German Chocolate Cake

• 4 oz. (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened; more for the pans
• 4 oz. semisweet or bittersweet chocolate (up to 70% cacao), coarsely chopped (about 1 cup)
• 1/2 cup boiling water
• 9 oz. (2 cups) unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. table salt
• 4 large eggs, at room temperature
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature

7 oz. (about 2 cups) sweetened, shredded dried coconut

• 4 large egg yolks
• 1 12-oz. can evaporated milk
• 1-1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 3/4 tsp. table salt
• 6 oz. (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, cut into chunks
• 1-1/2 cups pecan halves, toast

  Make the cakes

  Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and heat the oven to 350°F. Grease the sides of three 9x2-inch round cake pans with butter and line the bottoms with parchment circles.
  Put the chocolate in a small bowl and pour the boiling water over it. Let stand for several seconds and then whisk until the chocolate is dissolved. Set aside until cool to the touch before mixing the batter.
  Sift the flour, baking soda, and salt onto a sheet of waxed paper. Whisk the eggs in a small measuring cup.
  Beat the butter for a few seconds in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on medium-low speed. Add the sugar in a steady stream and then beat on medium speed, scraping the bowl as necessary, until the mixture is lightened in color and fluffy, 4 to 5 minutes. Still on medium speed, add the eggs a little at a time, taking a full 1-1/2 minutes to add them all. Add the melted chocolate and vanilla and beat just until blended. With the mixer turned off, add a quarter of the flour mixture. Mix on medium-low speed just until incorporated. Add a third of the buttermilk and mix until blended. Repeat, each time adding another quarter of the flour, then a third of the buttermilk, until the last of the flour is added. Scrape the bowl as necessary and mix each addition only until it is incorporated.
  Divide the batter among the pans and spread it evenly. Bake, rotating the pans and swapping their positions, until the cakes just start to pull away from the sides of the pans and spring back when very gently pressed with a finger, 20 to 25 minutes. Let the cakes cool in their pans on a rack for 10 minutes.
  Run a knife or small spatula around the edges to separate the cakes from the pans. Turn the cakes out onto the rack and peel off the parchment. Cool completely.

  Make the filling

  Spread the coconut on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake at 350°F, stirring every 2 minutes, until golden-brown, about 10 minutes. Scrape the toasted coconut onto a sheet of waxed paper and let cool completely.
  Whisk the egg yolks with the evaporated milk, sugar, vanilla, and salt in a heavy-duty, nonreactive 4-quart saucepan. Add the butter. Set over medium heat and stir constantly with a heatproof spatula, scraping the bottom and corners of the pot. When the mixture starts to boil, adjust the heat so that it boils actively but not furiously, and cook, stirring constantly, until golden and thickened, 3 to 4 minutes. Off the heat, stir in the coconut and pecans. Let cool completely.

  Assemble the Cake

  Put one cake layer on a cake plate. Spread a third of the filling over the top of the cake, leaving a 1/4-inch border. Top with a second cake layer. Spread with half of the remaining filling. Put the third cake layer on top and cover it with the remaining filling. Leave the sides of the cake exposed. Serve at room temperature.

  Make Ahead Tips

  The cake will keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Let it come back to cool room temperature before serving.ed and coarsely chopped

Electronic Thermostat

Mechanical thermostat has been around for a long time and has been used in industrial control, home appliances control and many other devices to measure and control the temperature of a certain processes. The sensor used usually is a bimetallic sensor that is make from two different metals that expand at different rates as theThese metal strips are bonded together and when the temperature rises, the strips will bend upward hence making connection to the contact of the circuit so that current can flow through the circuit.
As the temperature cools down, it will go back to its original position and disconnect the current from the circuit. By adjusting the strip and the contact, the temperature can be controlled. Most oven and air conditioners use this type of sensor. The mechanical thermostat is more widely used due to its lower cost compared to electronic type.
The use of electronic thermostat is becoming more popular now as the cost of semiconductor continues to drop with the advancement of better fabrication and packaging processes. Many applications have switched to electronic control as the control of the temperature is more accurate, easier to control the desired temperature using digital technology, more reliable and interfacing with other devices.
This application note from Microchip uses a low cost 6 pin microcontroller in the design of electronic thermostat. The features of PIC10F204 are as shown below. One advantage is that it has the PDIP package which makes it easier for electronic hobbyists to do their own soldering.
256 Words Program Memory and 16 bytes Static RAM
Wide Operating Voltage from 2.0V to 5.5V DC
3 I/O

