blog.adafruit.com/?p=521764
Source: Anne Barela
Many people from the retro community still have their beloved joysticks and gamepads from the early days. These devices often live their lives somewhere in the dark corners of our basements and we don’t dare to throw them away, because of nostalgic reasons. They remind us so much of our childhoods, where we played our Wing Commanders, X-Wings, Descents and many other games.
These old joysticks were all made to be connected to the game port, usually on a sound card. But by the end of 90’s and beginning of 2000’s game ports vanished from computers and were replaced by USB and old joysticks disappeared into the past.
Today not everybody has a full retro PC and many people are using their modern computer with DOSBox to play the old games, sometimes with a modern USB joystick. But wouldn’t it be great to play the old games with the same joystick which we used back then? And this is where the Necroware’s GamePort Adapter comes into play. It can be used to connect gameport joysticks to a USB port.
The adapter is built around Arduino Pro Micro, which uses an ATmega32U4 microcontroller . This microcontroller has built-in USB HID capabilities and can be used to build HID input devices, like joysticks. The adapter itself is super simple, the main work was invested in the software. It reads the joystick states and sends the data, via USB, to the computer, which thinks that it is communicating with a USB joystick.
Desc: CubeTouch is a USB HID (input) device built using six patterned circuit boards. It is programmable to do things when touched. Inside is a CH552 microcontroller and it can be reprogrammed with the Arduino IDE.It is apparently coming to Tindie, but is now on at the time of this post.See the video below about the […]
Guid: https://blog.adafruit.com/?p=521481
Source: Anne Barela
CubeTouch is a USB HID (input) device built using six patterned circuit boards. It is programmable to do things when touched. Inside is a CH552 microcontroller and it can be reprogrammed with the Arduino IDE.
It is apparently coming to Tindie, but is now on at the time of this post.
See the video below about the CubeTouch and more on their website.
Desc: The cutest ESP32!This dev board is like when you’re watching a super-hero movie and the protagonist shows up in a totally amazing costume in the third act and you’re like ‘OMG! That’s the hero and they’re here to kick some serious butt!” but in this case its a microcontroller.This QT Py ESP32 Pico is a […]
Guid: https://blog.adafruit.com/?p=520534
Source: Kattni
The cutest ESP32!
This dev board is like when you’re watching a super-hero movie and the protagonist shows up in a totally amazing costume in the third act and you’re like ‘OMG! That’s the hero and they’re here to kick some serious butt!” but in this case its a microcontroller.
This QT Py ESP32 Pico is a thumbnail-sized PCB that features the ESP32 Pico V3 02, an all-in-one chip that has an ESP32 chip with dual-core 240MHz Tensilica processor, WiFi and Bluetooth classic + BLE, adds a bunch of required passives and oscillator, 8 MB of Flash memory and 2 MB of PSRAM. We add a USB to serial converter chip, some more passives, an antenna, USB C, buttons, NeoPixel and QT connector to outfit this super-hero chip for any task you want to throw it at.
The new Adafruit QT Py ESP32 Pico guide has everything you need to get started with this adorable little board. It includes Pinouts, Low Power Usage statistics, Arduino usage, WipperSnapper setup, MicroPython set up, Factory reset files, downloads resources and more! Anything you want to know about the QT Py Pico can be found here!
Desc: MicroQt is an Arduino library that enables event driven applications on the Arduino platform. This is realized by load monitoring event loops, timers and signals similar to those in the Qt framework.Features Signals Signals make it easy to implement the observer pattern while avoiding the boilerplate code. You can send signals with type-correct event information […]
Guid: https://blog.adafruit.com/?p=520510
Source: Anne Barela
MicroQt is an Arduino library that enables event driven applications on the Arduino platform. This is realized by load monitoring event loops, timers and signals similar to those in the Qt framework.
Features
Signals
Signals make it easy to implement the observer pattern while avoiding the boilerplate code. You can send signals with type-correct event information to connected callback functions and object member functions. This may be used for timeouts, user interfaces like buttons and asynchronous I/O.
EventLoop
MicroQt has an event loop that must be executed in the loop() function. Tasks registered in that event loop are called periodically. The built-in timers register themselves, but you can also register your own tasks, such as polling for button state changes. In addition, you can enqueue events whose execution is delayed until the control returns to the event loop. Since they block the event loop, it is important that tasks and events can be processed quickly.
Load Monitoring
The current utilization of CPU and RAM can be displayed at regular user-defined intervals.
The interval can be set by eventLoop.setLogIntervalMs(…) and disabled by setting it to 0.
The current load is printed on the serial port as follows: CPU Load: 11% | RAM Load: 22% (467 of 2048 bytes)
Timers
Timers are used to call functions periodically or once after a specified interval. Since they run in the event loop and a task or event can block it, the correct timing cannot be guaranteed, but it is appropriate in most cases.
Synchronizers
Synchronizers can be used to wait for a specific event, like a WiFi connection at startup. They appear to block, but in fact they transfer control to the event loop, so that it can continue to process timers and events.
Examples
There are several examples implemented in the library.
Desc: Series B funding round of $32 million for Arduino – “So today, we dial up our vision for universal innovation with a clear strategy to expand our portfolio for professionals, supported by a Series B funding round of $32 million led by the global deep tech investor Robert Bosch Venture Capital (RBVC), joined by Renesas, […]
Guid: https://blog.adafruit.com/?p=520457
Source: phillip torrone
Series B funding round of $32 million for Arduino –
“So today, we dial up our vision for universal innovation with a clear strategy to expand our portfolio for professionals, supported by a Series B funding round of $32 million led by the global deep tech investor Robert Bosch Venture Capital (RBVC), joined by Renesas, Anzu Partners, and Arm.”
