TechnologyIQ

I dive into the Arduino world and learn a lot in my first project, a temperature, humidity and light level sensor for my mini-greenhouse that also reports via SSH iOS notifications and Twitter and logs data to local SD Card and a Google Spreadsheet. Download this video podcast     Greenhouse Temperature, Humidity and Light Level Arduino Project Powered by USB power bank Arduino Yun  connected to breadboard for power and sensor data Local WiFi connection via  Arduino Yun  for data reporting Read Temperature and Humidity using  blue sensor  at top Read current light level using  photo-resistor  and converting to 100 point scale (0-100, with 0 being total darkness) Date and Time pulled from Linux side of  Arduino Yun Data logged to file on internal SD Card on Arduino (can be accessed remotely via SSH) Data logged remotely to Google Spreadsheet via  IFTTT Data tweeted out to  @douglaswelch  via  IFTTT Data notified on iPhone via  IFTTT Currently polling and reporting eve...

I have been meaning to learn more about Arduino and other micro controllers, but my involvement in Hackerspace LA finally fired me up to do some more technology projects. A few weeks ago I picked up an Arduino Yun , a pack of 37 sensors and started learning and playing. Arduino Yun with temperature, humidity and light sensor in the greenhouse I picked the Arduino Yun because I knew I was going to want to easily connect my projects to the Internet for data reporting. This board has both a Linux computer and an Arduino in one package — as well as built-in WiFi. These two systems can “bridge” together and share data in both directions and the WiFi can connect to a local network in order to reach services like IFTTT and others. While I’ll go more in-depth on this project in future posts, here are the basics of what this system is doing right now. Greenhouse Temperature, Humidity and Light Level Arduino Project Powered by USB power bank Arduino Yun connected to breadboard for...

** Get your own Raspberry Pi and Arduino Boards and Accessories here ** At the risk of getting waaaay to meta with our single board computers and microcontrollers, it is now possible to load the Arduino IDE (Integrated Development Environment) on your Raspberry Pi and use it to program your Arduino boards.  Link :  Arduino Comes To The Raspberry Pi, Linux Arm Devices via HackADay Link : Download the Arduino IDE for Linux ARM There is now a current version of the Arduino IDE compiled and posted so you don’t have to try and compile it yourself. Just download and type install into a terminal window. The article points out a great reason and need for this IDE on Raspberry Pi and other single board Linux systems... " it does make it exceptionally easy for anyone to set up a high school electronics lab. The Raspberry Pi is almost a disposable computing device, and combining it with Arduino makes for a great portable electronics lab." Looking to expand the usefulnes...

For Raspberry Pi beginners, it can seem like you have to do a lot of setup before you can get down to some serious tech fun. This NOOBS installer , gets you through the entire Raspberry Pi setup, including downloading and installing Raspbian Linux, quickly and easily. Get your own Raspberry Pi 3 via Amazon.com Simply download the installer, copy it to an SD card, insert in your Raspberry Pi and boot. It will then step you through the rest of the process. I recently picked up an Arduino Yun, but I am also planning on getting a Raspberry Pi 3 and diving into everything it can do, so this will certainly come in handy for me. I'll report back on my experience. Check it out! Link:  The Simple Way to Create a Raspberry Pi Boot SD Card

From the  @HackerpsaceLA Twitter feed... Root, the code-teaching robot "Fitting somewhere between old-time remote-controlled toy trains and today’s video games, Root is a robot that is programmed using a tablet interface called Square. Root has light and color sensors, bumpers, and a touch surface that enable it to respond to the physical world. In a classroom setting, Root would “drive” along a magnetic dry-erase whiteboard at the front of the class, giving the young programmers an “instant, physical manifestation” of the code, according to Zivthan Dubrovsky, who leads the robotics platform at Wyss." Read the entire article About HackerspaceLA... Hackerspace Los Angeles weekly meet up. Come by and mingle with like-minded people and see what others are working on. Find out what planned activities do we have and how you can participate. If you are interested in helping us establish a permanent location in the San Fernando Valley you need to be here to help us ...

Starting a new technological journey. #Arduino #technology #stem #steam #electronics via Instagram Follow me on Instagram

Want to take your first steps in Virtual Reality? Join us for this week’s Hackerspace LA Meetup and learn about Google Cardboard, the inexpensive way to put VR in your hand. Google Cardboard Wednesday, April 20, 2016 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM 6262 Van Nuys Blvd. 2nd Floor - Room 2A, Van Nuys, CA (map) RSVP HERE From the organizer... I only have materials to build a limited number of Google Cardboard so it will be first come first serve. The only thing you need to bring is the material you want to use to create the viewer. Lenses, magnets and other parts will be provided at no charge on a first come first serve basis. The most used material is thick cardboard, like the one that is used on pizza boxes. I went to my local pizza parlor and asked to sell me a box for $1 and they did! Others have used vinyl sheet or corrugated plastic usually available in a DIY Craft stores like Michaels. You can also use wood! Yes wood!!! I saw one made of Popsicle like veneer sticks! Whatever material you...

