When I found this ancient QuickShot Joystick which seemed to be still in working order, I just had to make it work again. Of course, no modern computer knows how to interface with such a dinosaur, so I build a “translator” system using and Arduino Leonardo. Here’s how.
Continue reading Reviving an old joystick with an Arduino Leonardo
These error messages are not only common, but also very annoying. Their text is unfriendly and unhelpful; so what’s really the problem, and what can you do to fix it if and when it happens to you?
Continue reading Dealing With “AVRDude: stk500_getsync(): not in sync” Errors
I finished the 595 Beginner’s Guide with a fairly simple example project. As a supplement, here’s another project, based on the same setup but just a little bit more complex, where we manipulate another input pin on the IC – and by doing that, control the output LED brightness!
After playing with the Arduino for a certain period, you may feel an urge to move forward to stand-alone microcontrollers. The official way to program AVR MCUs is with the Atmel Studio IDE and an Atmel programmer/debugger, such as Atmel-ICE. But Atmel Studio is only for Windows, and the programmers are pretty expensive. Here’s an alternative.
Continue reading Programming AVR Microcontrollers With Linux (The Relatively Easy Way)
In this guide I will introduce the cheap and useful IC (Integrated Circuit) nicknamed “595” – a Serial-to-Parallel chip, which is commonly used as an output port expander for Arduino and other MCU projects.
No, this is not about their killer driver fiasco from a couple of weeks ago. In a sense, that was a success – at least the driver did what it was supposed to do! How about distributing a demo source code for a new product – probably the very first code a user will try to compile and run – that has obvious bugs which render it useless?
Do you use your Raspberry Pi (or any other single-board computer) as a Linux desktop? How would you like to be able to program graphic applications for it, quickly and easily, using a modern IDE? Forget Python and makeshift “solutions”, it’s time for the real thing!
Continue reading Easy Desktop Programming For Your Tiny Computer
I made a short, preliminary video explaining how you can interface LEGO “Power Functions” motors (and other components) to an Arduino. Do it at your own risk, because this will totally void any warranty… enjoy!
I’m usually happy with my IKEA purchases, but this one particular LED bulb was a big disappointment. It was installed in a desk lamp (also from IKEA) that wasn’t used much; I seriously doubt it worked even 500 hours overall, when it started failing. I did not have the receipt to attempt exchange or refund, so the only thing left to do was crack it open and learn what’s inside.
I have always been fascinated by computer graphics, in all its aspects – including 3D. Unfortunately, decent 3D software was always way too expensive for a hobbyist like me, or too complicated and inconvenient (did someone say POV-Ray?)
And then there’s Blender.
