Monday, September 30, 2019

Engineering Student Builds an Awesome Dinosaur Costume from PVC and Foam #MakerEducation

Incredible project from student Esmée Kramer, via The Awesomer.

Costumes, dinosaurs, engineering, and puppetry – Esmée Kramer combined these four passions into one awesome build. She spent months designing and making this amazing dinosaur rig using PVC pipes and foam panels. It really comes to life once she starts moving its head.

Read more.

Five Roles Robots Will Play in the Future of Farming

via Smithsonian

Farmers can use the same “big data” tools that are integrated into other industries. Things like drones that communicate with satellites to collect data while soaring over a field. The internet of things era means just about anything in our lives can be linked to a WiFi connection and the same applies for farming. For example, Wifi-enabled moisture sensors can help farmers conserve water by only watering parts of the field that need it most. Cow tags can be linked to GPS or even “Fitbit-like” devices to track their vitals remotely. Most machines can be programmed to use machine-learning; for example, fertilizer application equipment can be trained to “see” a field and only spray plants that need a boost, saving farmers product and money.

Read more.

NEW GUIDE: Spruce Up a Costume with MONSTER M4SK Eyes and Voice #Halloween #MonsterM4sk @adafruit

NEW GUIDE in the Adafruit Learning System: Spruce Up a Costume with MONSTER M4SK Eyes and Voice

Halloween Month is upon us! Don’t wait ’til the last minute to get your spooky on. This guide collects some ideas on fancying-up a store-bought or home-made costume with the addition of Adafruit’s MONSTER M4SK board, including using the voice changer. If you’ve not mixed costumes and electronics before, this guide has some tips for both.

Read More…

NEW GUIDE: Spruce Up a Costume with MONSTER M4SK Eyes and Voice #Halloween #MonsterM4sk @adafruit

NEW GUIDE in the Adafruit Learning System: Spruce Up a Costume with MONSTER M4SK Eyes and Voice

Halloween Month is upon us! Don’t wait ’til the last minute to get your spooky on. This guide collects some ideas on fancying-up a store-bought or home-made costume with the addition of Adafruit’s MONSTER M4SK board, including using the voice changer. If you’ve not mixed costumes and electronics before, this guide has some tips for both.

Read More…

Cats Form Attachments With Caregivers Just Like Children and Dogs


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As a nightly cat snuggler, yea, checks out! Nice to hear it empirically demonstrated by Oregon State researchers:

In their study, the OSU researchers had cats participate in a “secure base test,” similar to a test that has been given to infants and dogs to study their attachment behaviors. During this test, the cat spends two minutes in a new room with their caregiver, followed by a two-minute alone phase, and then a two-minute reunion phase.

Read more

MIT creates blackest black that is darker than Vantablack

Mit blackest black hero

Goths everywhere are scowling silently in excitement! Cool news via dezeen.

MIT engineers have created a blackest black coating from carbon nanotubes that is reportedly 10 times darker than any material created before, including Vantablack.

The coating, which is made from vertically aligned carbon nanotubes (CNT) grown on chlorine-etched aluminium foil, can absorb 99.995 percent of visible light.

“Our material is 10 times blacker than anything that’s ever been reported,” said Brian Wardle, professor of aeronautics and astronautics at MIT.

Read more.

Upgrading ESP32 Firmware

If you want to keep the firmware on your ESP32 WiFi co-processor up-to-date, you'll need to update the firmware on the ESP32. 

You're going to to turn your board into a USB-to-Serial converter to flash new firmware to your ESP32  - no extra hardware required

This process is mostly setup and should take from 10 to 20 minutes.

Using an ESP32 as a WiFi co-processor is a way to connect your CircuitPython and Arduino projects to the internet. Having WiFi managed by a separate chip means your code is simpler, you don't have to cache socket data, or compile in & debug an SSL library. 

Adafruit ships a variety of products which use the ESP32 as a WiFi co-processor with a variant of the Arduino nina-fw core. This firmware is programmed to the ESP32 at the Adafruit factory. If you wish to update to a newer version of nina-fw, you'll need to program it to the ESP32.

External ESP32 Co-Processors

If you already have a project which uses a popular microcontroller (like the ATMega328 or ATSAMD51), you can easily add WiFi by using an externally connected ESP32 module.

ESP32 Co-Processor All-in-One Boards

Don't want to add extra hardware to your project? Consider grabbing a board which has an ESP32 WiFi co-processor built-in.

Spruce Up a Costume with MONSTER M4SK Eyes and Voice

It’s that time of year again: PUMPKIN SPICE SEASON!

