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Youtube

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assembly video for assembly guidance. Electronics shown below are sold separately. Want to control the Bogie with your phone? Checkout this tutorial that shows you how!

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Arduino Team -

High-end robotic systems are still out of the price range of most individuals, and even many research labs. Smartphones, however, with an astonishing array of computing power, sensors, and networking capabilities, are commonplace and becoming more powerful every day. To leverage these abilities, Intel researchers Matthias Müller and Vladlen Koltun have come up with OpenBot, which uses an Android smartphone as the brains, and otherwise costs about $50 to construct.

The OpenBot software stack consists of a custom Android app, along with code for an Arduino Nano that connects to the phone over USB serial. The mobile device takes care of higher level processing, while the Nano handles lower level tasks, such as motor control.

So far the OpenBot design has been able to follow a human and navigate autonomously. As experimentation, plus phone technology progresses, it could potentially do even more in the future!

This work aims to address two key challenges in robotics: accessibility and scalability. Smartphones are ubiquitous and are becoming more powerful by the year. We have developed a combination of hardware and software that turns smartphones into robots. The resulting robots are inexpensive but capable. Our experiments have shown that a $50 robot body powered by a smartphone is capable of person following and real-time autonomous navigation. We hope that the presented work will open new opportunities for education and large-scale learning via thousands of low-cost robots deployed around the world.

Smartphones point to many possibilities for robotics that we have not yet exploited. For example, smartphones also provide a microphone, speaker, and screen, which are not commonly found on existing navigation robots. These may enable research and applications at the confluence of human-robot interaction and natural language processing. We also expect the basic ideas presented in this work to extend to other forms of robot embodiment, such as manipulators, aerial vehicles, and watercraft.

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OpenBot leverages smartphones as brains for low-cost robots

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High-end robotic systems are still out of the price range of most individuals, and even many research labs. Smartphones, however, with an astonishing array of computing power, sensors, and networking capabilities, are commonplace and becoming more powerful every day. To leverage these abilities, Int

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Arduino Team -

La Toulouse Robot Race is an annual racing event held in Toulouse, France, which includes a 10-meter autonomous sprint for multi-legged robots. The current record for quadrupeds is 42 seconds, so Sebastian Coddington decided to construct a robot in hopes of taking the category at the next race in January 2021.

His " GorillaBot" quadruped features limbs made from two-servo five-bar linkage systems, controlled using an Arduino Nano. In autonomous mode, the robot stays on course thanks to a magnetometer; however, if it does lose its way, an on-board ultrasonic sensor helps to keep it from crashing.

Apart from electronics and fasteners, the inexpensive build is completely 3D-printable, and assembly directions with some videos are available in the project write-up. From the demo clip below, the GorillaBot looks like it will be quite a competitor, and perhaps Coddington will even be able to enhance the design before the event!

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GorillaBot, an eight-servo racing quadruped

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La Toulouse Robot Race is an annual racing event held in Toulouse, France, which includes a 10-meter autonomous sprint for multi-legged robots. The current record for quadrupeds is 42 seconds, so Sebastian Coddington decided to construct a robot in hopes of taking the category at the next race in Ja

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Step 1: Components and Tools Required

Components Required :
1. TP4056 Charger ( Amazon / Banggood )

2. Boost Converter ( Amazon / Banggood )

3. USB Boost Converter ( Amazon / Banggood )

4. LEDs ( Amazon / Banggood )

5. DC Jack- Female ( Amazon / Banggood )

6. DC Jack-Male ( Amazon / Banggood )

7. Rocker Switch ( Amazon / Banggood )

8. 18650 Battery ( Banggood )

9. 18650 Battery Holder ( Amazon / Banggood )

10. 24 AWG Wires ( Amazon / Banggood )

11. Heat Shrink Tube ( Amazon / Banggood )

12. PLA Filament-Silver ( GearBest)

13. PLA Filament-Red ( GearBest)
Tools Used :
1.Soldering Iron ( Amazon )

2. Hot Glue Gun ( Amazon )

3. Wire Cutter ( Amazon )

4. Wire Stripper ( Amazon )

5. PCB Vise ( Amazon )

6. 3D Printer ( Amazon / Banggood )

7. Hot Air Gun ( Amazon / Banggood )

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Step 2: How the Circuit Work?

The working of the circuit is very simple, in normal condition, power from the mains is drawn by a USB charger to charge the 18650 battery and to provide power to the router. When the mains power fails, the stored energy in the battery is used to power up the router.

In the schematic diagram, the 18650 battery is connected to a TP4056 charging module. The output of the TP4056 module is connected to the two boost converter modules: one to power the Router (12V) and another to USB Socket (5V) for smartphone charging. The output voltage of the boost converter (SX1308 module ) can be set by twisting the trimpot on the PCB board. In my case, I have set it to 12V. If your router is running at 9V, then set it to 9V. The output from the boost converter (SX1308) is connected to the external 5.5mm DC jack via an SPST switch.
Disclaimer: Please note that you are working on Li Ion battery which is potentially very hazardous. I cannot be held responsible for any loss of property, damage, or loss of life if it comes to that. This tutorial is written for those who have ample knowledge on rechargeable lithium ion technology.Please do not attempt this if you are novice. Stay Safe.

Step 3: Selecting the Battery

First, check the specs of your router/modem, you can get all the information on the specification sticker.

My router input power is 12V and 0.5 A. So, the power requirement for the router is 12 x 0.5 = 6W

I was considered a backup time for 30 minutes. So Watt Hour Required is = 6 x 0.5 = 3Wh

The 18650 Battery nominal voltage is 3.7V

Required Capacity = 3 Wh / 3.7V = 0.810Ah = 810mAh

The same battery also used for charging my smartphone. Let I need to charge my phone up to 35-40% for emergency use only. My Smartphone (One Plus 6) battery is rated for 3300mAh.

The final capacity required is = 810 + 3300 x0.4 = 2130 mAh

By taking the losses in the converter into consideration, I have chosen a 3400mAh Panasonic battery for this mini UPS.

Step 4: Remove the Onboard Status LEDs

The charging status of the 18650 battery is indicated by two LEDs on the TP4056 module. My objective is that the led should be visible to the outside of the enclosure. So I desoldered the onboard LEDs and soldered two 5mm LEDs ( Red and Green ).

Take fine tip soldering iron, and carefully remove the LEDs from the board by taking the help of tweezers.

I have highlighted it in the pictures shown above.

Note: Be careful during the desoldering, otherwise you will damage the soldering pads on the PCB.

Step 5: Solder the Charging Status LEDs

I used 5mm red and green LEDs to indicate the charging status of the battery.

First I trim the legs of the LEDs as shown in the figure. The longer leg designated as the positive terminal.

Then solder 24AWG hookup wires to the LED legs. For solid connection and protection to the soldering joint, apply heat shrink tube on it.

At last, solder the LED terminal wires to the soldering pads of the onboard LEDs on the TP4056 module. The pads which are towards the TP4056 chip is negative terminals.

Step 6: Connect the 18650 Battery Holder

First, apply a small amount of solder to the B+ and B- soldering pads on the TP4056 module.

Then solder the red wire of the battery holder to the B+ and black wire to the B- terminal of the TP4056 module.

Step 7: Connect the Boost Converters

Similar to the previous step, apply a small amount of solder to the Out+ and Out- terminal of TP4056 module.

Then solder the wire from the Boost converters to the TP4056 Module as shown in the schematic.
SX1308 Module:
VIN+ connects to Out+

GND connects to Out-
USB Boost Converter:
VIN+ connects to Out+

VIN- connects to Out-

You can see the above image for better understanding.

Step 8: Prepare the DC Jack and Switch

Solder wires to the terminal of the SPST switch and DC Jack.

The smaller leg of the DC jack is the positive terminal.

At this stage don't connect the DC jack and switch to the Boost Converter module, it will be done after installing them into the 3D printed enclosure.

Step 9: Prepare the DC Output Jack

Now you have to prepare the adapter to connect the UPS output to the router input. First check the specification of your router to confirm the size of the jack ( Sleeve size ) and the tip polarity. Your router will have a small diagram indicating the polarity expected by it; care should be taken to adhere to this, as an improper power supply may damage the device.

In my case the size of the jack is 5.5mm and the tip polarity is positive. According to the size, order two male DC Jack. Then solder red wire to the tip (smaller one ) and black wire to the sleeve.

.

Step 10: 3D Printed Enclosure

To give a nice commercial product look, I designed an enclosure for this project. I used Autodesk Fusion 360 to design the enclosure.

The enclosure has two parts:

1. Main Body

2. Cover Lid

The Main Body is basically designed to fit all the components including battery. The Cover lid is to cover up the main body opening.

I used my Creality CR-10S printer and 1.75 mm Grey and Red PLA filaments to print the parts. It took me about 5 hours to print the main body and around 1 hour to print the top lid.
My settings are:
Print Speed: 60 mm/s

Layer Height: 0.2mm ( 0.3 also works well)

Fill Density: 25%

Extruder Temperature: 200 deg C

Bed Temp: 60 deg C

Download the STL files from Thingiverse

Step 11: Installing the Components

Insert the components ( TP4056, Boost Converters, LEDs, Rocker Switch, and DC Jack) on the Main Body slots as shown in the picture.

At last, insert the 18650 battery inside the battery holder. Make sure you have to insert with the right polarity. The polarity is marked in the battery holder.

Finally, place the top lid and secure the 4 screws at the corners.

Step 12: Testing and Conclusion

Plug in the UPS to standard micro USB mobile charger (5v/1A). During the charging process, the red LED will be ON and when the charge finished it will be turned off and the green LED will be switched ON.

Now connect the Mini-UPS the to router by using the adapter cable prepared in the earlier step. The router LEDs should lit up.

To test the USB port, I plugged in my smartphone, and checked the charging process by using Ampere app.

Thanks for reading my Instructable.
If you like my project, don't forget to share it. Comments and feedback are always welcome.

This project is entered in to Pocket-Sized Contest, please vote for me.

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DIY Mini UPS for WiFi Router / Modem: In my locality, frequent load shading is a very common problem during the summer evening. I am really tired of this problem. I always wanted to have a mini UPS system which can power up my WiFi-Router/Modem for internet purposes and also charge my...

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Introduction: Custom Embossed Notebooks Using 3D Prints

This is a very simple, yet very effective process of embossing using 3D prints. You can put a logo, or a name, picture, anything you want. These custom embossed notebooks make great gifts!

Step 1: Watch the Video!

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Step 2: Gather Your Tools.

For this Instructables you will need:

3D printer

Some type of CAD software (123D, Fusion 360, TinkerCAD...)

A large vise or press

Small scrap wood

Glue gun

Notebook or Sketchbook you want to emboss the design onto.

Step 6: Install in the Vise

You want to open the notebook to the cover you want to emboss. Carefully align the pieces of wood in the vise with the notebook and position the 3D print so it is in the correct location. Its probably not going to be perfectly aligned, but thats okay it will still look cool! Especially since you're making it yourself.

Step 8: Done!

Remove from the vise and check out your work. The first one might not be great(mine wasn't) but the second will always be better. If you take your time aligning everything, you should have a now custom embossed notebook.

These make great gifts for the holidays!

Step 9: Support These Projects!

If you enjoy these projects, I strongly suggest you subscribe to my YouTube Channel(Click here!) - I have many different types of projects and there will definitely be others you will like.
Also if you think you can spare it, considering becoming a patron on Patreon. The support of my patrons strongly influences the amount of projects I am able to create. They're the best! I also try to give back to them as much as possible! Check out my Patreon Here.

Teacher Notes

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Custom Embossed Notebooks Using 3D Prints

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This is a very simple, yet very effective process of embossing using 3D prints. You can put a logo, or a name, picture, anything you want. These custom embossed notebooks make great gifts! Step 1: Watch the Video! Be the First to Share For this Instructables you will need: 3D printer Some type of CAD software (123D, Fusion 360, TinkerCAD...)

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Step 1: Cut Out My Template and Trace Onto Cardboard

Print out the template that i made, cut them out with your scissors and trace the shapes onto the cardboard sheet. cut out all the cardboard parts with your hobby knife and only light cut the lines where you will need to fold the cardboard. Make sure you don't go all the way trough :-).

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Step 2: Print or Hand Draw the Windows

print out the windows on to the semi translucent paper or any other paper you had in mind. Regular paper will work as well but it reduces the amount of light going trough, quite a lot. you could use also thin plastic sheets like the stuff you find in ordners to keep paper documents in :). In that case you can trace the drawing onto the plastic by hand. After finishing the windows you can insert them into the pyramid shape.

Up next is finishing the sides of the bottom of the wayfinder with the small elements.

Step 3: Green Light

use your marker to color the leds of your light source. Also color the plastic cap that will be mounted on top of the hole in the wayeinder's base. This plastic cap will extra color the light and make it much more diffuse. It will spread the led light better to the windows.

Step 4: Finish Up and Make the Wayfinder Float

Use your glue gun to finish up the wayfinder. A little extra effect could be achieved by sticking white paper onto the bottom of the base. use little pieces of cardboard to make the wayfinder float. The white paper will reflect a bit of the light and peeks underneath the wayfinder :-)

Step 5: Ready to Enjoy!

You are ready! Time to find the way to Exogol ;-)

Step 6: Template :-) A4 Sized

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DIY Starwars Sith Wayfinder : Hello! :) In this tutorial i show you how to make a simple Starwars Sith Wayfinder to find planet Exogol. The materials you need are pretty basic. Here's my list :-):Materialscardboard sheetprinted templatesemi translucent paper or something else ...

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Simple HOT GLUE Crystal Sculpture With Light! :-)

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Simple HOT GLUE Crystal Sculpture With Light! :-): This small tutorial shows you how to make a cool crystal from Hotglue sticks! In combination with a LED light source laying around the house, you can create a nice eye catcher in the dark :).

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"Hopper" is a 3D printed hopping mechanism. Using two springs and a "mass" (the battery, motor, motor holder, switch, gears, axle and cams), the mechanism first compresses the springs then releases them to propel the mass upward to an abrupt stop causing Hopper to hop.

Modeled after windup and battery powered hopping toys from my much, much earlier years, Hopper was designed to demonstrate the difference between potential energy (energy stored in the springs via the battery, motor, motor holder, switch, gears, axle and cams) and kinetic energy (energy released from the springs and the resulting velocity of the battery, motor, motor holder, switch, gears, axle and cams), while entertaining the grandkids as well!

And to see what people far more talented than I can accomplish with a mechanism such as this, Robothut (www.robothut.robotnut.com) has expanded on this model to create this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9OZc_bePKI. This gentleman has an amazing collection of electro-mechanical robots and a beautiful talent for restoration of antique toys. Please visit his site and give him a thumbs up, his talents are truly outstanding!

And as usual, I probably forgot a file or two or who knows what else, so if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask as I do make plenty of mistakes.

Designed using Autodesk Fusion 360, sliced using Cura 4.3.0, and printed in PLA on an Ultimaker 3 Extended and an Ultimaker S5.

One final note, I receive no compensation in any form whatsoever for the design, equipment, parts and/or materials used in this model.

Supplies:

I used the following supplies in assembling Hopper:

Wire

Solder

Thick cyanoacrylate glue.

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Step 1: Parts.

I acquired the following parts for Hopper:

One 3.7vdc 100ma Lithium Battery (https://www.adafruit.com/product/1570).

