Having read about the ESP8266 NTP clock in previous issues of Nuts & Volts, an idea came to mind to construct an interface camera using the ESP8266. In this project, we used an old Android phone as a camera source and linked to an ESP8266 based webserver. The phone acts as a camera server and the ESP8266 web server acts as a client to the camera server. The webserver displays the live webcam on its web page.
The “magic” of Proportional Integral Derivative (PID) process control can be mystifying. In this article, we’ll step you through using an Arduino in a hands-on exercise using a solid-state relay to control a 1,500 watt hotplate in a real world solution to a tricky problem: automating a vegetable canning process.
Here’s a quick beginner-friendly tutorial that shows you how to interface and read data with the popular serial protocol, I2C. In particular, we’ll be reading data from the NXP MPL3115A2 altimeter/barometer/temperature sensor. The principles found here can also be applied generically, even to your ambifacient lunar wane shaft positioning sensor of your turboencabulator.
A tennis ball suspended from the ceiling at just the right spot is the classic solution, but with more than one person using the garage — possibly driving different cars or just backing in — that just wouldn’t cut it. Here's a high tech solution for the high tech hobbyist.
An open garage door is an invitation for thieves and vandals. And don’t forget the mischief birds, cats, raccoons, and other animals can cause in your garage. No problem! This handy device will close it automatically for you.
This alternative energy project is two-fold. First, convert a two-cycle engine to run on pressure (air/steam). Then, create a control system to optimize engine performance. This project is very easily reproduced by any experimenter with average mechanical skills; the controller is an easy breadboard; and — best of all — it’s cheap and green!
The goal of this series is to introduce you to the world of control electronics. Practical examples will be presented and the math will be kept to an absolute minimum. This is not to say that the math is not important. Quite the opposite — control systems may be modeled and analyzed mathematically. The mathematics is nothing short of amazing and I would encourage you to peruse it.
