An 8-channel 120V relay controller, this project was originally intended only as a brewing and vinification process controller.

The goal of this project is to read a standard 6-dial analog natural gas meter. Data is captured using an inexpensive USB webcam, and processed (minimally) using Python. As I would like to be able to measure the amount of gas used on a minute-to-minute basis, directly reading the dials on the meter (by eye or computer) does not provide enough precision. That is, the finest enumerated dial reads increments of 1000 cubic feet, more than is consumed over several cold winter days. To get around this, rotations of the lower test dials are counted over successive images, and calibrated to correspond to overall.

Using the Maxim/Dallas Semiconductor 1-wire sensors for systems and environmental monitoring.

Construction of a computer-controlled color LED bubbling water lamp. Three LED channels (RGB) are controlled by PWM for 24-bit color support. A 16F88 PIC is used to control a MAX6966 PWM LED chip. Computer communication is by the Dallas 1-Wire interface, via a DS2408 PIO chip.

This is an ongoing project to control a number (currently 5) of Lamina Atlas high power (350-500mA) LEDs. Current progress includes:

• PCB artwork (in Eagle) with connections for 5 RGB LEDs.
• Firmware for a Microchip PIC16f887 microcontroller to interface between the FTDI 245R USB chip and a number of Texas Instruments TLC5940 constant current LED drivers.
• Python ctypes interface to libftdi.
• A simple Python interface to communicate color commands by USB
• Ongoing work includes an intuitive graphical user interface, music synchronization, and a reworking of the hardware to utilize switching constant current regulators.