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Forum Index : Microcontroller and PC projects : The most desired MicroMite project
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| WhiteWizzard Guru  Joined: 05/04/2013 Location: United KingdomPosts: 2817 |
All, My daughter recently carried out some research asking electronic hobbyists what would be the project they would most like to see published. She asked them to chose their top three from a list of over 50 suggestions and/or to put forward their own ideas. She kept the discussion open for just under 12 weeks and below are the ten most requested projects from this research (in no particular order). However, I noticed that most (if not all) of these could be built based upon a circuit incorporating Geoff's brilliant MicroMite. So I thought why not shortlist these ten projects into a list of just three so that I can then potentially incorporate these into my upcoming MicroMite eBook. So please take a quick look and let me know which project YOU would personally most like to see published (or maybe put forward your own idea): 1> Android controlled robot buggy / quadcopter 2> Pet GPS tracking solution (extended to children) 3> RGB automatic home mood lighting 4> Home built 3D printer 5> DAB talking alarm clock 6> Home LED lighting system 7> HiFi universal remote control 8> Suitcase Identifier (to help traveler collect their cases from airport carousel) 9> WiFi Data logger / Web server / weather station 10> Wireless Home security & Home automation system I personally like the Suitcase Identifier - something a bit different while being extremely useful!! Thanks in advance for your replies . . . . For everything Micromite visit micromite.org Direct Email: whitewizzard@micromite.o |
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TassyJim Guru Joined: 07/08/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 6101 |
Item 2. One of the projects is a tracker for my garden traveling sprinkler. I have a large garden and the sprinklers often go off course and a GPS beaconing every few minutes will allow me to locate the sprinkler and plot its location on a map. Because I need high resolution, I need a second fixed GPS and use differential measurements to help reduce the typical GPS wobble. The MicroMite's low power requirements is what I was waiting for so I will start playing 'soon' Item 9. I have been running weather loggers for a few years now and converted the data acquisition to Maximites as soon as they were available. Now that I have started playing with I2C, I am adding more modules and soon will be recording water tank levels and more accurate light levels etc. The data is emailed to me each day for when I am traveling. The email and web side is all done on a laptop PC. In Australia, water is important. I rely on rain and a bore 40 metres deep. Monitoring is very important to me. Jim VK7JH MMedit  MMBasic Help |
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| viscomjim Guru Joined: 08/01/2014 Location: United StatesPosts: 925 |
Hi Phil, I do like the suitcase ID also. I know I personally could have used that several times in my travels over the years. More importantly, It is great to see that your daughter has obviously observed your interest in electronics and has even considered this research, instead of what the next great app for her cell phone that could have gotten her in touch with her bff's faster. What you have proposed here is incredibly refreshing. I don't know of many people who are as lucky as you to have a child that is interested in something her father is, especially at this level. In addition, I think that if one can incorporate the love of hobby level electronics, or anything else, and somehow take this to a higher level and generate a little bit of income from it, you are teaching your daughter that all of a sudden, when you get up in the morning and do what you love to do, you will never have a job. Everyday is just getting up and doing what you want to do. As Confucius once said, “Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.” Keep it up my friend. I hope more people can enjoy what you have in your life, your love for this electronic thing, and the fact that your daughter is also in to something you both can share. No matter which one wins, I hope that she uses your awesome 44 pin board to make her project. That would be the icing on the cake, wouldn't it? |
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bigmik Guru Joined: 20/06/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 2914 |
I liked the idea too and after a minute or two of `thought' I came up with a remote that makes the suitcase `come alive' and flash multi color LEDs so it would be obvious.. Then I wondered what Customs/Fed Police would think if a bag on the conveyor lit up like a Christmas tree. And what the other passengers would do to me 2 hrs later after they let us back into the area to collect our bags.. Then I went back to my beer and dreamed of donuts. 