Kidding. It’s HALLOWEEN! Time for candy and spooky monster dress-up! Maybe you’re looking for ideas for your MONSTER M4SK board. Here’s something I quickly scared up to rattle some ideas loose…

This isn’t meant as an A-to-Z build guide…I wouldn’t expect everyone would want to make this exact thing. But the process of incorporating MONSTER M4SK may be insightful…

I wanted to go a little beyond the basic “stick the MONSTER M4SK on something” idea and show a couple of its more unusual features in action:

  • Splitting the MONSTER M4SK board and extending with the 9-pin JST cable.
  • Using the voice changer, including an amplified speaker.

I also had some helpful tips to pass along on selecting a mask, dealing with electronics in costumes, and so forth. So even if you’re not making this exact thing, you may want to skim through the guide before starting your own MONSTER M4SK project, whatever it may be.

START EARLY

The Truest Truth of Halloween, cosplay and Burning Man projects: start sooner rather than later…

  • Last-minute building leads to stress, disappointment and dropped projects. Halloween should be FUN. There’s CANDY and MONSTERS!
  • Give yourself time to think through difficult parts of a build, coming up with a plan B, C or even D when things aren’t going as planned.
  • More time to source the right parts or materials, or work out bugs in the finished piece.
  • Rushing when using tools runs the risk of injury, or ruining the thing you’re working on.
  • Give chemical glues and paint lots of time to dry. Though some set up quickly, many continue curing (and releasing fumes) for days. This is going right on your face, and if you’re smelling it, you’re breathing it. Finish the project well before the due date.

This wasn’t all done in one sitting. Just spending 15 minutes to an hour here and there, it still got finished in just a few days.

Other MONSTER M4SK Project Ideas

If the costume in this guide isn’t your style, check out these related guides for a font of ideas:

More will likely be coming…search the Adafruit Learning System to find the latest additions!

Velociraptor Voice and Eye Upgrade with MONSTER M4SK

Enhance a simple rubber hand puppet with MONSTER M4SK eyes and voice changer!
By snapping the MONSTER M4SK in half (safely!) and joining the halves back together with the 9-pin JST SH cable, you can place extra awesome eyes on a rubber hand puppet, such as the dinosaur shown here. And, the PDM microphone and audio output allow us to run voice changer code for extra puppeteering fun!

Materials & Tools

In addition to the parts above you'll also need:

  • Rubber hand puppet, such as this dinosaur
  • Diagonal cutters
  • Safety glasses/goggles
  • Hobby knife
  • Awl
  • Small scredriver
  • Depending on the puppet you use, you may need different hardware fasteners. I used M2.5 x 16mm socket head screws and nuts for the raptor

Octopus Changes Color While Dreaming

Magical video from Nature on PBS.

If you’re into learning more about the octopus, click through for details on the upcoming special on PBS.

“Octopus: Making Contact“ premieres Wednesday, October 2 at 8|7c on PBS

Read more.

Engineers Build Advanced Microprocessor Out of Carbon Nanotubes

via Phys.org

After years of tackling numerous design and manufacturing challenges, MIT researchers have built a modern microprocessor from carbon nanotube transistors, which are widely seen as a faster, greener alternative to their traditional silicon counterparts.

The microprocessor, described today in the journal Nature, can be built using traditional silicon-chip fabrication processes, representing a major step toward making nanotube microprocessors more practical.

See more!

NEW GUIDE: Velociraptor Hand Puppet Voice Changer and Eyes @adafruit @johnedgarpark #adafruit

New Guide Alert! The Velociraptor Voice and Eye Upgrade with MONSTER M4SK guide will show you how to enhance a simple rubber hand puppet with MONSTER M4SK eyes and voice changer!
By snapping the MONSTER M4SK in half (safely!) and joining the halves back together with the 9-pin JST SH cable, you can place extra awesome eyes on a rubber hand puppet, such as the dinosaur shown here. And, the PDM microphone and audio output allow us to run voice changer code for extra puppeteering fun!

NEW GUIDE: Velociraptor Hand Puppet Voice Changer and Eyes @adafruit @johnedgarpark #adafruit

New Guide Alert! The Velociraptor Voice and Eye Upgrade with MONSTER M4SK guide will show you how to enhance a simple rubber hand puppet with MONSTER M4SK eyes and voice changer!
By snapping the MONSTER M4SK in half (safely!) and joining the halves back together with the 9-pin JST SH cable, you can place extra awesome eyes on a rubber hand puppet, such as the dinosaur shown here. And, the PDM microphone and audio output allow us to run voice changer code for extra puppeteering fun!

Video: Adafruit interviews Tim Clarke Master Toy Designer “King of Gross” @adafruit #boglins #darkcrystal

Adafruit interviews Tim Clarke Master Toy Designer “King of Gross”, Co-Creator of Boglins and Sectaurs. Sculptor of Dark Crystal mystics! Tim’s site is here – www.totims.com

“For over 30 years Tim has been Inventing, Designing and Sculpting some of the most unusual toys to ever be marketed in the US and abroad. Once known as the “King of Gross” after co-creating in the 80’s Sectaurs (Coleco) and Boglins (Mattel). Tim now launches his new line of horribleness the “TOTIMS”

I love creating my own mythology. The world is filled with modern day mythological creatures you can find them in every nook and cranny of your bedroom closet.

