Kategorie: Linux

  • Why do OTA updates matter in IoT?

    Why do OTA updates matter in IoT?

    Reading Time: 8 minutes

    Imagine you’ve just installed your state-of-the-art lighting control system, perfectly hidden in a box inside a wall, and everything seems to be working like a charm. But then, you spot a bug in the firmware. The thought of pulling the hardware back out sends shivers down your spine. You start wondering for how long you can just ignore the issue. The good news is you don’t have to, and there is a simple solution: over-the-air (OTA) updates!

    OTA updates are a crucial aspect of IoT (Internet of Things) devices, allowing you to remotely update the firmware or software of your connected devices without the need for physical access. This technology is a game-changer for both makers and businesses because it offers seamless maintenance, enhanced security, and improved user experience.

    At Arduino, we’ve long recognized the importance of OTA updates and do our best to assist users implement this technology. Over time, this has allowed us to identify some common questions on the topic: let’s dive into the top 10!

    #1: What are OTA updates, exactly?

    OTA updates refer to the process of delivering code updates to IoT devices remotely, without the need for physical connections or manual interventions. This can be achieved through wireless communication protocols such as Wi-Fi®, cellular, or Bluetooth®.

    The process typically involves uploading the updated firmware or software to a server, and then pushing it to the target devices over the internet or a local network. The device then updates itself without the need for manual intervention.

    #2: Why do we need OTA?

    Firmware updates are essential for IoT devices to maintain their functionality, security, and relevance over time. However, traditional methods of firmware updates, which require physical access or manual intervention, can be costly, time-consuming, and impractical in many scenarios. 

    OTA updates make it easier to keep devices up-to-date, bug-free, secure and capable of adapting to evolving requirements throughout their lifecycle. 

    #3: What types of devices benefit from OTA updates?

    OTA updates are particularly critical for the following scenarios:

    • IoT devices deployed in remote locations or difficult-to-access areas, such as industrial equipment, medical devices, or agricultural sensors.
    • High-value devices such as industrial robots or complex medical equipment, and critical infrastructure systems – such as power grids, water treatment plants, or financial systems – which demand frequent security updates and patches to ensure the highest level of protection against cyber threats.
    • Smart home devices like thermostats, security cameras, or voice assistants, which often undergo frequent software updates to introduce new features or enhance user experiences.
    • Devices with limited power or resources: IoT devices with constrained power or computational resources, such as wearables or environmental sensors, can benefit from OTA updates that minimize power consumption and extend battery life.
    • Systems that require continuous operation and minimal downtime, such as financial systems (ATMs, point-of-sale terminals), healthcare systems (electronic health records, medical imaging equipment).

    #4: What are the main challenges in using OTA updates for IoT?

    While OTA updates offer numerous benefits, there are several challenges and issues to consider in order to mitigate any risks or avoid potential pitfalls.

    • Device heterogeneity: IoT devices come in various forms, with different hardware and software configurations, making it challenging to develop and deploy updates that work seamlessly across all.
    • Connectivity and bandwidth limitations: Some IoT devices may have limited or intermittent internet connectivity, or operate on low-bandwidth networks, which can make it difficult to deliver large firmware updates.
    • Security concerns: OTA updates introduce potential security risks, such as unauthorized access or malicious code injection, if not implemented with proper security measures (we’ll explain more at #6!).
    • Scalability and management: As the number of IoT devices grows, managing and deploying OTA updates to large fleets can become a significant challenge.
    • Simplicity: Many OTA systems require complex infrastructure or elaborate operations. Finding the right platform to simplify the process can be challenging.

    #5: What are the benefits of over-the-air updates?

    Despite the challenges, OTA updates offer numerous benefits for IoT devices:

    • Increased device lifespan: By enabling remote updates, OTA updates can extend the usable lifespan of IoT devices, reducing the need for frequent replacements or costly on-site maintenance.
    • Deployment of bug and security fixes: OTA updates allow for the prompt distribution of bug fixes, security patches, and vulnerability remediation, ensuring that IoT devices remain secure and up-to-date.
    • Improved device performance and functionality: OTA updates can introduce new features, performance enhancements, and functionality improvements, keeping IoT devices competitive and valuable for users.
    • Reduced maintenance costs: By eliminating the need for on-site visits or device replacements, OTA updates can significantly reduce maintenance costs associated with IoT deployments.
    • Enhanced user experience: With seamless updates and continuous improvements, OTA updates can enhance the overall user experience by providing the latest features and addressing issues promptly.

    #6: Are OTA updates safe?

    Security is a legitimate concern when it comes to OTA updates, as they can potentially introduce vulnerabilities or be exploited by malicious actors. Hackers, for example, can potentially exploit the update process to gain unauthorized access or introduce malicious code. However, with proper security measures in place, OTA updates can be safe and secure.

    When choosing an OTA update solution for your IoT devices, look for features that ensure encrypted transmissions and secure authentication protocols, such as encrypted communication channels, secure boot mechanisms, code signing, and secure authentication and authorization processes.

    #7: What do makers typically use OTA updates for?

    OTA updates are particularly beneficial for makers working on IoT projects in various scenarios.

    • Home automation: Smart home devices like lighting systems, thermostats, and security cameras can benefit from OTA updates to introduce new features, fix bugs, or enhance functionality.
    • Gardening: IoT devices used for monitoring and controlling garden systems, such as automated irrigation solutions or greenhouses, can be updated remotely without disrupting the growing environment.
    • Devices hidden inside wall boxes or cabinets: IoT devices installed in hard-to-reach locations can be easily updated without the need for physical access.
    • Outdoor monitoring: Environmental monitoring devices deployed in remote or inaccessible areas, such as weather stations or wildlife tracking systems, can be updated wirelessly without requiring on-site visits.

    #8: What are the typical use cases of OTA for enterprises?

    OTA updates are equally crucial for enterprises deploying IoT solutions across various industries:

    • Industrial IoT (IIoT) applications: In industrial settings, OTA updates can help maintain and enhance IoT devices used for process monitoring, predictive maintenance, and automation without disrupting operations.
    • Agriculture: IoT devices used in precision agriculture, such as soil moisture sensors, weather stations, and automated irrigation systems, can be updated remotely to improve efficiency and crop yield.
    • Automotive and transportation: Connected vehicles and transportation systems can benefit from OTA updates to enhance safety features, improve performance, and address security vulnerabilities.
    • Healthcare and medical devices: OTA updates can ensure that medical IoT devices, like wearables or implantable devices, remain compliant, secure, and up-to-date with the latest software and firmware versions.

    For enterprises with large-scale IoT deployments, orchestrating mass over-the-air (OTA) updates is a critical capability, enabling them to seamlessly roll out new firmware or software versions simultaneously across their entire fleet of devices.

    #9: What is OTA in Arduino?

    Most of the applications described above can be implemented using Arduino boards, popular among makers and increasingly adopted by enterprises worldwide. The Arduino Cloud seamlessly supports these boards and offers a comprehensive and secure solution for their OTA updates.

    And there’s more! The Arduino Cloud is a powerful platform that can be used to monitor and control devices across many applications, from personal hobbies at home to energy management solutions in the factory.

    Arduino Cloud OTA is designed to be both secure and robust. It uses end-to-end encryption to protect firmware updates during transmission, ensuring that only authorized devices receive updates. Additionally, the cloud-based platform provides a centralized management system, allowing users to track and monitor updates in real-time. Finally, it ensures that firmware updates are delivered efficiently and reliably, minimizing the risk of errors or failures.

    To perform an OTA firmware update for a board supported by the Arduino Cloud, such as the Arduino UNO R4 WiFi, simply follow these steps:

    1. Add your device to the Arduino Cloud.
    2. Create your Thing, configure your network credentials and develop your code.
    3. In the Cloud Editor, select OTA (over-the-air) as the programming method.
    4. Compile your code clicking on the VERIFY icon.
    5. Upload your new firmware to your device.

