Book Description

Turn your iPhone or iPad into the hub of a distributed sensor network with the help of an Arduino microcontroller. With this concise guide, you’ll learn how to connect an external sensor to an iOS device and have them talk to each other through Arduino. You’ll also build an iOS application that will parse the sensor values it receives and plot the resulting measurements, all in real-time.

iOS processes data from its own onboard sensors, and now you can extend its reach with this simple, low-cost project. If you’re an Objective-C programmer who likes to experiment, this book explains the basics of Arduino and other hardware components you need—and lets you have fun in the process.

• Learn how to connect the Arduino platform to any iOS device
• Build a simple application to control your Arduino directly from an iPad
• Gather measurements from an ultrasonic range finder and display them on your iPhone
• Connect an iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch to an XBee radio network
• Explore other methods for connecting external sensors to iOS, including Ethernet and the MIDI protocol

About the Author
Alasdair Allan is a senior research fellow in Astronomy at the University of Exeter, where he is building an autonomous, distributed peer-to-peer network of telescopes that reactively schedule observations of time-critical events. He also runs a small technology consulting business writing bespoke software Download Now »

Book Description

Make microcontrollers, PCs, servers, and smartphones talk to each other.

Building electronic projects that interact with the physical world is good fun. But when the devices you’ve built start to talk to each other, things really get interesting. With 33 easy-to-build projects, Making Things Talk shows you how to get your gadgets to communicate with you and your environment. It’s perfect for people with little technical training but a lot of interest.

Maybe you’re a science teacher who wants to show students how to monitor the weather in several locations at once. Or a sculptor looking to stage a room of choreographed mechanical sculptures. In this expanded edition, you’ll learn how to form networks of smart devices that share data and respond to commands.

• Call your home thermostat with a smartphone and change the temperature.
• Create your own game controllers that communicate over a network.
• Use ZigBee, Bluetooth, Infrared, and plain old radio to transmit sensor data wirelessly.
• Work with Arduino 1.0, Processing, and PHP—three easy-to-use, open source environments.
• Write programs to send data across the Internet, based on physical activity in your home, office, or backyard.

Whether you want to connect simple home sensors to the Internet, or create a device that can interact wirelessly with other gadgets, this book explains exactly what you need.

Download Now »

Book Description

Arduino is the open-source electronics prototyping platform that’s taken the design and hobbyist world by storm. This thorough introduction, updated for Arduino 1.0, gives you lots of ideas for projects and helps you work with them right away. From getting organized to putting the final touches on your prototype, all the information you need is here!

Inside, you’ll learn about:

• Interaction design and physical computing
• The Arduino hardware and software development environment
• Basics of electricity and electronics
• Prototyping on a solderless breadboard
• Drawing a schematic diagram

Getting started with Arduino is a snap. To use the introductory examples in this guide, all you need an Arduino Uno or earlier model, along with USB A-B cable and an LED. The easy-to-use Arduino development environment is free to download.

About the Author
Massimo Banzi is the co-founder of the Arduino project and has worked for clients such as: Prada, Artemide, Persol, Whirlpool, V&A Museum and Adidas. He spent 4 years at the Interaction Design Institute Ivrea as Associate Professor. Massimo has taught workshops and has been a guest speaker at institutions like: Architectural Association – London, Hochschule f r Gestaltung und Kunst Basel, Hochschule f r Gestaltung Schw bisch Gm nd, FH Potsdam, Domus Academy, Medialab Madrid, Escola Superior de Disseny Barcelona, ARS Electronica Linz, Mediamatic Amsterdam Download Now »

Book Description

Droid X2 has more power and better graphics than its predecessor, but it still doesn’t offer a printed guide to its amazing features. This Missing Manual helps you dig deep into everything Droid X2 can do. Learn how to shop, keep in touch, play with photos, listen to music, and even do some work. Unleash the power of this popular device with expert advice.

The important stuff you need to know:

• Get organized. Sync Droid X2 with Google Calendar, Exchange, and Outlook.
• Go online. Navigate the Web, use email, and tap into Facebook and Twitter.
• Listen to tunes. Play and manage music using Droid X2’s Music app and Google’s Music Cloud Player.
• Shoot photos and video. View and edit photos, slideshows, and video in the Gallery.
• Connect to Google Maps. Use geotagging and get turn-by-turn directions.
• Stay productive. Create, edit, and store documents with Google Docs and Microsoft Office.

About the Author
Preston Gralla is the editor of WindowsDevCenter.com and OnDotNet. He is the author of more than 30 books, including Internet Annoyances, PC Pest Control, and Windows XP Hacks, Second Edition, and co-author of Windows XP Cookbook. As an award-winning author and technology expert, Preston has written articles for major national newspapers and magazines and has also appeared on several TV and radio programs. Download Now »

Book Description

Galaxy Tab lets you work, play, read, and connect on the go, but mastering its TouchWiz interface and finding the best apps can be tricky—unless you have this Missing Manual. Gadget whiz Preston Gralla provides crystal-clear explanations and step-by-step instructions to get you up to speed quickly, whether you have the 3G/4G or Wi-Fi version of this amazing device.

The important stuff you need to know:

• Design your experience. Add interactive widgets and mini-apps to your screen with TouchWiz.
• Satisfy your appetite. Download thousands of games and apps from the Android Market.
• Keep in touch. Chat, videochat, check email, and browse the Web.
• Find your way. View maps, use the GPS, and navigate turn-by-turn.
• Manage your media. Shoot and view photos and videos; organize and play your music.
• Stay informed. Read books, newspapers, and magazines.
• Be productive. Use Google Docs to store and share documents.

About the Author
Preston Gralla is the editor of WindowsDevCenter.com and OnDotNet. He is the author of more than 30 books, including Internet Annoyances, PC Pest Control, and Windows XP Hacks, Second Edition, and co-author of Windows XP Cookbook. As an award-winning author and technology expert, Preston has written articles for major national newspapers and magazines and has also appeared on several TV and radio programs. Download Now »

Book Description

Printing in Plastic: Build Your Own 3D Printer is your gateway into the exciting world of personal fabrication. The “printer” that you’ll build from this book is a personal fabricator capable of creating small parts and other objects from drops of molten plastic. Design a part using a modeling tool such as Google SketchUp. Then, watch while the fabricator head sweeps back and forth and upwards, depositing plastic in all the right places. You can build anything from a replacement tab to hold a bookshelf in place, to a small art project, to a bashguard for your bicycle. If you can conceive it and design it, you can build it, and you’ll have fun doing it!

Printing in Plastic is aimed at creative people comfortable using power tools such as a table saw, circular saw, and drill press. Authors James Kelly and Patrick Hood-Daniel lead you through building a personal fabrication machine based upon a set of blueprints downloaded from their website. Example projects get you started in designing and fabricating your own parts. Bring your handyman skills, and apply patience during the build process. You too can be the proud owner of a personal fabricator—a three-dimensional printer.

• Leads you through building a personal fabrication machine capable of creating small parts and objects from plastic
• Provides example projects to get you started on the road to designing and fabricating your own parts
• Provides an excellent parent/child, or small group project Download Now »