Tim Started his career designing and building puppets for the Muppets. Most notable were the Mystics and the Slaves that he sculpted and designed for the movie the Dark Crystal guided by the incredible drawings of Brian Froud. He also worked on puppets for Sesame Street , Muppet Show and Fraggle Rock for which he created Traveling Matt. After Dark Crystal was launched he garnered his first toy sculpting gig with Hasbro creating the Garthim, Mystics and Lanstrider toys.

He has also created toys for Melissa and Doug toys, EK Success, Hasbro, Mattel, Coleco, Kenner, Ideal Lossirs, to mention just a few.”

The Story of the 1987 Boglins Toyline – A Mini Documentary – YouTube.


We’ll also showed some more Boglins that have been “upgraded” with Adafruit electronics 🙂

Boglins were a series of toy puppets distributed by Mattel. They were created by Tim Clarke, Maureen Trotto, and Larry Mass, and licensed by Seven Towns. The original run of Boglins was released in 1987, coinciding with a “creatures” craze that included Ghoulies, Critters, and Gremlins. Boglins were goblin-themed hand puppets made of flexible rubber and could be manipulated to represent speech and facial expressions. Several series of large and small Boglins were released until 1994, with additional aquatic, Halloween, and baby themed Boglins released later into the line. Small solid ‘Mini-Boglins’ were also produced, akin to the M.U.S.C.L.E. figures also from the 1980s.”

Related:

Tilting Arpeggios for CircuitPython and Circuit Playground Express #CircuitPlaygroundExpress #CircuitPython #ElectronicMusic @CircuitPython

Dave Briccetti on YouTube demonstrates a tilt controlled music player. Coded in CircuitPython, it runs on an Adafruit Circuit Playground Express board.

I demonstrate and explain the code of a CircuitPython project where you tilt a Circuit Playground Express to play arpeggios in a circle of fourths. Y-axis tilt chooses the note. Buttons A and B advance forward and backward through the circle. The switch selects the type of arpeggio, either dominant seventh or blues.

The code is available here https://github.com/dcbriccetti/Adafruit_CircuitPython_CircuitPlayground/blob/tilt-instrument/examples/advanced_examples/circuitplayground_tilting_arpeggios.py

 

Bringing the Periodic Table to Life

via the London Science Museum

Visitors to the Royal Society of Chemistry’s (RSC) base at Burlington House in Piccadilly, London, ​will be able to discover the history of this illustrious society, get hands-on with chemistry and enjoy activities with Science Museum’s curators who are seeking new chemistry objects to add to the national collection.

This annual event contributes to ChemFest 2019, the brainchild of Dame Mary Archer, Chair of SMG, to celebrate the International Year of the Periodic Table (IYPT), the grid-like arrangement of the elements that reveals a remarkable periodicity in their affairs, such as how they react with each other.

See more!

 

The History and Technology of House Music #MusicMonday

via Icon Collective

The “house music” sound also evolved rapidly with the advancement of technology. DJs took house music to the next level by incorporating synthesizers, samplers, effects processors, and drum machines which introduced the consistent 4/4 tempo. These early innovators also started to loop basslines, add percussion layers, mix in effects, add vocals, and apply other remixing techniques. This new and innovative electronic sound immediately captured the hearts of clubgoers.

See more!

Centuries Later, America’s First Female Botanist Lives On in a Community Garden

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Wonderful story from Atlas Obscura.

In 1728, the young Jane Colden moved with her family to a plot of land in the Hudson Valley that, according to her father, was populated less by people and more by “wolves, bears, and other wild animals.” Much of colonial New York was forested back then, and the overgrown landscape would become Colden’s office as she worked as a prolific amateur botanist, drawing and describing 400 species of plants that grew in her (relatively sprawling) backyard.

Though she spent her entire life isolated in this rural area, her work was recognized internationally, particularly by naturalists in the United Kingdom such as John Ellis, Peter Collinson, and the aptly named Alexander Garden. Today, Jane Colden is commonly acknowledged as the first female botanist in what would become the United States, noted for her forward-thinking adoption of the relatively new Linnaean taxonomy.

Read more.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

MusicTech Breaks Down Physical Modeling Synthesis #MusicMonday


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From MusicTech:

The concept of physical modelling had been around since the beginning of the 70s, but a practical application of the concept had to wait until the end of the decade, when it was discovered almost by accident.