    The Arduino Cloud will handle the rest, securely delivering the new firmware to your device(s) over the air, without any physical intervention required.

    Note: The first programming must be done via USB cable. After that, provided that the board is connected to the Arduino Cloud, OTA can be used.

    #10: How to do OTA firmware update on ESP32?

    ESP32 is a very popular hardware architecture for IoT because it’s compact, affordable and powerful. And ESP32 boards are fully supported by Arduino Cloud, so you can follow just a few simple steps to perform OTA updates on their firmware: the process is similar to the one we saw at #9 for Arduino boards!

    1. Add your device to the Arduino Cloud as a “third-party device.”
    2. Create your Thing, configure your network credentials and develop your code.
    3. In the Cloud Editor, select OTA (over-the-air) as the programming method.
    4. Compile your code clicking on the VERIFY icon.
    5. Upload your new firmware to your device.

      That’s it! The Arduino Cloud will deliver the new firmware to your device(s) over the air, without any physical intervention required.

      Note: The first programming must be done via USB cable. After that, provided that the board is connected to the Arduino Cloud, OTA can be used.

      [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gUky1Xd264Y?feature=oembed&w=500&h=281]

      Check out this article in the Arduino documentation if you want to learn more about the full OTA process.

      [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pXHrN5Htz2c?feature=oembed&w=500&h=281]

      Try OTA on your devices with Arduino Cloud!

      If you’re ready to upgrade your IoT projects, explore the Arduino Cloud today. Arduino Cloud is a secure and user-friendly all-in-one IoT solution to create from anywhere, visualize your sensor data with unlimited IoT dashboards, receive alerts on your phone … and of course, deploy OTA updates. 

      Sign up for free on Arduino Cloud

      The post Why do OTA updates matter in IoT? appeared first on Arduino Blog.

      Website: LINK

    1. Mini Dexed

      Mini Dexed

      Reading Time: 3 minutes

      Mini Dexed ports the concepts of the digital synthesiser to Python and Raspberry Pi, and is the brainchild of Simon Peter (aka Probono), who describes it as a ‘Dexed FM synthesiser similar to 8x DX7 (TX816/TX802) running on a bare-metal Raspberry Pi (without a Linux kernel or operating system)’ to produce eight tones. Voices can be programmed using a DX series editor using MIDI sysex.

      Emphasising the importance of Yamaha’s DX7, composer and MusicRadar journalist OSC Steve argued: “it’s possible to categorise 1980s music into two eras; the pre-DX7 era and the post-DX7 era, such was the widespread use of this new instrument and its distinct timbral character”.

      DIYElectroMusic created a USB version of the DX7

      Bringing DX7 to life

      Probono has been experimenting with Raspberry Pi, for home automation and 3D printing as well as digital music, since its launch in 2012. He began the Mini Dexed project because he was keen to make a “real musical instrument” rather than something that felt like a computer. He is in awe of the original developers of FM synthesisers and says Mini Dexed “stands on the shoulders of giants”. To recreate their sounds he was looking for a commonly available, inexpensive microcontroller with lots of computing power and is “using Raspberry Pi more like an embedded microcontroller than a regular computer”. Quick boot times, small code size and overall simplicity are further hallmarks. The project began in 2022 during a discussion in the Circle project, when Probono asked for guidance on how to go about integrating an existing synthesiser engine. Another maker, Rene Stange produced Circle, a library for code that runs it in a bare-metal Raspberry Pi environment, while Holger Wirtz ported the Dexed synth engine for use with microcontrollers, creating a framework specifically for this scenario.

      Different instrument voices can be called up

      Future sounds

      Mini Dexed is a flexible platform for experimenting with electronic sound. Once it had been ported for microcontroller use, Probono deliberately built Mini Dexed around Raspberry Pi and commonly available, inexpensive hardware components. He says a Raspberry Pi Zero 2 version could be created for less than €50. Hardware choices and whether to use a dedicated audio DAC are down to individual makers’ preferences, while suitable connections for the audio partly depend on which Raspberry Pi you’re using. Those that can be configured to use USB Gadget Mode instead of USB Host mode (currently Raspberry Pi 3 and 4 but not yet 5) allow MiniDexed to be used as a USB MIDI device and accept audio streaming from MIDI keyboards, for example. “As someone who is interested in experimental music, I could imagine hooking up all sorts of sensors via MIDI to Mini Dexed, in order to create an immersive soundscape that changes as its surroundings change.”

      Mini Dexed has also been extended to work with external DACs (making it usable with Pico and Raspberry Pi 1 and 2, too) as well as adapted to support 16 voices by blogger Kevin, who has contributed to this fantastic synth’s development and raised its profile. Probono specifically mentions the potential of Raspberry Pi Pico which Kevin was able to implement: see magpi.cc/picodexedgit or magpi.cc/dx7usbdongle.

      Mini Dexed aims to replicate the iconic 1980s synthesiser sound

      “While the project can be built without any extra hardware, a simple display and a rotary encoder and/or some buttons make it much easier to use, and an inexpensive digital to analogue converter increases sound quality significantly.” Probono says “The real cost is the time invested into developing, building, refining, testing, discussing – and the MiniDexed community collectively has put in, and is still putting in, a lot of time and effort, which I am very grateful for.”

      “I am still trying to wrap my head around how to design sound from scratch using FM, it’s probably a learning journey for a lifetime.”

    2. A DIY weather display with dedicated outdoor sensor station

      A DIY weather display with dedicated outdoor sensor station

      Reading Time: 2 minutes

      Weather stations are popular projects in the maker community because they’re useful and usually quite affordable to construct. But most that we see are really weather information displays that gather data through the internet from stations in the region. That data is fairly accurate, but there can be minor differences due to microclimate zones. So, Wilson Malone decided to build his own system with a dedicated outdoor sensor station.

      Malone’s system consists of two units: the indoor display and the outdoor sensor station. The latter receives its power from a solar panel and battery backup, so Malone can place it anywhere that gets good sunlight within wireless range of his home. It has a sensor to detect wind speed, another sensor to detect wind direction, and a PHT (pressure, humidity, temperature) combination sensor. An Arduino UNO Rev3 board reads those sensors and then transmits the data using a 915MHz radio transceiver.

      Inside the home, the indoor display unit receives that data with a radio transceiver of its own. An Arduino UNO R4 WiFi parses that and then shows each value on a four-digit seven-segment display. The Arduino will also publish the values to a self-hosted webpage every eight seconds. Any users on the same local network can visit that page to view the current information.

      [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qqs4lYLHYKY?feature=oembed&w=500&h=281]

      Now Malone has a hyperlocal weather station that gives him accurate information about the weather in his exact location. 

      The post A DIY weather display with dedicated outdoor sensor station appeared first on Arduino Blog.

      Website: LINK

    3. Young people receive their data from space and Astro Pi certificates

      Young people receive their data from space and Astro Pi certificates

      Reading Time: 4 minutes

      Across Europe and beyond, teams of young people are receiving data from the International Space Station (ISS) this week. That’s because they participated in the annual European Astro Pi Challenge, the unique programme we deliver in collaboration with ESA Education to give kids the chance to write code that runs in space.

      The Astro Pi computers inside the International Space Station.
      The Astro Pi computers inside the International Space Station.

      In this round of Astro Pi, over 26,400 young people took part across its two missions — Mission Space Lab and Mission Zero — and had their programs run on the Raspberry Pi computers on board the ISS.

      Mission Space Lab teams find out the speed of the ISS

      In Mission Space Lab, we asked young people to team up and write code to collect data on the ISS and calculate the speed at which the ISS is travelling. 236 teams wrote programs that passed all our tests and achieved flight status to run in space. And not only will the Mission Space Lab teams receive their participation certificates this week — they’ll also receive the data their programs captured on the ISS.