1 comparator
25 mA source/sink current I/O
Power supply is directly tapped from the AC lines voltage using a resistive based power supply. This makes the entirecircuit live and one has to be careful when implementing this project. Ensure that no parts of the circuit is accessible toany user. Use a plastic enclosure to house the printed circuit board properly.
The principles of triac is briefly discussed here. The use of zero crossing detection is useful as many applications use this method in their operations. Among them are light dimmer and motor control applications.
Learn how to optimise the program code to make it efficient. Many programmers use long routines to accomplish a certain task when a few lines of codes would be sufficient. This experience needs to be learned as one hands on a project and repeatedly look into the code to make it shorter and efficient.
Having learned the code, one can then modify and add temperature sensor to make it a close loop control. Display circuity and user interface can be added to the system by migration to a higher pin count microcontroller.

Chicken pizza

Samsung Electronics

Smartphone woes drag Samsung Electronics Q3 profit to more than 3-year low

- See more at: http://indianexpress.com/article/business/companies/smartphone-woes-drag-samsung-electronics-q3-profit-to-more-than-3-year-low/#sthash.eXOBymKs.dpuf

Samsung Electronics Co Ltd saw its July-September quarterly profit fall to the lowest level in more than three years, as a decline in earnings from its smartphone business set the South Korean giant on track for its worst year since 20

The Sad and Bizarre Post-Retirement Life of Jose Canseco

In the latest mishap, the former baseball star accidentally shot off one of his middle fingers.

It's been more than 13 years since Jose Canseco has played a major league baseball game. But retirement has not sapped the former Oakland Athletics star's ability to generate headlines. NBC reported Tuesday that Canseco, who now lives in Las Vegas, accidentally shot one of his middle fingers while attempting to clean a revolver. Leila Knight, Canseco's fiancee, told TMZ thatwhile surgery on the finger was successful, he will not make a full recovery.

A tremendously gifted athlete who combined power, speed, and a rocket for a throwing arm, the Cuban-born Canseco dazzled the baseball world in the late 1980s. In 1988, he became the first player to ever hit 40 home runs and steal 40 bases in the same season, winning the American League MVP award in a unanimous vote. The next season, Canseco led the Athletics to a World Series victory against the San Francisco Giants.

Things have gone downhill since then. Traded to the Texas Rangers in 1992, he distinguished himself by once allowing a fly ball to clank off his head and over the fence for a home run. The remainder of his itinerant career, which included stops in Boston, New York, Toronto, Tampa Bay, and Chicago as well as a second stint in Oakland, saw occasional flashes of brilliance but not the sustained level of excellence he displayed in the 1980s.

Despite earning substantial amounts of money for decades, Canseco has had major financial problems in retirement. His search for cash and publicity led him to participate in celebrity boxing, semi-pro baseball leagues, mixed martial arts, and even Celebrity Apprentice, each venture meeting with little success.

Canseco is hardly the first famous athlete to squander his fortune. In a 2009 article for Sports Illustrated, Pablo S. Torre found that 60 percent of former NBA players went broke within five years of retirement, while for the NFL the fall was even steeper: 80 percent lost their cash just two years after hanging up their spikes. Megastars like Allen Iverson, Terrell Owens, and Curt Schilling have not been spared. But Canseco's fall from grace is especially poignant due to the very public way he spiraled down. Notorious for blowing off interviews and charity appearances, Canseco regularly bares his soul on Twitter, often begging Major League teams to give him another chance and describing his grief at being kept from the game of baseball.

