Arduino Interrupts
Sparkfun put another great tutorial on their blog about using interrupts via attachInterrupt() to handle events. It looks like they can only be used for digital reads but it has a great observer like pattern for watching changes and executing functions.You can listen to four different modes LOW, CHANGE, RISING and FALLING.
<code>
int pin = 13; volatile int state = LOW; void setup() { pinMode(pin, OUTPUT); attachInterrupt(0, blink, CHANGE); } void loop() { digitalWrite(pin, state); } void blink() { state = !state; }</code>
Looks pretty cool can't wait to try it out.
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by Paul R
Kids are the future. Teach 'em to code.
Going to GitHub: CoderDojo
I was one of the lucky ones who gets to accompany my 9 year old to GitHub this Saturday for the CoderDojo to get him started on learning to code. I'm excited probably more than him. Luck for me he's been working on a custom card game and has created some pretty awesome artwork so we should have a good leg up no getting a game going. This week I'll be preparing the artwork and sharing my experience. Prepping the artwork
I'm pretty new to gaming and have some experience at short turn around events like this and my biggest gripe is that you can't learn and get much done in the short amount of time. In light of that I've already scanned some of the art work so we can start digitizing and hopefully get a few animations in place to drop into the game we make.
Game engine research
The CoderDojo is going to use the Gamemaker App on Saturday. While I get the need to have an all inclusive and drag and drop app for quick dev I'm kinda bummed that it is a paid app and even more so that there is no trial version. It makes it hard to prepare but I have been able to find some decent example code from their site.
In the mean time I have been looking at other ways to animate the "Dudes" and came across some interesting Javascript game engines. I'll write about that research in another post but in short I really liked the simplicity of the Jaws.js game engine. It enabled me to get things going very quickly and should provide from some nice agile game prototyping.
More soon!
Paul
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by Paul R
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by lilycoy
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by lilycoy
4 Cheap CNCs for your home
My parents just picked up a Dremel tool for me for my birthday and I'm a bit smitten with the possibilites especially after learning about the open source Dremel powered CNC movement. I learned about the projects through the awesome Kickstarter site when I saw posts about MyDIYCNC ( http://www.mydiycnc.com/) which is the Dremel CNC solution. It is currently sold out but it was funded and they are currently backlogged. While this is a basic kit with a very low cost of entry there is a wide range of other inexpensive CNC solutions. Below is a summary of my research which maybe someone else will find useful. Check back again to see progress.
MyDIYCNC ($230 - $580)
The cheapest of the systems and Dremel based they sell complete kits or detailed instructions for as little as $15. This is a nice small entry system which I'll use as a gateway CNC for bigger systems to come. For now I'll purchase the documentation and get a feel for the extent of the project. More on that later.
micRo-kit CNC ($700 -$1800)
Very slick looking kit made of metal and plastic parts that look easy to bolt together and get running. Uses a router The size looks a little small and because of the premade parts it looks like you're stuck with this size.
Build Your CNC ($1300 - $2300)
Uses a router and detailed instructions on building a desktop sized CNC machine. Looks like they have great documentation and community support. The CNC appears to be very easily modified and there are a number of cool hacks on the site for things like 3D printing and even T-Shirt printing!
FurnLab CNC ($2500 - $7500)
Full sized CNC project yet to be funded ( Support them! ) on Kickstarter. This is an awesome project aimed at the serious hobbyist and maker who needs a fullsized and full featured CNC machine. I think I'll have to work up to this one.
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by Paul R
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