      A picture of the Himalayas taken from space by the Astro Pi computers.
      A picture of the Himalayas taken from space by the Astro Pi computers.

      Many teams chose a feature extraction method to calculate the ISS’s speed, identifying two points on Earth from which to calculate the distance the ISS travelled over time. Using this method means using the high-quality camera on the Astro Pi computer to take some fantastic photos of Earth from the ISS’s World Observation Research Facility (WORF) window. Teams will receive these photos soon, which are unique views of Earth from space.

      A picture of feature extraction between two images.
      Feature extraction between two images

      How fast does the ISS travel? 

      The actual speed that the ISS is travelling in space while at normal altitude is 7.66km/s. Its altitude can affect the speed, so it can vary, but the ISS’s boosters fire up if it dips too low.

      To help teams with writing programs that can adapt to some of these variances, and to show them the type data they can collect, we gave them a programming tool we call Astro Pi Replay. Using this tool, teams can simulate how their program would run on the Astro Pi computers up in space.

      The International Space Station orbiting Earth.
      The International Space Station orbiting Earth

      This is the first time we asked Mission Space Lab teams to focus on a particular scientific question. So how did they do? The graph below shows some of the speeds that teams’ programs estimated. 

      A graph showing the range of speeds calculated by Mission Space Lab teams.
      The range of speeds calculated by Mission Space Lab teams

      As you can see, a variety of speeds were estimated, but the average is fairly close to the ISS’s actual speed. Teams did a great job trying to solve the question and working like real space scientists. Once they receive their data this week, they can check how accurate their speed estimate was.

      Mission Zero pixel art lights up astronauts’ daily tasks 

      In Astro Pi Mission Zero, a coding activity suitable for beginners, 16,039 teams of young people created code to make pixel art inspired by nature. Nearly half (44%) of the 24,409 participants were girls! 15,942 of the Mission Zero teams had their code run on the ISS after we checked that it followed the rules.

      Mission Zero Submissions

      Every team whose program ran on the ISS — with their pixel art showing for the astronauts to see as they worked — will receive certificates with the time, date, and location coordinates of their Mission Zero run. 

      We’ve been so impressed with this year’s pixel art creations that we’ve picked some as new examples for next year’s Mission Zero coding guide. That means young people will be able to choose one of a few pixel images to start with and recreate or remix them for their program. More info on that is coming soon, sign up to the Astro Pi newsletter to not miss it.

      Let’s get ready for September

      Thank you and congratulations to everyone who took part in the missions this year, and our special thanks to all the amazing educators who ran Astro Pi activities with young people.

      The boot shape of Italy photographed from space by the Astro Pi computers.
      The south of Italy photographed from space by the Astro Pi computers

      For us, there is much to reflect on and celebrate from this year’s challenge. We’ve had the chance to run Mission Zero with young people in person and identify a few changes to help make the activity easier. As Mission Space Lab now involves simulating programs running on the ISS with our new Astro Pi Replay tool, we’ll be exploring how to improve this as well.

      We hope to engage lots of previous and new participants in the Astro Pi Challenge when it starts up again in September. Sign up for the newsletter on astro-pi.org to be the first to hear about the new round.

      Website: LINK

    4. NASsie

      NASsie

      Reading Time: < 1 minute

      We got an email from Jeff Loeliger about a very cool project he’s been working on recently.

      “When you have several computers and lots of files around the house it is useful to have a NAS – network attached storage – device to share files, stream media with Plex, and back things up,” Jeff writes. “My current system is an old QNAP TS-251 and a very old, and unsupported, QNAP TS-110. I wanted something new and faster, which sounded like a project for the Raspberry Pi. It has a compact completely 3D-printed case with a custom pHAT interface board.”

    5. Imagining students’ progression in the era of generative AI

      Imagining students’ progression in the era of generative AI

      Reading Time: 6 minutes

      Generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools are becoming more easily accessible to learners and educators, and increasingly better at generating code solutions to programming tasks, code explanations, computing lesson plans, and other learning resources. This raises many questions for educators in terms of what and how we teach students about computing and AI, and AI’s impact on assessment, plagiarism, and learning objectives.

      Brett Becker.

      We were honoured to have Professor Brett Becker (University College Dublin) join us as part of our ‘Teaching programming (with or without AI)’ seminar series. He is uniquely placed to comment on teaching computing using AI tools, having been involved in many initiatives relevant to computing education at different levels, in Ireland and beyond.

      In a computing classroom, two girls concentrate on their programming task.

      Brett’s talk focused on what educators and education systems need to do to prepare all students — not just those studying Computing — so that they are equipped with sufficient knowledge about AI to make their way from primary school to secondary and beyond, whether it be university, technical qualifications, or work.

      How do AI tools currently perform?

      Brett began his talk by illustrating the increase in performance of large language models (LLMs) in solving first-year undergraduate programming exercises: he compared the findings from two recent studies he was involved in as part of an ITiCSE Working Group. In the first study — from 2021 — the results generated by GPT-3 were similar to those of students in the top quartile. By the second study in 2023, GPT-4’s performance matched that of a top student (Figure 1).

      A graph comparing exam scores.

      Figure 1: Student scores on Exam 1 and Exam 2, represented by circles. GPT-3’s 2021 score is represented by the blue ‘x’, and GPT-4’s 2023 score on the same questions is represented by the red ‘x’.

      Brett also explained that the study found some models were capable of solving current undergraduate programming assessments almost error-free, and could solve the Irish Leaving Certificate and UK A level Computer Science exams.

      What are challenges and opportunities for education?

      This level of performance raises many questions for computing educators about what is taught and how to assess students’ learning. To address this, Brett referred to his 2023 paper, which included findings from a literature review and a survey on students’ and instructors’ attitudes towards using LLMs in computing education. This analysis has helped him identify several opportunities as well as the ethical challenges education systems face regarding generative AI. 

      The opportunities include: 

      • The generation of unique content, lesson plans, programming tasks, or feedback to help educators with workload and productivity
      • More accessible content and tools generated by AI apps to make Computing more broadly accessible to more students
      • More engaging and meaningful student learning experiences, including using generative AI to enable creativity and using conversational agents to augment students’ learning
      • The impact on assessment practices, both in terms of automating the marking of current assessments as well as reconsidering what is assessed and how

      Some of the challenges include:

      • The lack of reliability and accuracy of outputs from generative AI tools
      • The need to educate everyone about AI to create a baseline level of understanding
      • The legal and ethical implications of using AI in computing education and beyond
      • How to deal with questionable or even intentionally harmful uses of AI and mitigating the consequences of such uses

      Programming as a basic skill for all subjects

      Next, Brett talked about concrete actions that he thinks we need to take in response to these opportunities and challenges. 

      He emphasised our responsibility to keep students safe. One way to do this is to empower all students with a baseline level of knowledge about AI, at an age-appropriate level, to enable them to keep themselves safe. 

      Secondary school age learners in a computing classroom.

      He also discussed the increased relevance of programming to all subjects, not only Computing, in a similar way to how reading and mathematics transcend the boundaries of their subjects, and the need he sees to adapt subjects and curricula to that effect. 

      As an example of how rapidly curricula may need to change with increasing AI use by students, Brett looked at the Irish Computer science specification for “senior cycle” (final two years of second-level, ages 16–18). This curriculum was developed in 2018 and remains a strong computing curriculum in Brett’s opinion. However, he pointed out that it only contains a single learning outcome on AI. 

      To help educators bridge this gap, in the book Brett wrote alongside Keith Quille to accompany the curriculum, they included two chapters dedicated to AI, machine learning, and ethics and computing. Brett believes these types of additional resources may be instrumental for teaching and learning about AI as resources are more adaptable and easier to update than curricula. 

