Happy Arduino day!

[Daox]

So yeah, they got a day for everything it seems. But, I happen to quite like the Arduino platform, so I figured I'd share and see if anyone else is into electronics here.

For thost that don't know what an Arduino is, its a very popular and quite flexible micro controller (tiny computer) used by electronics hobbyists. What does one do with an Arduino? The question is almost better asked what can't you do with it? An Arduino can automate many things.

I've personally used one to turn on and off a fan that blows warm air from my attic (warmed by the sun during spring/fall) down into my kitchen for essentially free heat. It uses two temperature sensors (one in the attic and one in the kitchen) to know when to turn the fan on and off. I've also started projects to make my own smart key for my motorcycle (never finished), my own start-stop system for a car (also never finished), and a few other things. My current Arduino project is replacing the engine driven water pump on my Chevy Metro with an electric water pump. The Arduino will measure coolant temp and the MAP sensor to determine what speed to run the pump at. It will also run the coolant pump when the engine is turned off to give me heat while sitting at a stop light as I use a fair amount of EOC (engine off coasting).

Are there any other Arduino fans out there?

Oh yeah, and happy Arduino day.

[LilGeckos]

I've been interested since I was a kid in electricity and electronics. Still do computer stuff but not a lot of time for much else. I just got two kits for cheap sitting here.... Velleman's #K8048RS Micro-controller Board (PIC based) & #K8055RS USB Experiment Interface Board. Half the fun is assembling them; soon as I get some time.

I've heard of the Arduino but don't know a whole lot about it. Small programmable computer, I really should look into it to see what it is exactly. I have been thinking about getting a Raspberry Pi variant to play with this summer. Maybe get a Commodore 64 emulator running on it. Or better, a Vic-20.

[AlphaMicra]

Yep, my first project was to program an LED game of "Hand ball." Ten LED lights would flash in sequence in one direction, then "Bounce" back to the start, and you'd have to press the button at the right time to bounce it back again. After three passes, the "Ball" would move faster. They would flash to indicate the level you were going to, and the level you achieved. Also played with stepper motors.