Wednesday 13 July 2016

Bluetooth Controlled Rainbow Lamp





This Bluetooth Controlled Rainbow Lamp can be switched to any color by using your smartphone. The lamp not only looks like all the seven colors of the rainbow but also glows in all the seven colors of rainbow. The shapes that it makes at night are just amazing to watch. The design of this lamp may seem complicated, but you will be surprised to know that it is made by just cardboard, nothing else! Actually the original design was taken from crafts thrift . I made little modifications in the design. You can reuse your old cardboard boxes to bring them back to life by making it instead of throwing them away. Since it uses old cardboard which is reused to make it, that makes it recycled. You can use it as a night-lamp or for decorations in certain events. It can be hung on the ceiling with the help of the string or can be simply kept on a table.
The electronics of the lamp that makes it glow in different colors comprise of an arduino that acts as the brain of the lamp, bluetooth module that receives signals from the smartphone and RGB leds that gives out light of different colors. When you touch your phone to produce a certain color, the smartphone sends a command which is received by the bluetooth module. The module then transmits that data to arduino which processes it and makes the led glow in certain brightness. The brightness of each color of the led can be controlled as they are connected to the PWM pins of arduino. If all this seems complicated, just calm down and skip all this.
For detailed step by step instructions: http://www.instructables.com/id/Bluetooth-Controlled-Recycled-Rainbow-Lamp/

Sunday 10 July 2016

The Soccer Robot






Complete step by step instructions: http://www.instructables.com/id/The-Soccer-Robot/
If you love to make robots and see them rolling around your house, then you'll love this one too! This robot can play soccer by dribbling and kicking a ball, though not as good as Messi or Ronaldo. It is controlled using a smartphone with wireless bluetooth connection which enables you to make many of them and have a robot soccer match!
This project uses the Mediatek Linkit ONE as it's control centre. It is connected to a bluetooth module which receives data from a smartphone and then sends it to the chip which then processes it and does a task accordingly. For movements, the robot uses two plastic geared motors (300 RPM) while for kicking the ball, it uses a micro servo motor connected to a metal shaft. As for the power, it uses a 6v battery pack which consists of 4 1.5v AA batteries to power the geared motors + a 3.7v lithium battery to power linkit one, BT module and servo motor. The entire project can be completed within 2-3 hrs with some basic soldering skills and a little knowledge about using linkit one.
Although the robot looks complex externally, but making it is a very simple task thus it can be one of those 'Simple Bots'. I have personally tested the robot and the result turned out to be great! I am so sorry for not publishing a video.
Complete step by step instructions: http://www.instructables.com/id/The-Soccer-Robot/


Saturday 9 July 2016

Wearable Child Tracker





Complete step by step instructions: http://www.instructables.com/id/Wearable-Child-Tracker/
Are you worried of your kids getting lost when you are out at a crowded place? That's obvious, isn't it? This project will reduce the risk of children getting lost at unknown and crowded places thus will also eleminate your nightmares. As you may have already guessed from the name, this project is basically a child tracker that can give you the exact GPS location through an SMS to your phone when required.
This project uses the Mediatek Linkit ONE as a base for communication between your phone and the tracker and to get the GPS location. As linkit one has in-built GSM and GPS features, you don't need to connect any external shield or modules which makes it a perfect weekend project to be completed within an hour. You just need a SIM card with some balance or an SMS pack. The best part is that the device will work in any part of this world provided that there is a mobile network available at that place.
The project is enclosed in a digital camera pouch thus can be tied around the waist along with a belt, can be kept in your child's bagpack or pocket. Since the project has GPS, you can not only use it as a child tracker but also as car tracking or bagpack anti-theft device.

How it Works?


The process is very simple. As you may already know, linkit one as in-built GPS and GSM features. So when you send a message to linkit one through your phone, it is received by the SIM card present on linkit one and transferred to the board thereafter.
The board then processes the signal, gets GPS data by directly connecting to a sattelite and then sends this data to the no. which is mentioned in it's code. The data when entered on Google Maps gives you the exact GPS location of the device. As the device will be with your child, it will tell you the location of your child so that you can easily reach that place.
It shall be noted that you will only get the data till the device is on. Unavailability of power supply or the battery running low will not give you the GPS data.