      Generative AI in computing education

      Taking the opportunity to use generative AI to reimagine new types of programming problems, Brett and colleagues have developed Promptly, a tool that allows students to practise prompting AI code generators. This tool provides a combined approach to learning about generative AI while learning programming with an AI tool. 

      Promptly is intended to help students learn how to write effective prompts. It encourages students to specify and decompose the programming problem they want to solve, read the code generated, compare it with test cases to discern why it is failing (if it is), and then update their prompt accordingly (Figure 2). 

      An example of the Promptly interface.

      Figure 2: Example of a student’s use of Promptly.

      Early undergraduate student feedback points to Promptly being a useful way to teach programming concepts and encourage metacognitive programming skills. The tool is further described in a paper, and whilst the initial evaluation was aimed at undergraduate students, Brett positioned it as a secondary school–level tool as well. 

      Brett hopes that by using generative AI tools like this, it will be possible to better equip a larger and more diverse pool of students to engage with computing.

      Re-examining the concept of programming

      Brett concluded his seminar by broadening the relevance of programming to all learners, while challenging us to expand our perspectives of what programming is. If we define programming as a way of prompting a machine to get an output, LLMs allow all of us to do so without the need for learning the syntax of traditional programming languages. Taking that view, Brett left us with a question to consider: “How do we prepare for this from an educational perspective?”

      You can watch Brett’s presentation here:

      [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n0BZq8uRutQ?feature=oembed&w=500&h=281]

      Join our next seminar

      The focus of our ongoing seminar series is on teaching programming with or without AI. 

      For our next seminar on Tuesday 11 June at 17:00 to 18:30 GMT, we’re joined by Veronica Cucuiat (Raspberry Pi Foundation), who will talk about whether LLMs could be employed to help understand programming error messages, which can present a significant obstacle to anyone new to coding, especially young people.  

      To take part in the seminar, click the button below to sign up, and we will send you information about how to join. We hope to see you there.

      The schedule of our upcoming seminars is online. You can catch up on past seminars on our blog and on the previous seminars and recordings page.

      Website: LINK

    6. RIoT Secure joins Arduino’s SIPP as Gold Partner

      RIoT Secure joins Arduino’s SIPP as Gold Partner

      Reading Time: 2 minutes

      We are excited to announce that RIoT Secure has joined Arduino’s System Integrators Partnership Program at the Gold level. Founded in 2017 in Stockholm, Sweden, RIoT Secure is at the forefront of IoT security, especially in regards to resource-constrained microcontrollers, providing sophisticated lifecycle management solutions that enhance device functionality and security across various industries.

      RIoT Secure’s platform has been meticulously designed and developed around the Arduino MKR platform, renowned for its modular approach to connectivity. This has allowed the company to harness the flexible and powerful capabilities of the Arduino MKR series, which were integral to the successful deployment of solutions for clients as demanding as SAS ground service handling at the Stockholm Arlanda Airport – as highlighted in our case study here.

      Additionally, RIoT Secure continuously explores the full spectrum of Arduino hardware possibilities, incorporating the recently launched Arduino UNO R4 WiFi into their comprehensive device management platform – underscoring their commitment to utilizing cutting-edge technology to enhance IoT device management and security.

      As a Gold-level partner, RIoT Secure is set to expand its influence and capabilities within the IoT sector, driving innovation through advanced integration of Arduino’s robust technology suite. The collaboration not only brings enhanced scalability and efficiency to their operations but also aligns with the mission to deliver top-tier IoT solutions that are secure, reliable, and easy to manage.

      “The inclusion in Arduino’s System Integrators Partnership Program marks a significant step forward for RIoT Secure,” said co-founder Aaron Ardiri. “This partnership enables us to tap into Arduino’s vast resources, development community and support services, propelling our development of revolutionary IoT solutions.”

      Arduino’s Strategic Partnerships Advisor, Paul Kaeley, was proud to add, “RIoT Secure’s innovative use of our MKR series and dedication to advancing IoT security make them a valuable addition to our program. We look forward to the great advancements this partnership will bring to the IoT landscape.”

      Through this partnership, RIoT Secure aims to continue advancing the field of IoT, providing clients with reliable and innovative solutions that are ready to meet the technological challenges of today and tomorrow. With Arduino, they are set to redefine the possibilities of IoT integration and management, making it more accessible, secure, and efficient for everyone involved.

      The System Integrators Partnership Program by Arduino Pro is an exclusive initiative designed for professionals seeking to implement Arduino technologies in their projects. This program opens up a world of opportunities based on the robust Arduino ecosystem, allowing partners to unlock their full potential in collaboration with us.

      The post RIoT Secure joins Arduino’s SIPP as Gold Partner appeared first on Arduino Blog.

      Website: LINK

    7. sprinklR irrigation

      sprinklR irrigation

      Reading Time: 3 minutes

      Harsh environment

      Portland, Oregon-based Mark has an urban garden that needs to be irrigated each summer. Judging from the description of his irrigation system, the garden is a little larger than the 30-foot back lawns often attached to suburban UK homes. Commercially available timers provide reliable irrigation, but Mark found they don’t last: “If you forget to bring them in during the winter, they freeze and break. After a few years, the plastic valves wear out and they jam closed (bad for plants) or jam open (bad for water bills). They don’t adjust to rain or hot weather.” Pricier, more robust timers plus web connectivity to check the weather forecast work better but still fail. Mark had several Raspberry Pi boards at home, and decided to put them to good use. Having written extensively about Raspberry Pi as well as coding using R (see his blog at niemannross.com), the combination seemed obvious, although R is a less common choice of programming language. “My preferred language is R, which I can run from a Linux operating system, but not from MicroPython or C. Irrigation only happens once a day, so I don’t need speed. What I need is the most convenient way to express my logic to Raspberry Pi.” Using Raspberry Pi Zero WH as the controller “makes it easy to connect to the internet and the headers provide a convenient way to connect relays and buttons,” he explains.

      Components and code were tested over several days in a prototype design

      Bits and pieces

      Creating his irrigation system involved assembling lots of fairly standard components and a certain amount of planning. Prior knowledge of plumbing and electronics is helpful, Mark observes. The planning aspect required Mark to work out how much rainfall was likely to offset the total number of gallons of water his garden would need and how long the valves would need to be open at a time. He calculated the rate at which his house pipes could pump water to the irrigation valves (and the putative number of gallons per hour) as well as the voltage required for the relays to deliver it.

      Mark designed a robust replacement for a commercial irrigation system

      To see whether his idea would work Mark began by screwing irrigation valves, two servos and Raspberry Pi needed to power the system, as well as a Raspberry Pi Zero, on to a piece of wood. “There isn’t any water connected to the system at this point – I’m only trying to test the electronics and develop and test the code.”

      After writing and testing the code on Raspberry Pi he “ran it with the relays for days without any valves connected, then tested the plumbing in a sink before I attached it to the board”.

      Daily irrigation helps keep plants in Mark’s garden healthy

      The US Environmental Protection Agency estimates 28 million US homes have an automated watering system, and that households can reduce their water usage by roughly 7,600 gallons a year using a weather-based system to gauge requirements. Mark wanted to see whether he got realistic readings, and how well the system performed, before deciding to risk linking it up with his water meter for billing. He continues to tweak and update it and is delighted with just how well his $75 irrigation system is performing.

    8. This desk lamp automatically adjusts its brightness using AI on an Arduino UNO

      This desk lamp automatically adjusts its brightness using AI on an Arduino UNO

      Reading Time: 2 minutes

      When you hear about all of the amazing things being accomplished with artificial intelligence today, you probably assume that they require a massive amount of processing power. And while that is often true, there are machine learning models that can run on the edge — including on low-power hardware like microcontrollers. To prove that, Shovan Mondal built this AI-enhanced desk lamp.