** Find Arduino Boards and Parts on Amazon.com       Read Open Source Robotics With WireBeings via Hackaday An interesting link found among my daily reading Do you enjoy projects like this? Join us at the next HackerspaceLA meeting in Van Nuys, California — each Wednesday night.  

After watching this video I think the Arduino Yun has become the leader in my search to buy my first board. It’s WiFi and Internet accessibility, along with all the typical features of the Arduino family, fits more closely with the projects I have in mind and also provides expansive possibilities for the future. Get your own Arduino Yun and start experimenting with the Internet of Things! Introduction to the Arduino Yun #1       Introduction to the Arduino Yun #2 Discovered in my daily YouTube Viewing

Read Find time for your goals with Google Calendar via Official Google Blog An interesting link found among my daily reading

** Find More Arduino Boards and Parts on Amazon.com Connect a Relay and PIR Motion Sensor to an Arduino - Tutorial Subscribe to Brainy-Bits on YouTube Discovered in my daily YouTube Viewing

** Find More Arduino Boards and Parts on Amazon.com Read Arduino Comes To The Raspberry Pi, Linux ARM Devices via Hackaday An interesting link found among my daily reading

** Find More Arduino Boards and Parts on Amazon.com      Wireless RF Remote & Receiver! Easy & Cheap! Great for Arduino and Raspberry Pi!  Discovered in my daily YouTube Viewing

** Find more Raspberry Pi Cards and Accessories   Read The Simple Way to Create a Raspberry Pi Boot SD Card via Arduino Your Home & Environment An interesting link found among my daily reading

** Find Arduino Boards and Parts on Amazon.com   How-To: Shrinkify Your Arduino Projects  Discovered in my daily YouTube Viewing

Want to test out your electronic circuits virtually before breaking out the soldering iron or breadboard? This amazing circuit simulator by LushProjects is an amazing look into electronic circuits and how they work. Not only can you build your circuits, you can then test them virtually, including animations showing power flow and even graphs of the output the circuit produces.  Now, honestly, this circuit sim is a bit beyond my electronics level, but I could see it being great for educational settings as it reveals so much about the operation of the circuit that is normal invisible or only viewable on an oscilloscope. Here’s a short video demo of the simulator Link:  Web-based Circuit Simulator via Lushprojects

1-Day Project: Build Your Own Arduino Uno for $5 Discovered in my daily YouTube Viewing

Home-made Solar Tracking System with no electronics for solar panel or solar oven Discovered in my daily YouTube Viewing

Should I buy this? I saw this come though on a $200 off sale today and I am seriously considering it to replace my current surround sound system which was purchased used and has always been very finicky.  VIZIO S5451w-C2 5.1 Channel Sound Bar with Subwoofer and Surrounds   The wireless rear speaker would be perfect for my environment, where it is almost impossible — or at least, prohibitively expensive to run wires and mount the rear speakers.My current unit is also a complete amp/receiver which I only use for the television audio, so it takes up much more space than it is worth, really. Any thoughts from you on this product? This is a limited time sale, but might possibly come around again — or their might be similar products to consider in the future. Let me know your thoughts in the comments?

Arduino Radar Project Discovered in my daily YouTube Viewing Arduino Cards and Accessories

Maybe -- just maybe -- if I had one of these I might -- finally -- have enough USB ports -- and USB 3.0 at that! Whether it is multiple hard drives for video and audio production, multiple sync cables for old and new Apple devices, web cams and flash drives, I am always running out of USB ports on my Mac Mini. I graduated to a 7 port hub a few years ago, but even it is starting to be inadequate. When I last replaced it, I was looking, specifically, for a USB 3.0 compatible hub, but couldn't fund anything at my local store. Anker AH241 USB 3.0 Aluminum 13-Port Hub + 5V 2.1A Smart Charging Port with 12V 5A Power Adapter This hub showed up in my daily reading today and, even for the somewhat high price, I think I might just get one. It would help in several different ways -- including providing full 2.1A charging on all the ports, which my current hub does not provide. Sure it will charge my Kindle -- eventually and very, very slowly, but this would be as good as plugging it i...

