There are many reasons to learn the art of soldering, if you don’t already solder. Whether to take a project from breadboard prototype to a completed project… saving money by buying a kit instead of a pre-assembled… harvesting parts from old/broken electronics… modifying existing consumer electronics… the reasons go on and on!
BUT learning to solder can be intimidating… especially if you’re learning on your own or don’t have someone to consult with.
Luckily, the fine people at Curious Inventor have put together a great resource for soldering and solder reference. They also have a great video tutorial, which you can view below.
Be sure to check out the Curious Inventor Solder Guide for pics, reference and hints!
Looks like Ben Fry and Casey Reas the creators of Processing, were recently interviewed on FLOSS Weekly! This is a nice intro into the world of Processing! If you’re looking for ways to extend your *duino projects, communicate with a PC or just have some creative fun, Processing could be for you!
Be sure to head over to the FLOSS Weekly site and listen to this interview!
Looks like the folks over at Libelium are conducting a contest revolving around the Arduino! The contest is called “Hacking Life: II Arduino Contest” and the deadline is April 15th.
The instructions are fairly simple!
Think about the coolest thing you have ever done with Arduino. How can you make your daily life easier and funnier with Arduino?
Create an account.
Show us your hack: record a video and write a tutorial/howto as much complete as possible.
And the prizes aren’t too shabby!!
1st: GPS, GPRS, SD and solar modules for Arduino
2nd: GPS, SD and SD and solar modules for Arduino
3rd: GPS and SD modules for Arduino
Looks like they’re giving out a discount coupon to the Libelium Store just for entering the contest. So there’s plenty of incentive to take a project and join the contest!
Be sure to visit the contest page over at Libelium for more info and fine print.
For several years, I have been a user of various smart-phones of different makes and models. Once I used my first smart-phone, I was truly hooked by the “life style”. Soon, I was left with little desire to return to a “normal” phone that “just made calls”. I am always finding new applications that remind me a smart-phone is more like a small computer that is capable of making phone calls, than just a fancy phone.
When I entered the world of the *duinos, I remember the question “Can I hook up my Arduino to my phone?” entering somewhere in the back of my mind. There it sat, in the deep recesses of the mind…. until recently.
Ideally, I would like the ability to plug in or sync an Arduino and run the Arduino IDE on a mobile phone. I have little desire to replace my computer and keyboard for a phone as my main environment. Although, I would like the ability to use the phone as a “field unit”. Perhaps using it to edit, tweak, or update versions of a sketch without the need of a PC or laptop.
I have no idea if this is at all possible… but in the course of searching the internet for answers I have found some interesting projects with *duino’s and mobile phones!
Here is an example of a BT Arduino communicating with a mobile phone over Blue-Tooth. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cgZiBl7Uzdo
This example is neat, but… the blue-tooth Arduino can be pricey and I’m really looking for a way to physical connect the arduino over USB… so we keep searching…
This example has serial output from an Arduino being displayed on an iPod Touch or iPhone. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mEM-VHZTqhk
This example caught my eye and interest! (Possibly due to the nature of owning an iPhone…) So, I decided to poke around and see if I could find more info on the process. Most of what I found was in Japanese or broken links.
