What to design?

[Mint.]

I am so bored right now.
I need to design something, any suggestions for something relatively simple that I can design?

[Mike Warren]

Power supplies are always the go-to design for beginners.

If you're not so beginner, how about an anti-gravity device? That should be a challenge for anyone.

[smashedProton]

Make an intervalomer using a mcu

[Mint.]

Power supplies are always the go-to design for beginners.

If you're not so beginner, how about an anti-gravity device? That should be a challenge for anyone.

Power supplies are boring and I've already got one!

[Mint.]

Make an intervalomer using a mcu

Now that is very interesting!

[Paul Moir]

Take over my project that's been on the back burner for like 7 years now. 

3 digit Nixie tube thermometer that does 24h highs and lows, with local and remote sensor.  Or some other interesting display.  Bonus points for getting under +-.5 degree accuracy.  Bonus points for battery power, which is causing my project's current redesign.  Yet again.  Oh and I loose the old 68705P3... 
 

[GeoffS]

I need an add on board for an Arduino (Sorry!) to drive two fans in my 3D printer.
Something like this will do. fetboard

No hurry, next week is fine. 

[TerminalJack505]

Here's something that I thought looked interesting. 

AVR ATtiny USB Tutorial Part 1

Turn an AVR ATtiny2313 (or other AVRs) into a low speed USB device with very few external components.

That tutorial is using a library called V-USB.  I'm guessing this is an updated version of the (outdated?) IgorPlug implementation described in Atmel's appnote AVR309.

You can use it to make some kind of simple USB controlled device.

[UPI]

Here's something that I thought looked interesting. 

AVR ATtiny USB Tutorial Part 1

Turn an AVR ATtiny2313 (or other AVRs) into a low speed USB device with very few external components.

That tutorial is using a library called V-USB.  I'm guessing this is an updated version of the (outdated?) IgorPlug implementation described in Atmel's appnote AVR309.

You can use it to make some kind of simple USB controlled device.

This uses V-USB:
http://www.fischl.de/usbasp/

I just ordered a Chinese version to examine and test.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=140890252239&ssPageName=ADME:L:OC:US:3160

[TerminalJack505]

That's seems familiar.  It must have come up in conversations before here in the forum.  Let us know how it works out.  Definitely can't beat it for the price.

[Nakitxu]

Make an intervalomer using a mcu

Now that is very interesting!

You can use too to measure rpms in a motor with a hall sensor or something optical....

[Nakitxu]

Try to improve this invention, adding any semi-automatic controls:

http://vpapanik.blogspot.gr/2012/11/low-budget-manual-pick-place.html

Camera rotation with stepper motors, move the axis with an old stepper motor, brake for the axis...

[TerminalJack505]

Make your own version of one of these USB controlled missile launchers.  Use the USB controller I mentioned and add an old stepper motor for rotating the base and an RC servo for the vertical rotation.  Add some flashing LEDs and a speaker for sound effects.

[vk3yedotcom]

My pick would be a drone machine audio synth. 

Can be 1 IC or 100. 

And you end up with a toy you can use next time you're bored!

eg

[knarf.be]

It's always fun to design an electronic lock for a drawer.
I always wanted to make one with two hidden capacitive sensors, so people are freaking out when to steal your stuf because they cant't see the keybad etc.
Also making a 'annoying box' with a switch and a servo to turn the switch of every time you turn it on is simple and fun.

[warywolfen]

Are you into shortwave listening? (If not, you should be! )  Try an antenna tuner.  They're very simple to make, but you'll need to have a good understanding of basic AC circuit principles (ie, complex impedances) to design one

[Mint.]

I like all the creative ideas listed before this post. I will try to get around to all of them this weekend!

Has anybody tried to make a sound mixer. Like a DJ mixer. Where you have two channels of sound and they are combined. Basically I want to connect my computers sound and sound from my ipod to one input on my amp, but then I also want to chose which one I want to use.

[Thor-Arne]

I like all the creative ideas listed before this post. I will try to get around to all of them this weekend!

Has anybody tried to make a sound mixer. Like a DJ mixer. Where you have two channels of sound and they are combined. Basically I want to connect my computers sound and sound from my ipod to one input on my amp, but then I also want to chose which one I want to use.

Many-many years ago. :p
Basically OpAmp with gain=1 on both input and output and you put a pot between the two inputs and the center tap on the pot to the output buffer.

[nuhamind2]

I have this idea that i want to realize when I have time. Something with dot matrix led and a way to detect which led you touch. The easiest way probably is using resistive touchscreen but i've seen project on the net using the led itself for photodiode. Then you can make a simple portable game like tic tac toe (will need dot matrix that can light different color), or game which there are bug that show up and then you press it to kill it (what is that game called ?). Or just a desk accesory that can light random pattern or used as a clock with encoded display (so that only you who know what time it is by looking it).

[vk3yedotcom]

Has anybody tried to make a sound mixer. Like a DJ mixer. Where you have two channels of sound and they are combined. Basically I want to connect my computers sound and sound from my ipod to one input on my amp, but then I also want to chose which one I want to use.

A couple of potentiometers should be all that's necessary for a passive mixer.

Eg

http://discovercircuits.com/C/circuits/pass-aud-mix.htm

[vk3yedotcom]

Try an antenna tuner.  They're very simple to make, but you'll need to have a good understanding of basic AC circuit principles (ie, complex impedances) to design one

A good project, but no need to worry about the complex impedences. 

Take one or two variable capacitors and a coil (toilet roll, thin insulated winding, tap every 5 turns or so) and connect them in almost any way possible and you'll get some sort of impedence transformation. 

Whichever connection and setting produces strongest signal strength is best.

It helps to have an in/out switch so you can tell if the tuner's doing anything or not (it won't help if your antenna's already optimum for a particular frequency but will help on others).

[Mint.]

Has anybody tried to make a sound mixer. Like a DJ mixer. Where you have two channels of sound and they are combined. Basically I want to connect my computers sound and sound from my ipod to one input on my amp, but then I also want to chose which one I want to use.

A couple of potentiometers should be all that's necessary for a passive mixer.

Eg

http://discovercircuits.com/C/circuits/pass-aud-mix.htm

What about adding a crossfader so I can change the ratio of track to track loudness?