Daniel Radcliffe a rapper's delight performing Blackalicious' Alphabet Aerobics

It seems all those years of muttering incantations as Harry Potter have given Daniel Radcliffe the gift of the rapper's gab.

The Harry Potter star, who is soon to feature in the upcoming film Horns, made a name for himself as of rap connoisseur in a surprise performance on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon.

Talking Fallon through his interest in rap music from a young age, Radcliffe revealed his obsession with learning the words to every song.

"I think I was the first kid in my class to learn the all the words to Real Slim Shady," he said.

But by owning up to his passion for memorising "complicated, lyrically intricate and fast songs" Radcliffe backed himself into a challenge by Fallon: to rap the 1999 tongue twister from Blackalicious, Alphabet Aerobics.

Despite Fallon's admission that the song was "one of the trickiest, fastest songs" he knew, the former wizard star was more than willing to take the mic.

Radcliffe wowed with his effortless performance, impressing none more than Fallon who was just barely able to contain his excitement.

A cult classic, Alphabet Aerobics is the best known track of Blackalicious' 1999 EP A2G, featuring Gift of Gab.

The structure of the song is that every couplet is made up of words starting with the same letter, as it moves through the alphabet from A to Z.

Read more: 

Aurora mini 18 Kit and PCB

The kit is also available at $29. All parts except Molex connectors and power supply are included.
Shipping is $5 for USA, $17 for the rest of the world.

Kit Contents (as pictured)

• 1x PCB
• 1x 10k Ohm (0603)
• 3x 220 Ohm (0603)
• 3x 2.2k Ohm (0603)
• 18x 150 Ohm (0603)
• 2x 0.1uF (0603)
• 2x 10uF (1206)
• 3x MMBT2907A
• 1x PIC24FV16KA302 (SS)
• 19x Tricolor LED (common-cathode)
• 1x Tactile Switch

Notes

• The PIC microcontroller is not pre-programmed. You need your own programmer such as PICKit 3, ICD 2, ICD3 to program the PIC microcontroller. (PICKit 2 does not work)
• The kit is also available with water clear LEDs instead of diffused type shown. Please specify if you want water clear LEDs (Special: $1 less for the water clear LEDs).
• The kit comes with one extra LED.
• Power connection cable (see the picture) - optional is available at $2 extra.

PCB only
Aurora mini 18 custom PCB price is $9.50. Shipping is $5 for USA, $17 for the rest of the world.

To purchase please go to my site - http://www.theledart.com/blog/archives/category/kits

Please view my Instructable for the detailed information on Aurora mini 18.

Contact me if you have any questions.

Electronic lock circuit diagram using one transistor

Using some electronic components can be made a very simple electronic lock. The electronic lock is based on a single active components. The keyboard can be purchased from the store or can be made using "push buttons".
Four buttons are connected in series (those marked with S1 + S4 in the scheme) between plus and the power transistor T1 through a 1k resistor.
The other four buttons (marked with S5 + S8 in the diagram) are connected in parallel with R2, between the T1 and ground. Relay will be activated only if S1-S4 are pressed, while none of the buttons is pressed S5-S8.
If at least one button is pressed this second group, the transistor will be put at the ground, and if one of the buttons S1-S4 is pressed, the transistor will not get the current and be maintained locked by R2.
Voltage of the circuit must be equal to the operating voltage of the relay used (type BD135 transistor can switch up 

Electronic timer with display electronic project using CMOS

Using this electronic scheme can be built an electronic timer which can be set to measure a maximum of 60 hours. The electronic timer allows the fixation of some intermediate time. On reaching this point, a buzzer will sound. The circuit is built using ICM7217 integrated circuit, manufactured by Intersil, which contains a CMOS counter up / down, with 4 digits and display properly.