One JST PH 2-Pin Cable (https://www.adafruit.com/product/3814).

One N20 6VDC 100RPM gear motor.

One micro switch (Uxcell a12013100ux0116 High Knob 3P 2 Position 1P2T SPDT Vertical Slide Switch, 0.5 Amp, 50V DC, 50 Piece, 3 mm).

Two springs (32mm length, .5mm section, 8mm OD, from a local hardware store).

You will also need a suitable battery charger.

I 3D printed one each of the following parts for Hopper at .15mm layer height, 50% infill with no supports:

Axle, Gear (10, 2).stl

Base.stl

Feet.stl

Gear (10, 2).stl

Gear, Crown, Axle.stl

Gear, Crown, Motor.stl

Leg.stl

Prior to assembly, test fit and trim, file, sand, etc. all parts as necessary for smooth movement of moving surfaces, and tight fit for non moving surfaces. Depending on you printer, your printer settings and the colors you chose, more or less trimming, filing and/or sanding may be required. Carefully file all edges that contacted the build plate to make absolutely certain that all build plate "ooze" is removed and that all edges are smooth. I used small jewelers files and plenty of patience to perform this step.

Attachments
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Step 2: Wire the Motor, Switch and JST Connector.

To wire the motor, switch and JST connector, I performed the following steps:

Cut the wires on the JST connector to 40mm in length, then stripped and tinned the ends.

Soldered the black wire from the JST connector to the motor "-" terminal.

Soldered the red wire from the JST connector to one of the outside switch terminals.

Soldered a red wire from the motor "+" terminal to the center switch terminal.

After wiring, I connected the battery to the JST connector, turned the switch on, and verified that the motor shaft rotated clockwise as viewed from the motor shaft end of the motor (if not, reverse the motor wiring). I then turned the switch off and disconnected the battery.

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Step 3: Assemble Hopper.

To assemble Hopper, I performed the following steps:

Pressed the motor assembly into "Base.stl" such that 3mm of the axle is above the motor gear plate.

Pressed the switch into the base assembly on the large axle hole side.

Slid the battery into the base assembly and secured in place with double sided tape.

Pressed "Gear, Crown, Motor.stl" onto the motor shaft.

Positioned "Gear, Crown, Axle.stl" centered over the small axle hole, slid "Axle, Gear (10, 2).stl" into the large axle hole, pressed the axle through the axle crown gear, and out the small axle hole.

Pressed "Gear (10, 2).stl" onto the axle such that the tooth aligned with the tooth on the axle gear.

Slid "Leg.stl" into the base assembly such that the leg teeth faced the gear and axle gear teeth.

Placed the springs onto the leg.

Pressed "Feet.stl" onto the leg until the feet contacted the springs, then glued the feet to the leg using small dots of cyanoacrylate glue.

Connected the battery to the JST connector, turned the switch on, and Hopper hopped!

If your Hopper lacks traction on smooth surfaces, glue small strips of 120 grit sandpaper or apply small felt pads to the underside of the feet. Stick on rubber feet will create too much bounce causing stability issues (I wonder how I figured that out?).

And that is how I 3D printed and assembled "Hopper".

I hope you enjoyed it!

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Hopper.: "Hopper" is a 3D printed hopping mechanism. Using two springs and a "mass" (the battery, motor, motor holder, switch, gears, axle and cams), the mechanism first compresses the springs then releases them to propel the mass upward to an abrupt stop...

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Introduction: "No Fall" Toy Mechanism

Reminiscent of the battery and windup powered "no fall" toys of my childhood, I designed this "No Fall Toy Mechanism" to illustrate how the battery and windup powered "no fall" toys I was gifted over fifty years ago avoided falling off the edge of a tabletop, countertop, or other elevated surface, without the use of micro controllers, servos and / or electronic sensors.

While designing my version of this mechanism using the computational features of Autodesk Fusion 360 for balance (e.g. "Center of Mass") and a scientific calculator for geometry, I was truly amazed by the skills and talents of the mechanical engineers who designed mechanisms such as this using drafting machines and slide rules over half a century ago.

In the demonstration video, I let the mechanism loose on an 8 1/2" by 11" (the size of "standard" notebook paper) by 1/2" thick piece of untreated MDF. As can be seen in the video, using only electro mechanical techniques, when the mechanism approaches the edge of the MDF the conical front wheels allow the front yoke to pivot thus lowering the chassis front to the point where the rotation gear contacts the MDF surface. When this occurs, the mechanism rotates clockwise (as viewed from the top), steers away from the MDF edge, then continues on a new path to the next edge.

As usual, I probably forgot a file or two or who knows what else, so if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask as I do make plenty of mistakes.

One final note, I receive no compensation in any form whatsoever for the design, equipment, parts and/or materials used in this mechanism.

Designed using Autodesk Fusion 360, sliced using Cura 4.4.0, and printed in PLA on an Ultimaker 3 Extended and an Ultimaker S5.

Supplies:

Supplies I used in this mechanism include:

Solder.

Double sided tape.

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Step 1: Parts.

I acquired the following parts for this mechanism:

One 3.7vdc 100ma Lithium Battery (https://www.adafruit.com/product/1570).

One JST PH 2-Pin Cable (https://www.adafruit.com/product/3814).

One N20 6VDC 150RPM gear motor (on line).

Three R19 O-Rings (23.5mm I.D., 3.5mm section, local hardware store).

You will also need a suitable battery charger.

I 3D printed the following parts in PLA at .15mm layer height with 20% infill and no supports:

Two "Axle, Wheel, Front.stl".

One "Axle, Wheel, Right Rear.stl".

One "Axle, Wheel, Rotate.stl".

One "Axle, Yoke.stl".

One "Gear, Crown, Axle (1.5m12t).stl".

One "Gear, Motor (2.2m10t).stl".

Two "Wheel, Front.stl".

One "Wheel, Left Rear.stl".

One "Wheel, Right Rear.stl".

One "Wheel, Rotate (1.5m12t).stl".

One "Yoke.stl".

Prior to assembly, test fit and trim, file, drill, sand, etc. all parts as necessary for smooth movement of moving surfaces, and tight fit for non moving surfaces. Depending on you printer, your printer settings and the colors you chose, more or less trimming, filing, drilling and/or sanding may be required. Carefully file all edges that contacted the build plate to make absolutely certain that all build plate "ooze" is removed and that all edges are smooth. I used small jewelers files and plenty of patience to perform this step.

This mechanism also uses threaded assembly, so I used a tap and die set (6mm by 1) for thread cleaning.

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Step 2: Assembly.

To assemble the mechanism, I performed the following steps:

Slipped an o-ring onto "Wheel, Left Rear.stl", "Wheel, Right Rear.stl" and "Wheel, Rotate (1.5m12t).stl".

Positioned the rotate wheel assembly in "Chassis.stl" then secured in place with "Axle, Wheel, Rotate.stl" making sure it rotated freely.

Soldered the JST connector to the motor such that with power applied, the motor rotates clockwise when viewed from the motor shaft end.

Pressed the motor assembly into the motor housing in the chassis assembly such that the motor was flush with the motor housing left end.

Pressed "Gear, Motor (2.2m10t).stl" onto the motor shaft.

Positioned "Gear, Crown, Axle (1.5m12t).stl" in the base assembly then secured in place by press fitting "Wheel, Left Rear.stl" into the gear, then carefully aligned the motor gear with the wheel gear.

Secured "Wheel, Right Rear.stl" onto the chassis assembly using "Axle, Wheel, Right Rear.stl".

Secured one "Wheel, Front.stl" to "Yoke.stl" using one "Axle, Wheel, Front.stl", then repeated the process with the remaining front wheel and axle.

Secured the yoke assembly to the front of the chassis assembly using "Axle, Yoke.stl".

Secured the LiPo battery to the chassis using double sided tape.

To test the mechanism, I placed it on an 8 1/2" by 11" by 1/2" thick piece of MDF, connected the battery to the motor, and off it went!

And that's how I 3D printed and assembled "No Fall" Toy Mechanism.

I hope you enjoy it!

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"No Fall" Toy Mechanism: Reminiscent of the battery and windup powered "no fall" toys of my childhood, I designed this "No Fall Toy Mechanism" to illustrate how the battery and windup powered "no fall" toys I was gifted over fifty years ago avoided falling off the edge of...

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We're creating a light up Gingerbread house, where when you touch the chimney top, the house will light up inside.

This project is a really fun intro to circuitry, and intended to demo, including both a little bit of basic circuit making and a little bit of laser cutting & assembly.

Supplies:

3 Volt Coin Battery (CR2032)

LED.. Color of your choosing

2N2222 NPN Transistor

14 inches of copper Tape

Glue & Tape

Birch Plywood, or other 1/8 inch laserable material.
(You could cut this out with out a laser cutter, out of particle board, or plywood)

Some Supply Links:
Battery: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01FMWDTDU/ref=p...

Transistor: https://www.amazon.com/Hilitchi-675-Piece-2N2222-S...

Copper Tape: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07FLX2594/ref=p...

Step 1: Create Your House

I drew a house in Illustrator, starting with some with basic dimensions.

General Layout
I wanted the width of the base box to be about 3 inches square, and the depth to be about 4 inches
(I went with 3 & 7/8 for symmetry reasons).

With a 45 degree roof.

These decisions allowed me to design my basic pieces.

Building it Out:

Taking the depth of the wood in to account
Because I was going to be cutting this from 1/8 inch plywood. I then added & subtracted tabs 1/8 of an inch deep, so I had places where I could slot and glue the pieces together.

Creating a Circuit Board
I wanted to be able to draw out the circuit, so I could see how the circuit was supposed to be functioning, and identify what symbols belonged to which pieces.

*** Please NOTE: A .svg file, for the basic template & circuit board can be found at the bottom of this instructables step ***

Embellishing
The house was going to need some windows for the light to shine through... so I played with that a bit, and changed up the roof line a bit.

Cut it on the Laser
The laser at the FCC MakerSpace
cuts: red lines
vector engraves: blue lines
engraves: black and white.

Cut it again, when you realize you goofed on something, or had another BRILLIANT idea! You can find the basic template below in an .svg file.

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Step 2: Glue SOME Bits of the Together

You'll want to glue up some of the bits of your house together. But NOT ALL of them, so you have access to the inside of your house, to put in the electronics.

I glued:

The house walls to each other

The house roof separately

The house chimney separately

Step 3: Understanding What We're About to Build

We're trying to build a circuit, that will allow us to turn on an LED light with our finger.

Simple Circuit
A really simple circuit, where we connect the battery to the LED, then back to the battery, will keep the LED light on all the time, until the battery runs out of electricity.

Simple Circuit with a Switch
So we want to include a switch, to help us turn it on and off. A really simple switch would be just to have a small piece of wire, or copper tape that we take in and out. When we put the wire in, the circuit would be complete, and the LED would turn on. Take it out the wire, the LED would turn OFF.

Using a Transistor
A transistor, is a special kind of switch. It sort of creates 2 circuits, with a "traffic monitor". I imagine a little police officer with white gloves blowing a whistle. In the transistor were using (NPN) the traffic monitor says, " IF there is current on the first circuit, THEN close the second circuit, so the current can flow and turn on the LED. OTHERWISE just top all traffic."

This specific transistor, can detect a low amount of current on the first circuit, so when our finger completes it, (which will not nearly as much electricity as would flow through as a wire), it will be enough to alert the traffic monitor, and that will allow current to flow through the second circuit, turning on the LED.

Step 4: Your LED & Your Battery

An LED is polarized, that means it will only work if the electricity is running through it in the correct direction.
* Note: this is why you see them connected to battery packs a lot. In order for them to connect to an outlet, they need a rectifier to change the flow of electricity from AC (Alternating Current ... going back and forth) to DC (Direct Current) flowing steadily in one direction.
- The long end of the LED is the (+) side, and the short end is the (-) side.
- On your coin battery the outer edge, and one face is the positive (+) side, and the inside face is the negative (-) side.

Touch the (+) side of your LED, to the (+) side of the battery & the (-) side of your LED to the (-) side of the battery. Your LED should light up! If it doesn't light up, you either have it turned the wrong way, or one of your parts is broken. Can you figure out which?
* You don't get shocked buy touching a small 3V coin battery, because their isn't enough voltage and amperage to hurt you.

Step 5: Creating the Circuit & Board

Build Your Circuit Board:
We're using the copper tape, and the wooden pieces to build a really simple circuit board.

Make the Board: Slot the central chimney piece in to the wooden base. (I put a little extra tape on the back of mine to keep them together nice and snug. But you could also glue them together.)
Building the Circuit:.

1. Use the copper tape to create a connection from the battery, up to the top of the chimney. You'll want to make sure the tape is folded down along the inside of the battery hole, so it makes a connection with the positive side of the battery.

2. Use another piece of tape to make a connection from the top of the chimney to what will be the base pin of the transistor. Make sure these 2 pieces of tape don't touch or overlap.

3. Then use a small piece of copper tape to create a connection from what will be the emitter side pin of your transistor, to the (+) pin on your LED.

4. Finally add your coin battery (+) side down, with the wall of the battery touching the tape.

Step 6: Add Your Components

On the Second Board We're going to add our LED, and transistor. So when this is placed on top of our "circuit board" the pins, from the LED, and transistor will touch the correct wires.
The LED
Place the LED pins through, and bend them flat to the board, but it's OK if they spring back a little, that will help them make contact with the copper tape, and battery. Insure you have put the LED pins in, in such a way that the positive (+) side touches the copper tape leading back to the positive side of the battery. And where the negative (-) side of the LED will actually touch the negative (-) side of the coin battery.

The Transistor

The Transistor, also expects a particular polarity, so we will want to line it up right. The middle pin, (called the Base) will go to the part of our circuit that we will close with our finger. The Collector pin, goes on the part of our circuit attached to the (+) power source. The Emitter pin, connects to the part of the circuit that leads to our LED.

Step 7: Assembling the Circuit Board and Components

Once all the components are in place,slide that board down over top of your circuit board.

* I found a little tape helped keep the boards in contact so pins stayed in contact with the copper wire.

IF your LED doesn't light up at this step, check your connections, and the polarity of your components. Only change/check one thing at a time, this will help you trouble shoot the problem. If you have some spare copper tape, this may help you check things as well.

Step 8: Finishing the House

Place your assembly in the house (Test it again to insure nothing has wiggled loose... and because it's fun)

Finish building your house!

*I found some tin foil on the inside of the roof brightened it up a bit.

Step 9: Food for Thought

What would you do to make it cooler? Better?
How could you add more light?
Have you noticed some people light it up brighter than others? I wonder why?
What would you need to add more LED's? Should they be added in series or in parallel?
Could there be LED's on the roof?

Share Your Creations!! I would so love to see them.

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Light Up Gingerbread House: We're creating a light up Gingerbread house, where when you touch the chimney top, the house will light up inside. This project is a really fun intro to circuitry, and intended to demo, including both a little bit of basic circuit making and a lit...

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Fifty plus years ago I received a toy car for Christmas that had one electric motor powered by two D cell batteries. While the electric motor drove the rear wheels to propel the car forward, the car also included a unique steering system using a gear driven rotating "cam" which steered the car in a geometric path. The car came with a variety of cams, and by changing the cam, the car would travel a different path.

The car has long since disappeared and I could not locate another, so in today's world of micro controller and servo / stepper motor driven vehicles, I thought I would recreate my decades old electric motor driven / cam steered toy car in 3D printed form entitled "Robotic Cam Steered Vehicle" for the kids, grandkids, and of course, me!

