TUTORIALS

Stepper Motor MicroStepping! What to keep in mind when doing it?

Brainy-Bits

Stepper Motor MicroStepping! What to keep in mind when doing it?

OVERVIEW In the last tutorial I’ve looked at an alternative to the EasyDriver… The L298N. Although the L298 works, it’s not the best option for driving stepper motors with an Arduino. One big advantage of the Easy Driver is that it supports multiple Micro Stepping options. I’ve done many tutorial in the past using the EasyDriver but never really used the micro stepping options. So in this tutorial I will look at how to switch the type of micro stepping used on the fly and wh

14,768 views

The Cheapest way to control a Stepper Motor with an Arduino. But is it any good?

Brainy-Bits

The Cheapest way to control a Stepper Motor with an Arduino. But is it any good?

OVERVIEW I’ve done quite a few tutorial about controlling stepper motors with an Arduino. And looking back, I used the EasyDriver motor driver in almost ‘All’ of them… So today I’m gonna show you how you can control a Stepper Motor with an Arduino using something else. I’ve used the L298N motor driver before for DC motors, but you can hookup a Stepper Motor to it as well, so let’s see if using the L298N is a good option. PARTS USED Arduino UNO Amazon usa Amazon canada L298N M

9,058 views

My take on the ‘Obsolete’ YouTube Subscriber Counter!

Brainy-Bits

My take on the ‘Obsolete’ YouTube Subscriber Counter!

OVERVIEW Tadahh!!! Well ok, it’s really nothing that special, but it’s my take on the YouTube subscribers counter! Since Google crippled the YouTube API recently :( I had to add some other things to make it still relevant and somewhat useful. So here’s what I came up with… PARTS USED NodeMCU V2 Amazon usa Amazon canada MAX7219 Matrix Module Amazon usa Amazon canada Nextion LCD Display Amazon usa Amazon canada These are Amazon affiliate links... They don't cost you anything an

939 views

Making something that’s been done so many times before!

Brainy-Bits

Making something that’s been done so many times before!

OVERVIEW Oh, the infamous YouTube Counter project! I know there’s a lot of them out there, but I always wanted to build one for myself. And since I told myself that I would try to film more stuff and put out more tutorial videos from now on, here’s my take on it! This will be a two part tutorial: In this first part we will have a look at: How to setup the Google API for YouTube *This part can be confusing if you look at other tutorials on the internet, so I will try to make i

997 views

Motorized Camera Slider – The Final Chapter! – Arduino Code

Brainy-Bits

Motorized Camera Slider – The Final Chapter! – Arduino Code

OVERVIEW Here it is! The Final Chapter of the Arduino Motorized Camera Slider Tutorial. We will have a look at: Creating the graphics for the Nextion touchscreen Adding the components needed in the Nextion Editor Software and finally the Arduino code that makes it work! If you haven’t seen the prior chapters, make sure to check them out... Now that you’re up to speed, let’s finish this! PARTS USED Nextion Display Amazon usa Amazon canada EasyDriver Stepper Driver Amazon usa A

2,760 views

A Keypad + LCD with only 2 Pins?! No problem with the I2C Protocol!

Brainy-Bits

A Keypad + LCD with only 2 Pins?! No problem with the I2C Protocol!

OVERVIEW n the last tutorial we saw how to use a i2c Expander module to connect a Bourns encoder and use 2 pins instead of eight to connect it to an Arduino. In this one we’ll use it to connect a Keypad to an Arduino and again save some pins, and also have a quick overview on what and how the i2c protocol works. PARTS USED 16x2 LCD with Backpack Amazon usa Amazon canada I2C Expander Module Amazon usa Amazon canada Membrane Keypad Amazon usa Amazon canada Arduino UNO Amazon us

7,665 views

8 Pins is too many? How about just 2 pins? Using the Bourns encoder with I2C

Brainy-Bits

8 Pins is too many? How about just 2 pins? Using the Bourns encoder with I2C

OVERVIEW In the previous tutorial we had a look at the ‘Bourns EAW’ absolute contacting encoder. It’s great in many ways but it does require eight pins on the Arduino and if you’re using the Arduino UNO, just can run out of pins pretty fast! In this quick tutorial we will see how to connect it using two pins instead of eight. We can do this by using an I2C Expansion board which will enable us to communicate with the encoder using the I2C protocol which uses only two pins. In

1,158 views

A Rotary Encoder that’s Always on the Money!