Complete step by step instructions: http://www.instructables.com/id/Wearable-Child-Tracker/

WiFi Controlled RGB LED Strip









Those IR remotes used to control RGB LED strips can sometimes become irritating due to their limited range and hunting for the remote when you can't find it. This simple, yet effective project can solve a problem by controlling your strips via your smartphone over WiFi. Controlling over a web server means that it can be controlled from anywhere in the world! Having an internet connection isn't a problem as most of the people already have it for their daily use. So now you can make your christmas decorations or room lights better with this device.
The project uses the Mediatek Linkit ONE as the base which had in-built WiFi so you don't need any external shields or modules except one which would be needed to power the LED strips which require a higher output current than Linkit ONE can provide.
The best thing about RGB LED strips is that combining the three primary colors- Red, Green and Blue, you can produce an infinite range of colors with great effects. They are much better and consume much less current than normal christmas decoration lights. You can use this project as a great alternative for night lamps, decorations, ambient lighting and the best- Your christmas tree, coz christmas in coming! So get your things ready and start making this project NOW!

Arduino Controlled Kitchen Timer







All of you must have experienced this that you have something being cooked on your gas stove while on the other side you get busy watching TV or get a deep conversation that you realize on detecting a smell that it was completely spoiled just because of your carelessness. This little Arduino controlled device is a simple solution to the problem! This is basically a mini battery operated portable kitchen timer which can be set to any number of hours and minutes and tells you with buzzer beeps that the provided time is over. The buzzer is loud enough to be heard even in another room thus can save your dishes from turning burn black. Wonder how great would it be if you made one yourself? Here's how to!
When talking about the inner workings, this project consists of Arduino as the brain, a Liquid crystal display to display time, a buzzer to notify you, two buttons to enter hours and minutes and two LEDs to acting as indicators. Apart from this, it is operated using a 9v battery thus making it small, light weight and portable. As you may have noticed, all of the parts are one of the most basic ones thus you won't have to hunt around. You can enter the number of hours as well as minutes which makes it an accurate device to suite your needs. You will require a maximum of two to three hours to make it.
Here is a short video of the project working:

Friday 8 July 2016

Vision: A Torch For The Visually Impaired




Vision is a torch shaped device to help blind people navigate with greater comfort, speed and confidence, whilst making use of ultrasonic waves to detect nearby obstacles and to notify the user through vibrations and beeps of a buzzer. The idea was inspired from bats, who also use sound waves of high frequency to move.

According to an estimate, there are 285 million visually impaired people in the world. The loss of one the most important human senses causes them a lot of hardships in daily life. The affected ones have been using the traditional white cane since many years which although being effective, still has a lot of disadvantages. Another way has been a pet animal such as a dog which is not very common for being comparatively expensive. So the aim of this project is to develop a cheap, yet more efficient way to help the visually impaired navigate with more speed and confidence

As seen in the picture, the device is lightweight and handy with the fact that it does not emit light. Instead, it uses ultrasonic waves to detect obstacles and notify the user through vibrations and sound beeps. This overcomes the problem of not being very flexible as in the case of white cane.

Features:
  • Uses Ultrasonic ranging method to detect nearby obstacles such as walls, tables, doors, chairs and other furniture.
  • The user gets notified about obstacles through sound and vibration. T
  • he intensity of vibration and rate of beeping increases with decrease in distance.
  • The device only reacts when the trigger buttons are pressed.

Why "Vision?"

Practically talking, this device will help the blind to navigate without holding a stick which is a bit annoying for them. When used on a large scale, with improvements in the prototype, it will drastically benefit the community.

Here is a video of the project in action:

http://www.instructables.com/id/Vision-a-Torch-for-the-Visually-Impaired/

Sunday 17 April 2016

Energy Saving Switch With Presence Sensor


Detailed, step by step Instructions: http://www.instructables.com/id/Energy-Saving-Switch-With-Presence-Sensor/



Do you face such situations when you leave your reading lights, table fans or soldering irons without switching them off and later realize that they were on for too many hours which subsequently jumps off your electricity bills? Well, if you have such a problem of forgetting things which probably most of you would have (including me :P), you have just found the right thing! This project will detect your presence on your work chair and then switch on and off appliances connected to it accordingly. 

The project uses an ultrasonic sensor connected to the Mediatek Linkit ONE as it's brain. By detecting the distance from the sensor to your chair, it can detect your presence as the distance will decrease when you are sitting on the chair. The relay connected to linkit one gets activated when you are sitting on your chair thus switching on the appliance while it switches it off as you leave. Thus, this project will greatly help to reduce your electricity bills as any appliance from soldering irons and hot glue guns to lights and fans can be controlled using this appliance.