As usual, I probably forgot a file or two or who knows what else, so if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask as I do make plenty of mistakes.

Designed using Autodesk Fusion 360, sliced using Cura 4.4.0, and printed in PLA on an Ultimaker 3 Extended and an Ultimaker S5.

One final note, I receive no compensation in any form whatsoever for the design, equipment, parts and/or materials used in this model.

Supplies:

I used the following supplies in assembling this model:

Wire

Solder

Thick cyanoacrylate glue.

Double sided tape.

Step 1: Parts.

I acquired the following parts for this model:

One 3.7vdc 100ma Lithium Battery (https://www.adafruit.com/product/1570).

One JST PH 2-Pin Cable (https://www.adafruit.com/product/3814).

One N20 6VDC 150RPM gear motor.

One micro switch (Uxcell a12013100ux0116 High Knob 3P 2 Position 1P2T SPDT Vertical Slide Switch, 0.5 Amp, 50V DC, 50 Piece, 3 mm).

One extension spring (6.35 OD, 22.2 length, .5mm section, local hardware store).

Four O-Rings (30mm ID, 3.5mm section, local hardware store).

You will also need a suitable battery charger.

I 3D printed the following parts for this model:

One "Axle, Cam.stl", .15mm layer height, 20% infill, no supports.

One "Axle, Gear, Worm.stl", .15mm layer height, 20% infill, no supports.

One "Bellcrank, Left.stl", .15mm layer height, 20% infill, no supports.

One "Bellcrank, Right.stl", .15mm layer height, 20% infill, no supports.

One "Body, SUV.stl", .15mm layer height, 20% infill, PLA supports (this is a long print).

One "Bolt, 3mm Shoulder, Long.stl", .15mm layer height, 50% infill, no supports.

Seven "Bolt, 3mm Shoulder.stl", .15mm layer height, 50% infill, no supports.

Four "Bolt, Wheels.stl", .15mm layer height, 50% infill, no supports.

Two "Bolt.stl", .15mm layer height, 50% infill, no supports.

One "Bumper, Front.stl", .15mm layer height, 20% infill, no supports.

One "Bumper, Rear.stl", .15mm layer height, 20% infill, no supports.

One "Cam, Figure Eights.stl", .15mm layer height, 20% infill, no supports.

One "Cam, Ovals.stl", .15mm layer height, 20% infill, no supports.

One "Cam, S Curves.stl", .15mm layer height, 20% infill, no supports.

One "Cam, Squares.stl", .15mm layer height, 20% infill, no supports.

One "Cam, Triangles.stl", .15mm layer height, 20% infill, no supports.

One "Chassis.stl", .15mm layer height, 20% infill, no supports.

One "Gear, Cam.stl", .15mm layer height, 20% infill, no supports.

One "Gear, Motor.stl", .15mm layer height, 20% infill, no supports.

One "Gear, Worm, Drive.stl", .15mm layer height, 20% infill, no supports.

One "Gear, Worm.stl", .06mm layer height, 20% infill, PVA supports.

One "Mount, Spring.stl", .15mm layer height, 20% infill, no supports.

Two "Rollbar, Support.stl", .15mm layer height, 20% infill, no supports.

One "Rollbar, Upright.stl", .15mm layer height, 20% infill, no supports.

One "Tie Rod.stl", .15mm layer height, 20% infill, no supports.

One "Wheel, Gear.stl", .15mm layer height, 20% infill, no supports.

Three "Wheel.stl", .15mm layer height, 20% infill, no supports.

One "Windshield.stl", .15mm layer height, 20% infill, no supports.

This is a high precision print and assembly using at times very small precision 3D printed parts in very tight spaces. Prior to assembly, test fit and trim, file, sand, etc. all parts as necessary for smooth movement of moving surfaces, and tight fit for non moving surfaces. Depending on you printer, your printer settings and the colors you chose, more or less trimming, filing and/or sanding may be required. Carefully file all edges that contacted the build plate to make absolutely certain that all build plate "ooze" is removed and that all edges are smooth. I used small jewelers files and plenty of patience to perform this step.

The model also uses threaded assembly, so I used a tap and die set (6mm by 1) for thread cleaning.

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Step 2: Wiring and Installing the Motor, Switch and JST Connector.

To wire and install the motor, switch and JST connector, I performed the following steps:

Soldered the JST red wire to the motor "+" terminal.

Soldered the JST black wire to the switch center terminal.

Soldered a black wire from one switch outside terminal to the motor "-" terminal.

Slipped the JST connector and switch through the motor mount then through the outside the rear hole in the cam support ring on "Chassis.stl", then pressed the motor into the motor mount such that 5mm of the motor shaft extended from the outside of the motor mount.

Pressed the switch into the chassis switch hole near the left rear wheel mount such that the switch face was flush with the underside of the chassis, then secured the switch in place with a small dot of thick cyanoacrylate glue.

Step 3: Install the Gears.

To install the gears, I performed the following steps:

Pressed "Gear, Motor.stl" onto the motor shaft until the gear was flush with the motor shaft.

Positioned "Gear, Worm.stl" between the worm gear towers on the chassis assembly and secured in place with "Gear, Worm, Drive.stl" (on the motor gear side) and "Axle, Gear, Worm.stl".

At this point, I secured the battery to the chassis assembly using double sided tape, plugged the battery into the JST connector, then turned on the switch to check for smooth operation of the gears and for a current draw of around 18MA. I then turned off the switch and disconnected the battery from the JST connector.

Step 4: Install the Steering.

To install the steering, I performed the following steps:

Secured "Bellcrank, Right.stl" to the right bell crank tower on the chassis assembly using one "Bolt, 3mm Shoulder.stl".

Secured "Bellcrank, Left.stl" to the left bell crank tower on the chassis assembly using one "Bolt, 3mm Shoulder.stl".

Secured one end of "Tie Rod.stl" to the right bell crank using "Bolt, 3mm Shoulder, Long.stl".

Secured the remaining end of the tie rod to the left bell crank using one "Bolt, 3mm Shoulder.stl".

Slid one end of the extension spring onto one "Bolt, 3mm Shoulder.stl".

Threaded the bolt into "Mount, Spring.stl".

Secured the spring mount assembly to the chassis assembly using one "Bolt.stl".

Slid the free end of the extension spring onto the long 3mm shoulder bolt.

Adjusted the spring mount assembly along the slot such that there was a small amount of pre-load on the spring, just enough to hold the steering assembly in the left position.

Step 5: Install the Tires and Wheels.

To install the tires and wheels, I performed the following steps:

Slipped one O-Ring onto each of the four wheels.

Secured one "Wheel.stl" to the right bell crank using one "Bolt, Wheels.stl".

Secured one "Wheel.stl" to the left bell crank using one "Bolt, Wheels.stl".

Secured one "Wheel.stl" to the right rear wheel mount on the chassis assembly using one "Bolt, Wheels.stl".

Secured "Wheel, Gear.stl" to the left rear wheel mount on the chassis assembly using one "Bolt, Wheels.stl".

Step 6: Install the Cam Gear and a Cam.

To install the cam gear and a cam, I performed the following steps:

Positioned the hexagonal plug on "Cam, Ovals.stl" into the hexagonal socket in "Gear, Cam.stl".

Positioned the cam assembly onto the chassis assembly cam support ring, centered over the threads in the cam mounting tower.

Secured the cam assembly into position using one "Axle, Cam.stl".

At this point the chassis is complete and ready to run!

And that is how I 3D printed and assembled "Robotic Cam Steered Vehicle".

I hope you enjoyed it!

Oh, but there's more...

I operated the chassis for a few days using the various cams to entertain family and friends, and while I enjoyed the model "as is" (I enjoy watching the mechanisms operate), others suggested I needed to add a body. So if you are interested in adding a body, proceed to the final step.

Step 7: Preparing and Attaching the Body.

The body is optional and requires supports to 3D print. At the settings I used on my printer, the print time for "Body, SUV.stl" was around eighteen hours and required 98g (12.45m) of filament. After 3D printing the body components, I performed the following assembly steps to prepare and attach the body:

Glued "Bumper, Front.stl" (flat side down) to the front of "Body, SUV.stl" using small dots of cyanoacrylate glue.

Glued "Bumper, Rear.stl" (flat side down) to the rear of the body assembly using small dots of cyanoacrylate glue.

Pressed "Rollbar, Upright.stl" into the front two holes in the cargo area of the assembly.

Pressed one "Rollbar, Support.stl" into one of the rear holes in the cargo area of the assembly, held it against the rollbar upright, then glued the support the the upright using small dots of cyanoacrylate glue.

Pressed the remaining "Rollbar, Support.stl" into the remaining rear hole in the cargo area of the assembly, held it agains the rollbar upright, then glued the support to the upright using small dots of cyanoacrylate glue.

Secured the rollbar assembly to the body assembly using small dots of cyanoacrylate glue.

Pressed "Windshield.stl" into the holes in the hood of the body assembly and secured in place using small dots of cyanoacrylate glue.

Placed the chassis assembly into the body assembly then threaded one "Bolt.stl" through the rear body mount horn on the chassis assembly and into the rear body mount tower.

Threaded one "Bolt, 3mm Shoulder.stl" through the left front body mount horn in the body assembly and into the left body horn on the chassis (removing the front wheel makes this easier).

Threaded the remaining "Bolt, 3mm Shoulder.stl" through the right front body mount horn in the body assembly and into the right body horn on the chassis (removing the front wheel makes this easier).

And that is how I 3D printed and assembled "Robotic Cam Steered Vehicle" with a body.

I hope you enjoyed it!

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Robotic Cam Steered Vehicle: Fifty plus years ago I received a toy car for Christmas that had one electric motor powered by two D cell batteries. While the electric motor drove the rear wheels to propel the car forward, the car also included a unique steering system using a ...

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NIVEL: 🔋🔋
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Hey Makers !!!

In this tutorial we will go through how to make your very own universal arduino controller.

With this controller you will be able to control any arduino Robot you build using the NRF24L01 transceiver.

Supplies:

For this instructable you will need:
TOOLS:
Small cross head screwdriver

Soldering Iron

Solder
SUPPLIES FOR THE CONTROLLER:
For 1 Controller you will need:

1x Joystick shield (link here)

1x Arduino UNO (link here)

1x NRF24L01 Transceiver Module (link here)

1x 18650 Battery holder (link here)

2x 18650 3.7V Li ion batteries (link here)

1x Right angle Power Jack connector (link here)

1x 2mm x 8mm screw pack of 100 (this will do for lots of other things) (link here)
PLASTICS:
The parts can be printed in PLA or PETG or ABS.

!! Please note a 500g spool is more than enough to print 3 controllers !!
3D PRINTER:
Minimum build platform required: L150mm x W150mm x H50mm

Any 3d printer will do. I personally printed the parts on the Creality Ender 3 which is a low cost 3D printer under 200$ The prints turned out perfectly.

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Hey Makers !!! In this tutorial we will go through how to make your very own universal arduino controller. With this controller you will be able to control any arduino Robot you build using the NRF24L01 transceiver.

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Introduction: Arduino RGB Color Picker - Pick Colors From Real Life Objects

Easily pick colors from physical objects with this Arduino based RGB color picker, enabling you to recreate the colors you see in real life objects on your pc or mobile phone. Simply push a button to scan the color of the object using a cheap TCS34725 colour sensor module and you're given the RGB color values as well as an indication of the measured color on an RGB LED.

If you enjoy this Instructable, please vote for it in the Make It Glow Contest.

I've designed a simple 3D printed enclosure for the electronics to make the device portable, simply plug it into a USB port, charger or power bank to power it up. You could also modify the design to accommodate a battery to make it even more portable.

I usually try to use an Arduino Uno as this is one of the most widely used Arduino boards, but to make this device portable, it has been designed around an Arduino Pro Micro board. It can however be easily adapted to run on most of the other Arduino compatible boards with enough IO, such as the Uno, Leonardo or Mega.

This guide assumes that you've worked with an Arduino micro-controller before know the basics of programming the Arduino and connecting an LCD panel to it. If you do not, follow the linked guides for more information and in-depth explanations.

Supplies:

In addition to these, you'll need basic tools for working with electronics, including a soldering iron if you're permanently building your circuit for use in an enclosure.

Step 1: Connecting the RGB Color Picker Test Circuit

It's always a good idea to assemble your components onto a breadboard first to test them and make sure that your circuit and software are working correctly before making any soldered connections.

The components are connected onto the breadboard as shown in the circuit diagram.

There is nothing particularly different or strange with any of these connections between the components and the Arduino, they are typical basic circuit configurations for connecting an LCD, push button and LEDs to the Arduino.

The 10K resistors are used for the push button connection and the 220Ω resistors for the Color sensor LED and the red and blue legs of the RGB LED. The 470Ω resistor is used for the green leg of the LED to reduce its brightness a little to create more realistic looking colors.

The RGB color sensor is connected to the Arduino using the simple I2C interface. Make sure that you're using the correct pins for this interface if you're using a different board. It is controlled using the Adafruit library discussed in the code section.

If you are using a different Arduino board, make sure that you have the same functionality on each pin as used on the Pro Micro. For example, you need PWM enabled pins for the control of the RGB LED in order to simulate the picked RGB color.

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Step 2: Programming Your Arduino RGB Color Picker

Now that you've got your components assembled onto the breadboard and made the required interconnections, you can load the code onto your Arduino using your PC and check that the components work correctly.

Check all of your connections again before plugging the USB cable into your Arduino to make sure that they are correct. The USB cable powers the board and connected components which may damage them if they are not connected correctly.

This particular board, the Arduino Pro Micro acts as a Leonardo when connected to your PC, so make sure to select the correct board type in the Arduino IDE otherwise you'll get errors when you try and upload the code.

Here is a link to the RGB colour picker code: Download RGB Color Picker Code

The code contains comments to explain what each section is doing. The color identification and LED portion is based on the Adafruit colorview example code. If you'd like to try writing up your own code then this is a useful example to work through and start with.

You will need to have the Adafruit libraries installed. This is easily done by clicking on Tools -> Manage Libraries in your IDE and then typing in "Adafruit TCS" in the search bar and installing the found library.
Some things to look out for in the code:
The LCD assigned pins are in a weird order (15 ,14 ,16 ,4 ,5 ,8 ,7). I usually try and keep the pins sequential but in this example they're a bit mixed up because of two things, one because I needed to work around the PWM pins for the LED and the second because the pins on the Pro Micro are not all in sequential order.

The color sensor LED and pushbutton are connected to the Pro Micro's analogue inputs, being used as digital IO, as there were not enough digital IO pins available. They are still defined in the code as standard digital IO pins.

There is a brief routine to fade the LED between red, green and blue when starting up. This is just a visual effect which takes about 1.5 seconds to run through and can be removed if you'd like your color picker to start up quicker.

The program won't progress past the setup if it does not establish a connection with the color sensor, it will show up as "Sensor Error" on your LCD if it cannot establish a connection. If the LED is coming on, indicating power to the sensor then check your SDA and SCL connections and that you're using the correct Arduino pins.

The gamma table simply converts the measured RGB values from the sensor into values which will result in a more realistic LED representation of the actual color, this is just to improve the LED visualization effect and doesn't have an effect on the measured RGB values displayed.