IC3 is the clock generator circuit which provides a square wave with period 1 s clock signal is available on pin 3 (Q13). It can be divided by 60 in IC4, if necessary, measurement of longer than one hour.
When S6 is closed, power is connected and IC1 is reset by R9 and C5. S4's position determine if minutes or seconds are counted: not exceeding 59 h and 59 min (position 2) or 59 min and 59 s (position 1).
Miniature switches S10 S7 adjusts the display to indicate 20.00. In a short press of S3, this choice is stored by IC1. After that, S7-S10 is adjusted so that the display to indicate 35.00. Meanwhile, S1 must be open. Pressing S2 cause of integrative ICM7217C start counting backwards,starting from 35.00. When the display shows 20.00, buzzer sounds shorter. Now the clock can be stopped by closing S1 and the subsequent opening of S1, the clock restarts to count backwards to 00.00.
The clock can be reset with the S5, in this case, the buzzer sounds briefly and display shows 00.00.

Remotely momentary actuated button

When solar cells are not lit, T1 and T2 drive crashes. Capacitor C2 is discharged through the LED electronic relay, which is activated for a moment. In this way we generated a trigger pulse equipment of electrically isolated, no need extra power supply.

Alternating on off switch electronic project

A very simple alternating on off switch electronic circuit project can be designed using an 4096 CMOS hex inverter and some common electronic parts.
IC1is a regular Hex-inverter type and is constructed with MOS P-channel and N-channel enhancement mode devices in a single monolithic structure.
First push from this alternating on off switch activates the relay and another push de-activates the relay.

The type for D1 in not critical, even a 1N4148 will work.
Q1 transistor is an 2N4401 type , but can be replaced with some other type like : N100, NTE123A, 2N3904, 2N2222, 2N4013, etc.
For C2, if you find the relay acts not fast enough, you can change it to a lower value or use a ceramic cap of around 0.1μF.
The circuit can be powered from a 9 or 12 volts DC power supply circuit .
Unused input pins must be connected to an appropriate logic level and unused output pins must be left open.
Relay used in this project is an 6 volts relay type . R4 and LED1 are optional and can be removed from the circuit .

8051 Microcontroller Pin Diagram and Its Working Procedure

microcontroller is a small computer on a single IC that integrates all the features that are found in the microprocessor. In order to serve the different applications, they have a high concentration of on chip facilities such as RAM, ROM, I/O ports, timers, serial port, clock circuit and interrupts. Microcontrollers are used in various automatic controlled devices such as remote controls, automobile engine control systems, medical devices, power tools, office machines, toys, power tools and other embedded systems. Therefore, this article gives an overview of pin diagram of 8051 microcontroller with explanation and 8051 based project ideas.

8051 Microcontroller

In case of microprocessor, we have to interface additional circuitry externally, such as RAM, ROM, I/O ports, timers, serial port, clock circuit, other external peripherals whereas in the microcontroller, all these peripherals are in built. Let us look on in brief about pin diagram of 8051 microcontroller.

Microcontroller Pins Working

8051 microcontrollers have four I/O ports where each port containing 8 pins that can be configured as inputs or outputs. Pin configuration, i.e. whether it is to be configured as an i/p (1) or an o/p (0), depends on its logic state. In order to configure a microcontroller pin as an output, it is necessary to apply a logic zero (0) to suitable I/O port bits. In this case, the voltage level on appropriate pin will be 0.

Similarly, in order to configure a microcontroller pin as an input, it is necessary to apply a logic one (1) to the suitable port. In this case, the voltage level on appropriate pin will be 5V. This may seem confusing, It all becomes clear after studying simple electronic circuits connected to an I/O pin.

Input/Output (I/O) Pin

The below figure shows a simplified schematic of all circuits within the microcontroler which is connected to one of its pins. It states to all the pins except those of the P0 port which do not have pull-up resistors built-in.

Input/Output (I/O) Pin

Output pin

A logic 0 is applied to a bit of the register P then, the output FE transistor is turned on, therefore connecting the appropriate pin to ground.

Output pin

Input pin

A logic 1 is applied to a bit of the P register. The output field effect transistor is turned off and the appropriate pin remains connected to the power supply voltage, over a pull-up resistor of high resistance.

