May 22, 2012 |
1,909 views |
Book Description
The first magazine devoted entirely to do-it-yourself technology projects presents its 30th quarterly edition for people who like to tweak, disassemble, recreate, and invent cool new uses for technology.
Until recently, home automation was an unfulfilled promise — systems were gimmicky, finicky, user-hostile, or potentially unsecure. But today, thanks to a new crop of devices and technologies, home automation is useful, fun, and maker-friendly. Using smartphones, wireless networks, the internet, simple microcontrollers, and even gesture recognition, DIY-style Smart Homes can now do everything promised and more, for much less — and MAKE shows you how in Volume 30.
Table of Contents
May 15, 2012 |
3,667 views |
Book Description
If you’ve done some Arduino tinkering and wondered how you could incorporate the Kinect—or the other way around—then this book is for you. The authors of Arduino and Kinect Projects will show you how to create 10 amazing, creative projects, from simple to complex. You’ll also find out how to incorporate Processing in your project design—a language very similar to the Arduino language.
The ten projects are carefully designed to build on your skills at every step. Starting with the Arduino and Kinect equivalent of “Hello, World,” the authors will take you through a diverse range of projects that showcase the huge range of possibilities that open up when Kinect and Arduino are combined.
- Gesture-based Remote Control. Control devices and home appliances with hand gestures.
- Kinect-networked Puppet. Play with a physical puppet remotely using your whole body.
- Mood Lamps. Build your own set of responsive, gesture controllable LED lamps.
- Drawing Robot. Control a drawing robot using a Kinect-based tangible table.
- Remote-controlled Vehicle. Use your body gestures to control a smart vehicle.
- Biometric Station. Use the Kinect for biometric recognition and checking Body Mass Indexes.
- 3D Modeling Interface. Learn how to use the Arduino LilyPad to build a wearable 3D modelling interface.
- 360º Scanner. Build a turntable scanner and scan any object 360º using only one Kinect.
- Delta Robot. Build and control your own fast and accurate parallel robot. Download Now »
May 02, 2012 |
3,020 views |
Book Description
Hacking the Kinect is the technogeek’s guide to developing software and creating projects involving the groundbreaking volumetric sensor known as the Microsoft Kinect. Microsoft’s release of the Kinect in the fall of 2010 startled the technology world by providing a low-cost sensor that can detect and track body movement in three-dimensional space. The Kinect set new records for the fastest-selling gadget of all time. It has been adopted worldwide by hobbyists, robotics enthusiasts, artists, and even some entrepreneurs hoping to build business around the technology.
Hacking the Kinect introduces you to programming for the Kinect. You’ll learn to set up a software environment, stream data from the Kinect, and write code to interpret that data. The progression of hands-on projects in the book leads you even deeper into an understanding of how the device functions and how you can apply it to create fun and educational projects. Who knows? You might even come up with a business idea.
- Provides an excellent source of fun and educational projects for a tech-savvy parent to pursue with a son or daughter
- Leads you progressively from making your very first connection to the Kinect through mastery of its full feature set
- Shows how to interpret the Kinect data stream in order to drive your own software and hardware applications, including robotics applications Download Now »
Apr 28, 2012 |
5,282 views |
Book Description
Whether you’re new to Arduino and Android development, or you’ve tinkered a bit with either one, this is the book for you. Android has always been a natural fit with Arduino projects, but now that Google has released the Android Open Accessory Development Kit (the Android ADK), combining Android with Arduino to create custom gadgets has become even easier.
Beginning Android ADK with Arduino shows how the ADK works and how it can be used with a variety of Arduino boards to create a variety of fun projects that showcase the abilities of the ADK.
Mario Böhmer will walk you through several projects, including making sounds, driving motors, and creating alarm systems, all while explaining how to use the ADK and how standard Arduino boards may differ from Google-branded Arduinos. You aren’t tied to specific hardware with this book; use what you have, and this book will show you how.
What you’ll learn
- How different boards work with the ADK
- How to create your first sketch and project
- How to work with light and sound
- How to work with servos and DC motors
- How to work with photoresistors and thermistors to sense the environment Download Now »
Mar 20, 2012 |
12,069 views |
Book Description
In Programming Your Home, technology enthusiast Mike Riley walks you through a variety of custom home automation projects, ranging from a phone application that alerts you to package deliveries at your front door to an electronic guard dog that will prevent unwanted visitors.
Open locked doors using your smartphone. Assemble a bird feeder that posts Twitter tweets to tell you when the birds are feeding or when bird seed runs low. Have your home speak to you when you receive email, notify you when visitors arrive, and more.
You’ll learn how to use Android smartphones, Arduinos, X10 controllers and a wide array of sensors, servos, programming languages, web frameworks, and mobile SDKs. Programming Your Home is written for smartphone programmers, web developers, technology tinkerers, and anyone who enjoys building cutting-edge, do-it-yourself electronic projects.
This book will give you the inspiration and understanding to construct amazing automation capabilities that will transform your residence into the smartest home in your neighborhood!
What you need
To get the most out of Programming Your Home, you should have some familiarity with the Arduino hardware platform along with a passion for tinkering. You should enjoy innovative thinking and learning exercises as well as have some practical application development experience. The projects use a variety of hardware components including sensors and actuators, mobile devices, and wireless radios Download Now »
Feb 23, 2012 |
4,786 views |
Book Description
Want to build your own satellite and launch it into space? It’s easier than you may think. The first in a series of four books, this do-it-yourself guide shows you the essential steps needed to design a base picosatellite platform—complete with a solar-powered computer-controlled assembly—tough enough to withstand a rocket launch and survive in orbit for three months.
Whether you want to conduct scientific experiments, run engineering tests, or present an orbital art project, you’ll select basic components such as an antenna, radio transmitter, solar cells, battery, power bus, processor, sensors, and an extremely small picosatellite chassis. This entertaining series takes you through the entire process—from planning to launch.
- Prototype and fabricate printed circuit boards to handle your payload
- Choose a prefab satellite kit, complete with solar cells, power system, and on-board computer
- Calculate your power budget—how much you need vs. what the solar cells collect
- Select between the Arduino or BasicX-24 onboard processors, and determine how to use the radio transmitter and sensors
- Learn your launch options, including the providers and cost required
- Use milestones to keep your project schedule in motion
Table of Contents
Chapter 1. Overview Download Now »