The code then waits for the push-button input to take a reading from then sensor and display the values on the LCD and through the LED. The three delays in the loop if statement are simply to avoid taking repeated readings before the button is released again as the actual reading and cycle time would be about 100ms, you can also play around with these values if you'd like to make your picker faster or slower.

Step 3: Installing the Components Into the Enclosure

In order to make a useful and portable device, I decided to solder the components together and mount them into a simple 3D printed enclosure.

A circuit of this complexity should probably be designed onto a PCB but most people don't have access to PCB manufacturing services so I've stuck with soldering the components together with sections of ribbon cable.

Step 4: 3D Print the Enclosure

I designed a basic rectangular housing for the color picker, the 3D print files can be downloaded here. You could also get creative and change up the design to suite your components and how you're going to be using your colour picker.

The color sensor is on the back so that you can hold the device over an object and pick the color with the readout shown on the front.

I printed the housing using white PLA and 20% infill, I would avoid using a colored filament for the back panel as you don't want to introduce reflected colored light onto the surface being picked.

The housing dimensions are approximately 110mm (4.3") x 46mm (1.8") x 20mm (0.78") with both halves assembled. Each half is 10mm (0.39") high.

Step 5: Solder the Circuit

Once you've 3D printed the housing, you'll have an idea of where all of the components are mounted and how long to make the soldered ribbon cable connections.

Start by soldering each component to your Arduino as you remove it from the breadboard and try to remove components to make up a full circuit at a time.

For example, start with the LED circuit and solder the resistors to the LED and then connect them to the Arduino before removing the push-button components. This way you'll be able to keep track of the components and make sure that you're connecting them individually to the correct Arduino inputs and outputs.

Take care with the LCD panel and the Color sensor to make sure that you make the connections to the correct Arduino IO ports.

The Color sensor connections can be soldered onto the 7 pin female header strip (cut an 8 pin header strip down to 7 pins) to enable it to be plugged in through the back section of the housing. This just enables the two halves to be properly separated if you need to open it up. You can also solder directly to the Color sensor with a section of ribbon cable, just make sure that the ribbon cable runs through the slot in the housing before soldering the connections.

There are a number of connections to be made to GND and 5V and it makes your soldering easier to connect them to larger central points rather than trying to solder them all onto the two Arduino pins. I connected them all onto the two outside legs of the LCD potentiometer as this is roughly in the center of the housing and has the largest surface area to make the connections.

Once you've made all of your connections and you're happy with the ribbon cable lengths. Try powering up your circuit again to verify that everything is working correctly before mounting the components into the housing. Ensure that none of the components or exposed terminals are touching each other, which may lead to a short circuit. You may need to add a bit of insulation tape or paper between components to avoid short circuits.

If your circuit is working correctly then you can mount your components into the 3D printed housing.

Step 6: Mount Components Into the Enclosure

The last step is to mount your components into your housing. I used a hot melt glue gun to mount the components, you can also use epoxy or small amount of superglue.

The color sensor can be glued into the cavity on the back of the housing with the pin header strip sticking through to the inside of the housing. The female header strip will then be used for the sensor to plug into the circuit.

Mount the pushbutton, LCD and LED through the holes in the front panel and glue them into place on the inside of the housing.

Your Arduino should fit snuggly into the slot in the base and shouldn't require any glue to hold it into place but if it does, make sure you don't put glue onto the components on the back of the board. Rather put glue along the edges of the board.

The micro USB port should be easily accessible through the side of the housing.

Glue the two halves together, using the pegs on the two corners as a guide. These should press together tightly and assist in holding the two halves together. Make sure that none of your exposed terminals or leads on your resistors, LED or potentiometer are touching anything else in your circuit as mentioned before, you can use some insulation tape or paper to separate components - I've used some yellow tape on the back of the LCD.

Step 7: Using Your RGB Color Picker

To use your color picker, plug a micro USB cable into the port on the side of your color picker to power it up.

The startup sequence should run and then you'll be able to pick a color, indicated by Colour Picker Ready.

Place the sensor over the color you'd like to pick and then push the button to pick the color. The LED light on the sensor should come on momentarily, after which you'll get an RGB readout on the LCD and the LED will change to reflect the color which has been picked.

The RGB LED is meant to give you an indication of the color which has been identified. This is just a quick way for you to check that the sensor has picked up on the correct colour and is not always an accurate representation of the color due to limitations with the LED. For example, they can't show blacks or greys as the actual LED material is white and can only produce light in order to reproduce colors. For this same reason, darker colors also don't show up well on the LED.

If you enjoyed this Instructable, please vote for it in the Make It Glow Contest.

Have a look at my blog for more Arduino tutorials, projects and ideas.

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# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Arduino RGB Color Picker - Pick Colors From Real Life Objects

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Arduino RGB Color Picker - Pick Colors From Real Life Objects: Easily pick colors from physical objects with this Arduino based RGB color picker, enabling you to recreate the colors you see in real life objects on your pc or mobile phone. Simply push a button to scan the color of the object using a cheap TCS3...

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Teach you cardboard making remote control robot mobilization Wall E

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Introduction: AutoBlinds - DIY Automation for Vertical & Horizontal Blinds

This project started with a need to close my blinds on a west facing window in the afternoon, while I was away. Especially in summer, the sun in Australia can do devastating things to the objects that it shines onto directly. Plus, it drastically increased the temperature in the room.

I already had a home automation setup that integrates Apple's HomeKit and Homebridge for DIY and other device integrations. (for Homebridge how-to please search instructables) For this device I built an API that can be used by other home automation solutions or simply through its web interface.

You can view more details and download all the required STL and Arduino Sketch files from my blog: AutoBlinds - DIY Automation for Vertical and Horizontal Blinds

The dimensions of the finished device are approximately 64mm deep, 47mm wide and 92mm tall. The cog wheel was designed to pull a ball chain with 5mm diameter balls. The device connects to your home WiFi and the web based configuration allows you to customise the start and stop or open and close position of your blinds. The device attaches to the wall by double sided tape or can be hung on screws.

Step 1: Components

You will require the following skills to build this project:

Arduino IDE and basic knowledge uploading code to a compatible board

Basic soldering skills

3D Printing and slicing an STL file

General assembly skills

This project uses the following components that you can source for about $20-$30 AUD online.

1x Stepper motor 28BYJ-48 5v with ULN2003 driver

1x Node MCU CP2102 ESP8266

18x M2.5 x8mm Countersunk screw and nut

2x M4 Steel Hex Head Cup Point Grub screw

1x 5.5mm x 2.1mm DC power plug

1x 5v Power Supply with a 2.1mm DC plug

The ULN2003 driver needs to be the same type as in the picture attached because the 3D Design is made to fit that board. There are other smaller boards available but this would require a some STL manipulation to modify the board mounting points.

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Step 2: Step 2: 3D Printing

I have designed the base such that it can be printed, upright and without supports but that probably requires some level of 3D printing experience. All the internal overhangs have a 45deg support so most 3D printers should be able to handle this without supports.

The L shaped part in the body of the device, will be bridged by the printer, again most printers should be able to handle bridging this small gap. If you want to get the wall mount hanger holes perfect, you could add supports there.

The Top and Bottom Lids The top and bottom lids should be printed on their flat surfaces and without supports. The Cog The cog is the only component that I would print with supports. That is because of the dimples on the inside. Also you should print it on its largest flat surface.

Step 3: Step 3: Arduino & Code

I would suggest to solder all the electronics and program the NodeMCU board through the Arduino IDE before assembly. It will be much easier to troubleshoot in case something goes wrong.

Once you upload the code, make sure you power your project. When the NodeMCU is powered up, it will be in WiFi Server mode that will allow you to configure it and to connect to your home WiFi network. Open your WiFi settings on your mobile device, locate a the WiFi network generated by your NodeMCU device, connect to it. Once connected, open your browser and browse to the IP of your device. From there just follow the onscreen instructions.

Once the device is connected to your WiFi network, you can access the web interface of the AutoBlinds through http://your-device-ip/ to get to the home page that displays the current status of your device. http://your-device-ip/ - will display the help information and the api options. You can use the icons on the bottom of the home page to navigate the web interface. From the web interface you can setup that END position of your blinds.

To configure your device, close your blinds manually, wrap the chain around the cog and mount the device on the wall with light tension o the chain. Then from the web interface, select the GEAR icon and open the blinds electronically until you reach the desired state. Then click SAVE.

Thats it. now you can open, close or partially open or close your blinds buy seating the following api command: http://your-device-ip/ {to open the blinds 20%} I have attached some example screen shots from the wed GUI.

Step 4: Step 4: Assembly

The assembly process is straight forward. The 3D animation will show you how the printed parts come together.

The simple schematic shows the connections. The ULN2003 I listed in the above parts list will only have 4 connection points to the NodeMCU and two for power and ground. Ignore the 3 red connection points in the diagrams lower left. One thing I noticed, the order of the pins of the ULN2003 board to NodeNCU sometimes differs from board to board. Hook it up the way you see it then reverse the connection if it is not working for you i.e D1 -> 1st (top most), D5 -> 2nd etc

Step 5: Step 5: Conclusion

If you have any questions feel free to leave me a comment on my blog: AutoBlinds DIY Vertical or Horizontal Blinds Automation Project.

Good luck and enjoy.

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AutoBlinds - DIY Automation for Vertical & Horizontal Blinds

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AutoBlinds - DIY Automation for Vertical & Horizontal Blinds: This project started with a need to close my blinds on a west facing window in the afternoon, while I was away. Especially in summer, the sun in Australia can do devastating things to the objects that it shines onto directly.

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Having a good software drum machine is easy and cheap today but using a mouse kills the fun for me. This is why I realized what initially was intended as a pure 64 steps hardware MIDI drum sequencer capable of triggering up to 12 different drum elements (parts), but then evolved in a rhythm section sequencer...

... there we go!

Step 1: How It Works

This hardware cannot generate sounds on its own, but only sequence external hardware via MIDI. This means you will need a sound generator of your drum sounds (a sampler or a drum synthesizer or whatever you prefer) capable of being triggered by MIDI note-on messages.

It's mainly composed by a 4 x 4 buttons matrix (with LEDs), one for each step of a bar. The whole 64 steps sequence is made up by 16 steps multiplied 4 bars. Each step is 1/16th of a note.

There are two modes of operation: live mode and edit mode.

In edit mode you can actually step-by-step edit your sequence by defineing which drum will play in each step.

Your sound generator external hardware instrument ("drum") is triggered by sending a MIDI "note on" message for different "MIDI note numbers" on channel number "10". By default these note numbers are

drum #1 (i.e. kick) -> MIDI note number "60"

drum #2 (i.e. snare) -> MIDI note number "62"

drum #3 (i.e. clap) -> MIDI note number "64"

drum #4 (i.e. Hihat) -> MIDI note number "65"

drum #5 -> MIDI note number "67"

drum #6 -> MIDI note number "69"

drum #7 -> MIDI note number "71"

drum #8 -> MIDI note number "72"

drum #9 -> MIDI note number "74"

drum #10 -> MIDI note number "76"

drum #11 -> MIDI note number "77"

drum #12 -> MIDI note number "79"

You can change these values (and the MIDI channel) in the sketch if you prefer.

In live mode by pressing step buttons you can live play drums associated to each step by sending MIDI messages through serial. You can live record your button presses and/or incoming MIDI messages.

Both in live mode and edit mode you can mute (or unmute) a drum, " roll play" the currently active drum and " swing" your sequence.
Pitch? What's that?
Most of drum sequencers are purely MIDI drum parts triggerers, with a fixed MIDI note number for each drum sound. In this case, we have a "rhythm section sequencer" more than a pure "drum sequencer" because you can even sequence synthesizers, within just under 3 octaves.

Read the QUICK START GUIDE for more details and a full list of features.

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Step 2: Hardware

This project is realized around an Arduino DUE board. I tried to keep the hardware as simple as possible, i.e. by avoiding the use of LED drivers. Arduino DUE is likely not the most appropriate board to handle a bunch of LEDs without a LED driver because of it's output current limits (from 5 mA to 15 mA, depending on the pin), but it's the fastest Arduino and timing is everything when dealing with sequencers. So, keep in mind that THIS hardware configuration is likely pushing your Arduino DUE to it's limits and could damage it in the long term.

This being said, the hardware is mainly a 16 buttons, 16 LEDs (one for each step) sequencer with 5 additional buttons for functions and 3 potentiometers. I also added a red LED after adding a live recording function.

Here is the bill of materials:

- 1x Arduino DUE

- 16x momentary, non latching push buttons with integrated LEDs (you can use external LEDs if you prefer, but remember to use low power LEDs!!)

- 1x red LED (low power!)

- 5x momentary, non latching push buttons

- 3x 10K single turn, linear, potentiometers

- 3x 6.5 mm panel mount mono jack female

- 1x plastic case (I used a 190x140x70 mm case)

- 2x 5-pin DIN female panel mount socket connector (MIDI)

- 1x double sided 70x90 mm perf board (I used a 50x70, but honestly it's a little too small)

- 2x 40 pin male single row pin header strip (2.54 mm)

- 1x 6N138 optocoupler

- 1x 1N4148 diode

- 3x 1000 ohm resistors

- 3x 220 ohm resistors

- 20x 470 ohm resistor

... solder wire, some cables, soldering station, a drilling tool... and spare time :)
Time required to complete the project: 8 - 10 hours WARNING: ALWAYS wear protective glasses and gloves while drilling! Hot material flackes can be projected to your eyes or come in contact with your skin and cause burns or even more serious damage to you or people around you.

Step 3: Wirings

Step buttons are directly connected to Arduino pins from 22 (step 1) to 37 (step16). Buttons ground is daisy chained and connected to Arduino DUE ground. There's not the need for pullup or pulldown resistors being that Arduino integrated pullup resistors are enabled in the sketch.

The same is true for the additional 5 buttons (Arduino pins 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6), used for functions other than steps. I also placed a 6.5 mm female jack connector in parallel with the "start" button in order to be able to play and stop my sequences remotely.

LEDs are connected to ground (daisy chain) and Arduino DUE pins from 38 (step #1) to 53 (step #16) in series with a 470 ohm resistor each to limit the current drain and preserve the microcontroller. I have tested resistors up to 1 K ohm and can confirm they could be used.

Potentiometers are connected as shown in the attached picture. Notice that the reference voltage is 3.3V, not 5V. Inputs used are A0, A1 and A2.

I also implemented two trigger outputs for arpeggio signals, like those required to arpegiate old 80's synth like the Korg Polysix and Roland Juno 6/60. They are connected to pins A3 and A4, with a 470 ohm series resistor to reduce the current drain. Those are digital signals, so you can use digital pins instead of analog pins if you prefer.

MIDI IN and OUT circuits are schematized in the attached pictures. Notice that, contrary to most arduinos, Rx1 and Tx1 are used by default on DUE boards instead of Rx0 and Tx0. This is great because you can upload your sketch without the need to disconnect Rx every time. Notice also that, contrary to most schemes out there, MIDI IN miss the 10K ohm resistor pulling down pin 7 on the optoisolator. All examples on the 6N138 datasheet leave that pin floating, sooo... but most important, it actually woks!

Step 4: Software

The attached sketch has been written within the Arduino IDE and must be uploaded to your Arduino DUE board. I will not go into details about how to upload the sketch to your arduino DUE. If this is your first experience with Arduino DUE read this. If this is your first experience with arduino IDE, please read this too.