Input Pin

Pin Diagram of 8051 Microcontroller

8051 microcontroller families (89C51, 8751, DS89C4xO, 89C52) come in different packages like quad flat package, leadless chip carrier and dual in line package. These all packages consist of 40 pins which are dedicated to several functions such as I/O, address, RD, WR, data and interrupts. But, some companies offer a 20 pin version of themicrocontrollers for less demanding applications by reducing the number of I/O ports. Nevertheless, since the vast majority of developers use the 40 pin chip.

Pin Diagram of 8051 Microcontroller

The pin diagram of 8051 microcontroller consists of 40 pins and that is shown below. A total of 32 pins are set away into four Ports such as P0, P1, P2 and P3. Where, each port contains 8 pins. Therefore, microcontroller 8051 pin diagram and explanation is given below.

DTMF based Home Automation System using Microcontroller

Normally, many home appliances can be controlled by switches. But, nowadays we often see the automation of home appliances using many technologies. This article presents the DTMF based home automation system using microcontroller. Dual Tone Multi Frequency (DTMF) is a signaling system for identifying the keys on a DTMF keypad. It is used for telecommunication signaling over analog telephone lines in the voice frequency band between communication devices and telephone handsets.

DTMF is a short form of Dual Tone Multi Frequency. So, when you make a call to a customer care, they will ask you to press any number. When you press any number from your mobile, one particular action takes place because of dual tone multi frequency. When a button is pressed from the mobile keypad, the act immediately generates a tone of two frequencies. These tones are called column and row frequencies.

DTMF keypad

 Here, in the above depicted figure,the column frequencies are high frequencies, and the row frequencies are low frequencies. These row and column frequencies are selected for DTMF in such a way that they don’t have harmonic relation with the others. As a result, they will not generate same tones. The row frequencies are somewhat lower than the column frequencies.

Types of RAM Memories:

Types of RAM Memories:

RAM memory classified into two types of memories such as SRAM and DRAM memory.

SRAM (Static Random Access Memory):

Static Random Access Memory is a type of RAM that retains the information in its memory as long as power is being supplied. Static RAM provides faster access to the data and is more expensive compared with DRAM. SRAM does not need to be refreshed periodically.

Static Random Access Memory

In SRAM, each bit is stored in four transistors that form two cross coupled inverters.  Two additional transistors – types provide to control the access to the storage cells during read and write operations. Generally, SRAM uses six transistors to store each memory bit. These Storage Cells have two stable states which are used to denote ‘0’ and ‘1’.

DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory):

DRAM is a type of RAM module that stores each bit of data within a separate capacitor.  This is a proficient way to store the data in memory because it requires less physical space to store data.

DRAM can hold more amounts of data by a particular chip size. Capacitors in DRAM are need to be constantly recharged to keep their charge, thus, DRAM requires more power.

Dynamic Random Access Memory

Each DRAM memory chip consists of a storage location or memory cells.  It is made up of capacitor and transistor which can hold either active or inactive state. Each DRAM cell is referred to as a bit.

When DRAM cells are in active state, then charge is at high state. When DRAM cells are an  inactive state, then charge is below a certain level.

Cache Memory Orgonization:

Cache memory is a type of memory which is used to hold the frequently used data from main memory locations. The cache memory is placed close to the CPU. Cache memory starts from 00h to 0Fh. Cache memory is relatively small, consisted with 8k and 16k but it works effectively. It is a byte addressable memory and  it stores and remove only 1-bit of data. The cache memory filled from the main memory when CPUs require the instructions. The cache memory mainly used for reduce the average time to the access memory.

RAM Memory Organization and Its Types of Memory

Memory is an important component of microcontrollers or CPUs for storing information that is used to controlelectronics projects. Internally, memory has been divided into several parts that consists of special types of registers those help to store data. There are two types of memories such as RAM memory and ROM memory, in many two are available in similar way. Here we will discuss about RAM memory organization of 8051 and its registers. This information is helpful for the embedded system designers to write program easily.

