Homemade bubble machine complete with variable speed bubble wand, variable speed fan. PID loop controlled heaters to heat the air to give the bubbles more lift.
Parts:
- 150W PC power supply
- Fan: NIDEC BetaV M# 35291-35 2.3A
- EZ HEat 300W band heater 1.5”
- PID controller REX-C100
- 12 Volt gear motor from Tokyo Micro
- Fotek Solid State Relay SSR-25DA

This demo connects two TI LaunchPad devices together using MQTT. I have every intention to add other devices to the mix like Arduino, Netduino, RaspBerry Pi, and BeagleBone in the future.

The Simple Wi-Fi HC-21 module is a meager $10-$15 bucks on ebay right now. It is a simple Wi-Fi serial port server or virtual serial port. This means it is self contained and will handle all the overhead of negotiating a Wi-Fi connection and communication leaving more room for your application in the Arduino.

error: expected unqualified-id before numeric constant
This Arduino IDE error blew my mind for a while, come to find out it can be caused from syntax errors. look for a missing semi colon or accidental text at the top of your sketch.
The Error
Thermostat1:1: error: expected unqualified-id before numeric constant
In file included from Thermostat1.ino:9: Read More…

Arduino Mini BMO
BMO from Comedy Central’s Adventure Time is adorable, if only someone would make one that can walk! Atleast we can make one with a personality. Here is a build using easy to get parts including Arduino Pro Mini, Nokia 3310 LCD screen, audio playback, accelerometers, and distance sensors. Read More…

X10 Lighting and appliance modules are cheap on Ebay, I wanted to control them with my HMI (ScadaBR) so I put a X10 and Modbus library together in an Arduino to turn on and off the modules.

Thermistors And Your Microcontroller
A thermistor is a simple temperature component, basically it is a variable resistor that the resistance changes in it depending on the temperature. Such a simple device needs a few more components and scaling in the microcontroller to give the desired C or F temperature reading.
PLC/RTU
A Programmable Logic Controller, PLC or Programmable Controller is a digital computer used for automation of electromechanical processes, such as control of machinery on factory assembly lines, amusement rides, or light fixtures. PLCs are used in many industries and machines. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Programmable_logic_controller
HMI
A HMI (Human Machine Interface) is the system by which people can interact with a machine. The user interface includes hardware (physical) and software (logical) components.

Here are some 3D printer accessories and modifications I couldn’t live without.