      Mondal’s goal with this project was to demonstrate that AI (specifically machine learning) can be easy to implement on affordable and efficient hardware, such as an Arduino UNO Rev3 board. Here, the ML model adjusts the brightness of the lamp’s LED proportionally to the ambient light in the area as detected by an LDR (light-dependent resistor). The lamp body is heavy cardstock paper. 

      It would be possible to program this behavior explicitly with set thresholds or a manually created formula. But a trained ML model can do the same job without explicit instructions. The training process is simply subjecting the lamp to different lighting conditions and manually adjusting the brightness to suit them. That produces a series of data pairs consisting of the LDR and LED brightness values. 

      In CSV format, that data can be used to train a linear regression model provided with scikit-learn. That then produces a formula and values that will reproduce the data seen in the training set. The output can then set the LED brightness. 

      In this case, that formula is very simple, because it only has to account for two variables with a direct relationship. But much more complex relationships are possible, as are ML models that perform tasks more challenging than linear regression.

      The post This desk lamp automatically adjusts its brightness using AI on an Arduino UNO appeared first on Arduino Blog.

      Website: LINK

    9. DIY submersible pump controller helps retrieve well water

      DIY submersible pump controller helps retrieve well water

      Reading Time: 2 minutes

      It might surprise our urban-dwelling readers, but wells are still very common in rural areas where it is difficult or prohibitively expensive to run utilities. The CDC reports that more than 15 million households rely on groundwater and wells — and that’s just in the United States. But few people haul up old wooden buckets of water, which is electric pumps come in. Vishal Roy developed a DIY controller perfect for submersible groundwater pumps.

      Roy previously had a centrifugal pump to pull up groundwater and fill a holding tank, but that pump was failing. Because it needed replacement anyway, Roy decided to go ahead and switch to a submersible pump that would likely be more reliable. But the submersible pump he purchased came with a manual control panel, which would introduce a new chore. That motivated Roy to build this Arduino-based controller that automatically runs the submersible pump to fill the holding tank whenever the level drops below a set point.

      The holding tank has a conventional water level sensor system consisting of three exposed wires acting as capacitive sensors at different heights. This sensor design isn’t precise, but it is inexpensive and reliable, and precision isn’t important for this task, anyway.

      The pump itself has a large electric motor that requires a startup sequence that first charges up a starting capacitor. Roy was able to replicate that using the Arduino Nano, which connects the two starting circuits using a Seeed Studio relay module. When the Arduino detects the water below a threshold in the holding tank, it toggles the relays to start the pump motor. Once enough water fills the tank to reach the highest sensor, the Arduino turns the motor back off. 

      Now Roy has a reliable way to automatically keep the holding tank full of water. 

      The post DIY submersible pump controller helps retrieve well water appeared first on Arduino Blog.

      Website: LINK

    10. Track the location history of your devices in Arduino Cloud IoT dashboards

      Track the location history of your devices in Arduino Cloud IoT dashboards

      Reading Time: 4 minutes

      Asset tracking has become increasingly crucial across various industries and applications. Whether you’re a logistics company monitoring your fleet, a conservation organization tracking wildlife, or an individual passionate about outdoor adventures, the ability to track and visualize the movement of assets in real-time can be invaluable. 

      Today, we are excited to announce the release of the new Advanced Map widget in the Arduino Cloud, a powerful tool that allows you to track the movement and location of your IoT devices over time.

      What is the Advanced Map in Arduino Cloud?

      Advanced Map is a widget, currently available for Maker and Maker Plus plans in the Arduino Cloud, designed to provide users with an enhanced mapping experience. Unlike the existing Map widget, which displays the current location of devices, the Advanced Map widget takes tracking capabilities a step further by visualizing the historical positions of your devices over time.

      This powerful widget not only allows you to monitor the real-time positions of your devices but also shows their movement patterns and historical data. With this invaluable information at your fingertips, you can gain deeper insights and make more informed decisions about your assets.

      Advanced Map: Use cases and applications

      The Advanced Map widget opens up a world of possibilities for various industries and applications.

      • Asset tracking for logistics and supply chain management: Monitor the movement of goods and inventory in real-time, optimizing delivery routes and ensuring timely arrivals.
      • Fleet management for transportation companies: Track your vehicles, monitor driver behavior, and optimize fleet utilization for increased efficiency and cost savings.
      • Drone tracking: Keep a watchful eye on your drone operations, ensuring compliance with regulations and enhancing safety.
      • Wildlife tracking for conservation projects: Gain valuable insights into the movement patterns and behaviors of wildlife, contributing to effective conservation efforts.
      • Personal projects and hobbies: Whether you’re an adventurer tracking your outdoor explorations or a hobbyist monitoring your projects, the Advanced Map widget offers endless opportunities for creativity.

      Track a mobile phone

      You can track a mobile phone with the IoT Remote app installed and the “Phone as Device” feature enabled. This opens up a new set of applications, from child or elder people care, to outdoor activities tracking.

      The benefits of the Advanced Map

      The Advanced Map widget comes with a range of features and benefits:

      • Track your assets’ real-time position:  Stay up-to-date with the exact locations of your devices in real-time, enabling you to take immediate action when necessary.
      • Visualize historical position data: Gain a comprehensive understanding of your assets’ movement patterns by visualizing their historical positions on the map during a selected period of time. This feature empowers you to analyze trends, identify inefficiencies, and optimize your operations.
      • Follow in real-time the creation of the track You can visualize in real time not only the position of the device, but also the track that is being created.

      In summary, with the Advanced Map widget, you can monitor your assets more effectively, reducing the risk of loss or misplacement and ensuring optimal utilization. The data provided provides you with valuable insights, enabling data-driven decision-making and informed strategic planning.

      Why choose Arduino Cloud — in 5 points

      The Arduino Cloud is more than just a platform for IoT asset tracking in a map; it’s a comprehensive IoT solution for connected projects of all sizes and complexities:

      1. Build your IoT project quickly: With its intuitive and user-friendly interface, the Arduino Cloud makes IoT accessible to users of all skill levels, from beginners to experts.
      2. Develop from anywhere: The Arduino Cloud features an online development environment that mimics the Arduino IDE experience and helps you create from anywhere.
      3. Visualize your sensor data easily: The Arduino Cloud becomes your own control center allowing you to talk to your devices and monitor them from anywhere with beautiful customizable dashboards.
      4. Learn, play, scale: Whether you’re working on a small personal project or a large-scale enterprise solution, the Arduino Cloud can adapt to your needs, providing the flexibility and scalability required for growth.
      5. Get all the support and resources you need for your project: Join a vibrant community of IoT enthusiasts, professionals, and experts, and benefit from the large catalog of resources and tutorials, and the community support to enhance your skills and projects.

      Get started with the Advanced Map widget

      Advanced Map in the Arduino Cloud is a game-changer for asset tracking, unlocking new possibilities and empowering users to take their projects to the next level. With its real-time tracking capabilities, historical data visualization, and a suite of powerful features, this new widget opens up exciting opportunities for various industries and applications.

      To get started with the Advanced Map widget, check out our documentation. We encourage you to explore this new feature and share your experiences and feedback with us.

      Upgrade to Arduino Cloud Maker plan today and get 20% off  with code CLOUD20MAY (offer is valid until June 15th, for users who aren’t currently on any paid plan), and create a new breed of IoT applications with advanced asset tracking capabilities.

      Need more time? Get started for free and join the growing community of IoT enthusiasts and professionals who trust Arduino Cloud to bring their ideas to life.

      Try Arduino Cloud

      The post Track the location history of your devices in Arduino Cloud IoT dashboards appeared first on Arduino Blog.

      Website: LINK

    11. CrowVi portable monitor review

      CrowVi portable monitor review

      Reading Time: 3 minutes

      Plug and play

      All versions of the CrowVi (from £92/$115) are able to be used out of the box with no extra set up – touchscreen models require you to use the USB-C port (not the power one) so the connected Raspberry Pi (or PC) can detect the inputs – but all models just need power and a HDMI connection.

