If you are a cat lower then probably it is more pleasure to feed it by yourself. Otherwise if there still a cat in your house and needs to be fed, then leave this job for automated cat feeder that is controlled by ATmega8 microcontroller.

The concept is pretty obvious – microcontroller counts time, that is shown in LCD screen along with next feed time. There are couple buttons to adjust the feed time settings. When feed time occurs servo motor opens food dispenser that pours food in to a bowl. I bet cat loves this toy and thinks how to hack it to serve food more often : )

Tetris is being popular for years. Probably everyone has tried it and found it catchy and involving. But for someone it is more fun to build a Tetris game instead of playing it. Meet the AVR ATmega168 based Tetris game that works with standard KS0108 graphical LCD 128×64 and even Nokia 3595 screen.

Game hardware is really simple and easy to build … or any dev board can be used – just make sure all necessary pins are available to run GLCD and five buttons. Project is located here.

Light dimmer is a very handy device in many situations like various lighting effects starting with Christmas and ending with disco lights. You can find lots of light dimmer projects around internet, but this one has some handy features to consider.

It is a microcontroller based, so can be programmed to do various custom functions. Also it is featured with IR remote control capability. Additionally control commands can be sent  via RS232 interface. To make dimming more accurate there is a zero voltage crossing detection circuit. It enables to fire triacs precisely each time the line voltage crosses zero point. Once AVR requires low power (~20mA), there is a very simple power supply solution used without any transformers – only a energy storing capacitor, zener diode and resistor after then 5V stabilizer. So the whole design is quite lightweight.

The AVR Acoustic Spectrum Analyzer is a device that you need to have if you want to improve the audio quality of your audio equipment. This acoustic spectrum analyzer is created on the technical aspects of the Atmega8 AVR microcontroller and an amplifier that is operational. You can install this analyzer on your PC, external speakers, car radio or any other device whose sound you want improved.

The AVR acoustic spectrum analyzer supports displays such as 20*4, 20*2, 16*2 and 24*2. The settings of this spectrum analyzer are normally saved in the eeprom memory. If you want to alter certain settings, such as the brightness of the display, you can fix a keyboard to do so. You can also use the keyboard if you want to change the display effect or even its sensitivity.

The Analyzer can be used on any VFD or LCD that is compatible with HD44780. All you need to do is to connect the AVR Acoustic Spectrum analyzer with the audio signal and you will like what you hear. You also need to AVR analyzer to coincide with your display. You can use any programmer to connect the audio signal and for fast and precision calibration.

You can get turn signals from Imsolidstate for a trailer that will not involve any extra wiring. These are side signals that normally utilize the trailer’s electrical supply. That is not all; the trailer signals can also be used as the trailer’s clearance light. These kinds of signals work with a truck or trailer that functions on electric brakes and a brake controller.

Any clearance light will work so long as it is standard. When installing the new turn signal, you only need to fix the truck’s wiring with the clearance lights. If you do not want to do this, you can add new lights, and then fix them to the wiring. The turn signals for a trailer made by Imsolidstate have a two clearance lamps. These LED lamps are attached and can be used as right or left turn signals for your truck.

The good thing about these trailer signals is that they do not require you to tamper with the inner workings of the vehicle. If the device fails to work, you can always remove it without causing harm to the wiring of the trailer. With this kind of turn signals for a trailer you will not have to bother with using side markers which can produce confusing signals when the brakes are off.