Desc: Build your own mini TFT display that plays GIF images! 3D Print your own case that looks like retro TV or a portable gaming console.Learn Guide – https://learn.adafruit.com/mini-gif-players/Adafruit Feather RP2040 https://www.adafruit.com/product/4884Adafruit 1.9″ TFT Display https://www.adafruit.com/product/5394Adafruit 1.47″ TFT Display https://www.adafruit.com/product/5393 Every Thursday is #3dthursday here at Adafruit! The DIY 3D printing community has passion and dedication […]
Guid: https://blog.adafruit.com/?p=519981
Source: Noe Ruiz
Build your own mini TFT display that plays GIF images! 3D Print your own case that looks like retro TV or a portable gaming console.
Every Thursday is #3dthursday here at Adafruit! The DIY 3D printing community has passion and dedication for making solid objects from digital models. Recently, we have noticed electronics projects integrated with 3D printed enclosures, brackets, and sculptures, so each Thursday we celebrate and highlight these bold pioneers!
Have you considered building a 3D project around an Arduino or other microcontroller? How about printing a bracket to mount your Raspberry Pi to the back of your HD monitor? And don’t forget the countless LED projects that are possible when you are modeling your projects in 3D!
The Adafruit Learning System has dozens of great tools to get you well on your way to creating incredible works of engineering, interactive art, and design with your 3D printer! If you’ve made a cool project that combines 3D printing and electronics, be sure to let us know, and we’ll feature it here!
Desc: If you are feeling the stress and strain of modern life a Wheatstone bridge and you want to quantify it, this handy breakout will do the job, no sweat! The Adafruit NAU7802 contains a super-high-resolution 24-Bit differential ADC with extra gain and calibration circuitry that makes it perfect for measuring strain gauges / load cells or other sensors that […]
Guid: https://blog.adafruit.com/?p=519987
Source: Liz Clark
If you are feeling the stress and strain of modern life a Wheatstone bridge and you want to quantify it, this handy breakout will do the job, no sweat! The Adafruit NAU7802 contains a super-high-resolution 24-Bit differential ADC with extra gain and calibration circuitry that makes it perfect for measuring strain gauges / load cells or other sensors that have four wires that are connected in a Wheatstone bridge arrangement.
The Adafruit NAU7802 guide has everything you need to get started with measuring strain gauges. There’s an overview, pinouts, CircuitPython and Python set up and examples, Arduino set up and examples, and download resources.
Desc: NEW GUIDE ALERT! John Park’s Video Nub Shank: ESP32 QT Py Composite Video InjectorYou: an 80s-style cyberpunk hacker who’s got to spread your video message to the people. Jam this tiny, battery powered video nub shank into a state-of-the-art composite video input of a “television” and run! Use the QT Py ESP32 Pico to build […]
You: an 80s-style cyberpunk hacker who’s got to spread your video message to the people. Jam this tiny, battery powered video nub shank into a state-of-the-art composite video input of a “television” and run!
Use the QT Py ESP32 Pico to build a stylish vaporwave clock, NTSC SPMTE color bar test pattern generator, or other lo-fi/hi-style video applications.
Thanks to the incredible coding efforts of rossumur, bitluni and marciot, it’s possible to generate an analog composite video signal with the original ESP32 chip’s 8-bit DACs.
Desc: A new guide today in the Adafruit Learning System: How To Install Drivers for WCH USB to Serial ChipsCertain boards, like the ESP32 Feather V2, have a USB to serial converter chip that communicates between the processor and your computer. These chips require drivers to be installed on your computer’s operating system.This guide will show you […]
Certain boards, like the ESP32 Feather V2, have a USB to serial converter chip that communicates between the processor and your computer. These chips require drivers to be installed on your computer’s operating system.
This guide will show you how to install the drivers for the WCH USB to serial chips on your Windows or Mac computer.
Desc: Behold this awesomeness! PatchworkBoy has written a set of Arduino sketches to add a bidirectional physical interface to the free and open-source VCV Rack software Eurorack synthesizer.It uses both an 8×8 NeoTrellis with Feather M4 and a NeoTrellis M4 to interact with a 64 step trigger sequencer module from Trowasoft and some MIDI mapping modules […]
Guid: https://blog.adafruit.com/?p=517116
Source: John Park
Behold this awesomeness! PatchworkBoy has written a set of Arduino sketches to add a bidirectional physical interface to the free and open-source VCV Rack software Eurorack synthesizer.
It uses both an 8×8 NeoTrellis with Feather M4 and a NeoTrellis M4 to interact with a 64 step trigger sequencer module from Trowasoft and some MIDI mapping modules from Stoermelder.
Check out the code and Rack file here. I look forward to trying this out and doing a demo on a livestream soon!
Desc: We, as a society, seem to be unable to let certain things go. Fish singing on walls was a novelty you’d think would dissipate pretty quickly, and yet… YouTuber Kevin Heckart has had a lot of fun hacking together Big Mouth Billy Bass et al with Alexa to harmonize TikTok trends!How it works:Check out more!
Guid: https://blog.adafruit.com/?p=517052
Source: Ben
We, as a society, seem to be unable to let certain things go. Fish singing on walls was a novelty you’d think would dissipate pretty quickly, and yet… YouTuber Kevin Heckart has had a lot of fun hacking together Big Mouth Billy Bass et al with Alexa to harmonize TikTok trends!
