Received my Arduino UNO

After reading a number of Make: Projects that included an Arduino microcontroller, I decided that I needed to take the plunge and order one and see what I could build with it. I decided to order from The Robot Shop, as they had the best selection of Arduino models by far and great customer feedback.

I had previously downloaded the Arduino environment for OSX and was looking forward to trying some of the small programs I had composed. After getting home with my package, I pulled out a USB cable I had lying around and connected the UNO to my MacBook. I was able to upload my first test program in a few moments and got it to work flawlessly!

So now, time for some more interesting applications! I will post any future experiments and creations!

Pick of the week: DIY Audio Projects

High fidelity, audiophile quality equipment has always been very expensive and out of reach for the average person. But this has not stopped many from building some of the highest quality audio equipment in the world and sharing the research and results.

DIY Audio Projects is a gold mine of plans, pictures, information, research and more on the construction of almost every type of audio component you can imagine, from high-end turntables to class A mono tube amplifiers and more, the site is a dream come true for electronic enthusiasts and musical fanatics on a budget.

Worth taking a look if only to remind ourselves that every item, no matter how well made, is made by someone. The lesson is that anything can be made!

Pick of the week: Strobist

I've been an amateur photographer for almost 20 years now, and the one thing that I've discovered is that as a photographer, one is always learning. Whether learning new techniques, or revisiting something that hasn't been done in a while, there is something new each and every day. And with the digital revolution that has taken place, there is an entire new chapter to the art of taking pictures.

During my quest to learn more about flash photography, I came upon what I consider to be the most advanced amateur flash photography web site, Strobist. The site describes itself as being about one thing and one thing only: "learning how to use off-camera flash with your DSLR to take your photos to the next level. Or the next ten levels". Quite a bold statement, but with over 1000 articles on using lighting to improve your photography is no small achievement.

If you are into photography, do yourself a favour and head over to Strobist and learn something new today!

Building your own arcade cabinet

I've always thought of myself as young at heart, but I am starting to notice that I am physically a little older than that! The other day, I was reminiscing (yes, that was one of the first things that clued me in to the fact that I was getting older) about an entertainment venue that has literally disappeared: the arcade and arcade cabinets. I spent a large part of my youth dropping quarters into these gaming machines and there are days when I really miss it.

Of course, in a fit of sentimentality, I installed the MAME emulator and thousands of ROMS on my iMac, easily replaying the great games of my youth. But something was missing; part of the fun of the arcade was getting to play on a stand up console, with controls that were meant to be used forcefully. And that got me thinking. Wouldn't it be possible to build a stand up cabinet that would essentially be a large PC case running MAME (and/or other existing emulators), with hard drive storage to hold thousands of ROMS and more. That idea really got me going, so I began to do a little research into the hardware that would be required to make this gaming cabinet a reality and any other related information.

The cabinet

The cabinet itself can be built using MDF or another similar material, and is not beyond the skills of most people. Several plans are available online, but it is quite easy to design your own cabinet. A friend suggested using cardboard from furniture and appliance boxes to build a life-size mockup, as it would allow the designer to refine the cabinet design before actual construction can begin.

The monitor

It is possible to purchase monitors in the required sizes, for these exact purposes from manufacturers like Vision Pro. Nowadays, it is also possible to get an LCD panel of the correct dimensions, for a more energy-saving cabinet. For some cost savings, it is possible to substitute a regular tube television, which are now available for a fraction of what they were worth only a few years ago. If you do choose this route, make sure that you select a flat tube television, as it will make your cabinet look that much better.

The CPU

For the CPU, the sky is really the limit; any system that will run MAME or any other emulator, with support for USB, audio and video will do the trick. An astute builder might also consider that the CPU and motherboard will determine the overall limitations of the cabinet, and could also help to provide additional functionalities (the gaming cabinet could also be a modern jukebox!).


The controls

This is the portion that I thought might be difficult to find, but was I ever wrong. Several companies build hardware for arcade consoles, including the best I found, X Arcade as well as other manufacturers, such as Arcade Controls and Suzo-Happ.

This is commercial quality hardware and should help to build a durable, high quality cabinet.

Other hardware

It is even possible to get a coin-operation panel for your custom-built arcade cabinet. Yes, you can make your machine coin-operated as well (in my opinion, it would be an excellent way to keep your kids off of your cabinet!!!)

Why not try your hand at a project like this? A quick Google and Wikipedia search revealed dozens of related sites, images and tutorials, so go ahead, build a little flash from the past and have fun. Take a look at some of the following links for more information:

BYOACWiki - A fantastic resource for the DIY Arcade cabinet builder.

Webb's MAME Arcade Cabinet - A DIY guide to a great MAME cabinet.

MAME Arcade Cabinet - Another DIY site, with lots of information.

My strange index card obsession...

I know what you might be thinking... This guy needs medical attention and he needs it soon. Well, stay with me for a second and you'll understand why I am so enamoured by these little jewels. First of all, I think I can safely assume that most people have seen an index card before (thanks to Lifehacker for the use of the image.):

The lowly index card has a million and one uses and qualities that make including but not limited to the following reasons:

- Convenient size for notes
- Easy to carry
- Easy to sort
- Easy to view
- Lightweight
- Two-sided
- Burn well
- Can be used to create all sorts of complex shapes
- Makes excellent bookmarks for all sizes of books
- Useful as a flash reflector
- Easily available
- Simple to store
- Non-magnetic
- Non-conductive
- Easy to hide
- Makes a convenient coaster
- Cheap
- Can be used as a DIY postcard
- The DIY Planner
- Endlessly customizable

As you can see, I've put a lot of thought into notecards, and make use of them every day. I always keep a small stash on hand and have taken to leaving small stacks of them in the oddest places, in case inspiration strikes.

For more options and accessories related to notecards, take a look at Levenger, a fantastic online store.