Brainy-Bits

A Rotary Encoder that’s Always on the Money!

OVERVIEW Today we will look at the‘Bourns EAW’ absolute contacting encoder, which uses a mechanical way instead of a purely digital one like the KY-040. PARTS USED Bourns EAW Contacting Encoder Elmwood Electronics Canada EasyDriver Stepper Driver Amazon usa Amazon canada Stepper Motor NEMA 17 Amazon usa Amazon canada These are Amazon affiliate links... They don't cost you anything and it helps me keep the lights on if you buy something on Amazon. Thank you! QUICK OVERVIEW Th

4,828 views

Yeah I Remember! How to use the EEPROM in case of power failure

Brainy-Bits

Yeah I Remember! How to use the EEPROM in case of power failure

OVERVIEW Most projects are built with a simple function in mind, you turn the system on it does something, you turn it off it stops. When you turn the system back on, it doesn’t remember what was done before and just does the same thing. But what if you need a project to know what it was doing when the power was cut, so it could continue from that point when the power is restored? Well you can if you use the built in EEPROM of the Arduino to save some information and make it

1,073 views

Two is Better than One! How to connect Two SPI OLED Displays

Brainy-Bits

Two is Better than One! How to connect Two SPI OLED Displays

OVERVIEW I’ve used OLED displays in many tutorials in the past, but I only connected a single one. For most projects that’s ok, but sometimes you might want to use and connect more than one. In this quick tutorial we will see how to connect and create the Arduino code to be able to address two SPI OLED display separately. I will make other tutorials later on how to connect and use more than one “I2C” OLED display as well. PARTS USED OLED Display 1.5" Amazon usa Amazon canada

3,301 views

Finally a Bigger OLED display to use with an Arduino – 128×128 1.5 inch

Brainy-Bits

Finally a Bigger OLED display to use with an Arduino – 128×128 1.5 inch

OVERVIEW OLED displays have a lot of advantages compared to other displays you might use with an Arduino: They require very little power unlike LCD displays, maximum for this one is 0.75mA, compare that to a Nokia 5110 which can go as high as 80mA They can display graphics as well as text Have high resolutions And are relatively easy to connect and use with an Arduino But they can be more expensive considering their size compared to other displays. Most of the cheap OLED disp

5,507 views

DHT11 vs DHT22… Easy to use with an Arduino but which one should you get?

Brainy-Bits

DHT11 vs DHT22… Easy to use with an Arduino but which one should you get?

OVERVIEW One of the first tutorial I made was for the DHT11 sensor and that was quite a long time ago… So let’s revisit these temperature and humidity sensors. These types of sensors are very popular in Arduino projects, so in the coming weeks I will make some tutorial videos exploring the many types available. In this first part we will look at the most popular ones: The DHT11 and the DHT22. On the surface these two sensors share a lot of similarities: Same pinout Exterior c

2,442 views

Best code to use with a KY-040 Rotary Encoder? Let’s find out!

Brainy-Bits

Best code to use with a KY-040 Rotary Encoder? Let’s find out!

OVERVIEW We have used Rotary Encoders like the KY-040 before in other tutorials and it worked fine. These rotary encoders are cheap and do work, but they have quite a bit a bouncing in them, so they are not very accurate and will sometimes turn one way when you want them to turn the other way. That’s ok for most projects, but can we maybe make them behave better with some code? In this tutorial we will look at a better way to code for this inaccuracy and try to get the best r

7,408 views

How to Debounce switches on the Arduino?