Important Note: looks like it's no more possible to upload .ino nor .zip files to the Instructables server. To open the attached firmware via Arduino IDE, download the file, change the extension from .txt to .ino. Now open the renamed file with arduino IDE. It will ask you to create a folder with the same name of the file. Answer yes and you are good to go.

The sketch relies on the excellent FortySevenEffects MIDI library. You will need to install the library in your arduino IDE.

MIDI out notes assigned to each drum are defined by the drumNote[STEPS_NUM] variable in the sketch. You can change them at your will.

MIDI out channel number for drums is set to "10" by default.

I am not a coder in real life and for sure there are better ways to code what we are in the need for here. If you are a coder with any suggestion, you are welcome! Please send me any variation that can increase the code's efficiency/effectiveness and I will include it to the main sketch (citing the Contributor obviously!).

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Step 5: Quick Start Guide

DRUMS: STEP-BY-STEP SEQUENCING
As soon as you power up your sequencer (or reset it), an empty sequence will be loaded. The sequencer boots up in edit mode, with the first bar holded/locked and the first drum (i.e. kick) selected. This means that by pressing any step button, you will immediately assign "kick" to those steps. By pressing a previously assigned step button, you will de-assign the current drum on that step. The volume the drum will be triggered is defined by the position of the "volume" potentiometer when assigning the drum to the step.

If you press " start" button, you see your LEDs running from left to right, top to bottom, playing "kick" any time a kick step is crossed.

By keeping pressed "shift" button you will see the 1st step LED on the 1st row turned on (meaning the first drum is selected) and first step LED on the fourth row (meaning that you are locked to the first bar). You can now change the drum you want to sequence by pressing another step button while keeping "shift" pressed. After selecting the new drum, release "shift". All LEDs will turn off (because you have not assigned the new drum to any step) and you can start assigning the new drum to steps. Repeat for all the drums you need (up to 12).

Now that you have created a nice pattern, keep pressed "shift" and turn off the highligted step on the bottom row (it should be the 1st step of the 4th row if you have adopted the same layout I used): LED turns off which indicates that you have just "unlocked" the sequence to run over all the 4 bars. Bottom raw LEDs will start "moveing", indicating which bar is currently being played. You will notice that only when in the first bar a sequence will play, with all the other 3 bars generating no sounds. This is because you have assigned drums only to the first bar, the others being left blank. You can fill them by hand (select a new bar by pressing one of the last 4 step buttons while keeping pressed "shift", select one of the drums, fill the steps etc. etc.) or copy and paste the bar sequence you created to all bars by entering edit mode by re-locking to first bar and pressing "record" (which now assumes the "paste" function) while keeping pressed "shift". Easier done than said.
DRUMS: LIVE PLAY MODE
On startup the sequencer is in edit mode. To exit edit mode you must keep pressed "shift" and press the bar button currently held/locked (the step button on 4th row turned on) turning off it's LED. You are now in live play mode.

In live play mode, by pressing any step button the drum associated to that button will be triggered. Notice that any stepped or recorded sequence will be played through the entire 4 bars lenght.

If you want to live record your sequence, start the sequence by pressing "play", then press "record" button (only in live play mode). A red LED will turn on. Your playing on the drum sequencer control panel or any incoming MIDI note-on message will be recorded.
Other functions
By pressing " roll" button, the currently active drum (see "step-by-step sequencing") will be played at each step (in a roll). This works in both "step-by-step" and "live-play" modes.

By pressing any step button while keeping pressed the " mute" button the drum associated to that step will be muted (or unmuted). This works in both "step-by-step" and "live-play" modes.

You can clear the whole sequence by keeping presed the "start" button for more than 5 seconds.

You can " swing" your sequence by turning the "pitch" potentiometer while keeping pressed "shift" and "mute" buttons at the same time.

Both MIDI clock input and output are implemented. In case no clock input is received, tempo is set with the dedicated potentiometer. In case a MIDI clock input is received, tempo is computed from that and the pot will be unresponsive. MIDI clock is always sent to the MIDI out.

Step 6: Rhythm Section!

The original idea was a "pure" 64 steps MIDI drum sequencer to sequence up to 12 independent drum parts. After some testing, I noticed that it would have been nice to control a bass line too, and I assigned the feature of a variable pitch-per-step to the latest drum only. After that, I modified the code again so that I could change the pitch in every drum and control up to 12 synthesizers.

To sum up:

- if the pitch potentiometer is at zero (or untouched from the previous drum selection) when you activate a step, the MIDI message sent is a note-on for the default pitch ("60" for drum #1, "62" for drum #2 etc.) on default channel ( channel 10);

- if the pitch potentiometer is not zero when you activate a step, the MIDI message sent is a note-on for a pitch scaled to the potentiometer position on channel number from 1 to 12. The channel number is a function of the actual drum/instrument, i.e. if drum #1 is selected, the pitched note-on message will be on MIDI channel "1", etc.

To avoid conflicts with unpitched "standard" drums, the "pitch" will be considered valid only if the potentiometer is "active". You can activate the potentiometer scaling by turning it to zero and then to the preferred pitch position. The potentiometer is disabled every time you change drum/instrument.

Notice that:

- the pitched sound triggered on a step is killed on the very next step. To increase the note lenght, act on the "release" VCA parameter of your synthesizer.

- contrary to drums, pitched sounds cannot be played in a roll by pressing the "roll" button.

- the range of pitch change is limited to just less than 3 octaves.

Step 7: Arpeggio Triggers

Early '80's pre-MIDI synths are often equipped with a sometimes called "arpeggio trigger input". By sending a 2.5 to 5.0 V trig signal you can tell the synthesiser to advance one step on an arpeggio sequence. This could be difficult to manage with a sequencer without a dedicated trigger out (sometimes "rimshot" sounds from a dedicated out where/are used as an expedient) but with a microcontroller board you can easily manage such signal and control your synth arpeggio as it was meant to by the factory.

This rhythm section sequencer includes the possibility to trigger the arpeggiator of two different synthesizers, independently.

The use is very easy: select drum 11 or 12 (press step 11 or 12 while pressing "shift") and activate the steps you want the arpeggiator to move of one step. This way you can "program" very tight 1/16th of a note lenght regular arpeggios by activating all steps, or 1/8th by activating every other step. In addition, you can program more complex arpeggios by activating steps following an un-regular path.

Step 8: If Things Don't Work...

Even a relatively simple project like this most likely will not work 100% the first time you turn it on. Here, In example, the corrispondence between buttons and LEDs is crucial, and an unmathched wiring will make the sequencer unuseful.

In order to test all the different components that make up the step sequencer, I wrote a simple test sketch (see attachment).

Important Note: looks like it's no more possible to upload .ino nor .zip files to the Instructables server. To open the attached firmware via Arduino IDE, download the file, change the extension from .txt to .ino. Now open the renamed file with arduino IDE. It will ask you to create a folder with the same name of the file. Answer yes and you are good to go.

The test sketch works as follows:

- press a step button: the corresponding LED should turn on and a MIDI note-on on channel 10 will be sent to the MIDI output.

- press a function button: one of the first 5 LEDs will turn on.

- turn a potentiometer: LEDS will light accordingly (first pot -> first LEDs row, second pot -> second LEDs row, third pot -> third LEDs row).

- if a MIDI note on is received, first LED will blink.

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Arduino MIDI Rhythm Section Sequencer: Having a good software drum machine is easy and cheap today but using a mouse kills the fun for me. This is why I realized what initially was intended as a pure 64 steps hardware MIDI drum sequencer capable of triggering up to 12 different drum el...

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A couple of weeks ago I presented my culmination project, framed laser harp, at New York City College of Technology. Work on it was so interesting for me, that I decided to share it here. I am an Arduino amateur and don't have any professional experience in electrical engineering or programming. Neither am I a musician. Probably that's why I had so much fun: when you are moving blindly, you can't see the ground anyway:)

So, why laser harp? First of all, lasers are always cool. But laser beams making sounds were some kind of sorcery for me ever since I encountered a huge Arc Harp at Burning Man 2012. I was obsessed with the idea of making my own laser instrument, and finally got a chance to do it.

After quite a bit of a research, I finally found a wonderful starting point - very well documented project template made by mnsman. Although I modified many things, my project heavily relies on mnsman's work. For example, the code I'm using is entirely taken from his project.

Another extremely helpful resource was Chris Ball's instructable. It has very comprehensive wiring diagrams and is great in explaining the working principle.

Laser Harp project is pretty 'multidimensional', because it involves different types of skills, such as wiring and soldering, drafting, woodworking, familiarity with Arduino and MIDI, and more. At the same time, everything is very flexible: you could design and build your own enclosure, change the number and function of laser modules, modify the code, etc.

A note on safety: NEVER LOOK DIRECTLY INTO THE LASERS. Also, avoid using high power laser modules (more than 5mW) for this project.

Good luck, and please let me know of any inaccuracies (either descriptive or grammatical) in this instructable.

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Arduino Laser Harp: A couple of weeks ago I presented my culmination project, framed laser harp, at New York City College of Technology. Work on it was so interesting for me, that I decided to share it here. I am an Arduino amateur and don't have any professional exp...

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Step 1: Parts Moog Synth Circuit

Here's the parts list. It's a bit of a big one. The case is from an old calculator which I gutted. You will need to design your own case and I have suggested one to use below.

1. Resistors make sure that they are 1%. You will notice that there are some weird values for the top 10 resistors. These values are so the synth is in tune. I couldn't manage to find the exact ones so used the closest values. You can also buy them in bulk on eBay and get most if not all of the values needed

a. 10K X 4

b. 4.5K

c. 8.2K

d. 7.5K X 2

e. 3.4K

f. 6.2K

g. 5.6K

h. 5K

i. 2.2K

j. 38K

k. 100K X 11

l. 47K X 3

m. 22K X 4

n. 470K

o. 82K X 3

p. 390K

q. 120K

r. 33K

2. Capacitors

a. 0.15uf (150nf) - eBay

b. 2.2uf- eBay

c. 4.7uf X 4- eBay

d. .001uf (1nf) X 2- eBay.

e. 0.1uf (100nf) X 2- eBay

3. IC's

a. CD40106- eBay

b. Lm358 X 5- eBay

4. Pots

a. 50K - eBay

b. 100K X 3- eBay

5. LDR's X 2- eBay

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Step 2: Arpeggiator Circuit Parts and Others

Parts: Arpeggiator Circuit
1. 555 Timer - eBay

2. 10K pot - eBay

3. 1M duel pot - eBay

4. 100R resistor - eBay. Buy them in assorted lots

5. 1K resistor X 2

6. 470R resistor

8. Transistor BC547 - eBay

9. Vactol X 2. (LDR and LED inside a piece of heat shrink). You can make your own easily - just check out t his instructable

10. Prototype Board - eBay
Power
You can just a 9v battery to power the circuits or do what I did and use a mobile phone battery and a charging/voltage regulator.

Check out this instructable on how to use a mobile phone battery to power the circuits
Other Parts
1. SPDT switches X 3 - eBay

2. Momentary switches X 10 - eBay

3. Pot knobs X 7 - eBay

4. A whole lot of wire. I like to use ribbon wire

5. Case. Mine is an old calculator. Use whatever you think would be cool

6. Acrylic sheets - eBay

7. Audio Output Jack - 3.5mm and 6.35mm - eBay

Step 3: The "Moog" Circuit Schematic

This is the schematic that you will need to build. It's the main circuit and is the one created by Pete McBennett. I didn't do any changes to this schematic as it doesn't need any changes. However, go crazy with it and try some modifications to see what you can get out of it.

Make sure you breadboard it first so you can test and understand how it all goes together.

I did add another circuit so I could control the LDR's with flashing LED's through a couple of vacrols. This circuit is in the next step and is optional to add.

Step 4: Vactrol Circuit for Arpeggiator Sound Effect

This circuit creates an arpeggiator effect using some vactols (this this 'ible on how to make ta vactol, also known as a opticoupler). It gives the synth another sound effect which is fun to play around with. However, it isn't necessary to add this circuit if you don't want to.

The first schematic shows the circuit which has 2 vactrols and is essentially a flashing LED circuit. The LED's pulse which the LDR's in the vactrol detect and you get some cool, rhythmic sound effects.

The second schematic shows how I connected this circuit up to the main one. I used a DPDT switch to be able to turn on and off the arpeggiator effect. Hopefully it isn't too confusing on how I connected the 2 circuits together, it took me ages for some reason to work out the best way to connect them via the switch. There's probably a better way so experiment and see how you go. I have also included the fritzing files so you can mess about with them f you want to.

Step 5: Breadboard

I can't stress more to breadboard these circuits before you even think about soldering. The main "moog" circuit is quite complex and may take a couple of tries before you get it right.

Keep at it though as I can guarantee that the circuit is correct and works amazingly. There are a bunch of mods that you could do to the actual circuit but I pretty much left it as is. Once you have the "moog" circuit working, you can then add the arpeggiator circuit and have a play around with that.

If you are happy with how it sounds, next it's time to solder all those components together - gulp!

Step 6: The "Moog" Synth Circuit - Part 1

Step 7: The "Moog" Synth Circuit - Part 2

Steps:
1. Next I added U2 op-amp and started to connect the components as per the schematic.

2. It's interesting to note that there are a couple of resistors that need to be connected to different legs on the op-amp. You can see in the images that I went around the op-amp in order to connect these. You could go across the top of it but it makes it hard to remove the op-amp if it is faulty.

3. The other thing you may note is, it's very similar layout to the first one.

Step 8: The "Moog" Synth Circuit - Part 3

Steps:
1. Next up is to add op-amp U3.

2. A couple things to note are the following.

a. You need to connect pin 7 from U1 to pin 2 on U3.

b. You also need to connect pin 7 from U2 to pin 6 on U3 with a 100K resisitor.

3. Again, it's a good time to check over all your connections and ensure everything is in the right spot and nothing is missing.

Step 9: The "Moog" Synth Circuit - Part 4

Steps:
1. Time to add op-amps 4 and 5.

2. Remember to try and keep everything pretty tight on the prototype board. There's still one more IC to add to complete the schematic.

3. You'll also notice that the LDR's are connected to U4 and U5. You'll need to add some wires a little later to these connections and a few others.

Step 10: The "Moog" Synth Circuit - Part 5

Step 11: The "Moog" Synth Circuit - Part 6

Step 12: Making the Arpeggiator Circuit

As I have already mentioned, this circuit is really just a simple LED flasher, made from a 555 timer.
Steps:
1. Add the 555timer to the prototype board

2. Use the schematic and start to connect the rest of the components

3. You will need to also make a couple of vactrols. They're simple to make and you only need some heat-shrink, white LED and a LDR. I did an 'ible on how to make one which can be found here.

4. The circuit will need to be wired up to a switch later on so that's why there is 2 wires connected to one of the LDR legs on each vactrol. You need to be able to turn off the LDR's on the moog circuit when you want to use the arpeggitor and vice versa. This is done with a DPDT switch. I also found it necessary to turn off power to the arpeggiator when the moog was on as you can here a slight ticking if they are on at the same time.

Step 13: Making the Case From an Old Calculator

I found this old calculator at a junk shop. It must of been used in a mechanics shop as it was full of oil and filthy. As it no longerb worked I thought I'd repurpose it and give it another life. You could also use a small keyboard or just build your own enclusre out of a cigar box or something just as cool. I'll go thrugh the next steps and tell you want I had to do in order to make this into the synth.
Steps:
1. First I had to pull the calculator apart.