Desc: The Adafruit VL53L4CX Time of Flight Sensor is another great Time of Flight distance sensor from ST in the VL5 series of chips. This one is great for long distances – it goes up to 6 meters compared with 4 meter max of the VL53L1X.The Adafruit VL53L4CX guide has everything you need to get started with your time of flight distance […]
Guid: https://blog.adafruit.com/?p=516273
Source: Liz Clark
The Adafruit VL53L4CX Time of Flight Sensor is another great Time of Flight distance sensor from ST in the VL5 series of chips. This one is great for long distances – it goes up to 6 meters compared with 4 meter max of the VL53L1X.
The Adafruit VL53L4CX guide has everything you need to get started with your time of flight distance sensor. There’s an overview, pinouts, Arduino setup and examples and download resources.
Desc: The ESP32 core for Arduino 2.0.3 has been released, based on the ESP-IDF 4.4.1 software development kit.Here is just a sampling of the multitude changes and fixes: Fixes String(float) issue with Stack Smashing by @SuGlider in Fixes String(float) issue with Stack Smashing #6138 Allows user to bypass PSRAM test and boot faster with WROVER by @SuGlider in Allows user to bypass PSRAM […]
Guid: https://blog.adafruit.com/?p=516204
Source: Anne Barela
The ESP32 core for Arduino 2.0.3 has been released, based on the ESP-IDF 4.4.1 software development kit.
Here is just a sampling of the multitude changes and fixes:
Desc: A new guide in the Adafruit Learning System: Working with Multiple Same Address I2C DevicesRunning into coding issues and address conflicts trying to connect several of the same I2C device breakout? This goes into more depth on working with multiple copies of the same I2C device, which most likely have the same I2C address. Getting […]
Running into coding issues and address conflicts trying to connect several of the same I2C device breakout? This goes into more depth on working with multiple copies of the same I2C device, which most likely have the same I2C address. Getting this general configuration working seems to be a common source of confusion. Code examples are provided for both Arduino and CircuitPython.
Desc: Jannik posts about a thermal camera build.It’s time to share my latest project https://github.com/manicken/ThermographicCamera This started with that I wanted to check the house for heat loss, but also be able to check electrical things for pre-failure.The project uses a Teensy 4.0 microcontroller board, a Thermal Camera using MLX90640 and an ST7789(240×240)/ILI9341(320×240+touch) display.The project is […]
Desc: In this video, Bob Clagett of I Like to Make Stuff runs through a project that he wants to develop into a product. The idea is to turn an Arduino-controlled ping-pong table scoring system into something he can take to market.The video touches on the issues you need to consider when developing a product, from […]
Guid: https://blog.adafruit.com/?p=515433
Source: gareth branwyn
In this video, Bob Clagett of I Like to Make Stuff runs through a project that he wants to develop into a product. The idea is to turn an Arduino-controlled ping-pong table scoring system into something he can take to market.
The video touches on the issues you need to consider when developing a product, from initial brainstorming to parts sourcing and related issues, to parts development even to basic packaging considerations.
In the end, there’s still a ways to go before he has a marketable idea, but he’s one step closer. It’s a wash/rinse/repeat process until you have it right.
Desc: In this Andreas Spiess video, he provides an excellent 16-minute tutorial on why GitHub is essential to anyone working in software development and makers doing microcontroller projects.He covers downloading libraries and projects, creating a project Fork, publishing a project on GitHub, and how to create a Pull Request (how you alert others to changes you’ve […]
Guid: https://blog.adafruit.com/?p=514856
Source: gareth branwyn
In this Andreas Spiess video, he provides an excellent 16-minute tutorial on why GitHub is essential to anyone working in software development and makers doing microcontroller projects.
He covers downloading libraries and projects, creating a project Fork, publishing a project on GitHub, and how to create a Pull Request (how you alert others to changes you’ve pushed to the branch of a GitHub repository), among other things.
Desc: The transputer chips designed in the early 1980s were and still are odd beasts. It has hardware support for processes (hence OS in hardware, well, sort of), and its assembly language is such a pain that Occam is a much better way to program it. It’s a language that is close to the hardware and […]
Guid: https://blog.adafruit.com/?p=514860
Source: Anne Barela
The transputer chips designed in the early 1980s were and still are odd beasts. It has hardware support for processes (hence OS in hardware, well, sort of), and its assembly language is such a pain that Occam is a much better way to program it. It’s a language that is close to the hardware and allows parallel processing to be built in at a basic level. They have four fast (for the time) 10mbps (20mbps later) links that are used to communicate between devices and other systems.
The only real downside is that the chips were expensive, so they never really made it into common usage in embedded applications. Quite a few parallel processing systems using transputers were made, though.
The Black Rock Blog looks into interfacing and emulating Transputers using the RP2040 chip on the Raspberry Pi Pico:
While I was looking at the RP2040, it suddenly occurred to me that the four links on a transputer could be implemented using the eight PIO state machine son an RP2040. Each state machine handles data in one direction, leaving the processor(s) free for other work. What other work? Well, how about running an emulator of a transputer on the core? That would give you a hardware emulation of a transputer.
Desc: EncoderTool is a software library to manage and read out rotary encoders with Teensy ARM boards. It has an MIT license.Key features Supports directly connected and multiplexed encoders Supports all common types of encoders, i.e., full (no detents, 4 counts per period), half (two detents and two counts per period) and quarter (1 detent and one count per period) and some […]
Guid: https://blog.adafruit.com/?p=514865
Source: Anne Barela
EncoderTool is a software library to manage and read out rotary encoders with Teensy ARM boards. It has an MIT license.
Key features
Supports directly connected and multiplexed encoders
Supports all common types of encoders, i.e., full (no detents, 4 counts per period), half (two detents and two counts per period) and quarter (1 detent and one count per period) and some variants of those.
A callback mechanism allows for easy event based menu systems. Callbacks use std::function and can call non static member functions.
