We’ve just made a nice update to the Peggy2 Arduino software, complete with new functions, new example programs, and fewer bugs. If you’re using Peggy 2.0 (or are thinking about it) you might want to go take a look.
All posts by Windell Oskay
(Almost) Live From Mars
The Mars Phoenix Lander will finally land on Mars today.
In a bizarre and surreal (and quite brilliant) approach to reporting the news, the lander apparently has a Twitter feed… in the first person! Get this: “I’ve entered the gravity well of Mars.” Whoever came up with this idea, I salute in your general direction.
Also… GO EARTH!!! Today is our first chance after 43 years to finally bring this game to a tie.
(GO EARTH!!! Rah Rah Rah!)
Update: Score! Looks like a tie!
An Arduino library for Peggy 2
Here we describe a basic-function Arduino library for Peggy 2.0.
Note: This article describes the new 0.3b version of the library, dated 7/8/2008.
The original article at this location has been archived here.
The Peggy 2.0 Arduino library brings Peggy 2.0 up to the level of having useful compatibility with the Arduino software environment: you can use high-level commands to control what shows up on the Peggy display. For example, the type of high-level command might be something of the form “SetPoint(x, y)” which would turn on the LED located at position (x,y) in the grid.
Continue reading An Arduino library for Peggy 2
Archived: An Arduino library for Peggy 2.0
Note: This article is out of date but archived here for future reference.
You can find the current version here.
Today we present a basic-function Arduino library for Peggy 2.0.
This brings Peggy 2.0 up to the level of having useful compatibility with the Arduino software environment: you can use high-level commands to control what shows up on the Peggy display. For example, the type of high-level command might be something of the form “Peggy_SetPoint(x, y)” which would turn on the LED located at position (x,y) in the grid.
Laughing Squid logo PCB
It seemed to us that the Laughing Squid logo was just crying out to be recreated as a real printed circuit board… so we made this one and gave it to Scott (Laughing Squid’s Primary Tentacle) at the Maker Faire earlier this month. He was a even good enough sport to let us play with his logo without telling him what we were using it for– so we were able to keep it a surprise!
The circuit board is a 3.5″ square. It would make a good coaster with rubber feet added to the bottom, once we get the contrast turned up a bit– the background was supposed to be considerably darker. If enough people are interested, we could make up a batch of these to put in the Squid Store, so let us know!
(Photo CC by Scott Beale / Laughing Squid.)
Linkdump: May 2008
(Which is tiny)
- Today BristleBots, tomorrow the world!
- Synchronicity
- Ties
- Sierpinski Carpet
- Robosapien Cylon
- Diabetes Mine Design Contest
- Transistor Clock (kit!)
- Toys for people who like geometric things
- Fangy fish in yarn
- ma na ma na
- Phun physics sandbox
Programming Peggy 2.0
Some notes on programming the Peggy 2.0. Basic example source code is included; we will be expanding this article soon with additional examples and libraries. Your own contributions will be welcome too, of course!
Continue reading Programming Peggy 2.0
Peggy version 2.0
Today we’re releasing an update to our “Peggy” open-source LED Pegboard project. Peggy version 2 has been redesigned from the ground up. And it looks… almost exactly the same. The changes under the hood are substantial, though, and we think that it’s a big improvement in many ways.
First and foremost, Peggy 2.0 still does the same darn thing: it provides efficient power to a 25 x 25 array of LED locations. Peggy is designed to take some of the sting, complexity, and mess out of playing with LEDs. It’s a versatile and powerful light-emitting pegboard that lets you efficiently drive hundreds of LEDs in whatever configuration you like, without so much as calculating a single load resistor. You can install anywhere from one to 625 LEDs, and Peggy will light them up for you.
Peggy can optionally be reprogrammed to do much more, of course. The biggest change is that the Peggy 2.0 hardware now supports simple animation capability with individually addressable LED locations. Besides the microcontroller, there are now four support chips that help to drive the rows and columns of the display. Now, we’re not talking live video feeds or long movies here (speed and memory considerations will spoil that party), but you might be surprised how much you can do with a little AVR microcontroller.
The second improvement has to do with the programming interfaces. As before, Peggy supports programming through a regular AVR ISP (in-system programming) connection, such as the USBtinyISP. However Peggy 2.0 is now also Arduino compatible: it supports programming through a USB-TTL cable, using the popular Arduino software environment. (This is the same programming arrangement that you’ll find on some of the popular Arduino-compatible boards such as the Boarduino and Bare Bones Boards.)
Continue reading Peggy version 2.0
Headin’ to Maker Faire!
The lab staff is busy boxing stuff up for Maker Faire this week, so our publishing schedule will be rather arrhythmic this week as it has historically been during such things. We have a huge backlog of new projects to talk about, and we’ll get a chance when things calm down a bit. We’ll also write up a few reports from the show floor this year.
Coming to Maker Faire? Find us at the southeast corner of the Expo Hall. We look forward to seeing you!
Evil Mad Scientist Laboratories and CandyFab at MakerFaire!
Attention SF Bay Area folks: Evil Mad Scientist Laboratories and CandyFab are coming to Maker Faire! Space-time coordinates: San Mateo, CA, May 3-4, 2008.
We’ll be there in force with (amongst other things) a tabletop BristleBot Arena and great progress to show off on a lot of our upcoming projects: Next generation interactive LED coffee table panels, the debut of Peggy 2.0, and the brand new design for the CandyFab 5000, all of which we’ll be writing much more about this summer. Find us in the south hall, past the Tesla coils.
Great things are coming to Maker Faire, and you can come visit, get a sneak preview and chat.
- Just a few choice picks:
- Learn how to hack thingswith microcontrollers
- Learn about Smart LEDs
- Chocolate
- Art Golf
- The Laser Harp
- The Pong Watch, now with Asteroids!!!
- Restored Pinball Machines
- Orb Swarm
- The Art of Motion Control
- The Heather Gold Show
- Nixie Clocks
- Bleep Labs
- MacGyver’s dad, Lee Zlotoff
- Mod your brand new Maker’s Notebooks
- Lego Art Car
- NYC ResistorWorkshop
- Lee Krasnow and his amazing puzzles
- The Incredible Marble Machine!
- BlinkyBugs, and
- The World’s Biggest Pez DispenserYeah!
We’ll sure hope to see you there. Advance tickets are on sale at a discount through Friday April 25.