The project is not very complicated and easy to make thus can be a good way to start with linkit one. There are innumerable number of modifications you can make to this project. Remember to post a feedback in the comment section below. Do post the pictures of your own project if you've made one yourself. Don't forget to follow for more great projects!



Detailed, step by step Instructions: http://www.instructables.com/id/Energy-Saving-Switch-With-Presence-Sensor/


Tuesday 12 April 2016

Get An SMS Tank Overflow Alert


Detailed step by step instructions at: http://www.instructables.com/id/SMS-Tank-Overflow-Alert/

Introduction:
Water tank overflow is a major problem in most of the homes these days (not in appartments). Of course there are such alarms to prevent this problem but still, they are not that effective. This is almost the same thing but much smaller and with better features, the best one being that instead of an audio or visual signal, this one gives you an SMS alert to your phone as the tank gets full! This should be a much better option, isn't it? If not, then you can just build it as a cool weekend project just to satisfy your desire to MAKE it yourself!
This one uses the Mediatek Linkit ONE, an awesome prototyping platform with loads of features. As you just have to send a text message, this one uses the GSM feature to give you an alert no matter where you are in this world. For overflow detection, it uses that old yet effective transistor circuit with two wires moving towards the tank. Some people would have a doubt that combining electricity and water can be risky, but you needn't worry as this one has no such risks unless you throw your Linkit ONE inside water ;)

How It Works?
First, starting with the working of this project. The main process, as already explained in the introduction part is that the Linkit ONE will send you a text and will ring a buzzer + glow an LED as soon as it detects that the water tank is full.
The first part is the water sensor board that actually detects water after it has reached a certain level to prevent an overflow. You may already know that tap water is a fair conductor of electricity (neither too good, nor too bad). Now using this fact and placing two wires inside the tank at a certain level, we can easily detect the level of water as when the water will reach that level, it will act as a conductor or simply a resistor and join the other two wires completing the circuit. As water has a quite high resistance, I have used a transistor to detect even very small current that will flow through and give the output to linkit ONE accordingly.
Rest of the part is pretty straightforward. As the Linkit ONE gets a output from the transistor, it sends an SMS to your phone through it's built-in GSM feature. But you should also have a SIM card inserted to actually make it work. I have also added an LED and a buzzer to give audio as well as visual indications along with an SMS alert. 

Detailed step by step instructions at: http://www.instructables.com/id/SMS-Tank-Overflow-Alert/

Monday 11 April 2016

Breadboard Projects: The Musical Bell (DIY)



Detailed Instructions: http://www.instructables.com/id/Ten-Breadboard-Projects-For-Beginners/?ALLSTEPS

Description: This is simple project that can be made easily in five minutes. It is a musical bell that produces a melodious sound just like doorbells. It uses the um66 ic popularly known as the melody ic which has a built in oscillator and an amplifier which can directly drive a buzzer but needs an external circuit to drive a speaker. The supply voltage if the ic is 1.5 - 4.5v so cannot be powered by a 9v battery.

Instructions: Connect everything to the breadboard according to the layout given above. Refer to the images above for the pin configurations of the transistor as well as the ic. Connect a battery holder with 2 AA or AAA batteries to the power rails of the breadboard. Do not connect a 9v battery as it would burn the ic. On switching it on, a musical sound will be heard.

Difficulty: Easy
Parts List:
• 1x UM66 ic
• 1x bc547 or 2n2222 or 2n3904 transistor
• 1x 1K resistor
• 1x 8 ohm speaker
• 2x AA or AAA batteries
• 1x Battery holder

Friday 26 February 2016

Make An Electronic Dice Without Microcontrollers!




For detailed instructions, visit: http://www.instructables.com/id/Ten-Breadboard-Projects-For-Beginners/

Intro:

Have you heard about electronic dice before? If not, it is a simple dice but instead of shaking it you have to press a button. The device will tell you a random number between 1 and 6 through a series of LEDs. The number of LEDs that light up will indicate the number. This project uses a 4060 counter that counts the clock pulses received sets a particular number of pins high. Pressing the button creates a fast clock pulse so the pins that would be high cannot be estimated. This is the reason that makes this dice a completely random number generator. The pins that are set high light up a series of leds that indicates the number. The good thing about this project is that it does not use any microcontrollers thus making it non- programmable thus making it cheap. Most of the projects that you may have seen require arduino or other microcontrollers. Truly speaking, this is the most tedious and time consuming project.

