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The Digispark => Digispark Project Ideas => Topic started by: MichaelMeissner on December 04, 2012, 10:38:19 am

Title: What will you build with the digispark?
Post by: MichaelMeissner on December 04, 2012, 10:38:19 am

Now that shipments are supposed to begin in about 10 days, I imagine it is time to start thinking about what kinds of projects you will build with the Digispark.  My current project (overly complicated shutter release for my steampunk camera) currently uses more than 6 pins, though I could reduce the functionality to get it to 6 pins (or use the i2c extender shield).  So, for the digispark, I probably should think up a new project.  I'm wondering what kinds of projects other people are anticipating building?

Title: What will you build with the digispark?
Post by: smithincanton on December 07, 2012, 06:21:06 am

I have been wanting to build a automatic heater for my car.  Digispark + RTC + 12v relay + Cigarette lighter heater  = pre heated car!  I also would want to put some circuit  to monitor the cars battery voltage and if it gets below a set voltage not turn on. Maybe a thermometer and an SD card to log the temp and maybe a config file for when it should come on and turn off.

Title: What will you build with the digispark?
Post by: Bluebie on December 11, 2012, 04:36:54 pm

First thing I\'m doing is connecting a 433.92mhz OOK transmitter and receiver and fixing my doorbell! I had a raspberry pi hooked up to my broken doorbell so when people press the little button it\'d ring the phones here, but the damned cheap wall wart receiver broke even worse somehow and ended up making it\'s case be connected to active 240 volts! A curse on you, China! The raspberry pi was alright (I optically isolated it for fear of exactly this). But I need a new receiver now :)

Plan is to use the RemoteSwitch arduino library to receive codes, buffer them in to an array in the digispark, and have the raspberry pi poll the digispark pulling codes out of the queue.

I want to have a transmitter too, so I can use it to control some lights in my house which use 933.92mhz RF remote controls. There is lots of neat 433mhz stuff on ebay to switch appliances on and off for quite cheap.

Another possible expansion is the annoying car with a hypersensitive alarm across the road... if it happens to use 433mhz for it\'s alarm remote maybe I can log the code and have a button on my computer labeled \"shutup!\" which just replay attacks the car to make it stop screetching!

Title: What will you build with the digispark?
Post by: Ncbob on December 12, 2012, 07:16:45 am

I want to use the digisparks in my Jeep to control lights, starter with an RFID key, and other features and automate the electronics.

Title: What will you build with the digispark?
Post by: SPyKER on December 13, 2012, 07:54:52 am

I\'m planning on using it with a mosfet shield to control modulation of channels of LED sets from a DC power source (Motorcycle, Automobile, PC, etc.). If I can get bluetooth into it as well, I\'ll write an app to allow the patterns to be changed remotely.

The goal initially is to be able to create a flame effect with solid LEDs of different colors, but may consider the control of multiple channels of RGB LEDs next.

Title: What will you build with the digispark?
Post by: MichaelMeissner on December 17, 2012, 07:51:32 am

As I was replacing one of those mechanical Christmas light controllers that died this morning, it occurs to me that making several digistumps with an AC relay and probably a real time clock and an optional override, would let me program the lights the way I want (on in the morning and evenings during work days, on for the whole day for weekends).

Title: What will you build with the digispark?
Post by: Bluebie on December 20, 2012, 02:50:39 pm

@MichaelMeissner Or you could be really dodgy and connect the mains power in to the digispark with huge value resistors and a zenner diode to keep the voltages safe, and count pulses to keep time - many clocks use AC alternations for timekeeping so power companies will slightly speed up or slow down the line frequency to keep everything in time. If you wanted to be safer, you could do it optically with an LED and a light sensor (or if you\'re like me, an LED and an LED as a light sensor because I had no real light sensors on hand..)

Title: What will you build with the digispark?
Post by: MichaelMeissner on December 20, 2012, 07:54:51 pm

Thanks, bluebie.  I think at this point, I would prefer to use something more standard, but who knows, maybe by October next year, I will be at a level to do that.

Title: What will you build with the digispark?
Post by: Bluebie on December 21, 2012, 01:13:40 am

I\'ve always wanted to try connecting a capacitor between vcc and gnd on an attiny85 (the chip on the digispark) as well as a zenner diode to limit the voltage to around 5v, and then just connect two random digital pins to AC power via a resistor of high enough value to only allow at a maximum about 40ma to pass through. So long as the software on the chip left these pins as inputs, and left them digitally written low, it\'d use the clamping diodes in the chip to reroute the power to vcc or ground, effectively turning the AVR in to a rectifier (only for very low currents mind you..) while also allowing you to use the AC power signal for timing!

Talk about a hairbrained scheme...