Do-It-Yourself Projects
by
Mitch Altman, and friends.
You Can Make Cool Things With Microcontrollers!
The projects on this page were all created for total beginners, with no experience, to complete successfully at my workshops, or at home, or anywhere!
All you need is a desire, a handful of parts, a soldering iron (with stand and sponge), a wire-cutter, a wire-stripper, solder, and an afternoon.

Soldering!
Soldering is fun! And it is easy! Really, it is!
I have taught thousands of people around the world how to solder.
Everyone can do it! All ages, all skill levels.
People who have never even sewn a button can easily learn to solder. Even you!
Once you learn how to make one good solder connection, you can make anything on this page.
And if you can make anything on this page, you can learn to make anything with electronics and microcontrollers.
One of the people I taught to solder now teaches others to solder.
Andie Nordgren is also a great artist,
and she created a wonderful single-page comic that shows the basics of soldering.

Click the image for a larger version, or
download the PDF.
Please feel free to copy this comic, and spread it around.
Many of these projects are made by hacking the MiniPOV! kit
(and the others were inspired by it).
MiniPOV! kit, by Limor Fried
To build many of the projects on this page, you will need to partially assemble a MiniPOV! kit.
For excellent instructions on building the MiniPOV! kit please go to
Ladyada's MiniPOV! kit.

Here is a really cool software utility for creating any image you like in your MiniPOV:
Magic Soft MiniPOV Message Generator (this is not needed for the other projects on this page).
For the firmware source code for the MiniPOV3, please go to
MiniPOV! firmware.
And here is the
makefile (these are not needed for the other projects on this page).
Atmel AVR microcontrollers
All of the projects on this page use Atmel AVR family microcontrollers.
The Atmel ATtiny2313 is the microcontroller used in the MiniPOV3.
For the datasheet, please go to
Atmel AVR ATTiny2313 datasheet.
For the AVR family instruction set, please go to
Atmel AVR family instruction set.
For a really great online user community of support for all Atmel AVR microcontrollers
AVR Freaks is the place to go, where geeks from all over the world are awake
day and night wanting nothing more than to answer your questions!
Ordering Parts
I ordered most of the parts from
Mouser.
The rest of the parts I ordered from
Jameco (also a good place for decent, inexpensive tools).
Digikey is also a good place.
You can buy a MiniPOV! kit, from
The Maker Store
or directly from
Ladyada.
Project: Make your own Brain Machine (from MAKE Magazine #10)

Relax and rejuvenate as your brain synchronizes to a wonderful meditative state,
and enjoy as you hallucinate beautiful colors and patterns from your subconscious mind!
This was my first AVR project.
It is easy for anyone to make because it is hacked from the super easy to make
MiniPOV3 Kit.
For the original MAKE Magazine article Mitch wrote, please go to
Brain Machine article.
Here's the official MAKE Magazine webpage for the Brain Machine:
Brain Machine blog
where you can ask Mitch questions (click on the bizarre photo for a fun 5-minute video).
Since writing the Brain Machine article in MAKE, I have learned how to make
the Brain Machine better. Here is an
updated and annotated version
of the original MAKE Magazine article.
If you bought a Brain Machine Kit from me, it came with a single-page instruction sheet.
A copy of the instruction sheet is available
here.
I made a slight update to the Brain Machine firmware: use a more pleasing base frequency for the sound.
For the updated firmware, please go to
the latest SLM firmware.
The sound with this updated firmware will be even better if you use 2.2K ohm resistors for R5 and R6 instead of 1K, as it says in the MAKE article.
For an updated schematic, please go to
the latest SLM schematic.
For a detailed description of the firmware and how it works, please go to
Brain Machine Firmware Theory.
Here is where to download the
original cool graphix for the glasses.
And check out these
cool graphix by Michael Wertz (thanks Michael!).
- For a template for cutting out the graphix when using
Jackson Allsafe Element Safety Glasses model 31006 (which cost $1.15 each),
please go to
Glasses Template 1.
- For a template for cutting out the graphix when using
Gallaway Visitor Spectacle model 1750C (which cost $1.05 each),
please go to
Glasses Template 2.
TripGlasses

Relax and rejuvinate as your brain synchronizes to a wonderful meditative state,
and enjoy as you hallucinate beautiful colors and patterns from your subconscious mind!
This is a manufactured, ready-to-use (not a kit) version of the Brain Machine.
www.TripGlasses.com.
TripGlasses are now available for
purchase!
Project: Make your own open source TV-B-Gone Kit (developed with Ladayada)

The TV-B-Gone Kit was developed from the MiniPOV3 hack (see below).
For excellent assembly instructions, please go to TV-B-Gone Kit page of the
Ladyada.net website.
For questions about the TV-B-Gone Kit, please go to the
TV-B-Gone Kit user forum.
To see the schematic, firmware, and board layout, please go to
TV-B-Gone Kit downloads.
For those who want their TV-B-Gone kit to work in Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and some other countries that use the European database, please get the
TV-B-Gone Kit European firmware.
TV-B-Gone Kits are available for purchase at the TV-B-Gone Kit page of the
TVBGone.com website.
Here is another really nice open source TV-B-Gone Kit made by Magic Soft:

It is called TV-B-Gone EHP, and can turn off TVs from 100 meters away, just like the
TV-B-Gone Pro SHP
that I created.
The EHP was developed collaboratively by several users of the TV-B-Gone Kit user forum on the ladyada.net website.
The EHP is available at:
www.magicsoftinc.com
A very small TV-B-Gone CHiP Kit is also available at:
www.magicsoftinc.com
Project: Make your own open source TV-B-Gone (hacked from a MiniPOV 3 Kit)