Read more

CircuitPython on any Computer with FT232H

sensors_banner.jpg

This guide will show you how to use an FT232H to connect to I2C and SPI sensors and breakouts from your desktop PC running Windows, Mac OSX, or Linux. The FT232H also allows for general purpose digital input and output (GPIO) for things like buttons and LEDs.

The cool part about this is that you can then use any of the CircuitPython Libraries that have been written for the numerous sensors and breakouts.

CircuitPython and CircuitPython Libraries

As you are going through this guide, keep in mind the difference between CircuitPython and CircuitPython Libraries:

There are various hardware combinations that allow for running CircuitPython and CircuitPython Libraries. In this guide we will not be using the actual CircuitPython firmware. But we will be using CircuitPython Libraries. To explain this further, let's go over the main hardware platforms and explain where the FT232H fits in to all this.

CircuitPython on Microcontrollers

This is the most straight forward setup.

If you are using a microcontroller that can run CircuitPython, then you will most likely have the low level hardware interfaces needed to access the many sensors and other breakout boards - I2C, SPI, and GPIO. Even better, there is most likely a CircuitPython library written for the sensor.

sensors_board_mcu.png

In this case, you simply install CircuitPython, add the libraries, and then follow whatever guide goes along with your sensor.

CircuitPython on Single Board Computers

This setup requires a special shim library called Blinka.

Single Board Computers (SBC), like the Raspberry Pi and Beagle, also typically have I2C, SPI, and GPIO interfaces available. These boards are also powerful enough to run complete operating systems, like Linux. They can't run CircuitPython directly, but generally don't need to. They can run the much larger Python implementations, like CPython. To allow use of SBCs running Python to use CircuitPython libraries to access sensors over I2C/SPI/GPIO, the Blinka library was created.

sensors_board_sbc.png

In this case, you pip install Blinka, pip install libraries, and then follow whatever guide goes along with your sensor.

CircuitPython on Personal Computers

This is where the FT232H comes in. Here's why.

So what about your super powerful desktop or laptop PC? They can most definitely run Python. But can they also use CircuitPython libraries and talk to I2C/SPI sensors? Can they blink LEDs? Read buttons? Generally, no. As powerful as your Windows, Mac, or Linux PC is, it most likely does not have those low level hardware interfaces. Look on the back of your computer. Do you see an I2C port? A SPI port? A cluster of pins labeled GPIO? Nope.

sensors_board_pc.png

So what can we do? Well, look again at the back of your PC. See any USB ports? Most likely there are several. Heck, there are probably even several USB ports on the front of your PC! Can we use USB? Yes, thanks to a specialized USB bridge chip made by FTDI - the FT232H.

This will allow us to do something like this:

sensors_board_ft232h.png

With FT232H support added to Blinka, we can follow a similar approach as with the SBCs. The FT232H attached to the USB port acts as our surrogate set of low level hardware interfaces.

Neat! Let's see how we can get this all setup and working.

Transforming Skateboard Tricks

Check out these mind blowing skate tricks! Jenkemmag shared this video on Youtube!

When we first compared Matt Tomasello to some kind of drugged up version of Rodney Mullen, it was meant to be somewhat a joke, since bath salts probably don’t improve your skating (except in rare instances).

But now, a year and two videos later, we still haven’t found a better way to describe Matt’s skating, but maybe it’s because there isn’t a better description.

Matt’s skating, with all his folding and unfolding board contraptions, no handed pogos, and sideways grinds, slides, and flips, feels like just that. You even have to rewind it or watch it in slo-mo just to comprehend most of his clips.

So for the final(?) installment of Matt’s trilogy, we’re sticking with comparing him to Rodney on bath salts. Enjoy it if you can, or click back to a simpler time when Todd Falcon was the most technically advanced skater out there.

The Limitations of Digital Computers

via British Science Museum Blog

Their study builds on a well-known insight from Edward Lorenz of MITwho, in 1961, wished to repeat one of his weather simulations using a simple computer model but got quite different results because of a tiny rounding error in the numbers he fed into the computer.

The richness of the real world is entrained with irrational numbers which cannot be represented on any digital computer (‘and will not be representable on a quantum computer either’, he adds). ‘For Lorenz, it was a very small change in the last few decimal places in the numbers used to start a simulation that caused his diverging results,’ he says. ‘What neither he nor others realised, and is highlighted in our new work, is that any such finite (rational) initial condition describes a behaviour which may be statistically highly unrepresentative’.

See and learn more!

Have you seen Atlas’s gymnastic routine?

Look at that landing! From BostonDynamics on YouTube:

First, an optimization algorithm transforms high-level descriptions of each maneuver into dynamically-feasible reference motions. Then Atlas tracks the motions using a model predictive controller that smoothly blends from one maneuver to the next.

