Thinking of getting into Arduino a bit, what should I get?

Ideas and instructions how you can make your own bondage toys.
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Tenderfoot88
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Thinking of getting into Arduino a bit, what should I get?

Post by Tenderfoot88 »

With all the stuff around the forum on Arduino applications, I'm thinking of trying a few things from what others have posted, and running a few experiments of my own. I'm not looking for anything fancy, and I lack the budget for anything overly ambitious. I can afford the ~$40 basic kit, but I'm not sure if that would be sufficient for this kind of application. It's not like the company developed Arduino specifically for sex toys (though, since I was introduced to it here, I'll always have that association sitting in the back of my head), so it's quite possible it won't come with exactly what I need.

I have access to a small soldering iron suitable for electronics work, and a few vibrator motors in various things (might be easier to extract from a game controller than a sex toy). And, of course, a computer for programming it with.
The basic kit comes with:
Arduino Uno USB Microcontroller Rev 3
140 Piece Pre-formed Jumper Wire Kit
170 Tie Point Mini Solderless Breadboard Pair - White
1.5m USB Cable Type A to B
Wall Adapter Power Supply - 9VDC 650mA

What else would I need to get something functional for experimentation? My options for local stuff are extremely limited, so I'm trying to get enough stuff to be worthwhile in one package to cut shipping costs down to size.
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bound_jenny
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Re: Thinking of getting into Arduino a bit, what should I ge

Post by bound_jenny »

I'd say comb the software section of the forum for threads on Arduino projects and build up a list of parts that are in a project that you would like to build, plus those that are in other projects posted here, and maybe multiply that by two or three to cover unexpected projects or smoke releases.

I do the same thing when going to the fabric store. Make a list, add some other stuff, and a few extra yards and knick-knacks to cover anything unexpected.

Jenny.
Helplessness is a doorway to the innermost reaches of the soul.
If my corset isn't tight, it just isn't right!
Kink is the spice of life!
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Sir Cumference
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Re: Thinking of getting into Arduino a bit, what should I ge

Post by Sir Cumference »

The thing to remember, is what the arduino can do and deliver.

It reads sensor inputs from 0 to 5 Volt.
Either as analog values between those two values, or as digital: either high or low.
You can get those from a lot of different devices, but potentiometers, light dependent resistors and buttons/switches are the classics for a start.
You can also connect a PS2 mouse or keyboard to it.

Then it does something.......

And delivers an output.
The maximum current is 40 mA.
That is enough to activate a transistor, MOSFET, small reed relay, servo input and to light up an LED.
You can't drive a motor directly, it draws far too much power.

You need some:
1 kohm resitors for whenever you need 1 k
10 kohm resistors for pull up and pull down
330 ohm resistors to use with LEDs
LEDs in jolly colors
Standard diodes for use as flyback diodes
Some transistors or MOSFETS

I buy most of my components at ebay, it is cheap, and most of the Chinese have free shipping.


Going through the basic tutorials is time well spend!
http://learn.adafruit.com/lesson-0-getting-started

Do not overbuy when starting, buy when the need arises instead.
~ Leatherworking, blacksmithing , woodworking and programming are the most pervertable skills you can learn! ~
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bound_jenny
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Re: Thinking of getting into Arduino a bit, what should I ge

Post by bound_jenny »

Sir Cumference wrote:LEDs in jolly colors
Yes. You wouldn't want them in grumpy colors... :mrgreen:

Jenny.
Helplessness is a doorway to the innermost reaches of the soul.
If my corset isn't tight, it just isn't right!
Kink is the spice of life!
Come to the Dark Side - we have cookies!
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Re: Thinking of getting into Arduino a bit, what should I ge

Post by tina »

Do you have some ideas of what kind of projects you want to do?

I usually buy components from Digikey nowadays, but they are designed for professionals, and not very hobbyist-friendly (eg. there are 20,000 types of LEDs to choose from, so unless you know exactly what you need, you will have a hard time picking one). If you do know exactly what you are looking for though, Digikey has just about everything under the sun when it comes to electronic components.

Otherwise I would recommend Sparkfun. Their prices are a little higher, but they are a good company and also do a lot of hobbyist education etc.

For sensors, something like a gyroscope with an accelerometer would allow you to detect orientation, which enables projects like something that forces you to run around in a circle in some kind of predicament some number of times before releasing you.

A GPS sensor can be used to force you to jog at a certain speed, or it will "encourage" you in some way (an e-stim spank?)