      There’s no battery installed in the CrowVi so you’ll have to provide external power, portably with a mobile battery or powered by the device you’re connecting it to at home if you don’t have a spare plug. To cut down on cables and power sources, CrowVi suggests daisy chaining power by using the USB-C data port on the display to power a Raspberry Pi while out and about. You won’t be able to get Raspberry Pi 5 up to full power this way, however it will run well enough.

      As an aside, we understand the touchscreen is much like a standard touch display and is not sensitive enough for drawing, but does have the functions you’d otherwise expect from a smartphone or tablet.

      The cover can be removed if you don’t plan to use it

      Out and about

      With unseasonable warmth during the review period, we were able to take the screen out and test it in the most extreme of conditions: direct sunlight. IPS displays do tend to have better visibility out in the sun and this screen performed fine, just as you’d expect any display to work. Make sure to crank up the brightness but find shade if you can.

      As for power draw, a beefy power bank was able to keep everything running fine for a couple hours. Brightness levels and speaker use will affect this, so using external speakers or headphones will also change power draw.

      The colours and responsiveness of the screen are great too. The image is sharp, and it was as good as any monitor we use at home. The cover is very stiff, and the magnets attaching it very strong, to make sure the display is held in place when propped up – it may be a touch too stiff at the bend and we weren’t always sure it was in standing position. Over time, though, it has loosened up enough.

      The sturdy construction feels and looks great too – and as we’re home bodies we’re currently looking into how we can integrate it as a third screen in our set up, which is pretty high praise we think.

      If your smartphone supports display out, it’s a great way to have a portable video player

      Verdict

      8/10

      A great monitor in its own right that performs well out of the house and well enough in direct sunlight

      Specs

      Display: 13.3-inch, 1920×1080 IPS LCD

      Dimensions: 312mm × 198mm × 9mm

      I/O: USB-C power, USB-C data, Mini HDMI in, 3.5mm audio jack

    12. A beautiful custom calculator built with IV-12 VFD tubes

      A beautiful custom calculator built with IV-12 VFD tubes

      Reading Time: 2 minutes

      Nixie tubes have been the go-to option for makers looking for retro display aesthetics for many years, because their distinct orange glow carries a lot of vintage appeal. But VFD (vacuum fluorescent display) tubes have been gaining in popularity recently and have different — though similar — appeal. Oskar took advantage of IV-12 VFD tubes to build this beautiful custom calculator.

      VFDs work like a cross between Nixie tubes and CRTs (cathode-ray tube). These IV-12 VFD tubes have seven segments that glow in a teal/cyan blue color (thanks to phosphor) and work at lower (and safer) voltages than Nixie tubes. They are bright and readable, which is why VFD technology was popular for automotive dashboards for decades. In this case, Oskar used five of these IV-12 VFD tubes for a custom calculator.

      Aside from those very distinct VFD tubes, this calculator also has a lovely wood enclosure and a nice-looking set of key caps for the mechanical Cherry MX Brown key switches. The enclosure is laser-cut plywood with a walnut veneer. Oskar mounted the switches on a 3D-printed base plate.

      An Arduino Nano board reads the keypad input, performs the calculations, and displays the results on the VFD tubes. A custom PCB simplifies the wiring, including for multiplexing to the VFD tubes, power connections from a lithium battery charger module, and altering voltage through boost and buck converters.

      This looks fantastic, but there is a caveat: it can’t display a decimal point. Some VFD tubes include a segment for that purpose, but the IV-12 model does not. Even so, the calculator is usable for people who can deduce where the decimal point should go. 

      The post A beautiful custom calculator built with IV-12 VFD tubes appeared first on Arduino Blog.

      Website: LINK

    13. On-body LEDs help this guitar rock harder

      On-body LEDs help this guitar rock harder

      Reading Time: 2 minutes

      You don’t go to watch a band play live for the audio quality — most venues are atrocious in that regard. No, you go to enjoy the show as a whole and that includes the visuals. The more a band can do to make the performance look exciting, the more you’re going to enjoy it. To that end, Luigi Morelli helped luthier (and fellow Italian) Gianluca of Nadar Guitars build this one-of-kind LED-lit electric guitar.

      This guitar’s body looks like a left-handed B.C. Rich Warlock merged into a teardrop. It is a very unique design made all the more special by the LED lighting. Several strips of LEDs on the body resemble the traces of a circuit board, while additional LEDs run the length of the fretboard. There are eight different effects/animation programs and it is possible to switch between them using an infrared remote — a well thought-out feature, because a tech can control that along with the stage lights. 

      These are WS2812B individually addressable RGB LEDs that operate under the control of two Arduino Nano boards. One controls the lights on the neck (which only follow a single program) and the other controls the lights on the body. Power comes from a 5000mAh lithium battery.

      In his writeup, Morelli mentions that the LED circuit produced a hum around 1kHz. We assume that the guitar’s pickups would amplify that, but Morelli says that they were able to solve the problem — they’re just keeping the solution “a little industrial secret.” Hum or not, the guitar looks fantastic.

      [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0P6V78JBBKI?feature=oembed&w=500&h=281]

      The post On-body LEDs help this guitar rock harder appeared first on Arduino Blog.

      Website: LINK

    14. The Club Master is a Nano RP2040 Connect-powered device that improves your golf swing

      The Club Master is a Nano RP2040 Connect-powered device that improves your golf swing

      Reading Time: 2 minutes

      When playing golf, few things are as important as using the correct form when swinging, since even small deviations can be the difference between a hole-in-one and additional strokes. To improve his game, Concept Bytes has designed a small clip-on device called the “Club Master.” With it, he can get a live display of various data points which help track power, distance, and acceleration.

      Collecting and processing all of this data is an Arduino Nano RP2040 Connect due to its fast microcontroller, BLE connectivity, and onboard six-axis IMU, which meant an external accelerometer was not required. Before placing everything into a small, 3D-printed enclosure, Concept Bytes added power to his device with a single LiPo battery cell attached to a step-up voltage converter.

      The Club Master’s Arduino sketch continuously reads the latest acceleration data from the board’s IMU before performing a series of calculations to derive metrics including swing speed, the number of strokes, and distance traveled. All of the results are then sent to the Arduino Cloud and shown in a mobile-friendly IoT Remote app dashboard for quick access outdoors on the range.

      More details about the Club Master can be found in the TikTok video below, and if you’re curious about how edge ML can improve your putting, check out the Golf Ace project here.

      @concept_bytes

      Golf + Arduino ? #engineering #golf #tech #fyp

      ? original sound – concept_bytes

      https://www.tiktok.com/embed.js

      The post The Club Master is a Nano RP2040 Connect-powered device that improves your golf swing appeared first on Arduino Blog.

      Website: LINK

    15. Summer time

      Summer time

      Reading Time: 2 minutes

      I’ve never had any real melancholy for summer ending – aside from, I suppose, having to go back to school when I was a kid – but while reading the game’s text I think I came close to understanding why people do.

      I do like summer though; after months of cold and dreary rain, it’s lovely to have a bit of sun. It also helps that I live near the beach so I can go for sunny and beautiful walks. I’m also pretty good with a barbecue if I do say so myself.

      At the time of writing this Final Word, the aurora borealis had appeared all over the UK thanks to Earth being in the path of a solar storm and… I missed it. I had no idea it was happening until I was snuggled up in bed on a Friday night and friends from Scotland and northern England started sharing photos. Good for them, I thought! It wasn’t until the morning I found out it had also reached my end of the country.

      Suit your needs

      I went out the following night to try and catch a glimpse but unfortunately for me – and the hoard of locals convening at a dark corner of the beach – there was nothing to see apart from some pretty stars.