Instructions:

Connect everything according to the layout given above. Make sure you connect everything properly as the connections are too many. Switch the circuit on and press the button. A certain number of LEDs will light up indicating the number which is completely random. Connecting the LEDs like a real dice in a certain order forming a rectangle would make the project look more good.

Parts list:

  • 1x 4060 ic
  • 1x 2.2M resistor
  • 1x 470K resistor
  • 1x 100K resistor
  • 1x 560 ohm resistor
  • 1x 470 ohm resistor
  • 1x 220 ohm resistor
  • 2x 1n capacitors
  • 2x 1n4148 or 1n4001 diodes
  • 6x LEDs
  • 1x Momentary push button

Breadboard layout:



Schematic:


Photo Gallery:










For detailed instructions, visit: http://www.instructables.com/id/Ten-Breadboard-Projects-For-Beginners/

Wednesday 27 January 2016

The Interactive Donation Box


For step by step instructions, visit: http://www.instructables.com/id/The-Interactive-Donation-Box/


Introduction:
Donation boxes can be much more interesting and attractive when you combine them with electronics and a little bit of programming. As the name explains, making donation boxes interactive can help you gain much more attention and make people happy at the same time! Indeed, and awesome way to set up a charity and help the needed ones by installing it in shopping complexes and other public places (if a bigger version of the same is made). This was just a prototype to present the basic idea which when modified and used at a bigger level, can definitely help.
The following project uses an arduino for all it's processing. The RGB LEDs installed inside the box keep on flashing and changing colors which can attract much attention. When a person donates a coin, the ultrasonic sensor installed just on the box detects that and the servo present at the top waves 2-3 times with a 'Thank You' message displayed. This feature can surely bring a smile on the person's face who just donated that coin! Using only arduino and some other basic parts, you can make this project within 3-4 hours max. without the need of hunting the parts. Although a bigger version of the same would be much better, but that doesn't mean that this small one is useless. Even this one can be put at various places.
Video:
Here is a short video of the project:

Photo Gallery:





Monday 25 January 2016

The SMS Home Security System



For step by step instructions, visit: http://www.instructables.com/id/SMS-Home-Security-System/

_______________________

Introduction:

Are you worried of the valuables that you have at your home when you're out on a trip or at your office? If yes, then this project is just for you! A security system which on detecting the presence of a human at your house will text you wherever you are that there's a problem. That sounds good, isn't it? Well, this is what this project does.
The project uses the 'multi-talented' Linkit ONE as it's brain. When a PIR motion sensor connected to this board detects some kind of motion, through it's GSM feature, the board sends you a text message. The best thing about this project is that it can be completed within 1-2 hours and no soldering or drilling is required to make it. This makes this project a great way to get started with Mediatek LinkIt One.
____________________
Parts and Tools required:
The following parts and tools are required to make this project. The total cost was around $70 or 4200 INR. The best part is that no soldering skills are required to make this project. All the parts can be found over online stores one of them being seeedstudio.
Parts:
  • 1x LinkIt ONE board
  • 1x Lithium battery to power your board (included in the Linkit one kit)
  • 1x GSM antenna (included as well)
  • 1x PIR motion sensor
  • 1x Sim card (shouldn't be pin locked)
  • 1x 5v adapter (optional)
  • Male to female jumper wires
  • A suitable enclosure for your project
Tools:
  • Hot glue gun w/glue sticks
  • Drill (not mandatory)
______________________

How it Works?

The process is quite simple. When a human approaches in front of the sensor or the security box, the motion sensor gives a high output which is detected by Linkit one. Through it's GSM feature, it will text you that a human was detected at your house at that time so you can take a suitable action at that very moment. The best part is that you will get a message through this box no matter in which corner of the world you are! The only condition is that there should be a mobile network available at that place. Now don't expect that this would also work on mars :P
The sensor that is used to detect motion of a human being is called PIR motion sensor which stands for Passive infra-red. It works with the fact that every human (actually everything) in this world emits a certain amount of infra-red radiations which is detected by this sensor. It gives a high output which remains high for some time under such condition. The range of this sensor is around 6m which is pretty sensitive and can be varies though a preset present on it.
_______________________
Photo gallery:


For step by step instructions, visit: http://www.instructables.com/id/SMS-Home-Security-System/

Friday 22 January 2016

DIY 10 Minute Solar Charger



Make your own solar charger in less than 10 minutes! This video will show you how to:

The charging time is approx. 4-5 hours for a smartphone while 8-10 hours for a tablet or other big gadgets.