Fully bounce free without additional hardware
Provides hard and cyclic count limits
Supports and debounces encoder push buttons. Callback for notification of button events available
Currently 74165, 4067 and 4051 based multiplexers are supported but the class structure allows for easy extension to any other multiplexer.
Schematics and Eagle files for multiplexed encoders available in the Extras folder
Desc: edge-ml is an embedded-first machine learning framework that helps developers build models faster and more robustly with an open-source toolchain for embedded machine learning.With a few simple steps edge-ml lets you record data, label samples, train models and deploy validated embedded machine learning directly on the edge. edge-ml requires minimal initialization and supports upload in […]
Guid: https://blog.adafruit.com/?p=514718
Source: Anne Barela
edge-ml is an embedded-first machine learning framework that helps developers build models faster and more robustly with an open-source toolchain for embedded machine learning.
With a few simple steps edge-ml lets you record data, label samples, train models and deploy validated embedded machine learning directly on the edge. edge-ml requires minimal initialization and supports upload in real-time as well as in bulk from the edge.
Pre-recorded data can also be drag-and-dropped as CSV files to the edge-ml cloud storage. Models are generated using AutoML therefore requiring minimal user configuration. The models are optimized for resource-constrained embedded chips based on hardware-aware neural network training.
edge-ml is from the TECO research group, founded in 1993 at the University of Karlsruhe (now KIT – Karlsruhe Institute of Technology) for R&D in applied telematics in close collaboration with industry.
Desc: juergen@e-basteln.de documents making a small paper tape reader. The body is sandwiched PCB with LEDs and photosensors to read the tape. It’s all controlled with an Arduino Pro Micro board.Learn more: Overview, use, and build. All the files needed are on the build page.
Guid: https://blog.adafruit.com/?p=514713
Source: Anne Barela
juergen@e-basteln.de documents making a small paper tape reader. The body is sandwiched PCB with LEDs and photosensors to read the tape. It’s all controlled with an Arduino Pro Micro board.
Learn more: Overview, use, and build. All the files needed are on the build page.
Desc: The Xiaomi Mi Computer Monitor Light Bar provides extra computer lighting without taking desktop space by sitting atop monitors 1.25″ thick and less. It has a wireless remote control for adjusting the light but no automation like more expensive products.Ben Allen has posted on GitHub a proof of concept for automating control of the light […]
Guid: https://blog.adafruit.com/?p=514585
Source: Anne Barela
The Xiaomi Mi Computer Monitor Light Bar provides extra computer lighting without taking desktop space by sitting atop monitors 1.25″ thick and less. It has a wireless remote control for adjusting the light but no automation like more expensive products.
Ben Allen has posted on GitHub a proof of concept for automating control of the light using an Arduino Nano and RF24 module, all under an MIT license.
Desc: Recently, the team at Bob Clagett’s I Like to Make Stuff channel built an amazing gaming table for their conference/gaming room. In this week’s video, Bob and the crew make their own dice towers for playing D&D and other tabletop games.Bob makes a cool clear acrylic tower with Arduino-controlled light effects that are triggered when […]
Guid: https://blog.adafruit.com/?p=514012
Source: gareth branwyn
Recently, the team at Bob Clagett’s I Like to Make Stuff channel built an amazing gaming table for their conference/gaming room. In this week’s video, Bob and the crew make their own dice towers for playing D&D and other tabletop games.
Bob makes a cool clear acrylic tower with Arduino-controlled light effects that are triggered when you toss in the dice.
Desc: Vlado Vince documents a 16 month arc building a clone of the 1984 Yugoslavian 6502-based Orao computer.Orao… was developed around the 6502 CPU by Miroslav Kocijan for PEL Varaždin in 1984. It was designed (and priced!) for use in schools. It was common in elementary schools, mostly in Croatia, through the late 80s. It wasn’t […]
Guid: https://blog.adafruit.com/?p=513572
Source: Anne Barela
Vlado Vince documents a 16 month arc building a clone of the 1984 Yugoslavian 6502-based Orao computer.
Orao… was developed around the 6502 CPU by Miroslav Kocijan for PEL Varaždin in 1984. It was designed (and priced!) for use in schools. It was common in elementary schools, mostly in Croatia, through the late 80s. It wasn’t really common as a home computer. It was pretty expensive, and since it was mainly used in education there wasn’t a lot of software for it.
I’m building an “Orao 2007” clone designed by Josip Perušanec who kindly shared the board files which I used to make mine.
An extensive Twitter thread documents building the Orao, issues with the board file/PCB, parts substitutions, and composite video output.
Vlado also needed to develop a keyboard and interface as the original used a proprietary keyboard and interface. An Arduino was used for key decoding a PS/2 keyboard.
The thread is a fascinating read about history, electronics, and debugging.
Desc: Victor Frost was offered an old Cricut cutting plotter – he realized he could use its parts to create the camera slider he’d been planning to build. The plotter’s X stage, controlled by a stepper motor, was ideal for moving a camera platform back and forth. Victor wanted to build the entire thing in a […]
Guid: https://blog.adafruit.com/?p=513378
Source: Anne Barela
Victor Frost was offered an old Cricut cutting plotter – he realized he could use its parts to create the camera slider he’d been planning to build. The plotter’s X stage, controlled by a stepper motor, was ideal for moving a camera platform back and forth. Victor wanted to build the entire thing in a “freehand” way, without making a detailed design or purchasing any new parts.
The design uses an Arduino with an Adafruit Motor Shield to interface with the motors.
Desc: The ADXL345 breakout board, now with STEMMA QT, is a triple-axis accelerometer with digital I2C and SPI interface.The ADXL345 Breakout guide has been updated to include the STEMMA QT version of the board. There is now a Pinouts page, new wiring diagrams, and new downloads resources.Check out the full guide: Analog Devices ADXL345 Breakout!
