A lot can go wrong when building an Arduino project, whether it’s your wiring, or your code, or your software settings. In this video, Becky Stern shares her troubleshooting process and walks through some of the most common errors.
Full article on DigiKey’s Maker.io – Arduino Errors and Troubleshooting
Today we’re building an LED kaleidoscope. This 3D-printed project comes together with no glue or fasteners and contains wireless LEDs to create fun patterns. The inductive power coil lives in the base.
I didn’t design this kaleidoscope – My friend Debra Ansell from Geek Mom Projects did. You can check out her tutorial to see more information about this project, access the files to make your own, or browse Debra’s other projects. You can also follow her on social media @geekmomprojects.
(more…)Once you’re comfortable using and modifying built-in examples, the next step in your Arduino journey is to make a working prototype of your own idea. In this video, Becky Stern walks through her process for designing and building an original project using Arduino.
Full article on DigiKey’s Maker.io – Your First Arduino Project
Learn how to read and work with code libraries – the Arduino community’s biggest superpower. Becky Stern explains how to use libraries of pre-written Arduino code to control LEDs, write to displays, create sounds, and more, including editing that code to create your own programs.
Full article on DigiKey’s Maker.io – Arduino Code Libraries
Becky Stern shows you how to use digital and analog inputs when building Arduino circuits, including controlling LEDs using pushbuttons and potentiometers.
Full article on DigiKey’s Maker.io – Arduino Input/Output
This year I pulled This Old Tony‘s name for Makers Secret Santa. I was inspired by Tony’s love of benders and bending, and built him a toy from my childhood in the shape of a letter T. It’s got a magnetic spinning device that rides along the wire, and these little bends provide a turnaround point so you can, with practice, get the spinner to move continuously along the track.
(more…)Learn to build simple circuits for light and sound without the need for any code or programming. Becky Stern shows you how to hook up some LEDs to a battery pack, and also a simple circuit for playing audio.
Full article on DigiKey’s Maker.io – Simple Light and Sound Circuits
Soldering is the process of bonding separate metal objects together with a low-melting-point alloy. When done properly, this creates a secure electrical connection. It’s not as hard as it may seem, and Becky Stern will show you everything you need to know. The main idea is to heat up both things being soldered and allow the solder to flow between them. When heated properly, the solder will wick to the surfaces, and the solder will look shiny and form concave shapes between components.
Full article on DigiKey’s Maker.io – How To Solder
Learn how LEDs work and how to pick the best ones for your projects. Light Emitting Diodes are electronic components that give off light when electrical current flows through them. They only light up when hooked up one way, so Becky Stern will show how to test the polarity of LEDs with a coin cell battery. Learn about the different types of RGB and addressable LEDs, and get ready to create your own basic LED circuits.
Full article on DigiKey’s Maker.io – LED Basics
Here’s how I made a custom replacement circuit board for a PS4 controller. I had been hanging onto a few broken controllers, hoping to turn them into something new. I thought that if I connected to all the switches, I could repurpose the controller.
Inside, there’s a circuit board that hosts the joysticks, a few switches, and the brains of the operation, but most of the buttons are wired up through a membrane keypad. The connector on the circuit board is a rectangular cutout with small pads that line up with the membrane’s contacts. So this is what makes a custom PCB necessary for this project– there just isn’t another way to connect to all those membrane keypad switches.
So I got to scheming a breakout board– a circuit that would have the required membrane interface, but then wire it to headers I can wire out to the rest of my circuit. I started by drawing a circuit diagram with the joysticks and the 19 membrane contacts each connected to its own header pin.
This project is sponsored by Digi-Key, where you can pick up supplies and tools for your own custom electronics. Check out this project on their maker.io site.
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