Brainy-Bits

How to Debounce switches on the Arduino?

OVERVIEW In the previous tutorial we saw how to connect and use tact switches with an Arduino. Now we will look at how to make sure that when we press a switch it doesn’t register more than one press. This is know as “Debouncing”. PARTS USED Arduino NANO Amazon usa Amazon canada Tact Switches Amazon usa Amazon canada MAX7219 Matrix Module Amazon usa Amazon canada These are Amazon affiliate links... They don't cost you anything and it helps me keep the lights on if you buy som

2,759 views

Using switches with an Arduino – Input Pull-Up / Pull-Down

Brainy-Bits

Using switches with an Arduino – Input Pull-Up / Pull-Down

OVERVIEW At some point you will have to connect and use switches to control stuff in your Arduino projects. Here are some basics to successfully use switches and make sure they respond correctly. Most switches are simple mechanical devices that basically make a connection between two inputs. In this tutorial we will be using a standard tact switch. A tact switch is a momentary mechanical switch that makes a connection when the switch is pressed. There are two things we can de

10,019 views

RetroReflective Green Screen Testing Update! Now with RF Remote Control!

Brainy-Bits

RetroReflective Green Screen Testing Update! Now with RF Remote Control!

OVERVIEW This is an update on the previous tutorial – DIY RetroReflective Green Screen – were I built a Green screen that doesn’t require any lighting and is perfect for smaller spaces. After the tutorial appeared on YouTube I got an interresting question regarding if this would work with a subject wearing ‘White’ clothes? The assumption is that the Green LED used to light the RetroReflective screen would turn the white clothes green and would make the keying in post harder i

599 views

Making a Green Screen that doesn’t require any Lighting!

Brainy-Bits

Making a Green Screen that doesn’t require any Lighting!

OVERVIEW If you ever tried to use a green screen for your videos by using a green cloth material, you know that making the green colour as even as possible will give better results when the time comes to bring that video in your editing software to key out. But to do this you need a lot of lights at different position to light up the green screen perfectly without casting any shadows. Also your subject must be pretty far away from the green screen to not have the green colour

1,211 views

How to use a Weight Sensor / Load Cell + HX711 with an Arduino

Brainy-Bits

How to use a Weight Sensor / Load Cell + HX711 with an Arduino

OVERVIEW We’ve all used a scale to determine the weight of something at some point in our lives. Using a Load Cell or Weight sensor you can add this capability to your Arduino projects. In this tutorial we will see how to connect, calibrate and display the weight on a small OLED display, and by using a rotary encoder we will be able to change the units from: grams, kg or pounds. We will be using the HX711 ADC converter board to amplify the signal received from the weight sens

8,241 views

Make a simple Arduino Game Scoreboard with 7-segment Displays

Brainy-Bits

Make a simple Arduino Game Scoreboard with 7-segment Displays

OVERVIEW I’ve used and done tutorials in the past using 7 segment displays modules. These modules are great and easy to use since they have all the parts needed onboard. But sometimes for a project you might need to create your own so that it fits in a case or you need to space them in a particular way, that a premade module won’t fit or even exist. Most of the 7 segment modules use the MAX7219 led display driver IC. One MAX7219 can control up to 64 individual leds or eight 7

5,318 views

Making an Arduino animated frame with 256 RGB Leds!

Brainy-Bits

Making an Arduino animated frame with 256 RGB Leds!

OVERVIEW Couple of years ago, I saw someone create an animated picture frame using a 16×16 matrix of RGB LEDs and I thought it was the coolest thing ever! Since I’m a big retro arcade gaming fan, *I grew up in the 80’s when arcades were still a thing*, I wanted to create one for myself. The one I saw was using a Raspberry Pi to drive all the LEDs, but I wondered if you could do the same kind of thing using the Arduino. Since the Arduino’s have no where near the amount of memo

11,910 views

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