Guid: https://blog.adafruit.com/?p=513097
Source: Liz Clark
The ADXL345 breakout board, now with STEMMA QT, is a triple-axis accelerometer with digital I2C and SPI interface.
The ADXL345 Breakout guide has been updated to include the STEMMA QT version of the board. There is now a Pinouts page, new wiring diagrams, and new downloads resources.
Desc: Getting touchy performance with your touch screen? Resistive touch screens are incredibly popular as overlays to TFT and LCD displays. If your microcontroller doesn’t have analog inputs, or maybe you want just a way more elegant controller, the TSC2007 is a nice way to solve that problem.The Adafruit TSC2007 guide has everything you need to […]
Guid: https://blog.adafruit.com/?p=513091
Source: Liz Clark
Getting touchy performance with your touch screen? Resistive touch screens are incredibly popular as overlays to TFT and LCD displays. If your microcontroller doesn’t have analog inputs, or maybe you want just a way more elegant controller, the TSC2007 is a nice way to solve that problem.
The Adafruit TSC2007 guide has everything you need to get started with your resistive touch screen controller. There’s an overview, pinouts, CircuitPython and Python set up and examples, Arduino set up and examples, and download resources.
Desc: Get up and running (tapping, free-falling, whatever!) in no time with this quality 3-axis accelerometer.The ADXL345 breakout board, now with STEMMA QT, has a wide sensitivity range and high resolution, operating with an 10 or 13-bit internal ADC. Built-in motion detection features make tap, double-tap, activity, inactivity, and free-fall detection trivial.The Analog Devices ADXL343 Breakout […]
Guid: https://blog.adafruit.com/?p=511675
Source: Liz Clark
Get up and running (tapping, free-falling, whatever!) in no time with this quality 3-axis accelerometer.
The ADXL345 breakout board, now with STEMMA QT, has a wide sensitivity range and high resolution, operating with an 10 or 13-bit internal ADC. Built-in motion detection features make tap, double-tap, activity, inactivity, and free-fall detection trivial.
The Analog Devices ADXL343 Breakout guide has been updated to include the STEMMA QT version of the board. There is now a Pinouts page, new wiring diagrams, and new downloads resources.
Desc: The Adafruit VL53L4CD Time of Flight Sensor is another great Time of Flight distance sensor from ST in the VL5 series of chips, this one is great for shorter distances.The Adafruit VL53L4CD guide has everything you need to get started with your new time of flight sensor. There’s an overview, pinouts, CircuitPython and Python set up and examples, Arduino […]
Guid: https://blog.adafruit.com/?p=511628
Source: Liz Clark
The Adafruit VL53L4CD Time of Flight Sensor is another great Time of Flight distance sensor from ST in the VL5 series of chips, this one is great for shorter distances.
The Adafruit VL53L4CD guide has everything you need to get started with your new time of flight sensor. There’s an overview, pinouts, CircuitPython and Python set up and examples, Arduino set up and examples, and download resources.
Desc: We’ve gotten a lot of requests for a MCP23017 breakout and we’ve always sorta been like “ehh why not just use the DIP chip?” but with STEMMA QT we could see the use case for a plug and play version that comes with all the passives on board. This Adafruit MCP23017 I2C GPIO Expander Breakout has 16 […]
Guid: https://blog.adafruit.com/?p=511625
Source: Liz Clark
We’ve gotten a lot of requests for a MCP23017 breakout and we’ve always sorta been like “ehh why not just use the DIP chip?” but with STEMMA QT we could see the use case for a plug and play version that comes with all the passives on board. This Adafruit MCP23017 I2C GPIO Expander Breakout has 16 GPIO with matching ground pad.
The Adafruit MCP23017 I2C GPIO Expander guide has everything you need to get started with your new GPIO expander. There’s an overview, pinouts, CircuitPython and Python set up and examples, Arduino set up and examples, and download resources.
Desc: On the Adafruit Forums, user BobaJFET shares a very handy method for generating graphics for displays:There may be code similar somewhere but this really really, made things easier for me with getting pixel graphics onto my displays. This python script allows you to draw any graphic you want using the fill tool on Microsoft excel. […]
Guid: https://blog.adafruit.com/?p=511615
Source: Anne Barela
On the Adafruit Forums, user BobaJFET shares a very handy method for generating graphics for displays:
There may be code similar somewhere but this really really, made things easier for me with getting pixel graphics onto my displays. This python script allows you to draw any graphic you want using the fill tool on Microsoft excel. It will then output the drawPixel() functions for you to paste into the arduino IDE. Avoids having to hard-code the graphics using the line, pixel and circle graphics primitives. Right now this code is set up for monochrome displays, like the OLED’s offered on here (Adafruit).
Working on a version that supports color and NeoPixels displays as well. More instructions in the git. Hope this helps!
Desc: Hey rocket man (burnin’ out your fuse out there alone) ever wonder how fast you’re rocketing? The Adafruit ADXL375 High G Accelerometer is an epic +-200g 3-axis accelerometer may be able to tell the answer.The Adafruit ADXL375 guide has everything you need to get started with your new accelerometer. There’s an overview, pinouts, CircuitPython and […]
Guid: https://blog.adafruit.com/?p=510994
Source: Kattni
Hey rocket man (burnin’ out your fuse out there alone) ever wonder how fast you’re rocketing? The Adafruit ADXL375 High G Accelerometer is an epic +-200g 3-axis accelerometer may be able to tell the answer.
The Adafruit ADXL375 guide has everything you need to get started with your new accelerometer. There’s an overview, pinouts, CircuitPython and Python set up and examples, Arduino set up and examples, and download resources.
