Blog
Build logs, project notes, and write-ups from the workshop.
- How to Use Servos with Arduino — Wiring + Code (HiTec HS-322HD, TowerPro MG995) How to wire and control hobby servos with Arduino — external power, common ground, lead color schemes for HiTec and TowerPro, Servo library code, and why jitter happens.
- How to Arduino #1 — Installing the IDE and Uploading Your First Sketch Installing the Arduino IDE, selecting the right board and serial port, uploading the Blink example, and reading your first sketch. Also: why the Arduino Nano fits on a breadboard and the Uno does not, and a plain-English walkthrough of the three sections every Arduino program has.
- Programmable LED Jack-o-Lantern with the TI MSP-430 Launchpad + Energia IDE Replace a fake pumpkin's incandescent bulb with 6 individually-controlled LEDs and program the whole thing with the TI MSP-430 Launchpad and Energia — which is basically the Arduino IDE with a red color scheme and TI chip support.
- How to Fix Nintendo Wii Disc Read Errors — Optical Drive Replacement Tutorial The dreaded "Unable to read disc" error on a Nintendo Wii is almost always the optical drive — and a $20 replacement from overseas plus one very specific screwdriver will fix it in about 35 minutes.
- How to Use a Nokia 5110 LCD with Arduino — $3 Display + Clock Demo The Nokia 5110's 84×48 monochrome LCD is surplus from one of the best-selling phones in history, which is why you can get five of them for $15 shipped. Full wiring guide, Adafruit PCD8544 library setup, and a sweeping clock-face demo.
- Using the TI Launchpad as an In-System Programmer for MSP430 Chips You already own an MSP430 programmer. Pull three jumpers off the Launchpad and you can flash chips in-circuit on a breadboard — no separate programmer needed. Here is the four-wire hookup and why it beats the pop-and-swap approach.
- I2C Communication Between an Arduino Uno and an Arduino Mega 2560 Two Arduinos, one bus: an Arduino Mega 2560 as I2C master telling an Arduino Uno slave when to light an LED. Covers the Mega pin locations, 4.7K pullup wiring, common ground requirement, and the Wire library code for both sides.
- MSP430 Launchpad as an I2C Slave with an Arduino Mega Master An Arduino Mega 2560 commands an Arduino Uno and a TI MSP430 Launchpad on the same I2C bus. Here is the voltage caveat, the Launchpad I2C pin locations, the Energia tone() fix, and a power trick for running the Launchpad off the Mega when you only have one USB port.
- Running 4 HC-SR04 Ultrasonic Sensors on an Arduino Robot — Code and I2C LCD Four cheap ultrasonic sensors, one I2C LCD, and the crosstalk problem nobody warns you about. Full code walkthrough for a multi-sensor distance display on an Arduino robot chassis.
- Wiring a DPDT Power Switch to an Arduino Robot — One Switch for Two Batteries A double-pole double-throw toggle switch lets a single big red button power both the Arduino battery and the motor battery at the same time. Here is the wiring, the multimeter checks, the soldering, and the one moment where something disconnected and smoked.