The Internet of Things

Wunderbar.

A whole bunch of nicely integrated data collection modules.

I prefer to hack around with Arduino.  I'm not sure why -- perhaps it's the lure of building approximately from scratch.

But this is very cool. No soldering. Just start gathering data.

I have a half-built Arduino-based device to measure the position of the steering quadrant on a sailboat. I really need to take the next few steps and finalize the design so that I can order a few boards from Fitzring and try it out for real. I've had it in pieces here and there for about 3 years. The open issue was (and still is) a digital potentiometer that sets the output voltage level. I think I have the right chip for this. I think I have the wrong resistors that adjust the voltage into the proper range. The response curve for the parts I rigged up (years ago) weren't linear enough.

Then I moved. And moved again. And wrote a bunch of books on Python. And I'm about to move again. I need to finish this and get it off my desk. Literally.

The good news is that I took careful notes. Including pictures. So I can break out the boards and mess around a bit. I have three breadboards covered with jumpers, LED's, buttons, and stuff all piled up around the laptop.

The Wunderbar has an light/color/proximity sensor. I've built just the proximity sensor with an Arduino. Reporting the output as resistance that can be used on 12V boat systems as the stumbling block for me.

After the next move... (Something I've said before.)