Desc: The Cave Pearl Project has continued development of a ‘lite’ version of a data logger with the lowest possible cost and assembly time. The latest version is now ready for release with data download & control managed through the Arduino IDE’s serial monitor window.With just three core components as our starting point, the only hardware […]
Guid: https://blog.adafruit.com/?p=510923
Source: Anne Barela
The Cave Pearl Project has continued development of a ‘lite’ version of a data logger with the lowest possible cost and assembly time. The latest version is now ready for release with data download & control managed through the Arduino IDE’s serial monitor window.
With just three core components as our starting point, the only hardware option was to remove the SD card. Groundwork for this change was already in place with our use of an EEprom to buffer data so that high-drain SD saves only occurred once per day. Getting rid of power hungry cards also opened up the possibility of running the entire unit from the coin cell on the RTC.
An 8Mhz Pro Mini continues as the heart of our loggers because the 328p is still the easiest low-power option for projects that aren’t computationally demanding. These clone boards usually sleep below 1µA with the BOD turned off, but it’s worth noting there are some with fake Atmel chips that won’t go below 150µA. Cheaper boards usually ship with ceramic regulator caps but that just makes them more resilient if you accidentally connect power the wrong way.
Desc: The CANFD Library for Adafruit Feather M4 CAN handles Controller Area Network with Flexible Data (CANFD) for CAN0 and CAN1.The board contains a CANFD transceiver for CAN1 and the CANH / CANL signals are exposed. For CAN0, TxCAN is D12 and RxCAN is D13.The library is fully compatible with the MCP2517FD, MCP2518FD CAN Controllers ACAN2517FD library […]
Guid: https://blog.adafruit.com/?p=510316
Source: Anne Barela
The CANFD Library for Adafruit Feather M4 CAN handles Controller Area Network with Flexible Data (CANFD) for CAN0 and CAN1.
The board contains a CANFD transceiver for CAN1 and the CANH / CANL signals are exposed. For CAN0, TxCAN is D12 and RxCAN is D13.
The library is fully compatible with the MCP2517FD, MCP2518FD CAN Controllers ACAN2517FD library https://github.com/pierremolinaro/acan2517FD, it uses a very similar API and the same CANFDMessage class for handling messages.
The driver supports many bit rates, as standard 62.5 kbit/s, 125 kbit/s, 250 kbit/s, 500 kbit/s, and 1 Mbit/s. An efficient CAN bit timing calculator finds settings for them, but also for exotic bit rates as 833 kbit/s. If the wished bit rate cannot be achieved, the begin method does not configure the hardware and returns an error code.
See more including code and documentation in the GitHub repo.
Desc: MicroFlow allows one to export and run TensorFlow models on Arduino microcontrollers.Currently, tflite-micro can only run on high memory boards like the Nano 33 BLE. I wanted to make it possible to run TensorFlow models on boards even with low amounts of memory and make the process as simple as possible while still making it […]
Guid: https://blog.adafruit.com/?p=510255
Source: Anne Barela
MicroFlow allows one to export and run TensorFlow models on Arduino microcontrollers.
Currently, tflite-micro can only run on high memory boards like the Nano 33 BLE. I wanted to make it possible to run TensorFlow models on boards even with low amounts of memory and make the process as simple as possible while still making it useful and efficient.
If eventually they do manage to make it possible to run tflite on low memory boards like the Uno then this library will become obsolete. Also, I wanted to brush up on linear algebra.
Train the model using TensorFlow on whatever system you like. You can refer to the training examples for sin and XOR here I will be using the XOR model for demonstration purposes. Currently only Multi-Layer Perceptrons (MLPs) are supported (Dense layers in keras).
Desc: Scott Yu-Jan has a laptop problem. They overheat, are underpowered and are unreliable. The solution? He cobbles together a Mac Mini with an iPad. Fun to watch the design process come together!See more on YouTube!
Guid: https://blog.adafruit.com/?p=509747
Source: Ben
Scott Yu-Jan has a laptop problem. They overheat, are underpowered and are unreliable. The solution? He cobbles together a Mac Mini with an iPad. Fun to watch the design process come together!
Desc: Sebastian Staacks has built a dynamically assignable macro keyboard with an e-ink screen. It is a device that pretends to be a regular keyboard, but the meaning of each button changes depending on which application you currently try to control.It has eight buttons, a large dial and a display, and it is plugged into a […]
Guid: https://blog.adafruit.com/?p=509528
Source: Anne Barela
Sebastian Staacks has built a dynamically assignable macro keyboard with an e-ink screen. It is a device that pretends to be a regular keyboard, but the meaning of each button changes depending on which application you currently try to control.
It has eight buttons, a large dial and a display, and it is plugged into a PC via USB. There it registers as a regular keyboard and sends individual key events or sequences of keypresses if the buttons are pushed. So, it is a macro keyboard – a keyboard to send macros.
Desc: POV Library is an Arduino library for Persistence of Vision (POV) projects. It’s by shurik179 at Island Robotics under an open MIT License. This library is for creating Persistence of Vision displays using NeoPixel (WS2812B) or DotStar (APA102) individually addressable LED strips. For smooth effects, DotStars are strongly preferred, as they have much higher refresh […]
Guid: https://blog.adafruit.com/?p=509377
Source: Anne Barela
POV Library is an Arduino library for Persistence of Vision (POV) projects. It’s by shurik179 at Island Robotics under an open MIT License.
This library is for creating Persistence of Vision displays using NeoPixel (WS2812B) or DotStar (APA102) individually addressable LED strips. For smooth effects, DotStars are strongly preferred, as they have much higher refresh rates.