See more

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Study finds kittens bond with their human caregivers like babies do #CatPeopleKnow

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Adorable research is showing that kittens bond the same way human infants do. Structured off of a 1960’s experiment on babies, the team found very similar attachment patterns to their caregivers.

Via Nova:

“A lot of people have these stereotypes about cats, that they’re aloof or solitary,” says Kristyn Vitale, an animal psychologist at Oregon State University. “But they [also] use their owners as a source of security when they’re stressed out.”

Vitale’s newest paper, published today in the journal Current Biology, may suggest exactly that. Using a version of the Strange Situation adapted for domesticated felines and their human companions, she and her colleagues have found that the majority of cats tested appear to establish a secure bond with their caretakers—similar to the way that babies (and dogs) do, they argue.

Read more!

Nigel Poor and Earlonne Woods Talking Archiving San Quentin with Feature Shoot #celebratephotography

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From Feature Shoot:

In The San Quentin Project, Poor counters fiction with fact through a series of profound personal histories shared in photographs, visual documents, and Ear Hustle, an acclaimed podcast co-produced with Earlonne Woods. Originally designed to run exclusively on the San Quentin institutional channel, Ear Hustle became a platform for inmates to tell their story in their own words.

Read/see more, check out The San Quentin Project at BAMPFA and Milwaukee Art Museum and learn more on Nigel Poors site


Photofooter

We #celebratephotography here at Adafruit every Saturday. From photographers of all levels to projects you have made or those that inspire you to make, we’re on it! Got a tip? Well, send it in!

If you’re interested in making your own project and need some gear, we’ve got you covered. Be sure to check out our Raspberry Pi accessories and our DIY cameras.

Friday, September 27, 2019

How Tiny, Microbe-Propelled Bots Could Deliver Drugs in Our Bodies

Taking medication is never a fun task but this research may change the future of how we take medication and remove the feeling of it being a task.

via Smithsonian

In the universe of TV’s Doctor Who, the scariest adversaries of all are the hybrid robot-organic life-forms known as the Daleks.

Each Dalek is a living being encased in a robotic shell equipped with lethal weaponry, frequently employed to terrify London, other cities or entire planets. But if you think that’s scary, now imagine nanoDaleks, too small to see, scurrying around inside your body, each of them chanting “Exterminate!”

It’s not entirely far-fetched. Earth-based scientists in the here and now are developing something strikingly similar. But the idea is not to invade and conquer — rather to cure or heal.

Read more.

Elektor Announces Make: Magazine (Dutch) at the 2019 Eindhoven Maker Faire @Elektor @MakemagazineNL @make

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Elektor Announces Make: Magazine (Dutch) at the 2019 Eindhoven Maker Faire – Elektor Magazine

“Attendees at the 2019 Eindhoven Maker Faire (EHVMF) are in for a treat. Elektor International Media is announcing the upcoming launch of the Dutch edition of Make: magazine! In late 2019, Elektor will begin publishing Make: magazine in the Dutch language, which means makers in the Netherlands and Belgium will have their very own edition …”

Read more.

Interactive AI with RunwayML Experiments #MachineLearning #ArtificialIntelligence #AI #Art #Design #Create @runwayml

From Generative Engine Rumway ML experiments.

 

We recently wrote about RunwayML as a machine learning platform for creators. Recently, RunwayML started collecting some impressive projects built with their tool. The posts for these ‘experiments’ vary from blog style write-ups with videos (like the trippy paint your face away video) to full interactive applications that you can test out in the browser.

The image above shows an example from one of the interactive ‘experiments’ called ‘Generative Engine‘. Generative engine is billed as a ‘storytelling machine that automatically generates images as you write’. This multi-sensory experience is reminiscent of live painting at concerts with it’s mix of modalities (and it’s pretty fun). The Generative Engine utilized the AttnGAN model which does ‘Fine-Grained Text to Image Generation with Attentional Generative Adversarial Networks’. If you’d like to learn more more about the AttnGAN model checkout the paper or try implementing it on RunwayML or with the code on Github.

As a bonus, here are a few more interactive RunwayML experiments:

Xenomorph Halloween Candy Bucket

Why roam around with a boring pumpkin bucket when you can lay eggs in warm human intestines collect delicious candy with a robotic Xenomorph head?

This robotic candy bucket shoots out a small receptacle to retrieve candy and bring it back into the bucket.

Some 3D printing is required to create the linear actuator. Two servo motors controlled by a Circuit Playground Express, coded with MakeCode, power this project. 

Materials

For this project you will need:

Program CircuitPython USB Devices with iPhone & iPad

With the launch of iOS & iPadOS 13, iPhone and iPad now have the ability to edit code on CircuitPython USB devices. Users can connect a board such as Circuit Playground Express to their mobile device and edit & run code on the go.

