R-B | Embedded Lab

Author Archives: R-B

Cloud-connected automatic solar tracker

Posted on November 6, 2014 by R-B Leave a comment

The use of solar tracking systems allows the solar panels to track the course of Sun during the day time and ensures that the panels are receiving maximum solar input. A photovoltaic system with a solar tracker can boost the output power by 20-40%, compared to a fixed installation. While there are lots of resources available on internet on solar trackers, this particular solar tracking system is unique in the sense that it offers lot more connectivity and other fancy features than just tracking the Sun. It is built to drive a 90 Watts solar panel with azimuth and elevation control using two step motors. The project is controlled with Electric Imp, which derives the inclination and azimuth angle of the solar panel using a 6-axis accelerometer/magnetometer. The use of Electric Imp also allows internet cloud connectivity to the project.

Cloud-connected solar tracker

Capacitive touch sensing demo

Posted on November 6, 2014 by R-B Leave a comment

Capacitive touch sensing allows to provide digital inputs with a simple touching of electrodes. In Arduino, the capacitiveSensor library can be used to convert two or more of its I/O pins into a capacitive sensor. This technique requires external resistors and metal foils to work properly. This Instructable describes a physical setup for making five capacitive touch sensors with the Arduino I/O pins.

Capacitive touch sensing with Arduino

Arduino multitasking guide

Posted on November 5, 2014 by R-B One comment

Bill Earl’s new tutorial on Adafruit is about multitasking with Arduino where he explains practically how to program an Arduino board to perform multiple independent tasks without the processor being tied up to any kind of delay. His approach define each task as an independent state machine which can execute without affecting or being affected by the others.

Arduino multi-tasking

DIY audio/video transport control surface

Posted on November 4, 2014 by R-B Leave a comment

Audio/video transport controllers are used in recording studios and live performance setups for quick hands-on control on demanding editing or mixing tasks. These devices are an expensive piece of hardware (costs from a few hundreds to thousands of USD). Victor Frost’s OpenTransport project would allow hobbyists to build an external transport control surface at very low price. It is an open-source, open hardware transport controller that sends out MIDI commands and therefore, works with most of the Digital Audio Workstation and Digital Video Workstation softwares. It is Arduino-powered and provides controls for play, stop, fast forward, rewind, record, loop, and mackie keys Function 1 and Function 2, which are configurable.

OpenTransport: An open-source control surface

DIY motion activated camera

Posted on November 3, 2014 by R-B Leave a comment

Whether you are aiming to monitor your pets’ activities at home when you are gone or to surveil a particular location at your house or office, this DIY motion activated camera might be helpful to serve your purpose. The primary components used to build this camera are Raspberry Pi, Raspberry Pi camera module, PIR motion sensor, and USB WiFi adapter. The camera automatically takes still shots or record short videos when a motion is detected in the frame range of the camera. In addition, the photos and videos are automatically uploaded to the user’s Dropbox account for remote access.

Motion sensing camera

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