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Model IoT Arduino Home

If you are reading this blog I am sure that you know it is possible to run an entire home monitoring and security system using only an Arduino!  Aaron Kow has done exactly this. However, rather than setting up his entire house, he has made a dollhouse sized model to demonstrate just how effective and easily Arduino can be to used control and monitor your home.

Small Scale Model

You can access data and control your demonstration smart home from any internet connected phone or computer. Aaron has come up with a very comprehensive guide for anyone who wants to emulate his project which you can find at the following link.

System Design

Undertaking a project like this could be a great way to develop your skills and confidence before you start working on a system for your entire house! Check out the video below to see the project in action!

If you plan on building your own dollhouse sized automation and security system you will most likely be needing a temperature and humidity sensor. The team at SuperHouse Automation recommends the Freetronics Humidity and Temperature Sensor Module. To find out more visit the product page.

Want to keep in the loop about the latest in home automation? Subscribing to SuperHouse Automation on YouTube is the best place to start!

Thought that this was a cool project? The team at SuperHouse Automation would love to know! Tell us about it in the comments section below or on Facebook and Twitter.

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Joystick Controlled Labyrinth

Does your “labyrinth” game sit unused collecting dust on shelf? Is it too good to throw away even though you never use it? Why not bring your “labyrinth” into the 21st century! With this fascinating project from instructables member tripletray you can control your labyrinth using your Nintendo Wii controller and an Arduino (you can read more about using a Wii Controller with your Arduino here).

Labyrinth

At a basic level the Arduino reads inputs from a game controller which are converted into movement of the labyrinth plane using some servos. Not only does this project allow you to control your labyrinth using your Wii Controller, but it also includes a solenoid which automatically reloads to the ball to the starting position in the event of a (likely) unsuccessful run.  You can find full code examples and read about this project at the following link.

If you are looking for an Arduino board to provide the brains for your labyrinth, the SuperHouse team recommends the Freetronics “Eleven” Arduino Compatible Board, click on the link to find out more.

Want to keep in the loop about the latest in home automation? Subscribing to SuperHouse Automation on YouTube is the best place to start!

Thought that this was a cool project? The team at SuperHouse Automation would love to know! Tell us about it in the comments section below or on Facebook and Twitter.

 

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Magnetic Stripe Decoder

Have you ever wondered if it was possible to use a magnetic card reader in your Arduino projects? Having control over a magnetic stripe reader opens up lots of possibilities such as adding swipe card access to one of the doors around your home. Instructables member powerpants has put together a fantastic guide which details every aspect of using a magnetic stripe reader from the wiring to full code examples. You can checkout the instructions here.

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If you are looking for an Arduino board to use in this project, the SuperHouse team recommends the Freetronics “Eleven” Arduino Compatible Board, click on the link to find out more.

Want to keep in the loop about the latest in home automation? Subscribing to SuperHouse Automation on YouTube is the best place to start!

Thought that this was a cool project? The team at SuperHouse Automation would love to know! Tell us about it in the comments section below or on Facebook and Twitter.

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DIY Musical Stairs

If you love music but also enjoy working with electronics, this could be the project for you! Instructables member helenbang has created her own musical stairs.

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As you walk up and down the stairs different notes are sent to a synthesizer on her computer. Each stair contains a sensor module which includes an IR sensor which allows the Arduino Uno controlling the project to know which stairs are occupied and which notes to play! You can watch her attempt to play happy birthday on her musical stairs in the video below:  

This is a really fun project! To get started building your own musical stairs check out the full instructions, including code samples, at the following link.

If you are looking for an Arduino board to provide the brains for your musical stairs, the SuperHouse team recommends the Freetronics “Eleven” Arduino Compatible Board, click on the link to find out more.

Want to keep in the loop about the latest in home automation? Subscribing to SuperHouse Automation on YouTube is the best place to start!

Thought that this was a cool project? The team at SuperHouse Automation would love to know! Tell us about it in the comments section below or on Facebook and Twitter.

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Build Your Own Breathalyzer

If you have been reading our blog over the last few months you have probably read about the awesome Arduino homebrew controller or the Arduino cocktail maker. After writing about these projects we thought that it was only fair that we also let you know about Bot1398’s Arduino Breathalyzer. After all, it is important to make sure that your friends are safe to drive themselves home after partaking in some of your home brewed beers!

Breathalyzer

This project uses an alcohol sensor to provide an estimation of your blood alcohol content. If you are wanting to develop your soldering skills and build something which could genuinely be useful, this is definitely a great project to get started on. You can find out more at the following link.

If you are looking for an Arduino board to provide the brains for your breathalyzer, the SuperHouse team recommends the Freetronics “Eleven” Arduino Compatible Board, click on the link to find out more.

Want to keep in the loop about the latest in home automation? Subscribing to SuperHouse Automation on YouTube is the best place to start!