2. Once I had it apart and had all of the insides out of it, I next gave it a long soak and cleaned it up best I could,

3. I was thinking about using the original key pad as the keys in the synth but decided against this.

Step 14: Modifying the Calculator Case

As I needed space for all of the switches and pots, I decided to remove some pieces of plastic on the front of the case and replace this section with some coloured acrylic.
Steps:
1. First I removed the 2 pieces of plastic strip that separated the calculator keys. I cut them away and filed down the cuts to make them smooth and flush.

2. Next, I removed the section that showed the numbers. This was recessed so it was a little tricker to remove. I used a dremel and some wire cutters to remove most of the plastic. I then filed and sanded the edges as smooth as I could get them. I wanted the finish to look like the plastic had never been there.

Step 15: On/Off Switch

I'm not too sure why I didn't use the original switch, I think I wanted a red though for a couple reasons, first, it is the colour of the acrylic I used and second, I had a red one lying around.
Steps:
1. In order to fit the switch into place, I had to enlarge the original switch hole. I used some files to do this.

2. Once the hole was large enough i pushed the switch into place.

3. I had to add some hot glue around the switch on the inside to keep it in place as it was a little loose.

Step 16: Micro USB Adapter

Next thing I did was to add a micro USB adapter for charging the battery.
Steps:
1. I made a small, retanglar hole in the back of the case, just large enough for the micro USB to poke through

2. To hold the USB adapter in place I added a small piece of acrylic and glued it down along with the USB adpater. Be careful when using superglue or any glue on something like this as you don't want to get any inside the USB.

Step 17: LDR's and a Couple of Audio Inputs

The synths moog sound is controlled with a couple of LDR's. These needed to be placed close together in order to be able to easily cover them with your hand. I went with an extrnal speaker/amp on this build. Initially I was going to include a LM386 op-amp but I didn't like the sound that it generated. I found that a good portable speaker or guitar amp works best and gives you awesome, deep bass sounds.
Steps:
1. First, I found a good spot on the calculator to add the LDR's.

2. Next, I drilled 4 small holes for the LDR legs to go through and glued them into place.4

3. I wanted to be able to play this either througha 3.5mm or 6mm jack so I added tho input sockets. I drilled a couple holes into the back and secured them into place.

Step 18: Adding Some Acrylic Sheets to Fill-up All Those Holes I Made

Step 19: Adding Some Pots (and a Couple of Switches)

This step will show where I added the pots. As with most of these types of projects, I made a change at the 11th hour so you might notice some changes later. The reason for the change is a modified the circuit so I could add a way to control the synth with only one pot. This pot by-passes the momentary switches and allows you to play it without them.
Steps:
1. I went with adding the 4 main pots into the top panel. These are the pots that control the 40106 IC oscillators (2 on the right) and the tuning and PWM from the synth.

2. I measured and drilled the holes and secured the pots into place

3. The SPDT switch in the top right hand is to be ale to turn off the oscillator off if you want to.

4. I then added the 2 pots to control the arpeggiator. The one in the top section is for the modulation and the other is for speed. I later moved these both together and located them on the left on the calculator.

5. The 2 switches you can see do the following; turn off the power to the arpeggiator and the other allows you to turn either the synth or arpeggiator on or off.

Step 20: Adding the Momentary Switches and Resistors

I added the momentary switches near the end of the build as it took some time to find the ones I wanted to use. I'm still not 100% happy with the ones I ended up with but they were the best ones out of all I tested. You want them to have low resistance when pushed down and all the ones I brought were either too big or had high resistance.
Steps:
1. First, I measured where I needed to drill the 10 holes for the switches.

2. I carefully drilled the holes (didn't want to crack the acrylic) and removed the protective covering on the acrylic

3. I next added each of the momentary switches into place and secured them tightly'

4. Now I had to add the resistors. This is pretty straight forward however, I did manage to wire this the wrong way the first time. You need to make sure that SW10 on the schematic is actually the first switch out of the 10.

5. Solder the resistors in series between each of the switches legs. The other leg on the switches need to be connected as well. I used resistor legs to connect all of these together.

6. Laslty, I connected pin 1 from U1A IC to the last switch and connected leg 6 from U1A to a 38.3K resistor and connected this to the first switch.

Step 21: Adding the Battery and Charging/Voltage Meter Module

Step 22: Connecting All Those Wires

It's now time to connect all of the wires to their respective part.
Steps:
1. If you haven't already, secure the 2 circuits into the base of the case.

2. Place the top of the case side by side with the base. This will ensure that when you cut and solder all of the wires, you will be able to open the top up and lay it flat next to the base.

3. Start by placing a wire close to the part that it needs to be soldered to, then trim, and solder it. Wire seems to take up more room then you expect so make sure you trim to the minimum size the wire can be.

4. Keep on working through each of the wires and solder them to their respective part.

5. You may have noticed on some of the images that I didn't put the momentary switches in until last. The reason being I couldn't find the right ones. I brought quite a few different types and in the end I had to compromise due to the size of the calculator and ease of use.

6. Once you have everything wired-up, it's time to give it a test run.

Step 23: So What Next?

Now that you have finished your synth, it's time to see what she can do.

First, plug-in a speaker to the audio output.

It's quite simple to play the synth - you just need to turn it on, cover the LDR's and start to push the momentary switches. You can tune the keys with the master tune pot and use the PWM pot to find that sweet spot.

Now flick on the 2 drone oscillators. You can use the two pots to tune this as well and get them to play in sync. Play around with the LDR's and keys and see what sounds you can get out of it

To play the arpeggiator, just turn it on and start to play with the pots for speed and modulation.

I also added a pot that bypasses the momentary switches (keys) so you can play the synth with just one pot and the LDR's. That's a lot of fun to do and you can also play the arpeggiator with the one pot as well.

I also used my Echo and Reverb box ( make your own here) and played the synth through that as well. You get some great depth of sound when you hook it up to the synth. I definitely recommend that you also make one of these as it takes the synth to another sonic level.

Experiment and see what sounds you can get out of your synth.

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Moog Style Synth: First and foremost, I have to give a massive shout out to Pete McBennett who designed this awesome circuit. When I came across it on YouTube I couldn't believe the sound that he managed to get out of a handful of components. The synth has a MASS...

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When all your parts are printed you can begin the assembly, you might want to refer to the video to make sure you're clear on how it goes together.

Slide the potentiometer block on to the shaft and insert it into the left body with the pins sticking up, tightening the screw a little to hold it in position. Note that the potentiometer should have a little tab sticking up on the top face - this goes into a gap in the left body. The right body can then be screwed to the left using 2* M3 x 10mm screws, and the push-to-make switch can be slid into its hole and the nut tightened. I'd also recommend that you pop the cable grommet in halfway through tightening the two sides together, this can be a bit fiddly. Ensure that everything is able to move smoothly, and prepare yourself for soldering - its easiest to do all the soldering with t

The soldering is quite tricky, and it will depend on which joystick you're using. Refer to the diagrams and the video to see how it's wired together and make sure you use shrink tubing on all your connections and you should be fine. Start by sliding your cable through the grommet and freeing up the individual strands. I'd recommend you solder the potentiometer first, and this will form a convenient little hub for you to solder the other wires to. I soldered the button next, then the joystick. Note that if you're using the parallax joystick, you need to power both potentiometers individually with the L/R+ and U/D+ connections, but you only need to wire one GND connection.

If you'd like to use the switch built into your joystick you can wire that up in place of the separate button (and maybe use the standalone switch for something else) but for my animatronic eyes its much easier to have the switch I use for blinking totally seperate from the joystick.

Once its all wired up, test it with the code provided and screw the joystick to the top body - if using the cheap joystick you will need 4* M3 x 5mm screws, whereas the Parallax joystick needs 4* M2 x 4mm or 6mm screws. Then tuck all the wires neatly away and join the two halves with 2* M3 x 5mm screws.

You're finished! If you're looking for something to test it out on, why not check out some of my animatronic eye mechanisms?

If you're interested in following my progress on the various robotics and animatronics projects I have on the go, consider checking out my Patreon page to get a look behind the scenes.

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One-Hand 3D Printed Controller for Microcontroller Projects

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One-Hand 3D Printed Controller for Microcontroller Projects: I wanted a compact and easy to use controller for all the eye mechanisms I've designed that would allow me to control them easily with one hand - including away to move the eyes, adjust how open/closed the eyelids are and blink.

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Over the last year I have pretty much spent all my free time designing and learning about Open source 3D printable robotics so when I saw that Instructables had put up a Robotics Contest there was no way I couldn't take part in it.

I wanted the design of this robot to be as educational as possible. So as that teachers form around the world with little design and programming skills and whom have access to a 3D printer can easily build and use the robots many different functions in the Classroom.

I had previously designed and posted BORIS the Biped (link here) a Robot that I had also designed for educational purposes and I have decided to use the same electronics in BORIS as in BUGS so as that any of you who decide to build BUGS at very little extra cost can also build BORIS

I've had this project on my mind for a long time now and it's finally time to share it.

It's taken me about 3 weeks of designing, prototyping and documenting to get this project done.

I hope you enjoy and find this instructable usefull
How much does BUGS's cost:
Overall BUGS will cost you about 90$ to build Batteries and charger included
What are BUGS's Features:

First of all I wanted BUGS to stand out so unlike many other wheeled Educational Robots BUGS walks on 8 legs using the Klann linkage this has the advantage of reducing the servos needed to one servo per side and thus reduces the cost.

BUGS is equipped with an articulating claw that is the perfect size to catch a Golf or Table tennis ball.

To really push BUGS's educational capabilities to the limit I decided to add a ton of extra sensors on him so as that he can truly forefill any Robotics task you ask of him these features include:

- Line following

- Digital compass heading

- Obstacle avoidance

- Buzzer

- Manual control with 3D printed Arduino controller (link here)
What is BUGS preprogrammed to do:
BUGS is programmed using Arduino there are 3 pre programmed arduino codes that can be uploaded to his brain:

- Autonomous line following mode where BUGS can pick up a Ball follow a line and drop a ball at the end of the line

- Autonoumous digital compass and obstacle avoidance mode where BUGS can stick to a fixed heading and dodge obstacles that are placed in front of him whilst keeping the same heading

- Manual mode where BUGS can be controlled manually and perform the 2 autonomous modes above at the press of a button

Supplies:

For this instructable you will need:
TOOLS:
Small cross head screwdriver
SUPPLIES FOR THE ROBOT:
3x Genuine Tower Pro MG90S analog 180 deg servo (link here)

You can go cheap from china on a lot of things but servos aint one of them! After testing many differenet types especially cheap counterfeit towerpro servos I found out that the cheap counterfeit ones are so unreliable and often break a day after using so I decided that genuine towerpro servos would be the best!

You can't find a better prototyping board than this one for wireless servo control. This board has a bulit in 5V 3A power converter and 12 servo input pins and pins for a wireless nrf24L01 transceiver module and Arduino NANO all in a condensed neat package so don't worry about messy cables all over the place anymore!

1x Arduino NANO (link here)

1x NRF24L01 Transceiver Module (link here) (You don't need this if your not using the controller)

1x Magnometer (digital compass) QMC5883L GY-273 (link here)

1x Ultrasonic sensor HC-SR04 (link here)

2x IR Infrared Obstacle Avoidance Sensor Module (link here)

1x Passive Buzzer (link here)

2x 18650 3.7V Li ion batteries (link here)

1x 18650 Battery holder (link here) (these batteries give you about 30 mins run time better ones will give you about 2h of run time)

1x LI ion Battery charger (link here)

1x jumper cables 120 pcs 10 cm long (link here)

1x Screws 2mm x 8mm pack of 100 (link here)

All the electronics can also be found on Amazon if you can't afford to wait for delivery but they will be a bit more expensive.
CONTROLLER:
To control this Robot manually you will need the 3D printed Arduino Controller (link here) The Robot can also be purely autonoumous so the controller is not mandatory.
PLASTICS:
The parts can be printed in PLA or PETG or ABS. !! Please note a 500g spool is more than enough to print 1 Robot !!

Minimum build platform required: L150mm x W150mm x H100mm

Any 3d printer will do.

I personally printed the parts on the Creality Ender 3 which is a low cost 3D printer under 200$ The prints turned out perfectly.

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BUGS the Educational Robot: Over the last year I have pretty much spent all my free time designing and learning about Open source 3D printable robotics so when I saw that Instructables had put up a Robotics Contest there was no way I couldn't take part in it.I wanted the des...

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Step 1: Parts & Tools

Parts:
1. Li-ion Charger and step-up module - eBay. The charger will also do Lipo batteries

2. Micro USB Adapter - eBay. The micro USB that comes on the module for charging is slightly recessed which makes it hard to access in a project. I prefer to use a micro USB adapter to do this

3. USB Adapter - eBay. I used this so I could connect the phone to the module to charge it. If you are using it to power a project then it isn't necessary - you just wire the project straight up to the module

4. Li-ion Battery. I used discarded ones one you can always buy on pretty cheaply on eBay.

5. Wire. I used resistor legs to connect everything together

The followingbisn't necessary but I decided to add it at the last minute. The voltage meter allows me to check the voltage of the battery easily for this build

1. Voltage meter - eBay

2. Tactile switch - eBay
Tools
1. Soldering Iron

2. Pliers

3. Wire cutters

4. Good double sided tape

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Step 2: The Charging Module and Li-ion Battery

First a Little Info on Li-ion batteries
There's a LOT of facts, do and don'ts etc about mobile phone batteries on the net. Here's a few facts that most seem to agree on:

1. Mobile phone batteries don't like to be overheated. I'm sure most of you would have seen the message that comes up on your phone when you have left it in the sun. If you are going to use one in a project, then make sure that it is not in direct sun all of the time

2. Mobile phone batteries can lose roughly 20% of their capacity only after 1000 charges. Mobile phones are power hungry beasts and once the battery starts to lose the ability to charge fully, you start to notice the phone needs more charging. Using an old phone battery will probably mean it won't hold a full charge but even at 80% capacity the battery will still be able to do most things you want it to.

3. Li-ion batteries are fussy. This can be true. A battery is a massive ongoing chemical reaction sealed away inside a plastic cover. Put simply, Li-Ion batteries are fussy. They hate excess heat, stress, over voltage, under voltage and short circuit. The module has been designed to ensure the battery is charged correctly. I've used it to charge over 30 mobile phone batteries and have had no issues.

So where can you find mobile phone batteries for free? You probably have an old phone sitting in a draw somewhere that you can pull apart and get the battery out. Samsung, Google, HTC etc are all great as you can easily remove the backs and get the batteries out. Apple phone take more work because they hate to make things replaceable.

You can also raid the battery-recycling bin, which is what I usually do. There is one at my work I periodically check, which usually yields a few batteries.
Charging Module
The module used in this build ensures that the battery is charged to the right capacity and stops charging once the battery reaches aprox 4.2v. Finding information on this particular module on the net is a little difficult. It seems that every site selling this module just copied each others info! However, the basic information on the module can be found below:
Module Specifications:
Input voltage: 4.5-8V

DC Output voltage: 4.3-27V DC (Continuously adjustable)

Charging voltage: 4.2V DC

Charging current: Max. 1A

Discharging current: Max. 2A

Step 3: Adding Some Solder to the Battery Terminals

The first thing that needs to be done is to add a little solder to the battery terminals
Steps:
1. First, if you look on the battery you will see that the solder points will be identified as positive and negative.