RAM Memory

RAM Memory Organization of 8051 Microcontroller:

8051 microcontroller has 256 bytes of RAM memory, which is divided in two ways, such as 128 bytes for special function registers (SFR) and 128 bytes for general purpose memory. RAM memory organization contains a group ofgeneral purpose registers which are used to store information with a fixed memory address register, and SFR memory contains all peripheral related registers like ‘B’ register, Accumulator, Counters or Timers and interrupt related registers.

Remotely Controlled Android based Electronic Notice Board

Remotely Controlled Android based Electronic Notice Board

Notice Board is primary thing in any institution / organization or public utility places like bus stations, railway stations and parks. But sticking various notices day-to-day is a difficult process. A separate person is required to take care of this notices display. This project deals about an advanced hi-tech wireless notice board.

The main objective of the project is to develop a wireless  user’s android application device. Remote operation is achieved by any smart-phone/Tablet etc., with Android OS, upon a GUI (Graphical User Interface) based touch screen operation.

While the user sends the message from the android application device, it is received and retrieved by the Bluetooth device at the display unit. The Bluetooth access password will only be known to the  user. It is then sent to the microcontroller that further displays the notice sent from the user on to the electronic notice board which is equipped with a 16X2 LCD display. It uses a microcontroller from 8051 family.

The power supply consists of a step down transformer 230/12V, which steps down the voltage to 12V AC. This is converted to DC using a Bridge rectifier. The ripples are removed using a capacitive filter and it is then regulated to +5V using a voltage regulator 7805 which is required for the operation 

of the microcontroller and other components.

Circuit Diagram of Cell phone operated land rover Robotic Vehicle:

Circuit Diagram of Cell phone operated land rover Robotic Vehicle:

The main components of this cellphone-operated robotic landrover are microcontroller, motor driver and DTMF decoder. An MT8870 series DTMF decoder is used in this project which uses digital counting techniques to detect the 16 DTMF tone pairs into a 4-bit code output. The built- in dialtone circuit eliminates prefiltering. If an input signal is given at the pin2, then the input configuration is recognized to be effective. The 4-bit-decode signal of the DTMF tone is transferred to the pin11 through the pin 14′s output. These pins are connected to the microcontroller pins Pao, Pa1, Pa2 and Pa3. The output of the microcontroller from port pins PD0 through PD3 and PD7 are fed to the inputs IN1, IN4 and enables the pins EN1, EN2 of the motor-driver L293D IC to drive  the two DC motors.

Circuit Diagram of Cell phone Operated Land Rover

In this circuit, S1 switch is used for manual reset. The output of the microcontroller  is not enough to drive the DC motors, so current drivers are necessary for motor rotation.The  L293D  motor driver is designed to provide bidirectional drive currents of up to 600 mA at voltages from 4.5V to 36V, which makes it easier to drive the DC motors. The L293D motor driver consists of four drivers. The pins IN1 through IN4 & OUT1 and OUT4 are the input and output pins of the driver 1 through driver 4. The drivers 1,2,3 and 4 are enabled by the enable pin1(EN1) and the pin 9 (EN2). When enable input EN1 (pin1) is high, the drivers 1 and 2 are enabled. Similarly, the enable input EN2 (pin9) enables the drivers 3.

Advantages and Disadvantages:

The advantages of cellphone-operated-robotic landrover include wireless controlling provisioning and surveillance system, 3G-technology-based vehicle navigation, and limitless operational range based on the network of the cellphone. The disadvantage include: the cost as the cellphone billing is high; mobile batteries discharge : the discharging problem associated with the batteries as the batteries loss charge due to quick discharge because the load is high; adaptability: the system is not adaptable to all cellphones, but the ones with the headset attached can only be used.

Thus, this Cellphone-operated robot project is very useful in military applications to control military vehicles by using a mobile phone. In  future, we can detect the position of enemies by arranging a wireless camera to the land rover robotic vehicle. This project can  also be helpful in academics as students can learn various terminologies and principles proposed in this project. This project will help students add their innovative thoughts and ideas todevelop robotics projects.