These sensors are not cheap, though https://www.sparkfun.com/categories/23 and I'm not sure if there's really a lot you can do with a budget of $40.
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Re: Thinking of getting into Arduino a bit, what should I ge

Post by tina »

Or maybe something like a heart rate sensor (https://www.sparkfun.com/products/11574) that tries to maintain a constant heart rate by turning a vibrator (or other stimulation device) on and off, for orgasm denial, or just to keep you slightly aroused for a very long time.

Though that's not cheap either.
Tenderfoot88
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Re: Thinking of getting into Arduino a bit, what should I ge

Post by Tenderfoot88 »

Thanks for the advice, all.

Sir Cumfrence: I wasn't planning on running anything big off it - the vibration motors I have are pretty tiny - most vibe toys only need 2 AA batteries, which is only 3 volts, and the ones in game controllers are running off a computer, so they're 3.3, 5 or 12 volts (probably 5 - 12 is generally motherboard and 3.3 is generally fans) Good to know about the 40 mA maximum draw, though - does it have a built in safeguard, or does attempting to run a voltage through a low resistance device just draw too much current and damage it?

tina: I'm more just interested in learning the programming language for now, so fairly minor projects - just enough to test things out to see if it works properly. And I might be able to make do with Digikey - I'm a mining engineer, not electrical, so my electronics knowledge is somewhat minimal, but I do have some basic experience with robotics (can't remember what I was using now, though - wasn't Arduino, and it was pretty old (saw the same chips in my last year of university as in my hobby electronics elective in grade 9)), and I know enough to be able to fill the gaps with internet searches for the most part (aside from a few very specific things that the internet doesn't seem to know how they're used, either).

Perhaps there is a worthwhile simulator around - I'll save buying the actual hardware for when I have a bit more money at my disposal. What kinds of things do you people use? (A google search for arduino simulators reveals there are many options and fails to reveal the differences between them.)
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Re: Thinking of getting into Arduino a bit, what should I ge

Post by tina »

Drawing too much current from an Arduino IO port will destroy the IO port. There is no safeguard, unless you get the Ruggeduino (http://ruggedcircuits.com/html/ruggeduino.html), but that's more expensive.

I don't really use Arduinos anymore, so I don't really follow the latest developments on Arduino. Most/all my projects are now on custom PCBs with higher end microcontrollers.

That said, I do remember reading about simulators, and some of them can do LEDs and potentiometers and such. I don't recall any details, though.
Tenderfoot88
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Re: Thinking of getting into Arduino a bit, what should I ge

Post by Tenderfoot88 »

From what I know of simulators, they're generally not capable of modeling any kind of external component behavior, just running the code and making sure responses to each kind of input are what they're supposed to be. Technically all you need for simply learning the programming language, as long as you know what the expected behavior is and aren't using a feedback system (You could simulate the feedback's input by modifying it yourself, but that doesn't help you calibrate the actual feedback circuit, just the program itself.) Some might have more sophisticated modeling of external components, though - I'm hardly an expert.

So what kind of microcontrollers are considered high end?
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Re: Thinking of getting into Arduino a bit, what should I ge

Post by tina »

Slightly higher end would be something like Atmega 16U4, which is what I'm using for my current kinky project (http://tinatiedup.wordpress.com/2014/01 ... etic-lock/). It's basically a 8-bit AVR chip (like on Arduino), but with USB support.

Then there are 16-bit controllers like dsPIC and TI MSP430. dsPICs are basically PICs (which are comparable to 8-bit AVRs) with some digital signal processing functions. MSP430 is a microcontroller most known for their very low power consumption.

Then there are 32-bit PIC32, AVR32, and ARM Cortex-M3/M4 based MCUs like the ST STM32, NXP LPC1800, ARM SAM3. They are usually clocked much higher (~200 MHz) and have many more peripherals, but are still microcontrollers instead of microprocessors because they still include IO ports, memory, flash, etc.

For even higher processing power dedicated CPUs can be used, like AD Blackfin, but those are not really hobbyist friendly even if you have extensive PCB design experience, because they require external memory and peripherals.

And then there are FPGA-based systems that usually have a medium speed soft CPU coupled to dedicated hardware accelerators for custom functions.

Everything up to Cortex-M3/M4 stuff can be used by hobbyists, but they do require custom PCB designs (or breakout boards) since they are only available in surface mount packages. Unfortunately, options are quite limited with through-hole parts, because they are not used in the industry much anymore.
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Sir Cumference
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Re: Thinking of getting into Arduino a bit, what should I ge

Post by Sir Cumference »

Electric motors are greedy and noisy.
Even small motors draw a surprisingly high current.

