Tag: electronics

Adding Headers to a littleBits Arduino

littleBits Arduino Module Diagram

In keeping in line with their KISS philosophy, the littleBits Arduino module does not offer (easy) access to the full range of analog and digital I/O options that can be found on regular Arduino boards like the Arduino Uno. As a matter of fact, the littleBits Arduino only provides 3 bitSnap inputs and 3 bitSnap …

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DIY littleBits Perf Module

DIY littleBits Perf Module - Step 6

The littleBits modular electronics system is great for rapidly prototyping electronics circuits, but what happens if you want to use an element, switch, sensor, actuator, etc., for which a module does not exist? Fortunately, littleBits provides three different solutions for the problem. Two of these are ready to go modules: the Proto Module and the …

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littleBits – The Singles

llittleBits Shoes Hook & Loop Package - Front

The RadioShack here in town, *my* RadioShack, is finally closing its doors forever after more than ten weeks of clearance sales the likes of which I won’t likely ever see again. I scored a lot of cool gadgets at ridiculously low prices, but my favorite continues to be the littleBits modular electronics system. As I’ve …

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Ammeters and Internal Resistance

Question: Based on your previous post regarding voltmeters and internal resistance, I can safely assume that an ammeter must also have some internal resistance. What effect does this resistance have on current measurements, and what resistance value would minimize any error it introduces to the reading? Answer: It is indeed true that an ammeter must …

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Voltmeters and Internal Resistance

Simple resistive circuit with voltmeter

Question: Does a voltmeter have any internal resistance, and if so, what, if any, affect does it have on voltage readings? Answer: Even if you have no electrical experience at all, I would hope that your answer to the first part of the question was, “yes.” Otherwise this would turn out to be an incredibly short …

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Euler’s Formula

Besides being an obvious lady killer, Swiss mathematician Leonhard Euler gifted the world with some pretty important mathematical concepts, notational conventions, and formulas. I almost feel bad about the fact that I couldn’t even spell his name correctly until I was well into adulthood. You are probably thinking, “Sure, he had a bitchin’ robe, and for …

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Finally Bought an Arduino Yun

Anker Astro3

I’ve had my eye on the Arduino Yun since it came out, but between an Uno, a Duemilanove, and a handful of shields, I always had something to play with and hadn’t run into any limitations that justified picking one up at the expense of some other shiny, new toy. Last week, however, a perfect storm …

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Robosapien Creator Mark Tilden Interviewed

I’m a little bit late posting today so by now just about everybody else has already reported this, but in case you missed it (or in case NeuralDump is your sole source for news), You-Review.net has posted an interview with Mark Tilden, the controversial roboticist who’s responsible for the immensely popular line of WowWee robots …

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Cyborg Humidity Gauge

Bacteria

Nature.com has published an article about the work of Ravi Saraf, a chemist from the University of Nebraska, Lincoln and his student Vikas Berry in integrating living bacteria into an electrical circuit that is part of a humidity-detecting device. While there have been other instances of circuits built to react to microorganisms, this “cellborg,” as …

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