For this guide, we'll be using a Circuit Playground Express, but the process should work with any of Adafruit's CircuitPython USB devices - click here for a full list.

What you'll need

• An iPhone capable of running iOS 13 or iPad capable of running iPadOS. Check your device's compatibility here.

Note that this tutorial is specific to Apple devices. It is hoped that other operating systems on other devices, such as Android, may work in the future.

If you're using an iPad Pro equipped with a USB-C port, skip the Lightning Adapter & USB A to Micro-B cable and simply use a USB-C to Micro-B cable:

NEW GUIDE: Alien Xenomorph Halloween Candy Bucket with CPX & MakeCode #adafruit

Why roam around with a boring pumpkin bucket when you can collect delicious candy with a robotic Xenomorph head? This NEW GUIDE takes you through the process of turning an ordinary halloween candy bucket into a terrifying robotic alien head.

This robotic candy bucket shoots out a small receptacle to retrieve candy and bring it back into the bucket.

Learn how to build your own Xenomorph on the Adafruit Learn System!

3D Printed Virtuscope #piday #raspberrypi @Raspberry_Pi #Cyberdeck #Cyberpunk #3DPrinted

It looks like a cosplay prop but this set up actually functions! Via Hackaday:

Many of the cyberdeck builds we see are based around the carcass of a era-appropriate vintage computer, which looks great and really helps sell the whole retro-future vibe. Unfortunately, this can make the projects difficult and expensive to replicate. Plus there’s plenty of people who take offense to gutting a 30+ year old piece of hardware just so you can wear it around your neck at DEF CON.

Under the hood the VirtuScope is using the Raspberry Pi 4, which [bootdsc] says is key to the build’s usability as the latest version of the diminutive Linux SBC finally has enough computational muscle to make it a viable for daily computing. Granted the seven inch LCD might be a tad small for marathon hacking sessions, but you could always plug in an external display when you don’t need to be mobile.

Learn more!


3055 06Each Friday is PiDay here at Adafruit! Be sure to check out our posts, tutorials and new Raspberry Pi related products. Adafruit has the largest and best selection of Raspberry Pi accessories and all the code & tutorials to get you up and running in no time!

Oracle’s New Supercomputer Has 1,060 Raspberry Pis

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Via Toms Hardware

One Raspberry Pi can make a nice web server, but what happens if you put more than 1,000 of them together? At Oracle’s OpenWorld convention on Monday, the company showed off a Raspberry Pi Supercomputer that combines 1,060 Raspberry Pis into one powerful cluster.
According to ServeTheHome, which first reported the story, the supercomputer features scores of racks with 21 Raspberry Pi 3 B+ boards each. To make everything run well together, the system runs on Oracle Autonomous Linux.

Learn more!

3D Printed Virtuscope #piday #raspberrypi @Raspberry_Pi #Cyberdeck #Cyberpunk #3DPrinted

It looks like a cosplay prop but this set up actually functions! Via Hackaday:

Many of the cyberdeck builds we see are based around the carcass of a era-appropriate vintage computer, which looks great and really helps sell the whole retro-future vibe. Unfortunately, this can make the projects difficult and expensive to replicate. Plus there’s plenty of people who take offense to gutting a 30+ year old piece of hardware just so you can wear it around your neck at DEF CON.

Under the hood the VirtuScope is using the Raspberry Pi 4, which [bootdsc] says is key to the build’s usability as the latest version of the diminutive Linux SBC finally has enough computational muscle to make it a viable for daily computing. Granted the seven inch LCD might be a tad small for marathon hacking sessions, but you could always plug in an external display when you don’t need to be mobile.

Learn more!


3055 06Each Friday is PiDay here at Adafruit! Be sure to check out our posts, tutorials and new Raspberry Pi related products. Adafruit has the largest and best selection of Raspberry Pi accessories and all the code & tutorials to get you up and running in no time!

Learning IoT with Python and Raspberry Pi by E.I. Horvath, E.A. Horvath @learningiotnet #python #raspberrypi @Raspberry_Pi #IoT

Learning IoT with Python and Raspberry Pi by E.I. Horvath, E.A. Horvath

Developing applications that operate in the realm of the Internet of Things requires, in addition to the mastery of a programming language, an understanding of networking, an understanding of how to use different platforms, an understanding of basic electronic circuits, and a familiarity with databases. Owing to its built-in WiFi capability and its forty general-purpose input/output pins, the Raspberry Pi computer is the ideal device for teaching students how to write code that controls electronic circuits whether the code is executed from a keyboard attached directly to the Raspberry Pi or executed from a smart phone. One of the most popular programming languages in the world, Python, is installed with the Raspbian operating system. Several Python packages enable the programmer to write code that turns an LED or a buzzer, gets data from a sensor, controls motors, and so on.