Cell Phone Operated Land Rover Robotic Vehicle working with Block Diagram

Usually, remote control robots use RF circuits, which have the drawbacks of limited working range, limited control and limited frequency range. To overcome these drawbacks,cell phone operated land rover robotic vehicle is used. It provides the advantages of robotic control, intrusion free controllers and up to twelve controlling systems, etc.

Although the capabilities and appearance of embedded robotics vary vastly, all robots share the features of a movable, mechanical structure under some form of control. The control of robots involves three different phases they are perception, processing and action. Normally, the sensors are mounted on the robot. The perception and processing is done by the on-board microcontroller, and the action is performed using motors.

Cell Phone Operated Land Rover Robotic 

The main intention of this project is to control a robotic arm which is mounted on a robotic vehicle by using a mobile phone. It provides a large working range and robust control etc.

Block Diagram of Cell Phone Operated Land Rover Robotic Vehicle:

Block Diagram of Cell phone Operated Land Rover

The major building blocks are microcontroller, Cellphone, DTMF Decoder and DC-Motor-driver circuit. The cellphone is the most important part of the entire system because the entire system works and is activated by the cellphone. DTMF (dual tone multi frequency)  receives the input signal from cell phone and decode it, and then generates 4-bit-digital output of the 8051 microcontroller. When the DTMF decoder gives a digital output , it also generates an interrupt every time.

The microcontroller is the heart of the entire system as it performs the entire controlling actions. Microcontroller depends upon the code which is generated by the DTMF decoder to move the rover right or left and forward or backward by rotating both DC motors. The DC motor driver receives activating signals from the microcontroller in terms of low or high logic, then it amplifies and rotates two motors in both directions.

The control of robot involves mainly four different phases: perception, action processing and detection. In the perception stage if the cellphone attached to the robot receives a call, then the pressing action of the key on the cellphone decodes the generated DTMF tone. Then, the decoder chip receives the audio signal from the cellphone, and then converts the DTMF tone into a binary code, which is then fed to the microcontroller. In this project, an MT88710 IC is used as a DTMF decoder. In the processing stage, the microcontroller processes the binary code which is received from the DTMF decoder. The Microcontroller is preprogrammed in ‘C’ to perform this particular task according to  the input bits.

On the action stage, the rotation of the motors depends upon the input given by the microcontroller. Two DC motors each of 30 RPM are used for the landrover and are driven by the motor-driver IC. On detection the stage, and for obstacle detection, an infrared transmitter and receiver are used along with the buzzer. When the obstacle comes in front of the robot, the IR transmitter transmits the IR rays on the object, then the object reflects the IR rays to the IR receiver. The IR receiver then receives the IR rays to activate the buzzer.

Projects on Robotic Applications for Engineering Students

In the area of robotics, it is important to deal with design, operation, construction, structural disposition, manufacture and application of robots. Using computer technology one can work on their control, sensory feedback, and information processing using appropriate hardware and sensors. Many motors are used in robotics which is controlled through dedicated micro-controllers with appropriate program. Therefore, language knowledge in assembly and ‘C’ is a must to design robotic applications.

Nowadays many engineering students showing lot of interest on robotics projects and they create lot of interest as compared to others. Robots such as line following, pick n place, firefighting, wall tracking, hexapod, humanoid etc are few popular projects in academic level.

Following are the few interesting Robotics Projects Ideas for final year engineering students:

1. RF Controlled Robotic Vehicle with Laser Beam Arrangement - Abstract.
2. Line Following Robotic Vehicle - Abstract.
3. Pick & Place With Soft Catching Gripper – Abstract.
4. Fire Fighting Robotic Vehicle using Microcontroller– Abstract.
5. RF controlled robot with Night Vision Wireless Camera for Spying in War Field – Abstract.
6. Microcontroller Based Line Following Robotic Vehicle– Abstract.
7. Obstacle Avoidance Robotic Vehicle using Ultrasonic Sensor – Abstract.
8. Auto Metro Train to Shuttle between Stations – Abstract.
9. IR Controlled Robotic Vehicle – Abstract.
10. Cell Phone Controlled Robotic Vehicle – Abstract.
11. Metal Detector Robotic Vehicle – Abstract.