      People had been taking photos on smartphones with night shot features, and that made me realise that a long-exposure Raspberry Pi camera would have worked perfectly… just like in the many astrophotography features I’d written. Unfortunately it was too late for photography that night, but it got me thinking about other outdoor activities I do which could be improved with a Raspberry Pi, rather than forcing myself to do something new just to use the SBC.

      Last year I decided on a near-whim to go hiking in the Peak District with some friends. It was a very wet August weekend so I’m glad I didn’t take a Raspberry Pi with me, but I understand there is a ton of geocaching you can do in the area. I’ve never played around with a geocache project, so if I revive the concept this year I might just have to make a Raspberry Pi-powered one.

      Staying in

      Unfortunately I also like staying home a lot. Maybe I need to invent a Raspberry Pi-powered air conditioner for myself as it is getting extremely roasty-toasty at home these days. I’m also always very interested in some minor gardening, whether it be herbs or some flowers, so perhaps this is the year I finally make an automated plant watering system.

      Well, with all that planning out of the way, maybe I can start thinking about Autumnal projects. Those long months of sunshine and heat can get oppressive…

    16. You can now run Arduino and MicroPython side-by-side on multi-core microcontrollers

      You can now run Arduino and MicroPython side-by-side on multi-core microcontrollers

      Reading Time: 2 minutes

      We’re excited to announce a powerful new feature that we have been working on in collaboration with the MicroPython team! 

      Starting with the upcoming release (v1.23), MicroPython will offer support for Asymmetric Multiprocessing (AMP) on multi-core microcontrollers, based on the industry standard OpenAMP framework (see the MicroPython openamp module documentation for more information). 

      This enables Arduino users to run both an Arduino sketch and a MicroPython program simultaneously on multi-core modules and to communicate between the two. Supported boards include the Arduino GIGA R1 WiFi, Portenta H7 and Nicla Vision.

      The communication between Arduino and MicroPython is facilitated by using Remote Procedure Calls (RPC). This allows us to benefit from the simplicity of using MicroPython while unlocking access to all of Arduino’s rich libraries from MicroPython. 

      If you ever found yourself wanting to use MicroPython for a project, but were stuck on this one library that is only available for the Arduino language… your problem is now solved! 

      MicroPython AMP support provides the following key features:

      • Minimal and user-friendly API
      • Compatibility with Arduino’s RPC library
      • Remote processor lifecycle management, such as loading firmware and booting the secondary core
      • Support for synchronous and asynchronous remote procedure calls
      • Access to Arduino’s libraries from MicroPython

      For further details, please see the dual-core tutorial section on using MicroPython with the RPC library on Arduino Docs. 

      You spoke, we listened. The feature has been on the community’s wishlist for a while, so we couldn’t be any more proud to bring you this new advancement! We’re excited to see what kind of  creative applications it will unlock for our community. Leave a comment in the section below or share your endeavors on the Project Hub!

      The post You can now run Arduino and MicroPython side-by-side on multi-core microcontrollers appeared first on Arduino Blog.

      Website: LINK

    17. The Clubs Conference is coming back

      The Clubs Conference is coming back

      Reading Time: 3 minutes

      Following the huge success of last year’s Clubs Conference, we are delighted to announce that we will be hosting the second-ever Clubs Conference on Saturday 30 November and Sunday 1 December 2024 in Cambridge, UK.

      Two educators at a conference.

      The event will be a weekend of learning and connecting for volunteers and educators involved in Code Club, CoderDojo, and other initiatives we support. We’d love for you to join us!

      What you can look forward to

      This year, we’re bringing the conference home to our offices in the centre of Cambridge.

      On Friday 29 November, you’ll have the opportunity to register early and attend an informal networking event with community members, including the Foundation team. 

      Saturday 30 November and Sunday 1 December will be filled with learning and development opportunities for you, including:

      • Thought-provoking talks and discussions
      • Hands-on, easy-to-follow workshops exploring a range of coding and digital making activities and related topics
      • Opportunities to connect with a diverse range of volunteers and educators

      Join us to learn from your peers running clubs in various contexts, develop your digital making skills, and share your own insights. We look forward to learning with you.

      Two smiling educators hold the Code Club posters.

      Interested in attending or contributing to the Clubs Conference?

      If you think you might want to attend the Clubs Conference, please fill in our form to express your interest. We will then get in touch when you can book your tickets. Tickets will be £5 for both days combined.

      An educator delivers a presentation during a workshop.

      Part of what made last year’s Clubs Conference so special was the range of exciting activities led by community members. If you’d like to host or co-host an activity this year, please also indicate this in the expression of interest form. We’ll be in touch in a few weeks to ask you more about your plans.

      Possible activities include:

      • Workshops
      • Discussion sessions
      • Talks
      • Project demonstrations

      Check out last year’s talks for inspiration.

      Bursaries for participants in the UK and Ireland

      If you would love to participate but you feel the costs of travelling would prevent you, you may be able to apply for a travel bursary. 

      To be eligible for a bursary, you need to:

      • Be registered as a club leader or volunteer at a Code Club or CoderDojo within the UK or Ireland
      • Be available to attend the Clubs Conference in Cambridge on both Saturday 30 November and Sunday 1 December 2024

      Please let us know whether you require a travel bursary when you fill in the expression of interest form.

      If you’re not in the UK or Ireland and have any questions about travel, please send us a message through our contact page using the subject ‘Clubs Conference’.

      If you have any suggestions about the Clubs Conference, we’d love to hear them. Let us know through the contact page, or on social with the tag #ClubsCon24.

      Website: LINK

    18. Build a Raspberry Pi 5 media player in The MagPi magazine issue #142

      Build a Raspberry Pi 5 media player in The MagPi magazine issue #142

      Reading Time: 3 minutes

      Take advantage of Raspberry Pi 5's PCI-express compatible socket, an SSD drive and a remote control to build the ultimate do-anything media player

      Build a Raspberry Pi 5 Media Player

      Free your films, videos, and music with our ultimate SSD-powered Raspberry Pi media player. You get complete control over your movies, the ability to stream from all the big players, and access obscure services like public domain films and homebrew games. It’s a complete winner of a system.

      We interview Raspberry Pi's silicon design team about developing its own computer chip technology

      How Raspberry Pi built a silicon design team

      Raspberry Pi has built an ASIC (application-specific integrated circuit) team in Cambridge to design and produce custom silicon chips for its products for nearly ten years. This month we celebrate by chatting to the ASIC team at Raspberry Pi about how they build chips from scratch. It’s a fascinating deep dive into the world of silicon chip development.

      Discover incredible summer projects for your garden, holiday, and day-out adventure!

      Summer Projects

      Take to the great outdoors with our guide to amazing projects for your garden, campsite, beach, or just when going on an adventure. Just because the sun is shining it doesn’t mean you have to put Raspberry Pi down for the day. Take it with you and see what you can do outside.

      Recreate a classic Yamaha DX7 synthesizer with Mini Dexed

      Mini Dexed

      This great Mini Dexed project recreates a classic Yamaha DX7 synthesizer with Raspberry Pi and a DAC (digital analogue converter). The classic sound of this keyboard is behind lots of big music hits, and now it can be all yours.

      Keep a cat entertained with this mini 5-inch television build that plays videos of squirrels

      Cat TV

      This tiny telly built from a Raspberry Pi 5 and 5-inch display keeps a cat amused. Becky uses this project to show her cat streams of birds and squirrels. The full project is housed in a 3D-printed case that is easy to recreate.

      Control a myCobot 280 Pi robot arm by waving around a Wii remote

      Control a robot arm with a Wii remote

      How cool is this? Wave a classic Wii remote around and your robot arm will follow suit. This industrial myCobot 280 Pi from Elephant Robotics is a detailed arm designed for an industrial setting. Last month we showed you how to set it up; this month we’ll show you how to wave it around. 

      Recover data from age-old floppy drives, CDs and even ZIP drives (remember those?)

