
The GitHub Stoplight - nreece
http://www.urbanhonking.com/ideasfordozens/2010/05/the_github_stoplight.html
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grinich
The Ardiuno is an awesome platform if you're new to the micro-controller
world. IIRC, it's based on the ATmega168 and 328 (and 1280 for ArduinoMEGA).

Here are a few clones:

<http://sanguino.cc/>

<http://www.ladyada.net/make/boarduino/>

<http://www.moderndevice.com/>

[http://store.fundamentallogic.com/ecom/index.php?main_page=p...](http://store.fundamentallogic.com/ecom/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=2&products_id=10)

<http://www.eauduino.org/>

<http://news.jeelabs.org/docs/jn4.html>

<http://dorkbotpdx.org/wiki/dorkboard> (with Serial<->USB
<http://dorkbotpdx.org/wiki/benito>)

And more kickass 'duinos:

<http://www.arduino.cc/en/Main/ArduinoBoardLilyPad>

[http://www.seeedstudio.com/depot/blackwidow-10-p-613.html?cP...](http://www.seeedstudio.com/depot/blackwidow-10-p-613.html?cPath=27)

I've tried building a few of these, and it's OK if you know what you're doing.
(Plan to fry a few chips is you're a n00b.) Almost all chips don't have a
bootloader yet, so you need to deal with that. For most of the stripped-down
models, you also need a USB/Serial converter to load your bits.

Debugging shoddy solder jobs is a pain (I'm terrible at anything surface-
mount), so I usually just use an Diecimila for prototyping and deal with
custom stripped-down boards later. The chips straight-up are something like
$4, so if you're doing volume later on it's worth building your own. The
Diecimila has some nice built-in features, like a reset button, onboard LEDs
for testing, 12V power jack, female headers for jumper wires, etc.

It's worth keeping a few of them around for rainy Saturdays. _"Hey! I wonder
if I can make my coffee pot a web server? Can it tweet when the brew is done?
Hm..."_

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corysama
For those of us who aren't as handy with a soldering iron, it's pretty easy to
hook up an "Ambient Orb" to CruiseControl.net

[http://www.agileskunkworks.org/Articles/TheOrbBuildIndicator...](http://www.agileskunkworks.org/Articles/TheOrbBuildIndicatorLamp/tabid/114/Default.aspx)

<http://blogs.msdn.com/mswanson/articles/169058.aspx>

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nix
At one startup we had a similar setup but using perl and a serial-controlled
power switch. It began with a stoplight but in december we brought in an xmas
tree and put on strings of green, yellow, and flashing red lights. For a while
"the tree is green" was pleasingly literal.

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thomasfl
Cool hack! I need to buy some arduino controllers and take a month or two
leave from work to play with it.