2. Heat-up the soldering iron so it is quite hot. You want to keep the soldering iron on the terminals for the shortest time possible.

3. Touch the soldering iron tip to the terminal and add a little solder to both the positive and negative terminals

Before I go any further, I like to charge the battery up to make sure it is working ok.

Step 4: Initial Battery Charge

To ensure that the battery is taking charge I like to do the following:
Steps:
1. Solder a couple of breadboard jumper wires to the positive and ground battery solder points on the module. They should have a female end

2. Add a little solder to each of the battery terminals (see step 3) and solder another couple of breadboard wires, make them both male ends

3. Connect the breadboard wires from the battery to the module and plug in a mini usb cord and connect it to power. A little LED will come on. Wait until the LED changes colour which will indicate when the battery is charged.

Step 5: Connecting the Module to the Battery

In this build, I stuck the module on top of the battery with some double-sided mounting tape. It isn't necessary to do this but in this project I wanted to make it as compact as possible. If you were adding this into a project then you might want to add the module in a difference place
Steps:
1. Add some double-sided mounting tape to the bottom of the module.

2. Stick the module onto the top of the battery. Make sure that the battery "in" solder points are close to the battery terminals. It makes things easier when connecting the battery to the module.

3. To make the connections from the battery to the module I used resistor legs. First, solder the end of a leg to the positive solder point on the module

4. Bend the leg so it sits flat and solder the other end to the positive terminal on the battery

5. Do the same for the ground.

Step 6: Setting the Voltage

The really great thing about this module is you can set the voltage output from 4.2v to 27v. This is awesome as it allows you to use the battery for a whole heap of different projects. There is a very small pot that you can turned to change the voltage

Steps:

1. First, solder a couple of wires to the output positive and negative on the module. These will allow you to easily attach the module to a multimeter to measure the voltage

2. Connect the multimeter to the module

3. To change the voltage output, grab a small phillips head and turn the pot slowly. You will see the voltage go either down or up. Set the module to your desired voltage. For this project I set the voltage output to 5v as I'm going to use it as a phone charger

Step 7: Adding a Mirco USB Adapter

This isn't really necessary if you are just using this as a phone charger. You can probably just connect the cord to the micro USB that is already on the module. I have found though that if you are using this module in a project, it is hard to access the micro USB as it is recessed in the module. I find that using a micro USB adapter enables you to make a small slot in your project and easier access the input on the micro USB for charging.
Steps:
1. Add a little double-sided tape to the bottom of the micro USC adapter. Note that you could just superglue all these parts as well. I choose not to in case I want to ever remove them

2. Stick it down onto the battery, making sure that it is close to the micro USB that comes on the module. There are a couple of solder points that you can use to attach the module and micro USB together

3. Again, I used resister legs to connect the 2 parts together.

Step 8: Adding a USB Adapter

If you are going to use this battery in a project, then there really isn't any need to add a USB adapter. All you would do is connect ground and positive from your project to the output solder points on the module.
Steps:
1. Stick the USB adapter to the battery using double sided tape

2. Next, you need to connect the USB adapter to the output solder points on the module. Just do the same thing as the micro USB and add a couple resister legs to the solder points.

3. If you haven't already, plug the micro USB into a power adapter and charge up the battery.

At this stage you're ready to plug in a phone and charge it up. If you want to add a voltage display then check out the next step. However, it's not really necessary and the battery will charge your phone.

I kinda realised after I made this that the module might heat-up and as I mentioned at the start of this ible' li-ion batteries don't like to be hot. To counteract this, it would be good to add a heatsink under the module to protect the battery. If yo are using this to power a project then just don't stick the module onto the battery.

Step 9: Adding a Voltage Meter

So I did this at the last minute just t see what how it would work. It actually turned out ok so here's how I did it
Steps:
1. You will need a voltage meter and a momentary switch which you can find in the parts list.

2. Straighten one side of the legs on a momentary switch and add some solder

3. Add a couple of thin wires to the solder points on the voltage meter. You could use the wires that come on the meter but I found these were quite thick and wanted to use thinner ones

4. solder one leg of the switch to the positive battery solder point on the module. The other leg solder to the positive wire from the voltage meter

5. Solder the ground wire from the meter to the ground solder point on the module.

6. You can add a little super glue to hold the voltage meter in place. You can now monitor the voltage of the battery and work out when to charge

Step 10: So What Next?

Using the module and phone battery together allows you to use this set-up for many electronic projects. I have been using mobile phone batteries in place of 9v batteries on most of my projects of late. Having a rechargeable battery means firstly, I don't have to keep changing out batteries, and second, if I'm using an enclosure that doesn't allow easy access to the inside, a rechargeable battery means I don't have to worry about opening it everytime the battery goes flat

If you wanted to turn this project into a variable voltage supply you can just connect the voltage meter to the output on the module. The voltage meter will then display the voltage output and can be change by adjusting the mini potentiometer on the module.

Hope this project helps and happy making

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Reuse Old Mobile Phone Batteries: Reuse old mobile phone batteries. I have been using used phone batteries in a bunch of projects recently after discovering an awesome little module on eBay. The module comes with a Li-ion charger and also a voltage regulator, allowing you to inc...

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Intellisaurus: Intellisaurus is intended for many skill levels. The easy to follow instructions allow someone with a modest skill level to assemble the robot and have it walking in a matter of hours. There is no soldering or programming required to build and pla...

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Introduction: DIY 3D Printed Dremel CNC

When I got my first 3D printer I was extremely happy with all the new possibilities to create things but after some time I noticed the limitations of 3D printing. Plastic is easy to melt, sometimes it's not mechanically resistant enough and most importantly sometimes doesn't look good. Don't take me wrong here, I love 3D printing and I like plastic (except plastic waste) but there are things that look, work or feel way better when made out of nonplastic material. Imagine all your furniture made out of plastic. Sometimes I prefer wood, when I need strength, metal (mostly aluminum) is a way to go. That's where CNC milling machines are used. Usually, the cost of such machine is really high, most of the hobbyist, small makers can't afford such expensive equipment. That's why the idea of building my own CNC machine sparked in my head. Of course building with bare hands wasn't an option for me, that's hard not only to make but also to document. I wanted to create an easy to replicate machine that anyone can make. I spent a lot of time on the design of it to make assembly simple and keep the price low. Then there was a lot of testing, redesigning and modifying to make it the best I could. I used as popular and easy to buy components as I could: Dremel, LMU12 bearings, Nema17 motors, Arduino, aluminum profiles and only free software. That's how I managed to keep the price of my machine under $300. I already published 6 youtube videos about this project and it is quite popular on Thingiverse so you may ask why I am posting instructable that late? That's because I wanted to finish my machine completely and make the most detailed instructable I have ever done. This project is the biggest one for me for a lot of reasons, I will talk about them through this instructable. Enjoy :)

Follow me to don't miss my new projects:

YouTube: https://goo.gl/x6Y32E

Facebook: https://goo.gl/ZAQJXJ

Instagram: https://goo.gl/JLFLtf

Step 1: Watch All of the Videos!

This instructable is as detailed as it could be but it's always good to see a video of how to make something or how stuff works. Above you can find my 6 videos about DIY Dremel CNC, maybe I will make some more in the future, I will also add them here, but you can subscribe to my channel to don't miss any of this videos and my fututre projects.

2 People Made This Project!

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Step 2: Parts

Here you can find an Excel sheet with all of the parts, quantities, various links and comments. Below you can find a complete list of everything we need
Mechanical components: Electronics components:

Step 3: 3D Printing

3D printed parts are very important in this project so I would like to talk more about how to print and post-process them.

A lot of people may say that it's extremely important to keep infill super high but from what I noticed using very high infill doesn't help a lot, of course, there's nothing wrong with using high infill but in my opinion infill of about 20-40% is fine.

I printed all of my parts with PLA but it's better to print them with PETG cost of PETG is almost the same and both of them are easy to print but PETG is a little bit more flexible so it's harder to break it.

For some of the files, you need to use supports, make sure to put them in the proper orientation so that there is not a lot of support material to remove and that you are able to remove it.

You don't have to print parts labeled as OLD, those are old versions of some files that I shared in case someone wants to use them.

You can also find .f3d, .iges and .step files so you can easily edit my project.

Be careful while post-processing those parts, it's easy to break them. Also, make sure that you are able to fit all of the bearings inside, you should use a vise to put them in place so it should be tight. You may also need to sand slightly those pins that go into aluminum profiles it depends on the accuracy of your 3D printer.

There are also two "tools" those are not part of the CNC but are very useful to drill holes in aluminium profiles and wooden bed.

Step 5: Z Axis

To make things easier we will start with the assembly of the Z axis. Put two rods in Z-axis carriage but not all the way through we have to put there Dremel holder too. Dremel holder should move freely on the linear bearings. 608zz beating should be already in place in the hole on the bottom of Z-axis carriage. Now we can install a stepper motor with a lead screw and 3D printed coupler. Fix the motor with M3 screws and make sure that both rods are secured with a screw at the bottom. To make it easier for further use point the stepper motor connector backward because that's where we will install electronics.

Step 6: X Axis

Tighten brass nuts to both 3D printed parts. Grab one of the X-axis carriages and join two rods to it. Then put a Z-axis carriage on those rods and close with the other X-axis carriage on the opposite side. Attach a motor with a lead screw to 3D printed part with M3 screws.

Step 9: Spindle

As the name of this project insists as a spindle I use a Dremel tool model 3000, there are already some people that successfully use a different model like 4000 or even completely different spindles. At the end of this instructable, I also write a little bit about the different spindle that I want to use with this machine. That's because Dremel limit's you only to 1/8 inch bits and also because of high rpm and low torque it's not ideal for machining for example aluminum (but it's possible). As long as you only want to machine wood, MDF, acrylic and even for delicate aluminum job Dremel works fine but there is no way to use bigger bit's for faster machining, there are not as many bits with a 1/8 inch shank as others and Dremel is relatively hard to mount.

But still, this is a super cheap entry-level solution for your first CNC with speed control and it's really good quality. You can always upgrade it later.

At the beginning of this project I wanted to add a relay to turn on and off the Dremel with a G-code command but because of some problems (I would have to add a socket to plug in a Dremel and then connect that to a wall outlet and protect all of that so that it would be safe, it's not worth it and it's hard to fit all of that on such small machine) I decided not to use it.

I was thinking a lot about the way of how Dremel should be attached to the spindle holder. Here is how I did it. There is a nut on the bottom of the Dremel, I thought that I can use it to fix it to the 3D printed part. That didn't work as good as I wanted to. So I added a support structure in the middle of the Dremel with a clamp so that you can squeeze it with M3 screws and nuts.

So every time I am machining something I have to remember to turn on the Dremel, I can also easily control the RPM of the Dremel with the slider on the top of it.

Step 10: Install GRBL

I got a lot of questions about how to install GRBL on Arduino. Don't worry that's very simple. We will need an Arduino with a USB cable and software that you can download here: https://github.com/grbl/grbl

Once you have a .ZIP file downloaded from a link above you can add to Arduino IDE as a library. Go to file examples and open an example from GRBL tab. You should see just one line of code, nothing more, that's ok. Connect Arduino to the computer and upload a program just like any normal program. And that's it GRBL is installed on Arduino, you don't have to modify any code. If you have problems with this step try to google "how to install GRBL on Arduino" you will find tons of tutorials on how to do that and how to troubleshoot your problems.

There is also one thing to change, you can do this through the serial monitor in Arduino IDE or console in CNCjs. All we have to do is send 3 simple commands:

$100 = 400
$101 = 400
$102 = 400

Send those commands separately. Depends on the resolution of your stepper motors and microstepping that you used you may need to use a different value than 400.

Step 12: Power Supply

Initially, I used a 12V 30A power supply, but that was overkill for this project. I swap this power supply with my lab bench power supply to see how much current is needed to run it. I found out that max current consumption is smaller than 2A so I bought a 12V 3A power supply. Generally, there is nothing wrong with having too powerful power supply but there is no need to spend the extra money and this huge, bulky, 30A beast is just ugly. Right now I have a simple power supply with DC plug so I can easily connect it to the machine. Keep in mind that depends on the motors and other electronics that you use you may need a stronger power supply than 3A.

Step 13: Cable Management

It's always good to keep your cables tidy. You can find a lot of different ways to do the cable management, I prefer to use this cable wrap thing it's inexpensive and works well for various cables. You may also use cable drag chain but then you have to figure out how to mount it to the machine, it's more professional but harder to use. Keep in mind that cable management is very important in CNC machine because you don't want to cut cables while milling and you also don't want those cables to jam your machine and destroy your material while milling.

Step 14: CNCjs

That's the software for the computer, through it we will control our machine, send gcode and change some parameters through its console in GRBL. There is a lot of different gcode sender options like GRBL controller, mach3 and path pilot but I chose CNCjs because it's free and unlike every other software it looks incredibly good and is easy to control! You can install it on mac, windows and Linux another great advantage! You can even install it on a raspberry pi and control through browser away from the machine! All of that for free in an open source software! Sound's like a perfect solution and it really is so far for me. You can download it here:
https://cnc.js.org
If you have problems with connecting to the machine: most likely that's because wrong baud rate try to change the baud rate in CNCjs to 11520.

Step 15: Fusion 360

Fusion 360 do I have to explain what is it? If you have ever designed anything with CAD software you probably heard about Fusion 360. And to keep it short that's the best software ever! You can do anything with this (CAD, CAM, render, animations, simulations, collaborative design and even more) and it works both on mac and windows. I used Fusion to design Dremel CNC and right now I use Fusion to create Gcode and mill things with this machine. Above you can find my video about how to use Fusion360 and CNCjs with Dremel CNC. If you need some more info on that check out NYC CNC, great YouTube channel about CNC machining.

Step 16: Safety

Safety is a very important aspect of CNC machining, there is a lot of dangerous things that can damage you, you don't want to be damaged so here are my tips on how to stay safe with such machine. Fortunately, NEMA 17 motors aren't crazy fast and torque is as great as with some servo motors used in industrial CNC machines. But there is still a fast spinning spindle and danger of crushing your fingers. While machining there are chips flying all over the place so we need to have a safety glasses (because safety is number one priority) and depends on the material that we are machining (wood, MDF) we may need a mask. It's also a good idea to build an enclosure for DIY Dremel CNC and some people already build one, I am also planning to do this in the near future. Another safety improvement would be to add a big red safety switch so that in case something bad happens you can easily stop the machine (we can also do that in CNCjs but it takes more time and isn't that reliable). Keep in mind that material and bit may be hot after machining and make sure that machine finished its operation before putting your hands in the working area. Machining for a longer period of time is very uncomfortable for ears so some kind of hearing protection is recommended. I also thought about using active noise canceling headphones, should be perfect for a CNC machine because noise is very consistent but I don't have any headphones like this and those are quite expensive. Keep in mind that those are just some tips from me about safety while dealing with a CNC machine, there is a lot of things that can go wrong and you always have to be careful and think in order to be safe.

