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Arduino libraries are collections of code that are designed to provide additional, reusable functionality or to simplify using external electronic modules. Libraries typically come with examples of how to use them. The library developer usually provides online...

Here is some resources about powering Arduino or other electronic projects: General How to power an Arduino How to power a project What adapter? Portable / Battery powered For portable projects some info on battery usage. http://www.instructables.com/...

'Piezo' normally refers to an electrical component which can be used to make sound, however more broadly a piezo is a component that is susceptible to the two-way piezoelectric effect where pressing or squeezing the piezo element can create a small voltage, an...

The Sound Detector is a board made by Sparkfun electronics that provides a way to detect ambient sound levels. There are three connections on the board: Audio - This is the raw audio from the microphone. Envelope - This is a analog value representing the vo...

Buttons and switches are a way of opening and closing a circuit, i.e. making and breaking a connection as one of the most rudimentary forms of sensor you can use with an Arduino. There are dozens of different types of switches and buttons, but at their most ba...

The HC-SR04 is a ultrasonic distance sensor, it uses ultrasound to send out a ping and measure how long the sound takes to come back, exactly like bats use to fly in the dark. The sensor works between 2-400cm however if the ping sound is reflected away from th...

A potentiometer (often abbreviated to pot) is an electronic component with three connections, the main purpose of the pot is to create a variable voltage as an input to a circuit, for example controlling how loud your speakers should be. Inside a potentiomete...

An LDR or Light Dependent Resistor is a component which restricts how much power can flow through a circuit based on how much or little light hits the sensitive part on the top. Wiring To use a Light Dependent Resistor, we have to use it in combination with a...

A rotary encoder is a device used to measure the rotation of something, similar to a rotary potentiometer but not limited to how many rotations can be made, a common example of a rotary encoder is the volume dial on a car radio, which can be turned infinitely ...

Serial communication is a type of communication between two devices, normally between a computer and a microcontroller (such as an Arduino), between computers, or between Arduinos. Serial communication can be over physical cables between two Arduinos, or via a...

One of the secrets of Arduino Leonardo is the in-built USB MIDI support. This is really useful for sending data from Arduino to applications like MadMapper, Max and Ableton Live. In order use this you'll need to follow the guide on How to install libraries to ...

The MPR121 is a tiny microchip formerly manufactured by NXP, now under Resurgent Semiconductor, it is a tiny surface mount device that provides 12 capacitive touch electrodes through an I2C interface. What is capacitive touch? Capacitive touch the the technolo...

The MP3 trigger is a board made by Sparkfun electronics that provides a way to play MP3 files from a Micro SD card via either one of 18 TRIG inputs on the board, or serial communication with the board. The MP3 Trigger has a headphone output which can be connec...

Processing libraries allow us to use code other people have written within the Processing environment -- these can be really useful when experimenting with more complex projects, and can save a lot of rewriting code. There are some 'core' processing libraries ...

This is the written version of an embroidery workshop in the CCI, and can either accompany the live workshop or be worked through by itself. As we go through the exercises, it's a good idea to have the PEmbroider Cheat Sheet open in a tab for reference. These ...

We operate a laptop locker system that issues Apple MacBook Pro 13" (Intel and M1 Pro) laptops out for 10 hours at a time (about the length of the day), the laptops can be used anywhere on the site they were issued and provides access to all the software you n...

Overview The Silver Reed SK840 knitting machine is a 4.5mm standard-gague knitting machine that is intended for use with 3- and 4-ply yarns. The Silver Reed manual is available online here, and we have a paper copy in the workshop (as the online copy is poorly...