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Step 7Additional info
This barely scratches the surface of the capabilities of the MAKE controller. There is a ton of info on the MakingThings website: http://www.makingthings.com
The digital ouputs of the controller's application board can be used to hook up everything from lights and motors to actuators and solenoids so if you want to build a 1000lb. animatronic dinosaur that moves and roars as people walk by your house it's definitely possible. You could even use solenoid/electronic air valves and use air muscles.
As for the analog inputs, they can accept switches, motion sensors, gyroscopes, potentiometers, etc. Just about anything that can generate a sigal up to 3.3v can be used since the board has a built in analog to digital converter. One of the things I've been looking at is using a two axis accelerometer.
It could be hot glued to a cap on the top of your head and as your head tilted forward and back or side to side it would put out a corresponding voltage from 0 to 3.3v and its input voltage is 3.3v which is perfect for connecting to the MAKE controller. Accelerometers like this are often used in video game controllers as tilt sensors.
There is a really great page on all kinds of sensors here:
http://itp.nyu.edu/physcomp/sensors/Reports/Reports
Both the inputs and outputs are powered but they can only provide so much power. Each of the outputs is limited to 1amp. Fortunately you can just move a jumper on the application board to provide a seperate power source for both inputs and outputs. All in all, the MAKE controller is a dream come true for anyone that wants to build animatronics/motion control systems.
The digital ouputs of the controller's application board can be used to hook up everything from lights and motors to actuators and solenoids so if you want to build a 1000lb. animatronic dinosaur that moves and roars as people walk by your house it's definitely possible. You could even use solenoid/electronic air valves and use air muscles.
As for the analog inputs, they can accept switches, motion sensors, gyroscopes, potentiometers, etc. Just about anything that can generate a sigal up to 3.3v can be used since the board has a built in analog to digital converter. One of the things I've been looking at is using a two axis accelerometer.
It could be hot glued to a cap on the top of your head and as your head tilted forward and back or side to side it would put out a corresponding voltage from 0 to 3.3v and its input voltage is 3.3v which is perfect for connecting to the MAKE controller. Accelerometers like this are often used in video game controllers as tilt sensors.
There is a really great page on all kinds of sensors here:
http://itp.nyu.edu/physcomp/sensors/Reports/Reports
Both the inputs and outputs are powered but they can only provide so much power. Each of the outputs is limited to 1amp. Fortunately you can just move a jumper on the application board to provide a seperate power source for both inputs and outputs. All in all, the MAKE controller is a dream come true for anyone that wants to build animatronics/motion control systems.
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