Please note that your solar panel should have a minimum rating of 6v, 1A. It should not exceed 15v as well.

If you like this video, please don't forget to hit the like button, subscribe and share it with your friends. Any questions are most welcome :)

You can follow me on my instructables page: www.instructables.com/member/Saiyam/

Or you can visit my blog (SirKit Studio) as well: sirkitstudio.blogspot.in

Music: [Progressive House] Vigilancer - Can See (Source: HeroBoard)
http://www.w7.youtubeinmp3.com/downlo...



Watch this video for step by step instructions:





Photo Gallery:





Thursday 21 January 2016

Make Your Photography Skills Better With These DIY LED Lights





Introduction:
One of the most important aspect of taking a perfect, crisp photograph is to have good lighting. One of the best ways to have it is to use natural lighting. But what if you want to take pictures of your project to publish on instructables while sitting on your workshop? Well, natural light cannot reach everywhere and everytime. You can't just wait for day and for sunlight to reach your workspace. The only good option left would be to use artificial lighting. There may be several other options for taking photos in dimly lit areas, but they are neither not too effective nor too easy. When taking photos with artificial lighting, you have to make sure that they are powerful enough to provide good light. Most of the lights on eBay and Amazon are too expensive and high power consuming which makes them a work for only professional photographers. The price of most of them can rise to about $20-60 like this one and this one. The fact remains that they are helpful and provide perfect lighting to pro's in their studio but what should we do to take good pictures with cheap lighting?
So here's presenting you a simple and cheap yet effective cardboard LED light panels that can be used to take perfect photos. The cost of each light panel is just around $5 so it easily fit in your budget. Each light panel contains 40 LEDs that provide enough light to take great photos. The panels also have the ability to control the brightness being free from the PWM system that interferes while making videos. The brightness of the panel is controlled by selecting the number of LEDs switched on. This is done using DIP switches that contains several switches in a single small package. Each of the light panels is powered using a separate 5v USB charger. They are much low power consuming than those huge studio lights which also makes them energy efficient. The materials like cardboard used to make it are simple and no power tools are required to make it. You just need some basic electronics and soldering skills which makes it a good weekend project and to get your kids started with electronics. This can not only be used for photography but also for reading and camping.
Here are some features of this lamp:
  1. Is cheap. The cost of each light panel is just $5 which is much lower than studio lights.
  2. Provides great light. An example is given above of the before photo (taken without the lights on) and after photo taken with the lights on after a bit of editing).
  3. Is energy efficient. Consumes very low current when compared to studio lights.
  4. Is made using simple materials like cardboard, tape and paints.
  5. Can be made battery operated by making some modifications.
  6. Can be used in camping and outdoors.
  7. Can be used as a reading lamp.
  8. And many more!!

For step by step instructions, visit: http://www.instructables.com/id/DIY-Photography-LED-Lights/

A working video of this project:



Parts And Tools:
The following parts, materials and tools are required to make one light panel. The total cost of the project was around $5 or 300 INR (for one light panel). All of them can be obtained from your local hobby store or over online stores.

PARTS:
  • 40x Ultrabright white straw hat LEDs (5mm) (Ebay Link)
  • 40x 68ohms resistors (Ebay Link)
  • 1x DIP switch (with 8 switches) (Ebay Link)
  • 1x Old USB cable (Ebay Link)
  • 1x 5v USB charger (Ebay Link)
  • Thin wire
  • Rainbow cable
  • Perfboard


MATERIALS:
  • Cardboard
  • White papers (for covering as well as taking pictures)
  • Paints
  • Paintbrush
  • Paper adhesive
  • Paper tape
  • Marker
  • Ruler
  • Pencil


TOOLS:
  • Soldering iron
  • Soldering wire
  • Hot glue gun w/glue sticks
  • Wire cutter/stripper
  • Pliers
  • Paper cutter

Photo Gallery:



For step by step instructions, visit: http://www.instructables.com/id/DIY-Photography-LED-Lights/

If you have any questions related to this project, feel free to email me or post it in the comment section below.

Don't forget to subscribe, like, share and comment for more cool projects!

Hope you liked it :)