todbot blog » Page 2

BlinkM Cylon mkII

May 292011

For Maker Faire this year I made a second version of my BlinkM Cylon: BlinkM Cylon mkII. This is not a very cost-effective way of getting a Cylon effect. It however is a good way of showing how to wire up multiple BlinkMs with a long cable, using our new WireM cabling kit for BlinkM. And unlike normal Cylon circuits, this has full RGB color effects and gradual fading.

Here’s a quick video showing it in action.

BlinkM Cylon mkII consists of:
- 13 BlinkMs (one for each of the tribes of Kobol)
- one WireM cabling kit for BlinkM, consisting of IDC connectors and ribbon cable
- an Arduino
- two 4.7k resistors
- a single push-button
- 9VDC wall wart to power it all.
- laser cut acrylic enclosure

Below are all the files needed to recreate your own BlinkM Cylon. Click any of the images for larger versions.

NFC & RFID on Android, my Where2.0 2011 talk

hardware-hacking, ubicomp 1 Response »

Apr 212011

I was invited to be a speaker at O’Reilly Where 2.0 Conference. It’s a conference mostly about mapping technologies, location-based services, and interesting new location-aware mobile apps.

I spoke about RFID and NFC, in the context of the release of the new NFC-capable Android phone, the Google Nexus S. Having an RFID reader in a phone could cause a big change in how we interact with the world around us. I talked about what RFID and NFC technologies are, how they work, some examples of them in the world and on Android, and how to add NFC capabilities to your Android app. And if the rumors of the new iPhone 5 are true, we’ll soon be awash in NFC applications.

My slides with notes: nfc_rfid_on_android_todekurt_where20.pdf (4.5MB PDF)

And here it is in slideshare:

NFC & RFID on Android

View more presentations from todbotdotcom

BlinkM Smart LED as the Smallest Arduino

arduino, blinkm 34 Responses »

Mar 222011

Did you know you can run Arduino programs on tiny BlinkM Smart LEDs? It might make BlinkM the smallest Arduino so far. To use a BlinkM as an Arduino, all you need is the free Arduino software, a low-cost AVR programmer, some wire, and a BlinkM.

Here’s a quick video showing how it all works.

Using FreeM with BlinkM MaxM

blinkm, thingm 3 Responses »

Mar 152011

While FreeM is mostly designed to work with BlinkMs and MinMs, it can be made to work with MaxMs. FreeM cannot supply the power that MaxMs need (250mA and FreeM can only supply up to 100mA), but there are other ways. One way to do it is to power the FreeM from the MaxM’s built-in 5V power supply.

To do this, get a MaxM, a FreeM, a small scrap of wire, and a 12VDC power supply.

Remove the “pwrsel” jumper and wrap the small piece of wire around all three pins of the “pwrsel” jumper. Then plug the FreeM into the bottom of the MaxM and plug in the 12VDC power supply to the MaxM.

The MaxM will power the FreeM and the FreeM will control the MaxM.

You can also now control other LED clusters like flexible RGB LED tape.

BlinkM Battery Pack HowTo

blinkm, thingm 6 Responses »

Feb 252011

Make a long-lasting, rechargeable battery pack for your BlinkM MaxM, BlinkM, or BlinkM MinM using just pliers, no soldering!

BlinkMs are perfect for portable, stand-alone uses. There are many ways to hook a BlinkM to battery sources. Here’s one way that works for all BlinkMs.

BlinkM Battery Pack: Step 1: Get all the parts together

Parts are:

- BlinkM MaxM, BlinkM, or BlinkM MinM

- 4xAA battery holder with switch, like this Jameco one or Mouser one

- 4xAA NiMH batteries (not alkaline!)

- 2×8 IDC crimp connector (FCI 71600-308LF), from Digikey 609-3570-ND or Mouser 649-71600-308LF

Tools you’ll need:
- pliers with wide jaws to crimp
- cutters to trim excess wire

WiFi for Arduino with Asus WL-520gu

arduino, hardware-hacking, ubicomp 65 Responses »

Dec 162010

I love Arduino but its lack of wireless bugs me. And it sucks that WiFi Shields for the Arduino cost as much a cell phone. I want something cheap. Turns out, small, cheap WiFi routers like the Asus WL-520gu can run the DD-WRT Linux firmware and act as serial-to-network gateway for Arduinos (or most any other USB device). Here’s how to do it.

(Hey, is this a Wifi-controlled BlinkM? I think it is.)

A quick video showing a router acting as a serial-to-network gateway:

This is not that new of a concept, hacking Linux onto a router for some neat DIY purpose. One of my favorite past hacks is MightyOhm’s WiFi Radio project. And of course, see my own book Hacking Roomba for an example of how to put a Roomba on the Net.

This post is specifically about trying to make a DD-WRT router a transparent gateway for an Arduino.

The steps are:

Install DD-WRT Firmware
Configure Router to be WiFi Client
Do Some Tests
Install USB Serial Drivers
Install Serial-to-Network Proxy

ReflashBlinkM: Update your BlinkM’s firmware

arduino, blinkm, hardware-hacking, thingm 2 Responses »

Nov 192010

All BlinkM-family devices can have their firmware updated. This makes them great for tiny development boards for ATtiny processors. ReflashBlinkM is an application that makes it easy to put back the original firmware or update a BlinkM to the latest firmware.

Previously you needed an AVR ISP programmer like the AVRISPmkII or the USBtinyISP. Thanks to the ArduinoISP sketch that ships with Arduino, if you have already have an Arduino, you can easily reflash your BlinkM with new firmware.

The ReflashBlinkM application is a tool for Mac OS X and Windows that uses ArduinoISP to help you reflash BlinkMs to their default firmware.

This is what it looks like:

Here’s one way of hooking up a BlinkM to an ArduinoISP:

And here’s a video of a BlinkM MinM being reflashed:

For full instructions, see the ReflashBlinkM page in the blinkm-projects Google code site.

Older Entries Newer Entries