Step 17: Result

The result of this project just blows my mind! When I started it I just wanted to see if it is possible to create a 3D printed CNC machine, I wanted to build a tool that I will be able to use in my further projects. Right from the beginning of it, I knew that I will publish online all of the files and the instruction but I had never thought that this project will be so popular and that so many people will build it (check out next step). That's the biggest project of mine so far! Because of some problems and a lot of upgrades and tweaks that I did to the machine, it took me a long time before finishing this instructable, but I wanted it to be perfect and as detailed as possible so that everyone will be able to easily build an inexpensive CNC machine. Above you can see the newest images of the Dremel CNC with nice cable management and some small upgrades. There are also images of stuff that I milled on my machine. If you want to see what others made on Dremel CNC joint the Facebook group!

Step 18: How to Mill?

Choosing proper feeds and depth of cut is really just about experimenting. Start slow and shallow, slowly increase the speed and see what happen. Be careful, it's easy to break a milling bit. Keep in mind that going slow is as bad as going too fast, you need to be in between for best results. Here are the settings that I use:
Wood, MDF:

Feed: 800mm/min

Depth of cut: 3mm

Usually, I use adaptive clearing for everything and 2d contour for contour cut

Dremel switch 8/10

Acrylic:

Feed: 500mm/min

Depth of cut: 1mm

Dremel switch 6/10

Aluminum:

Feedrate: 800mm/min

Depth of cut: 0.2mm

Dremel at full speed

Keep in mind that depends on your setup those values may not work at all!!!

And here are milling bits that I am using:
For wood For aluminum/acrylic

Step 20: Updates & Upgrades

This project grew so much that you can find a lot of different versions of my design online, there are holders for different tools like a laser or vinyl cutter. I also redesigned some of the files so those are a little bit different from the original version that I still use. I will try to put all of the links below to the remixes and everything that is relevant:
Remix by FrancescoF Tighter Tolerances and easier assembly by David Dienhart Generic mount by Sletan 52mm Spindle Mount Vinyl cutter mount by MAILLERE Brigitte X axis holder with an additional aluminum profile. Dremel 395 Mount by Chrome98 Dremel 395 Z Axis Carriage by cadbury204 DIY Dremel CNC - X Axis remix by Bob123bob DIY Dremel CNC_Tool_Holder by MarkBinary
I also upgraded the CNC with threaded inserts embedded in the table of the CNC and covers for lead screw to protect it from dust and chips.

Step 21: Conclusion

That's it for this project! I hope you enjoyed this instructable :) If you have any question ask them in the Facebook group or in the comments below! I would also love to hear what you think about the project :D

Happy making!

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DIY 3D Printed Dremel CNC: When I got my first 3D printer I was extremely happy with all the new possibilities to create things but after some time I noticed the limitations of 3D printing. Plastic is easy to melt, sometimes it's not mechanically resistant enough and most i...

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NIVEL: 🔋🔋🔋🔋🔋
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Step 1: Mechanical Parts

The complete CNC is designed in Fusion 360, below you will see the complete CNC in an interactive 3D-model:

Required Parts:

Here are all required CNC-milled parts. You can buy all the CNC-milled parts in my Online Shop. The total cost of all the CNC-milled parts will be 150€ + shipping.

Quantity

Description

How the part looks like

2x
(normal+mirror)

Z_Plate_Side

Aluminium Extrusion Parts:

I am trying to use as much standart aluminium extrusion parts, so it will be relativly easy to source the parts.

Quantity

Description

Link

Price

Nuts, Screws and Washers:

I am trying to be as accurate as possible while counting all the screws and nuts. If you find any fault on the list, please tell me, so I can update the parts list. Also I recommend to buy some more screws.

Quantity

Description

Where to buy

Price

84x

M3 T-slot Nut Slot 6mm

Aliexpress

5,60€

40x

M4 T-slot Nut Slot 6mm

Aliexpress

5,60€

4x

M4 T-slot Nut Slot 5mm

Dold-Mechatronik

0,88€

32x

M4x20mm DIN912 cylinderhead screw

local hardware store

-

32x

M4x16mm DIN912 cylinderhead screw

local hardware store

-

6x

M5x20mm DIN912 cylinderhead screw

local hardware store

-

12x

M5x10mm DIN912 cylinderhead screw

local hardware store

-

16x

M6x20mm DIN912 cylinderhead screw

local hardware store

-

For the CNC mill you will need three custom machined 1204 ballscrews. I have attached a drawing with the dimesions at the bottom of this step. Additionally you will need MGN12 linear rails, ballscrew, bearings and housings. Because it was a littlebit hard to source all the parts, I contacted a manufacture, who can supply all these parts for a resonable price. This manufacture will also make the custom machined ballscrews. You can buy all the parts here: Aliexpress

2 People Made This Project!

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Step 2: Electrical Parts

Quantity

Description

Link

Price

3x

inductive limit switches NPN

Aliexpress
4,44€

3x

Nema 17 Motors

Stepper-Online
33,00 €

some

wires

-

-

Step 5: Y-Ballscrew Plate

What you need for this step: What you have to do:
For that step, you have to install the Y_Axis_Nut plate to the ballscrew housing. You do that with four M5x10mm screws.

Step 7: The Main Plate

What you need for this step: What you have to do:
You have to hammer the 16 hammer nuts to the predrilled holes.

Step 8: Attach the Main Plate to the Main Frame.

What you need for this step: What you have to do:
You have to connect the preassembled Main_Plate to the main frame. The connection is made with eight M4x12mm screws.

Step 9: Portal

Step 10: X-Ballscrew

Step 12: Z-Axis Part 1:

Step 13: Z-Axis Part 2:

What you need for this step: What you have to do:
Connect the Spindle_Mount at the bottom of the Z-Axis and the and the Z_Motor plate at the top of the Z-axis. Don't forget to cut a M6 thread inside the extrusions.

Step 14: Z-Axis Part 3:

What you need for this step: What you have to do:
Place the Z_Plate_Side plates at the side of the Z-axis. Then connect them with the M4x16mm screws

Step 15: Z-Axis Part 4:

What you need for this step: What you have to do:
Attach the Nema 17 motor to the predrilled holes and connect it with four M3x10mm screws. After that connect the ballscrew to the Nema 17 motor with the 5x8mm shaft coupler.

Step 16: Connect the Z-Axis and the Portal

What you need for this step:

Quantity

Description

4x

M5 washer

What you have to do:
Slide the Z-Axis into the linear wagons on the X-Carriage. Then connect the Z-ballscrew to the X-Carriage with four M5x16mm screws.

Step 17: Connect the Portal to the Main Frame

What you need for this step: What you have to do:
Finally connect the portal to the main frame. You do this by using six additional angle brackets. All the requiered holes are predrilled. Please take a look at the pictures, where the angle brackets are located.

Step 18: Prepare the Spindle

For the connection between the spindle and the machine, I am using the allready existing spindle mount. You simply need to remove the plastic part at the bottom of the mount.

Step 19: Attach the Spindle Mount to the Machine

What you need for this step: What you have to do:
Place the spindle mount on the Z-axis. Then connect it to the Z-axis with four M4x16mm screws. Once completed, you can slide the spindle inside the spindle mount.

Step 20: Electronics

For the electronics I am using an Arduino Uno with a CNC-shield. This is the cheapest methode to controll the CNC.

For the connection you have to connect the X-Motor to the X-Motor-Port, the Y-Motor to the Y-Motor-Port and the Z-Motor to the Z-Motor Port. Then you have to connect 12V to the board at the blue terminal pins. After that connect it to your PC and flash the software (GRBL or ESTLCAM) to the Arduino.

Now you should be able to move your machine.

(coming soon):

On the machine there are also holders for inductive 12mm end switches in the CNC milled frame. I am still waiting for delivery, so when they arrieved, I will update the instruction.

Step 21: Software

To controll the machine you need 3 types of software:

Inside the CAD software you create your 3D-File, which you want to manufature. I personally use Fusion360 for this kind of application.
2.CAM software:

In the CAM software you define the tool path of your CNC machine, here you can also use Fusion360, because it has a build in CAM-module.

The G-code sender took the G-code file, from the CAM-Software and sends it to the controller of the machine. Because I am using an Arduino as the controller you can use GRBL as a software on the Arduino and a G-code sender like " Univerversal-Gcode-Sender" or " bcnc"

As an alternative I also want to mention Estlcam. In Estlcam, the CAM and controller part are combined in one software (If you use an Arduino as your controller). Also it is more simple to use compared to other CAM Software.

Step 22: Configure Estlcam for This Machine

I personally recommend to use Estlcam over GRBL for this CNC because of these aspects:

It is a lot easier to configurate than GRBL

It has a build in CAM, so you don't need any additional Software

Controller and CAM are combined in one Software

Now I want to show you which configuration you have to do, that the machine will work propably:

1. Open Estlcam and go to "Einstellungen" then click on "CNC Steuerung"

2. After that a window will open with some configurations. There you will see all the basic values for this machine. Once you have all the settings like in the picture, connect your Arduino to your computer, select the right COM-Port, click on "Steuerung-Programmieren":

3. If the programming of the Arduino was a success, close "Estlcam" and open "CNC-Controller". Now you should be able to move your machine.

4.Here is a video of the test-file. The test file can be downloaded at the bottom of this step. The feedrate in the testfile is 2400mm/min.

Step 23: CNC-Milled Results

Here I will show you some CNC-milled parts, which where milled on this machine. ( list will be extended in the future )

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LOW COST DIY 500€ CNC MILL: Hi,in this Instructable I want to show you, how you can build your own CNC-Mill for less then 500€. I designed this machine for CNC-beginners, who don't want to spend a lot of money for their first experiences with CNC machines but also expecting ...

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NIVEL: 🔋🔋🔋🔋🔋
PRECIO: 🔋🔋🔋🔋🔋

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Step 1: Supply List

Supplies: Tools:

Laser cutter

Soldering iron

3D printer

Wire cutters

Allen wrenches

Small hammer

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Step 2: System Overview

The upright laser harp consists of 12 lasers and photoresistors arranged in six layers. Two mirrors per layer reflect the laser beams to the photoresistors. In the figure, the red arrow indicates how the laser is reflected to the photoresistor and the corresponding pins the laser and photoresistor is connected to. The pins are scrambled up due to the way the wiring feeds down the tower to the Arduino Mega. The lasers can be triggered on and off using digital pins, and the voltage drop across the photoresistors is measured using analog input pins. When the laser is blocked, the resistance of the photoresistor increases and the voltage output drops.

The instrument produces audio output using the incredible Adafruit Music Maker shield. I was so happy to discover this shield, because I can now easily produce audio signals from the device without connecting a MIDI player. Check the link for all the info on how to set up this shield. The shield is run in MIDI mode with the audio output being run to audio jack and speakers. A latched pushbutton turns the speakers on and off. Here is a link to the chip ( VS1053b) at the heart of the music maker shield. Page 33 has all the instruments.

The volume of the device is controlled using a potentiometer connected to the Arduino Mega. The output is read and software updates the volume of the MIDI signal. Finally, the device can also switch between different MIDI instruments. A rotary switch is read and the output is used to update the instrument. I chose to have 16 preloaded instrument selections on the device. The number of instruments is not limited by the Arduino and music shield. There are over 100 options for instruments on the VS1053 chip. I think there is probably enough memory on the mega to store all those instrument codes if you wanted. The selected instrument is displayed on a wheel with 16 spokes. The wheel is turned using a stepper motor, which is controlled with 4 digital pins.

Step 4: Mirror Assembly

The upright laser harp consists of twelve mirror assemblies and each assembly consists of five parts. Two brackets slide into the square mount and a 1" x 1" mirror snaps into place. To prevent the mirror from sliding out of the mount, two C-shaped joints slide in over the mirror. No glue is required for this assembly.

Step 6: Photodetector Mount

To detect the blocked laser beam, I decided to use photoresistors. I debated using faster components, but after watching this great Backyard Amusement video, I realized that photoresistors would work fine given my requirements.

Even with the kinematic laser mounts, I knew that I wanted to add diffusers to make sure light fully illuminated the photoresistors. I used old 35mm film canisters cut to fit in a small mount, a trick I learned from my first laser harp.

A photoresistor is pushed into the photoresistor "wall," and two cables are connected to the photoresistor (one goes to 5V and the other goes to an analog input). I then cut a small piece of diffusive plastic from a camera film canister. The plastic then slides into wooden mounts and is placed into a cross-shaped part. It looks like a little lantern. The body is pressed into the photoresistor wall. Finally, the photoresistor wall is used to connect the kinematic laser mount assembly.

Step 7: Top Assembly (Layers 1-2)

The top two sheets of the laser harp don't hold any lasers. First, the corner brackets are pressed into Layer 2. The orientation of the brackets matters because of how they fit into Layer 3 in the harp. Layer 1 is then pressed into the top of the brackets. Four square pieces of wood are glued onto the top of Layer 1. This assembly is set aside before attaching to Layer 3.

Step 8: Laser Layer Assembly (Layers 3-9)

These layers hold together the laser, photoresistor walls, and mirror assemblies. All the layers are the same except for layer 3, which has additional holes for mounting the top assembly. For each row, the laser/photoresistor and mirror positions alternate, as shown in the schematic. I pressed in the laser/photoresistor modules and mirrors into the layers using a hammer. Some of the tolerances were off, so I had to shave down the tabs on the mounts so they fit into each layer.

At each layer, the lasers and photoresistor wires are threaded down through holes to the next layer. The ground of each laser is connected and the 5V from the photoresistors are connected together. I also labeled the wires so I knew how to connect them in the electronics box at the bottom of the device.

When all the laser, photoresistor walls, and mirror assemblies are mounted into the layers, long arm connectors slide into the layers to hold everything together.

Step 9: Base Assembly (Layers 10-15)

The next step is to start assembling the base. Layers 10-15 were designed to form a converging tunnel in the middle of the device when seen from the top. I pressed the two sides of the electronics box into these layers to hold them in place. Layer 14 and 15 are glued together and Layer 14 has no tabs to be be pressed into the walls of the electronics box. The front and rear wall of the electronics box are not initially pressed into the layers.

The wires from the lasers and photoresistors are then pulled through the holes in the base assembly so they can eventually be connected to the Arduino. Layers 3-9 are connected to the base assembly with tabs on Layer 9 that fit into the walls of the electronics box.

Layers 1-2 can now be pushed into holes on Layer 3. Finally, even longer connector arms are pressed into Layers 1-15 to hold all the layers together and connect the top portion of the instrument to the electronics box.

Step 13: Playing the Harp

Attached is the code for the laser harp and some additional troubleshooting code. I followed the code from the Adafruit documentation for the Music Maker shield. The general procedure is as follows:

SETUP

1. Calibrate the instrument wheel with Hall effect sensor signals

2. Set up Music Maker Shield for MIDI output

3. Select the notes played by the device

4. Turn lasers on

LOOP

5. Update volume of device by reading the potentiometer

6. Update the motor position and MIDI instrument by reading rotary encoder

7. Read the state of the photoresistors and compare to previous state to determine if beam was blocked

8. Send appropriate MIDI signal if beam is blocked

The Reset button and Speaker enable button work by being tied to ground so they don't have to be read into digitial pins of Arduino. You may have to adjust the lasers using the kinematic mounts to make sure they are aligned with the photoresistors.

Now you are ready to play the instrument! The device plays like a fretted instrument because of the rails running down the sides of the device, so it is easier to play than other laser harps I have tried. Thanks for reading my instructable!

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Upright Laser Harp: Laser harps are musical devices with laser beam "strings." When the beam is blocked, a note is played by the instrument. Usually laser harps have the beams travel vertically in the shape of a fan or vertical lines. In this project, I built a laser...

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