Project #5: Smart Useless Machine

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I thought I would close out this month with another new product and finishing one of my monthly projects. This is the 3rd and final kit that I was calling Project #5: a complete revamp of my useless machines.

This kit is a smart useless machine, there is an arduino inside the box which allows you to program in different behaviours based upon how many times you flick the switch (or anything else you can dream of). Currently the box gets miffed if you turn it on too many times. Full sample code is provided and being based around an arduino there are dozens of amazing libraries already written for all sorts of functions. There is a small power circuit which allows the arduino to turn it's own power on and off, the only power consumed in the off state is the leakage current of the transistor. In testing the circuit ran for a whole week (2-3 tests a day).



Here are just a few ideas of things you could add:
  • Add some character to your box, with a real time clock chip make it come out slowly after midnight or once every hour.
  • Add some neopixels to make the inside of the box glow.
  • Add a second motor to make it wave the flag of surrender or run away when it gets annoyed.



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