My son got me interested in Minecraft several years ago and it eventually became evident that we needed/wanted our own multiplayer server so we could invite friends and family in to play. After running a server locally, on old equipment, it was decided to spend a little bit of money to make it a bit faster and more reliable, I have hosted this site on MCProHosting for 2 years now and been happy with the very basic service we have. I have the "Air" Plan which is their cheapest and most basic server. This provides up to 5 users and 256MB of memory allocated. This works fine for our typical vanilla Minecraft play, but, should you wish, you can upgrade through their series of plans -- Dirt, Coal, Diamond -- up to Dragon level which provides you unlimited players and 6144 MB of memory. I get a small reward if you set up your own Minecraft server plan, so if you have been thinking about it, head over to MCProHosting and give it a try. For our world, I found a seed I...

Comparison of the Arduino, Raspberry Pi 2, and Beaglebone Black Rev. 3 Discovered in my daily YouTube Viewing Did this video increase your interest in microcontrollers? Get one and  build your own projects using the devices mentioned here. Arduino Cards and Accessories Raspberry Pi Cards and Accessories   BeagleBone Black Cards and Accessories

Read 6 of Our Favorite Drawbot Projects via Make: DIY Projects, How-Tos, Electronics, Crafts and Ideas for Makers An interesting link found among my daily reading

I discovered another Arduino sensor start kit today via an email from MassDrop . MassDrop is a site which promotes group purchases of products in order to give everyone a lower price. if you aren’t keen on using MassDrop , you can pick up the same starter kit directly from Amazon using the links below. This kit does NOT include the Arduino board itself, but it does come with the Grove Shield which attached to Arduino Uno or Arduino 101 and provides solder free connections between the Arduino and the sensors. This might come in handy if you are working with kids, as it means that can’t really connect up the sensors in a way that might damage them. From Amazon.com... Grove is a modular electronic platform for quick prototyping. Every module has one function, such as touch sensing, creating audio effect and so on. Just plug the modules you need to the base shield, then you are ready to test your idea buds. This Grove Starter Kit Plus is a upgraded version of our Grove Starter Ki...

The New Arduino 101 (Genuino 101) - Unboxing, Set Up, and Comparing it to the Arduino Uno Discovered in my daily YouTube Viewing Get your Arduino 101 Board direct from Amazon.com Find more Arduino products on Amazon.com

Here are just a few selections of cases for iPhone (and Samsung ) phones available exclusively from Douglas E. Welch and TechnologyIQ.  There are over 80 different designs with new designs being added nearly every day. All these cases (and other products) are made with my own photos which you see here and on my other blogs, like A Gardener's Notebook . Cases are available in both Snap and Tough versions for all iPhones from the 4 to to 6s, including the new iPhone SE. Cases and skins are also available for Samsung Galaxy S3, S4 and S5 . Most of these designs are also available as iPad Cases and Skins , Laptop Skins and padded Laptop Sleeves , all of which I'll highlight in future posts. Check out my entire portfolio and all the available products -- including throw pillows, tote bags, drawstring bags, mugs and notebook/journals

Running Modern Code on Hardware from 1927

Tested: HTC Vive Review

This video from Circuit Basics shows the unboxing a the  SunFounder 37 modules Arduino Sensor Kit for Arduino . This kit provides quite a wealth of sensors (and other components) to use in your Arduino (or Raspberry Pi ) projects including sensors for infrared, gas, knock, magnetic, tilt sensors and much more. Watch as he shows off each sensor and gives a bit of information on each. You can purchase your own kit directly from Amazon.com, too. Here’s a photo of everything inside. More parts and kits from SunFounder More Arduino Boards and Kits More Raspberry Pi Boards and Kits More on Circuit Basics: The best place on the web for Raspberry Pi, Arduino, Programming, and DIY Electronics projects and tutorials.   Circuit Basics has all the resources you need to finish a project from beginning to end. Follow along step by step as we explain how to build each project and show you how to use it. All of the diagrams to connect the circuits, all of the code to program the platform...

Here is a selection of free wallpapers for your computer desktop or smartphone. Click to load full-sized image, then right-click and select Save Image As… to download them to your own computer. On your smartphone, click the image to see the full-sized image, tap and hold, then select Save to Camera Roll. You can then attach the wallpapers using your phone’s preferences. Desktop   iPad  |  iPhone Get this wallpaper on a variety of fun products   Check out my entire portfolio on RedBubble More Product Selections on MiPics Previous wallpapers: Sakura - Cherry Blossoms Bee on Yellow Flower Ojai Church Sunset on the grass Pink Dahlia Yellow Gazania Small, Yellow, Sunflower Purple Explosion Gerbera Daisy Pink Geranium Raindrops Gulf Fritillary Butterfly Mourning Dove Piazza Armerina Camellia Aspens Kousa Dogwood Daylily Old Oak Tree Magnolia Rhaphiolepis Native Sunflower Koi Pond White Chamomile Flower Palm Tree Water Lily Artichoke Wallpapers Morning...