The library is intended for use with boards that contain flash memory chips. It supports two modes:
Upload mode. In this mode, the board, when connected to a computer via USB, appears as an external USB drive, allowing the user to upload images in bitmap format. One can also upload a text file with list of images and durations. Note: it is expected that you have already created the FAT filesystem on your flash memory, using SdFat_format example sketch from Sd_Fat library (Adafruit fork)
Show mode. In this mode, the board reads the image(s) from the flash memory and shows them on the LED strip one line at a time. Normally, the LED strip would be mounted on a rotating staff/wand/fan blade which would create persistence of vision illusion.
Supported boards
The library uses Adafruit_TinyUSB library; thus, it can only be used with boards supported by this library, such as M4 and RP2040-based boards. Full list can be found at https://github.com/adafruit/Adafruit_TinyUSB_Arduino
We recommend Adafruit Itsy Bitsy RP2040 board as a great and inexpensive option.
Desc: Do you remember the classic DEC VT100 video terminal? A mainstay of minicomputers last century. Part of their flexibility was that besides displaying ASCII characters, one could send it “control sequences” to do various functions, making it rather smart in comparison to earlier “dumb” terminals.The VT100 Console Library is an Arduino based VT100 comparable serial […]
Guid: https://blog.adafruit.com/?p=508328
Source: Anne Barela
Do you remember the classic DEC VT100 video terminal? A mainstay of minicomputers last century. Part of their flexibility was that besides displaying ASCII characters, one could send it “control sequences” to do various functions, making it rather smart in comparison to earlier “dumb” terminals.
The VT100 Console Library is an Arduino based VT100 comparable serial console library by Mehmet Günce Akkoyun.
Virtual terminal sequences are control character sequences that can control cursor movement, color/font mode, and other operations when written to the output stream. Sequences may also be received on the input stream in response to an output stream query information sequence or as an encoding of user input when the appropriate mode is set.
Desc: via CroCro on instructablesEver had the problem with going away for a while and having to have someone come over and take care of those thirsty plants of yours? This automatic, date and time based plant watering system will take care of the problem for you, watering your plants for a desired amount of time […]
Ever had the problem with going away for a while and having to have someone come over and take care of those thirsty plants of yours? This automatic, date and time based plant watering system will take care of the problem for you, watering your plants for a desired amount of time once a day. Pump can also be switched on and off manually, using IR remote. It also features an LCD screen which displays the time and date, as well as the day of the week. This system can easily be modified to switch on something else than a pump in a timely manner.
Desc: GitHub/YouTube user lambtor has created a working Star Trek: The Next Generation tricorder.The project is centered on an Adafruit Feather nRF52840 Sense microcontroller which provides Bluetooth, accelerometer, magnetometer, proximity/light/color/gesture sensor, microphone, humidity and temperature/barometric sensor/altitude sensors.The tricorder uses a color display and various colored LEDs and buttons to provide a user interface in the Star […]
Guid: https://blog.adafruit.com/?p=507958
Source: Anne Barela
GitHub/YouTube user lambtor has created a working Star Trek: The Next Generation tricorder.
The project is centered on an Adafruit Feather nRF52840 Sense microcontroller which provides Bluetooth, accelerometer, magnetometer, proximity/light/color/gesture sensor, microphone, humidity and temperature/barometric sensor/altitude sensors.
The case is 3D printed (files on prusaprinters) and custom stickers were designed. Sounds is via a dedicated Adafruit sound board and are similar to those used on Star Trek. The project is coded in Arduino.
Desc: In this James Bruton video, he attempts to build a robotic arm that uses a single motor, ball gears, and worm gears to create all of the robot’s motion.In this first video in the series, James works out the gear box mechanics.
Guid: https://blog.adafruit.com/?p=507123
Source: gareth branwyn
In this James Bruton video, he attempts to build a robotic arm that uses a single motor, ball gears, and worm gears to create all of the robot’s motion.
In this first video in the series, James works out the gear box mechanics.
Desc: Peter Varga creates an Arduino simulator (with true and full simulation capabilities) built for iOS, built in Swift and adapted for the Swift Playgrounds app.Check out more here.
Guid: https://blog.adafruit.com/?p=506687
Source: Trevor
Peter Varga creates an Arduino simulator (with true and full simulation capabilities) built for iOS, built in Swift and adapted for the Swift Playgrounds app.
Desc: In a new study, published in PLOS ONE, scientists from Queen Mary University of London show that their lab-in-a-backpack approach is as effective as commercially available Covid-19 tests at detecting SARS-CoV-2.The compact kit is relatively inexpensive to make, costing $51 in total. It could offer an alternative testing solution for resource-poor countries or remote areas […]
Guid: https://blog.adafruit.com/?p=505769
Source: Anne Barela
In a new study, published in PLOS ONE, scientists from Queen Mary University of London show that their lab-in-a-backpack approach is as effective as commercially available Covid-19 tests at detecting SARS-CoV-2.
The compact kit is relatively inexpensive to make, costing $51 in total. It could offer an alternative testing solution for resource-poor countries or remote areas with little access to well-equipped testing labs or trained personnel to process samples.
The testing kit is based on a simple, non-invasive Covid-19 LAMP test and uses low-cost hardware, including a centrifuge made from recycled computer hard drives to process samples.
The LAMP test is a widely accepted alternative to the commonly used PCR test, has a similar sensitivity but unlike the PCR test does not require temperature cycling, only a single high temperature to amplify any potential virus RNA. This allows the test to be performed with only minimal equipment and reagents. Because the LAMP test uses saliva samples, it also avoids the need for invasive, uncomfortable nasal swabs. However, the high costs of commercially available LAMP tests, as well as the expensive lab equipment required to run them, means that current commercial approaches aren’t suitable for remote locations, or in-home testing.