  • Code tested on the Raspberry Pi 3 and the new Raspberry Pi 4
  • Color photographs and circuit diagrams
  • 300+ code listings illustrate Python programming concepts
  • 250+ homework problems ranging from short Python scripts to web site configuration projects
  • Circuit examples
  • Labs on measuring voltage, current, and resistance using a multimeter
  • Send a text message if the light level detected by an LDR circuit falls below a threshold
  • Send an email if motion is detected using a PIR sensor circuit
  • Use an ultrasonic sensor in a proximity alert circuit and make a phone call if an intruder gets too close
  • Use a GPS HAT to get waypoints and store them in a file
  • Use an analog to digital converter to read in data from sensors
  • Control a servo using classes
  • Upload data to the cloud
  • Learn how to access a database using SQL statements
  • Deploy a home monitor system that uses the Raspberry Pi Camera and a PIR sensor circuit. Upload pictures to a web server in the cloud and access the pictures on a web page.
  • Control a robot using a multi-threaded application

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Learn more, video, & site: https://learningiot.net/

Learning IoT with Python and Raspberry Pi by E.I. Horvath, E.A. Horvath @learningiotnet #python #raspberrypi @Raspberry_Pi #IoT

Learning IoT with Python and Raspberry Pi by E.I. Horvath, E.A. Horvath

Developing applications that operate in the realm of the Internet of Things requires, in addition to the mastery of a programming language, an understanding of networking, an understanding of how to use different platforms, an understanding of basic electronic circuits, and a familiarity with databases. Owing to its built-in WiFi capability and its forty general-purpose input/output pins, the Raspberry Pi computer is the ideal device for teaching students how to write code that controls electronic circuits whether the code is executed from a keyboard attached directly to the Raspberry Pi or executed from a smart phone. One of the most popular programming languages in the world, Python, is installed with the Raspbian operating system. Several Python packages enable the programmer to write code that turns an LED or a buzzer, gets data from a sensor, controls motors, and so on.

  • Code tested on the Raspberry Pi 3 and the new Raspberry Pi 4
  • Color photographs and circuit diagrams
  • 300+ code listings illustrate Python programming concepts
  • 250+ homework problems ranging from short Python scripts to web site configuration projects
  • Circuit examples
  • Labs on measuring voltage, current, and resistance using a multimeter
  • Send a text message if the light level detected by an LDR circuit falls below a threshold
  • Send an email if motion is detected using a PIR sensor circuit
  • Use an ultrasonic sensor in a proximity alert circuit and make a phone call if an intruder gets too close
  • Use a GPS HAT to get waypoints and store them in a file
  • Use an analog to digital converter to read in data from sensors
  • Control a servo using classes
  • Upload data to the cloud
  • Learn how to access a database using SQL statements
  • Deploy a home monitor system that uses the Raspberry Pi Camera and a PIR sensor circuit. Upload pictures to a web server in the cloud and access the pictures on a web page.
  • Control a robot using a multi-threaded application

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Learn more, video, & site: https://learningiot.net/

Modular Snack Stadium #piday #raspberrypi @Raspberry_Pi

via Thingiverse

This snack stadium is constructed modular. So you can compose smaller versions.
I’ve chosen a 5″ display and soldered the power supply on the back, so you don’t need the plug at the side. Eventually you need to adjust the display case.
The floodlights are controlled by the Raspberry PI (3B+), and they are flshing every 5 minutes in a different way. A building instruction, and the software are added.
The “upper floor” is added with and without holder for the LED nametags.
At the shown size the field has to be printed on DIN A3 (added too).

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3055 06Each Friday is PiDay here at Adafruit! Be sure to check out our posts, tutorials and new Raspberry Pi related products. Adafruit has the largest and best selection of Raspberry Pi accessories and all the code & tutorials to get you up and running in no time!

This Modder Turned a PlayStation 2 Into a Handheld with the Help of a Raspberry Pi #piday #raspberrypi @Raspberry_Pi

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Via Hackster.io:

Before single-board computers (SBCs) like Raspberry Pi hit the market, retrogaming enthusiasts didn’t have many options if they wanted to play their favorite console games on the go. It wasn’t uncommon to see consoles turned into laptop-style portables, and that was an impressive feat in its own right. But modder Darkwing has done something even more incredible, and turned a PlayStation 2 Slim System into a fully-functional handheld console.

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3055 06Each Friday is PiDay here at Adafruit! Be sure to check out our posts, tutorials and new Raspberry Pi related products. Adafruit has the largest and best selection of Raspberry Pi accessories and all the code & tutorials to get you up and running in no time!

Gizmo, the App and Voice Controlled Robotic Vehicle @Raspberry_Pi #PiDay #RaspberryPi

from Michael Linsenmeier via hackster.io

Gizmo is a robotic vehicle with a camera that can be remote-controlled over WLAN or the Internet by an Android app. The video capture of the camera can be watched online through the app. When in hearing distance, the vehicle can be controlled by voice.