You must use a transistor or something similar to handle anything more than than the current needed to light up an LED.
(But a MOSFET or SSR can handle some really nasty currents)


All the microcontrollers deliver, are control signals.
Either as a digital high/low or as a pulse width modulated "analog" signal.


IRL540N mosfets can handle a lot, and for lower currents 2n2222 (pn2222) are a common choice.

Remember to use free wheeling diodes with inductive loads like motors and solenoids.




...... Get the basics, and then you can start "learning by burning".
~ Leatherworking, blacksmithing , woodworking and programming are the most pervertable skills you can learn! ~
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Sir Cumference
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Re: Thinking of getting into Arduino a bit, what should I ge

Post by Sir Cumference »

bound_jenny wrote:
Sir Cumference wrote:LEDs in jolly colors
Yes. You wouldn't want them in grumpy colors... :mrgreen:

Jenny.

Beware of the black LEDs!
:shock:
(Forgetting the resistor will make them appear)


Red and green are grumpy colors. You can have so many!
Mmmmmmmmm, blinkenlights!
Last edited by Sir Cumference on 05 Feb 2014, 12:27, edited 1 time in total.
~ Leatherworking, blacksmithing , woodworking and programming are the most pervertable skills you can learn! ~
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Re: Thinking of getting into Arduino a bit, what should I ge

Post by PiJoy »

Tenderfoot88 wrote:With all the stuff around the forum on Arduino applications, I'm thinking of trying a few things from what others have posted, and running a few experiments of my own. I'm not looking for anything fancy, and I lack the budget for anything overly ambitious. I can afford the ~$40 basic kit, but I'm not sure if that would be sufficient for this kind of application. It's not like the company developed Arduino specifically for sex toys (though, since I was introduced to it here, I'll always have that association sitting in the back of my head), so it's quite possible it won't come with exactly what I need.

I have access to a small soldering iron suitable for electronics work, and a few vibrator motors in various things (might be easier to extract from a game controller than a sex toy). And, of course, a computer for programming it with.
The basic kit comes with:
Arduino Uno USB Microcontroller Rev 3
140 Piece Pre-formed Jumper Wire Kit
170 Tie Point Mini Solderless Breadboard Pair - White
1.5m USB Cable Type A to B
Wall Adapter Power Supply - 9VDC 650mA

What else would I need to get something functional for experimentation? My options for local stuff are extremely limited, so I'm trying to get enough stuff to be worthwhile in one package to cut shipping costs down to size.
@Tenderfoot88,

Official Arduinos are not, in my opinion, very breadboard friendly. And you want to start on a breadboard, while you learn and figure out what you want. Get a **MUCH** bigger solderless breadboard, 880 tiepoints minimum!

There are Arduino work-alikes that plug directly into a solderless breadboard, and that saves you huge amounts of wiring and hassle. Here are some that I have used and liked:

Adafruit Boarduino V2, $25:
http://www.adafruit.com/products/91

Moderndevice RBBB Bundle:
$25 http://moderndevice.com/product/rbbb-bundle/

PJRC's Teensy2 with pins, $19 (highly recommended!)
http://www.pjrc.com/store/teensy.html
Note that this uses a USB Mini (not micro) connector, which PJRC also sells:
http://www.pjrc.com/store/cable_usb_mini_b.html ):

For programming, you can use your PC's +5 volts via USB connector. **Check/double check which kind of USB connectors each of the above have. Also check what USB cables you already have, so you don't waste $$.

Do NOT use the USB power for your vibe motors -- that risks killing both your Arduino and PC!
Virtually any DC wall wart can power your vibe motors, so long as it's 3 volts or higher. Check your junk box/drawer; you may well have one.

I recommend TIP120 or TIP122 Darlington transistors to control the motor/vibe(s) power; both Adafruit and ModernDevice sell them, as does Digikey and Mouser. These come with the protection diode (needed for any inductive load such as a motor) built in. You'll need a resistor to limit current into the transistor's base. "LED resistors" ballpark 330 Ohms will work fine.

Instead of buying pre-formed wires, I suggest getting a starter pack of a couple colors of 22 gauge SOLID (not stranded) wire, and cut your own. -- That way you can color code by FUNCTION, rather than by length (which is how those pre-cut wires are usually.)

And LEDs are handy for seeing what your circuit and/or Arduino is doing. But you'll want a basic meter. Harbor Freight has meters starting around $7. Check for a store near you (assuming you're in the US.)

Hope this helps. Feel free to ask questions
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