Regards, Mick PS. WW tell your daughter it was a fantastic idea.. It makes the brain tick.. Can you share the full list of 50? Mik Mick's uMite Stuff can be found >>> HERE (Kindly hosted by Dontronics) <<< |
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MicroBlocks Guru Joined: 12/05/2012 Location: ThailandPosts: 2209 |
My thoughts about them: 1> Android controlled robot buggy / quadcopter You need a flight control system to keep the quadcopter in the air. For that you need high speed motor control. A uMite will be incapable of doing that. The controlling part with RF or wifi would be possible. (Jani Nirvinnen is one of our members of the MakerSpace. He is the leading figures behind quadcopters,drones etc. diydrones.com is a great source about this subject. Most of the parts come from his factory in Thailand.) 2> Pet GPS tracking solution (extended to children) I am in the GPS business, a really working child/pet tracking is still way to inaccurate with too many times incorrect positions. Still searching for it as it is a product that would sell very good, all that are on the market now are useless. I think trying to get it to work reliable (otherwise what is the use!) is incredible difficult and seems with current technology impossible without making it very bulky and power consuming which also defeats the purpose of it being small and wearable. 3> RGB automatic home mood lighting Yes, perfectly doable and is a great starter project that can be easily expanded upon. 4> Home built 3D printer We are currently doing that at our MakerSpace which i run. uMite has not the speed nor the memory available to pull that off. We probably will use it to offload some user interface stuff and maybe precise temperature monitoring so that the main mcu can concentrate on interpreting gcode and motor control. We use the DRV8825 drivers for that. 5> DAB talking alarm clock No experience with DAB, GPS is a good source for the time. 6> Home LED lighting system See 3. 7> HiFi universal remote control Yes, great project with high usability 8> Suitcase Identifier (to help traveler collect their cases from airport carousel) I use a big bright colored sticker. :) But seriously, your suitcase will be in the 'special luggage' department when you have battery operated electronics in it. 9> WiFi Data logger / Web server / weather station Yes, with current wi-fi modules connected to a serial port it is within the capabilities. A weather station accessible through a browser combines many kinds of electronics and is a great way to learn about microcontrollers. If i would write an ebook i would probably use this as the main theme. First starting with a uMite reading some sensor data, then expand it with logging, the more sensors, then wifi and finally putting all previous 'chapters together in a working browsable, weather station. Maybe even push data to a website/twitter. 10> Wireless Home security & Home automation system Unless it is just for demonstration purposes this is actually pretty difficult. Not so much the digital electronics, but charging batteries, using them as a backup, make it tamper proof etc. Microblocks. Build with logic. |
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Grogster Admin Group  Joined: 31/12/2012 Location: New ZealandPosts: 9308 |
Yes, that was my first thought when I read that in the list. It is pretty security intensive in airports these days, and in fact - most electronics things are not permitted to be shipped with batteries intact, if it has to fly internationally. I recently bought in some wireless remote switch things, and they had to be send without the batteries for this reason - every airport is now on "Battery-powered bomb" alert, thanks mainly to the events of 9/11.... Smoke makes things work. When the smoke gets out, it stops! |
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vasi Guru Joined: 23/03/2007 Location: RomaniaPosts: 1697 |
Mick, you can avoid the crowds fury if you replace the LEDS with a speaker and a machine gun noise. They won't came back! Hobbit name: Togo Toadfoot of Frogmorton Elvish name: Mablung Miriel Beyound Arduino Lang |
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| WhiteWizzard Guru Joined: 05/04/2013 Location: United KingdomPosts: 2817 |
As bigmik said, the idea here is to get the brain ticking rather than just turn round and say 'it can't be done' or 'it will never work'. vasi - your brain is obviously ticking at the moment (maybe a little too much with that idea though!) Note: Suitcases are used in other places other than airports so perhaps this is still very doable . . . For everything Micromite visit micromite.org Direct Email: whitewizzard@micromite.o |
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| paceman Guru Joined: 07/10/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 1329 |
I bought unusual coloured suitcases long ago so have never felt the need for that. If yours is like many others then I can understand why that would be a good project. My list would be: 1. WiFi Data logger / Web server / weather station. For similar reasons as TZ and TassyJim - it covers many needs and techniques. It would also be handy to be able to turn something ON, like a cat-feeder, or maybe a webcam to check the pool hadn't turned green! 2. Pet GPS tracking solution (extended to children). Not sure how practical these can be but GPS things generally would be good to cover. Geoff did a tracker project in the Nov 2013 issue of Silicon Chip which works well for what was intended. The software is in "C" but doing a project in MMBasic would be interesting. 3. Android controlled robot buggy / quadcopter. Techniques for handling real-time (ish) things would be interesting, and some instruction on incorporating Android into a project may open up lots of smart-phone things. 4. Home built 3D printer. Not because I want to build one but because it would involve stepper motors (something I've not played with), power drives and precision control. Greg |