      Rescue your backups

      This month, KG looks at rescuing hard-to-read media, from forensic disk imaging tools that attempt to recover data from your drive, bit by bit. They take a close look at recovering data from CDs and floppy disks, helpful physical and software tools, and even help you get equipped to recover data from Iomega’s Zip disk super-floppy formats.

    19. Check out these Arduino-powered research projects from CHI 2024

      Check out these Arduino-powered research projects from CHI 2024

      Reading Time: 4 minutes

      Held in Hawaii this year, the Association of Computing Machinery (ACM) hosted its annual conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI) that focuses on the latest developments in human-computer interaction. Students from universities all across the world attended the event and showcased how their devices and control systems could revolutionize how we interact with technology in both the real-world and virtual environments. These 12 projects presented at CHI 2024 feature Arduino at their core and demonstrate how versatile the hardware can be.

      MouseRing

      [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vfuhSWn1n6g?feature=oembed&w=500&h=281]

      First on the list is MouseRing from students at Tsinghua University in Beijing that aims to give users the ability to precisely control mouse cursors with only one or two inertial measurement units (IMUs). Worn as a ring on the index finger, data collected from the MouseRing via an Arduino UNO Rev3 was used to both train a classification neural network and model the finger’s kinematics for fine-grained mouse cursor manipulation.

      MobileGravity

      [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AnwGVFSCo8Q?feature=oembed&w=500&h=281]

      Because objects in virtual reality are only as heavy as the controller, simulating weight has always presented a challenge, which is why five students from the University of Regensburg in Germany devised their MobileGravity concept. With it, the user can place a tracked object onto a base station where an Arduino Micro then quickly pumps in/extracts water from the object to change its weight.

      AirPush

      [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-zo49cjAzc?feature=oembed&w=500&h=281]

      Another virtual reality device, the AirPush, is a fingertip-worn haptic actuator which gives wearers force feedback in up to eight directions and at five different levels of intensity. Through its system of an Arduino UNO, air compressor, and dual DC motors, this apparatus from students at the Southern University of Science and Technology in Shenzhen can accurately apply pressure around the finger in specific areas for use in games or training.

      Robotic Metamaterial

      [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jMP2ZzKdTYA?feature=oembed&w=500&h=281]

      A Robotic Metamaterial, as described by students at Carnegie Mellon University, is a structure built from repeating cells that, on their own, cannot accomplish much, but when combined in specific configurations are able to carry out very complex tasks. Some of the Arduino Mega 2560-powered cells are able to actuate, sense angles, or enable capacitive touch interactions, thus letting a lattice of cells become a capable robot.

      MagPixel

      [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LjblfPQ7zv8?feature=oembed&w=500&h=281]

      Instead of using pneumatics to bend materials, this team of students from Zhejiang and Tongji universities in China has designed a modular, flexible material using magnets which they call MagPixel. An Arduino UNO powers one such digital clock application leveraging MagPixel by energizing electromagnets within a ring to move the hour “hand” around the clock face.

      ArmDeformation

      [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T5hFRTD4M9Y?feature=oembed&w=500&h=281]

      Proprioception, or the ability to inherently sense where limbs are in 3D space, is vital to how we navigate the world, but VR spaces can limit this ability. The ArmDeformation project from a group of Southern University of Science and Technology students in Shenzhen rests on the wearer’s forearm and then moves the skin below to simulate an external force thanks to an Arduino Mega and several DC motors.

      VRScroll

      [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xe2h-KaK9O8?feature=oembed&w=500&h=281]

      Grasping and moving objects is already quite the task in VR, but sketching a picture takes it to a whole other level of difficulty. Three students from the University of Virginia, therefore, have developed a shape-changing device that attempts to match the forms present in a 3D world for the purpose of sketching. After attaching a piece of paper to the surface, the VRScroll will bend into the correct shape using its two Arduino Uno WiFi Rev 2 boards and six motors.

      Desktop Biofibers

      [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MfL6a9ZOTR4?feature=oembed&w=500&h=281]

      As an alternative to plastic-based fibers for use in smart textile prototyping/production, four University of Colorado-Boulder students built an open-source machine that is capable of spinning gelatine-based fibers in a compact footprint. Leveraging an Arduino Mega, the machine can spin biofibers through its heated syringe with GCODE input, thus creating a strong thread which potentially integrates wearable sensors.

      ExBreath

      [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=saXklFH8lo8?feature=oembed&w=500&h=281]

      The art of communication relies on many forms of signals- not just speaking, and harnessing the user’s breathing pattern to better communicate is ExBreath from students at Tsinghua University in Beijing. An Arduino Nano continuously monitors the breathing patterns from a wearer via a bend sensor and translates them into signals for a micro air pump. In doing so, small, externally-worn air sacs are inflated to reflect the sensed breathing pattern.

      ConeAct

      [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=blMrTkvVotg?feature=oembed&w=500&h=281]

      This smart material, called ConeAct by its creators at Carnegie Mellon University, is a modular system consisting of small cones joined together with four shape memory actuators (SMA) that either flex or become rigid at certain temperatures. An Arduino Nano coordinates the actions of each cone, and when one needs to bend, the onboard ATtiny1616 will activate its MOSFETs to begin heating the corresponding SMA wires.

      Tangible Stats

      [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zAjfhZqQ5cE?feature=oembed&w=500&h=281]

      Targeted to those with blindness or low vision, the Tangible Stats project from a group of students at Stanford University allows them to more easily visualize statistical data by interacting with physical objects. The Arduino Mega-driven platform senses the number of stackable tokens placed into a column and provides quick feedback. Additionally, it can tilt the row of tokens to represent a sloping line.

      ActuAir

      [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ezX6QCKcnlA?feature=oembed&w=500&h=281]

      Everyone needs access to fresh, clean air, but quickly seeing the indoor air quality of somewhere like an office meeting room/lobby is difficult. ActuAir, constructed by students at Newcastle University, is a wall-sized soft robotics display powered by a several Arduino UNO R4 WiFis that can each adjust the shape and color of a wall-mounted pouch to indicate the current CO2, temperature, or humidity levels — all of which is adjustable from an external web application.

      The post Check out these Arduino-powered research projects from CHI 2024 appeared first on Arduino Blog.

      Website: LINK

    20. Win! 1 of 10 M.2 HAT+

      Win! 1 of 10 M.2 HAT+

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    21. Vintage rotary phone becomes stylish kitchen timer

      Vintage rotary phone becomes stylish kitchen timer

      Reading Time: 2 minutes

      It seems like everything that happens in a kitchen requires exact timing. Whisk the batter for three minutes, knead the dough for 15 minutes, bake for 30 minutes, and so on. A timer is a necessity for cooking and baking, but there is no reason you need to use your phone or a boring egg timer from the dollar store. You can follow Scott-28’s lead and convert an antique rotary phone into a stylish kitchen timer.

      This looks like a very old rotary phone, but it is actually a versatile kitchen timer that counts down from as little as one second or as much as 99 hours and 99 minutes. Users enter the time by spinning the rotary dial, which is good fun. Then, when the countdown ends, the old school ringer bells start chiming. A four-digit seven-segment display is a bit anachronistic, but makes the timer more usable by showing the countdown. Lifting and then dropping the handset turns off the timer. 

      This all happens under the control of an Arduino UNO Rev3 board, which reads the pulses from the rotary dial and the singular input button. It also sets the seven-segment display and the LED indicators.

      The only tricky part was sounding the ringer, which requires AC power to function. To provide that from a DC power supply, Scott-28 used a LS057020 Black Magic Sine Wave Generator. That works like a power inverter, turning 5VDC into 70VAC (at 20Hz) to drive the ringer. 

      [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=joO1zkLfmjA?feature=oembed&w=500&h=281]

      The result is a timer that will impress anyone that walks into the kitchen. 

      The post Vintage rotary phone becomes stylish kitchen timer appeared first on Arduino Blog.

      Website: LINK