According to the researchers, next steps will include making the kit instructions even more understandable so that people can use them regardless of their experience or language, as well as validating the kit with real patient samples. Professor Stoyan Smoukov, Professor of Chemical Engineering at Queen Mary University of London, said:
“We are excited for the potential of this mobile lab to do Covid-19 tests and the possibility to democratize access to inexpensive testing technology. It is made possible by our philosophy of creating low-cost instruments whenever possible from advances in electronics, or existing instruments.
“Reuse is a high value option for energy and materials sustainability, and we are glad that rather than exporting electronics waste to developing countries, we can export ways to empower people and turn waste computer hard drives into a centrifuge. The Covid-19 test is a timely application, but we also believe with this CentriDrive kit people could perform a large array of routine blood and urine tests, providing a centrifuge away from central hospital facilities.”
Desc: Spencer tackles reverse engineering the 1988 NeXT keyboard protocol:Steve Jobs’ NeXT computer company made a keyboard in 1988. With no prior electronics experience, I tried to get it to work over USB. To do so, I had to go way deeper than I ever expected – all the way back over 100 years to broadcast […]
Guid: https://blog.adafruit.com/?p=505589
Source: Anne Barela
Spencer tackles reverse engineering the 1988 NeXT keyboard protocol:
Steve Jobs’ NeXT computer company made a keyboard in 1988. With no prior electronics experience, I tried to get it to work over USB. To do so, I had to go way deeper than I ever expected – all the way back over 100 years to broadcast radio standards from the 1920s. I learned tons and tons, and had a lot of fun.
Happily, other people have worked to get these old NeXT non-ADB keyboards to work over USB. There’s a quite thorough tutorial on Adafruit, complete with code.
I eagerly installed the tutorial’s software and… nothing really worked quite right. Keys sometimes worked, but sometimes didn’t. The “A” key worked great, but if I pressed “X” or “C” then I would never get any signals again until I unplugged it and replugged it. Something was wrong.
Spencer found an article from someone named Drak who seemed to have similar doubts about the timing, and who noted that the time interval might be as high as 54 microseconds.
And then Spencer found that the open source TMK keyboard firmware has an implementation for non-ADB NeXT keyboards, with an intriguing comment attached:
/* The keyboard sends signal with 50us pulse width on OUT line * while it seems to miss the 50us pulse on In line. * next_kbd_set_leds() often fails to sync LED status with 50us * but it works well with 51us(+1us) on TMK converter(ATMega32u2) at least. * TODO: test on Teensy and Pro Micro configuration */
Some detailed examination found:
The signal looks like it really is two 9-bit messages, separated by a 1-pulse-width boundary.
The pulses were extremely consistently 52.74 +/- 0.02 microseconds wide.
When I told my Arduino to sleep for 51 microseconds, it was generally sleeping for either 56.2 or 61.3 microseconds. That seemed to easily be bad enough to cause lots of problems.
Inside is a 455KHz oscillator and 455 kHz / 24 = 18,958 hertz, leading to the conclusion:
The NeXT non-ADB keyboards have a pulse width of 52.74 microseconds, because they send data every 24 ticks of a 455 kHz clock.
Desc: Stop slouching and unclench your jaw!via Norbert Zare on instructablesMost of the posture corrector devices aren’t fun so I built a posture corrector robot 😉Read more.
Desc: What a fun, great-looking project from Rebecca Deprey up on Hackster.io.Over the past year, I’ve been working on cross-stitch projects in the evenings as a way to relax. I recently came across the Arduino LilyPad and was curious about using conductive thread to sew a circuit. So, I decided to use one to add LEDs […]
Over the past year, I’ve been working on cross-stitch projects in the evenings as a way to relax. I recently came across the Arduino LilyPad and was curious about using conductive thread to sew a circuit. So, I decided to use one to add LEDs to a cross-stitch project. I thought it would be a nice touch for this circuit board pattern and am happy with the finished project.
Desc: This neat safe incorporates our Rugged Panel Mount Fingerprint Sensor with Bi-Color LED Ring – R503 in this super secure safe.via adimiller on instructablesThis project is based on a previous one I published, where I took an old safe and replaced its control board with an ESP8266 D1 Mini to make it into a modern […]
This project is based on a previous one I published, where I took an old safe and replaced its control board with an ESP8266 D1 Mini to make it into a modern OTP safe.
This time, I’m adding a Fingerprint sensor to allow for a second method to unlock the safe, including a way to enroll new fingerprints.
The plan is to have the fingerprint sensor work in parallel to the keypad, meaning that one can open the safe using the keypad’s OTP or using the fingerprint.
Desc: having converted MFM pulses to sectors, you may be surprised to know its only a couple lines of code to have a microcontroller access the disk and underlying file structure. we use SdFat library, an SD card interface library that is really good, and subclass it to provide new functions for reading (and later, writing) […]
Guid: https://blog.adafruit.com/?p=504295
Source: phillip torrone
having converted MFM pulses to sectors, you may be surprised to know its only a couple lines of code to have a microcontroller access the disk and underlying file structure. we use SdFat library, an SD card interface library that is really good, and subclass it to provide new functions for reading (and later, writing) sectors. then you can just treat the drive like a very small SD card. why does this work? turns out SD cards are pretty much the same as extremely large floppy drives: blocks of data are 512 bytes each, and both are formatted with the same kind of filesystem structure called FAT that was invented in 1977 for floppies but persists to this day. SdFat supports a particularly early and compact version called FAT12 and even does long filenames. now our arduino programs can access files on floppy drives with ease! – video.