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| robert.rozee Guru Joined: 31/12/2012 Location: New ZealandPosts: 2350 |
my list of suggested projects would be: 1. GPIB to serial bridge, with it perhaps slanted towards controlling a specific set of equipment. for myself, i'd like to control a fluke 8842A DMM, the GPIB bus uses 16 lines, 8 control and 8 data. the console may need to be used for the serial I/O if none of the 8 control lines can be ignored. this would be an electrically simple project, but challenging from the programming side. 2. an I/O interface, that can monitor up to 8 analog inputs that each have adjustable range. one of the 2 spare analog inputs could be hooked up to a precision reference to provide a means of calibration. the software could allow for expansion through a second micromite to provide additional inputs. provision could also be there to grab temperatures from a set of 18B20's. data would be streamed constantly out the console with readings taken every second. 3. a landline to cellular patch controller. an old standalone voice modem can be used to handle routing audio to/from the landline and to 'pick up' the line using AT commands. similarly, there are plenty of GSM boards out there that provide the audio path at line level and are controlled by extensions to the AT command set. the micromite would need to detect ringing on the landline modem, dial out on the cellphone, then send the off-hook command when the cellphone call is connected. in new zealand, this provides a cheaper means of diverting a landline to a cellphone number than going through any of the telcos. 4. a camera intervalometer, providing a far richer set of control options than what is currently available commercially. if part of a basic program could be made 'hidden', it would even be realistic to allow the user to write the driving code themselves. 'hidden' functions would replace the likes of "SETPIN 4, DOUT: PIN(4)=1: PAUSE 100: PIN(4)=0" with "PRESS shutter, 100". i'm sure i will think of others, and add them as they come to mind! rob :-) |
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| WhiteWizzard Guru Joined: 05/04/2013 Location: United KingdomPosts: 2817 |
Good stuff Rob - I like your thinking!!! 
And please do add your other ideas as you think of them . . .  For everything Micromite visit micromite.org Direct Email: whitewizzard@micromite.o |
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| WhiteWizzard Guru Joined: 05/04/2013 Location: United KingdomPosts: 2817 |
Last night I started to Google projects for the Raspberry Pi and was shocked at just how many of them are total over-kill and would actually be more suited as a project for the MicroMite. So for any of you struggling for project ideas, why not Google something like 'Raspberry Pi Gadgets'. I almost guarantee you that this will result in some ideas for you that you have never even thought off. Maybe it will even give you an idea for designing the next big 'must have' gadget! For everything Micromite visit micromite.org Direct Email: whitewizzard@micromite.o |
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| robert.rozee Guru Joined: 31/12/2012 Location: New ZealandPosts: 2350 |
here's a few more: 5. a child's music box. i thought of this idea many years ago, but the micromite wasn't available back then. the device would act and sound like the classic windup music players that used to be common in various toys, where the tune is coded onto a small rotating drum using metal pegs that would pluck a comb of tuned teeth as the drum rotates. in the micromite version the drum is replaced with DATA statements, the comb is a piezoelectric speaker attached to a PWM output, and many dozens of different tunes will be selectable either randomly or via a user control. the real trick will be creating the envelope required to make the tone output sound like a metal comb tooth being plucked. 6. a rotary combination lock, like on a safe. a rotary encoder will be used to read the dial input, while a 2-digit LED (or LCD) display will show the current number. the combination will be "dialled in" the same way as with a safe. 2 turns right, then round to the first number, back one turn past that number and on to the second number, etc. would make for a neat 'keyless entry' on the front door of your house! 7. an FM tabletop radio, using one of the TEA5767 FM Stereo Radio modules available for a few dollars on ebay. these are controlled via I2C, and just require the addition of an antenna and audio amplifier (which can be had as another cheap module from ebay). the micromite can keep a database of radio stations, sending tuning commands to the FM module as required. it can also drive a nice big LCD display showing the frequency, allow adding and deleting preset stations, and with the right audio amplifier module even control the volume. tuning input would be (again) from a rotary encoder, along with buttons for 'save/delete', 'tune/preset', etc. there are also similar modules based on the RDA5807M, which may be a drop-in replacement. rob :-) |
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jman Guru Joined: 12/06/2011 Location: New ZealandPosts: 711 |
Hi Take a look at this I2C Radio Regards Jman |
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| dmasz Newbie  Joined: 12/09/2013 Location: PolandPosts: 21 |
Hi, In regards of ID radio tag for suitcase. it looks that electronic with batteries are some how allowed in the cargo of airplane. http://www.calypsocrystal.com/en/calypsotag br Dan |
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