Working on your own home automation projects? The team at SuperHouse Automation would love to know! Tell us about it in the comments section below or on Facebook and Twitter.

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Plot Clock

Looking for a unique project to develop your skills? Sick of telling the time on boring analog or digital clocks? With this awesome project from Kjetil Egeland you can build your own “plot clock”.

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This clock uses servos to draw the time on a white board, rubs the time out, and then redraws the time. All of this is controlled using an Arduino Uno and a real time clock module to keep the clock in time!  This project is sure to be a hit with your friends and make a great ornament around your home. You can checkout the “plot clock” in action below or find out more at the following link.

 

If you are looking for an Arduino board to provide the brains for your plot clock, the SuperHouse team recommends the Freetronics “Eleven” Arduino Compatible Board, click on the link to find out more.

Want to keep in the loop about the latest in home automation? Subscribing to SuperHouse Automation on YouTube is the best place to start!

Working on your own home automation projects? The team at SuperHouse Automation would love to know! Tell us about it in the comments section below or on Facebook and Twitter.

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Arduino Rain Sensor

Like to keep track of when it has last rained? With this tutorial from theorycircuit you can learn how to interface between an Arduino and a rain sensor. Once you have done this the possibilities are endless. You could record data about how often and at what times you get rain, or even use the rain sensor as an input to your home automation system. For example you could automatically fire up your heater or close your windows when rain is detected. To get started learning about detecting rain with Arduino check out the following link.

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If you are looking for an Arduino board to interface with your rain sensor, the SuperHouse team recommends the Freetronics “Eleven” Arduino Compatible Board, click on the link to find out more.

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Want to keep in the loop about the latest in home automation? Subscribing to SuperHouse Automation on YouTube is the best place to start!

Have an amazing idea of what you would use a rain sensor for? The team at SuperHouse Automation would love to know! Tell us about it in the comments section below or on Facebook and Twitter.

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DIY: Spectacular Arduino Garden Lights!

Have you ever thought it would be cool to nicely light up your garden? With this cool project from Steve8428 you can use addressable RGB LEDs to create a spectacular, dynamic garden lighting display.  The lights are made out of pipe off cuts and controlled by an Arduino. This is quite a basic project but that doesn’t mean that the result isn’t impressive!
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You could easily integrate this lighting system into an existing home automation system and change the mood of your garden from your phone or even automatically based on the time of year. If you can’t wait to get started sprucing up your garden you can check out the project at the following link.

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If you are looking for some addressable RGB LEDs to use in this project, the SuperHouse team recommends the Freetronics FreePixel, click on the link to find out more.

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Want to keep in the loop about the latest in home automation? Subscribing to SuperHouse Automation on YouTube is the best place to start!

Are you are thinking about sprucing up your garden? Have a project you would like us to feature in this blog? The team at SuperHouse Automation would love to know! Tell us about it in the comments section below or on Facebook and Twitter.

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Arduino Sleep Tracker

Do you struggle to get a good night sleep at night? With this unique project from flyingpudding you can use Arduino to build your own sleep tracker. The tracker allows you to monitor your sleep cycle and the movements you make during the night. The tracker is quite simple and is based off three accelerometers which are used to record data about your sleep.

Sleep Tracker

The Arduino sends the movement data to a laptop running Python which produces a very informative sleep pattern graph. You can see an example of the kind of data that this tracker produces in the picture below. If you want to get started making your own sleep tracker checkout the following link.

Data

This is just one of the many examples of projects where using an Arduino provides the perfect platform to collect and analyse data from a number of inputs, an integral aspect of home automation. If you are planning on building your own sleep tracker the team at SuperHouse Automation recommends the Freetronics 3-Axis Accelerometer Module. Check it out at the following link.

Always wanted to create your own home automation system? Subscribing to SuperHouse Automation on YouTube is the best place to start!

If you have a home automation project you would like SuperHouse to write about or found this blog post interesting? Let us know in the comments section below or on Facebook and Twitter.

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Arduino Cocktail Maker

With this project from Pierre Charlier you can easily and cheapily make your own cocktail maker! The cocktail maker is controlled by an Arduino Mega which interfaces between a “drink selection” touch screen and the motors that control the cocktail making! This is a great project to show off to your friends or to learn more about what Arduino is capable of. All of the design files and required code for this project are openly available so there is nothing stopping you making your own! If you want to find out more check out the following linkCocktail maker

You can check the video below to find out more:

If you are looking for a motor driver the team at SuperHouse Automation recommends the Freetronics Dual Channel H-Bridge Motor Driver Shield. To find out more check out the Dual Channel H-Bridge Motor Driver Shield page.

Are you are thinking about making your own cocktail maker? Have a project you would like us to feature in this blog? The team at SuperHouse Automation would love to know! Tell us about it in the comments section below or on Facebook and Twitter.

Want to keep in the loop about the latest in home automation? Subscribing to SuperHouse Automation on YouTube is the best place to start!