This is not the TV-B-Gone Kit -- see above for the TV-B-Gone Kit.
This is an open source version of my TV-B-Gone remote control, hacked from a MiniPOV3 Kit.
For the firmware source code for North America, please go to
TV-B-Gone NA firmware.
For the database of North American TV POWER codes, please go to
TV-B-Gone NA POWER codes.
For the firmware source code for Europe, please go to
TV-B-Gone EU firmware.
For the database of European TV POWER codes, please go to
TV-B-Gone EU POWER codes.
For the makefile for both NA and EU firmware, please go to
makefile.
For the schematic, please go to
TV-B-Gone schematic.
Project: Make your own Trippy RGB Waves Kit

The Trippy RGB Waves project (see below) was so popular that I created a kit for it.
For detailed assembly instructions, please go to
Trippy RGB Waves Kit assembly instructions.
For the firmware source code and technical description, please go to
Trippy RBG Waves Kit firmware.
And here is the
makefile.
The schematic is available at
Trippy RGB Waves Kit schematic.
The list of parts (with part numbers) is available at
Trippy RGB Waves Kit Bill of Materials.
The PCB layout is available at
Trippy RGB Waves Kit gerber files (zipped).
To see a video of this project in action, please go to
Trippy RGB Waves project video.
Here is a video of someone
(very quickly) building the kit!
It is available for purchase from the
Makezine.com website.
Project: Trippy RGB Waves

This is not the Trippy RGB Waves Kit -- see above for the Trippy RBG Waves Kit.
I created this project while artist in residence for the month of August, 2008 at
AS220,
an arts space in Providence, RI.
Imagine a bunch of little lights (maybe 20 or 40 of them),
on a table, each about the size of a chess piece.
Each is independent of the other.
You arrange them around on the table any way you want.
Each one continually slowly changes colors on its own.
When you wave your hand over them, it creates waves of
colors that follow your hand.
I hacked this project from the Trippy RGB Light (see below),
(which was hacked from a MiniPOV3 kit).
I didn't use a PCB, but soldered all components directly together,
and added an IR emitter and an IR detector to sense when you wave your hand over it,
and when you do, it resets the RGB sequence from the beginning.
The net effect, when you wave your hand over a table-full of them,
is that waves of colors follow underneath your hand.
For the firmware source code and technical description, please go to
Trippy RBG Waves firmware.
And here is the
makefile.
For the schematic, please go to
Trippy RGB Waves schematic.
To see a video of this project in action, please go to
Trippy RGB Waves project video.
To see some close up photos of the hardware I built, please go to
Trippy RGB Waves project photos.
Project: Make your own Mignonette Game

At the San Francisco Maker Faire in May, 2008, Mitch and Rolf released our Mignonette Game kit.
Mignonette is a small hand-held game that has an LED matrix instead of an LCD.
It is very simple to build, even for people who have never built anything before,
and great for learning how to make things with microcontroller chips.
Based on the
Mignon Game Kit,,
but with two-colored LEDs, and other added features,
Mignonette comes with a game we wrote called Munch (with more games to come).
All hardware and firmware are open source, and are easily hack-able.
We have a separate website for our
Mignonette Game, where you can find detailed info.
The Mignonette Game Kit is available for purchase from the
Makezine.com website.
Project: Make your own Solar BugBot

This excitable guy sings and dances when he eats light.
He is a vibrabot, with an off-balance motor, speaker, and solar panel, hacked from a MiniPOV3 kit.
For the firmware source code, please go to
BugBot firmware.
And here is the
makefile.
For the schematic, please go to
BugBot schematic.
The list of parts (with part numbers) is available at
Solor BugBot Bill of Materials.
To see a high-res photograph of the BugBot, please go to
BugBot photo.
Project: Make your own Trippy RGB Light

A mood light that sequences through all sorts of changing colors. Trippy!
This is a very easy hack from the MiniPOV3 Kit.
For the firmware source code, please go to
RGB Light firmware.
For the schematic, please go to
RGB Light schematic.
And here is the
makefile.
To see a photograph of the Trippy RGB Light, please go to
Trippy RGB Light photo.
For detailed assembly instructions, please go to
Trippy RGB Light assembly instructions.
The list of parts (with part numbers) is available at
Trippy RGB Light Bill of Materials.
Project: Make your own LEDcube Kit

NOTE: The full documentation for this project will be available soon.
This is a small 3x3x3 single-color version of the amazing
color 3D Borg cube
by
Das-Labor.
For the firmware source code of the test firmware for the LEDcube Kit, please go to
         LEDcube Kit Test firmware.
For firmware source code for a more interesting animation for the LEDcube Kit, please go to
         LEDcube Kit firmware.
And here is the
makefile for both of the above.
Project: Make your own LED Cube

NOTE: This is NOT the LEDcube kit (see above) This was the first project made at
NYC Resistor,
a hacker space that started in New York in 2008.
After coming back from the
Chaos Communications Congress,
we were so inspired by the
color 3D Borg cube
by
Das-Labor,
a German hacker group, that me, Bre, and George decided to build our own miniature LEDcube.
For a Weekend Project video for how to make this project, please go to
Make an LED Cube.
For the firmware source code, please go to
LED Cube firmware.
And here is the
makefile.
To see a video of this firmware in action, please go to
LED Cube video.
To see some close up photos of the hardware I built, please go to
LED Cube photos.
Cool Neon

Benny, of
Cool Neon
gave a presentation using EL-Wire at my booth at San Francisco Maker Faire 2007.
You can order EL-Wire and associated supplies at the
CoolNeon.com website.
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