The vehicle is driven by two NEMA 17 stepper motors. I decided for steppers instead of DC motors because they don’t need any regulators and allow to position the vehicle with an accuracy better than one centimeter per meter. An other advantage is their high torque especially on low rotation speeds. Disadvantage are the higher weight and higher power consumption. But in my opinion, the advantages make up these weak points.

See more!


3055 06Each Friday is PiDay here at Adafruit! Be sure to check out our posts, tutorials and new Raspberry Pi related products. Adafruit has the largest and best selection of Raspberry Pi accessories and all the code & tutorials to get you up and running in no time!

Garage Internet Radio Project #piday #raspberrypi @Raspberry_Pi

via hackster.io

Bad FM receive, small station selection, tiny control buttons paired with oily fingers – in a garage are special requirements for a radio. That was my reason to built my personal internet radio for my garage. A Raspberry Pi paired with a display and some push buttons and a bit software and the radio is ready… This was my first thought. But unfortunately it was not so easy.

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3055 06Each Friday is PiDay here at Adafruit! Be sure to check out our posts, tutorials and new Raspberry Pi related products. Adafruit has the largest and best selection of Raspberry Pi accessories and all the code & tutorials to get you up and running in no time!

Gizmo, the App and Voice Controlled Robotic Vehicle @Raspberry_Pi #PiDay #RaspberryPi

from Michael Linsenmeier via hackster.io

Gizmo is a robotic vehicle with a camera that can be remote-controlled over WLAN or the Internet by an Android app. The video capture of the camera can be watched online through the app. When in hearing distance, the vehicle can be controlled by voice.

The vehicle is driven by two NEMA 17 stepper motors. I decided for steppers instead of DC motors because they don’t need any regulators and allow to position the vehicle with an accuracy better than one centimeter per meter. An other advantage is their high torque especially on low rotation speeds. Disadvantage are the higher weight and higher power consumption. But in my opinion, the advantages make up these weak points.

See more!


3055 06Each Friday is PiDay here at Adafruit! Be sure to check out our posts, tutorials and new Raspberry Pi related products. Adafruit has the largest and best selection of Raspberry Pi accessories and all the code & tutorials to get you up and running in no time!

iLite – DIY Raspberry Pi IoT Programmable LED Smart Lamp #piday #raspberrypi @Raspberry_Pi

via hackster.io

The ioware. io iLite is a Raspberry Pi3 based, Internet of Things (IOT) educational platform programmable project with RGB LED.

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3055 06Each Friday is PiDay here at Adafruit! Be sure to check out our posts, tutorials and new Raspberry Pi related products. Adafruit has the largest and best selection of Raspberry Pi accessories and all the code & tutorials to get you up and running in no time!

Raspberry Pi4 Firewall @Raspberry_Pi #PiDay #RaspberryPi

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Cool project and write-up from instructables user TexasMouse.

With the new Raspbery Pi 4 (RPi4) just released, I decided to make myself a home-use firewall. After stumbling around on the Internet, I found a great article on the subject by Guillaume Kaddouch (https://ift.tt/2LXnGmN). The article is amazing, and you should read it before going forward–it will make the process described here easier. The thing is, that article was written in 2012 and is based on the ArchLinux distro. Nothing against ArchLinux, but I wanted to make this using the more common Raspbian build. The RPi4 can handle the processing requirements. So, thank you, Guillaume, for the inspiration!! This instructable will be referencing back to Guillaume’s (“GK” for short) original post, you will likely want to have both pages open in your browser.

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3055 06Each Friday is PiDay here at Adafruit! Be sure to check out our posts, tutorials and new Raspberry Pi related products. Adafruit has the largest and best selection of Raspberry Pi accessories and all the code & tutorials to get you up and running in no time!

Smart Aquaponics with Dashboard @Raspberry_Pi #PiDay #RaspberryPi

from Team Neuron: Suraj S Jain, puneeth, SONAL KUMAR via hackster.io

Farm indoor or outdoor, in very less space, with more growth and less water usage. Also, monitor the conditions on a cloud-based dashboard.

The system consists of two tubs. The tub in the bottom would have water and fishes in it. The tub at the top would have plants in it. Plants can either planted into pots or planted directly into the tub at the top. Care should be taken that there’s gravel placed below the sand so that the sand does not seep in through the holes in the pot or the tub, with the excess water flowing out of the tub or the pots and enter the fish tank.

See project!


3055 06Each Friday is PiDay here at Adafruit! Be sure to check out our posts, tutorials and new Raspberry Pi related products. Adafruit has the largest and best selection of Raspberry Pi accessories and all the code & tutorials to get you up and running in no time!