From: James Sentman <james-AT-sentman.com>
Date: 15 May 2008 07:06:45 UTC   (11:06:45 AM in author's locale)
To: xtensionlist-AT-shed.com

On May 15, 2008, at 10:43 AM, Rob Lewis wrote:

> I'm surprised nobody has mentioned this article in the current
> Macworld:
>
> www.macworld.com/article/133184/2008/05/geekfactor2506.html
>
> It's about interfacing a microcontroller "project board" with OS X
> and using it with sensors for the outside world.
>
> I've never even heard of the Arduino product line: it looks quite
> cool (and inexpensive). The article says it works "wonderfully" with
> OS X. I'll definitely be picking up some of their stuff.
>
> Anybody already using it?

I have 2 of those arduino boards in my top desk drawer here right now
waiting for a suitable project ;) I've had them for a while now and
beyond just making an LEd flash with them I haven't had a chance to do
anything exciting. But they have a fairly simple programming language,
you talk to them via serial ports, they are not expensive and are
really cool!

what might be interesting would be to build some starter code for the
arduino that talked up the serial port for sending and receiving unit
on/off commands and values. I would then be willing to write an
interface plugin for XTension that received those commands and
translated them to and from real unit commands. Then it would be up to
you to add devices and do a little program left you coudl control
XTension units from it, and control it from XTension units. The thing
has PWM outputs for driving servos and digital IO's for reading in
states of buttons or switches and turning on and off LEd's or relays
and also analog inputs for say, reading the position of a knob or
other such thing. and that is just what you get with almost no
programming... With some simple XTension interface libs you could do a
lot more if you were willing to program the thing.

Anybody interested?

Thanks,
James

James Sentman sentman.com MacHomeAutomation.com