You may get the block diagram and output video details of the above projects along with the abstract by clicking on the “abstract” links.

Please check the below Robotics Live Projects

Line Following Robotic Vehicle

A Line Following Robot is a robot which follows a certain path on which it moves. The path can be a black path on a white floor or a magnetic field. These robots are being used in a variety of applications from being a guide at public places to automatic vehicles. Here a Line Following robotic vehicle is developed which is made to move on a curved black path sensed by a pair of sensors for each motor.

Here the robotic vehicle consists of two motors and the DC supply to each motor is controlled using a transistor which acts as a switch. A pair of sensors each comprising of an IR LED and a photodiode are placed beneath the circuit. The white floor is sensed by the sensors and the motors are given the rotation accordingly. At the turning, on encountering the black path, one of motors stop rotating with the sensor input. The sensor works on the principle that when light from the IR LED falls on the white surface it gets reflected and this reflected light when falls on the photodiode, reduces its resistance so as to control the conduction of the motor switch.

Metal Detector Robotic Vehicle

A robotic vehicle is designed which serves the purpose of detecting metals. Such robots can be used to detect landmines at places. Landmines are explosive devices which are placed under the ground and it is very dangerous to detect those manually using metal detectors. Here a metal detector is embedded to the robot circuit and the robot is controlled using RF communication.

At the transmitter side, number of push buttons is interfaced to the microcontroller to provide required motion to the robot. When any button is pressed the command is send to the microcontroller which delivers a binary data for the button and the parallel data is converted to serial data using encoder and this command is transmitted using RF module.

At the receiver side, this command is decoded by the Decoder and based on the command; microcontroller gives relevant signals to the motor driver to drive the two motors to give the robot the desired motion. A metal detector is embedded to the circuit which detects any metal and accordingly gives an indication using a buzzer.

Obstacle Avoidance Robotic Vehicle

A robot can be controlled either by detecting the environment on its own or manually using a remote or any other means. Here a fully automatic robot is developed which senses the area around it and accordingly moves. A sensor arrangement is embedded which senses any objects ahead of it and accordingly the robot changes its direction to avoid any collision. Such robotic vehicles can be used at places like sanctuaries etc.

Ultrasonic sensor is used to detect presence of any obstacle. These sensors work on the principle of reflection of ultrasonic waves by the objects which is received by the sensors and converted to electrical signals. On receiving any interruption signal, the microcontroller thus gives proper command to the motor driver such that one of the motor is stopped and other motor rotates, giving a change in direction to the robot.

Pick N Place Robotic Vehicle with Soft Catching Gripper

A robotic vehicle can be used to pick up objects and place it accordingly. For this purpose the robots consist of end effectors whose moment is controlled accordingly using motors. The robotic vehicle is controlled remotely by a set of buttons using RF communication.

At the transmitter side, a keypad is interfaced to the microcontroller and when a relevant key is pressed, the microcontroller generates a binary code for that key and this binary code is converted to serial form and sends through a RF module and an RF antenna.

At the receiver, two motors are used to give relevant motion to the robotic vehicle and another two motors are used to control the movement of the gripper to hold any object and place it on the desired place. The commands send from the transmitter are decoded and used by the microcontroller to give proper signals to the motor driver ICs.

RF Controlled Robotic Vehicle with LASER Beam Arrangement

One of the major applications of Robotics is in military. They can be used to survey enemy lands, detect and destroy targets.  A Robot can be embedded with a LASER gun which can emit strong focused monochromatic light that can actually harm the targets or produce a spot on the target to make them easier to be detected. Here a simple prototype of such a robotic vehicle is designed which is embedded with a LASER pen and controlled using RF communication.

War Field Spying Robot with Night Vision Camera

A robotic vehicle is designed which consists of a wireless camera that can take images even in dark and wireless transmit these images to a TV receiver unit. These robots are frequently used in military to spy on enemy lands and send the information to the controlling unit. Here this robot is controlled using RF communication by a set of push buttons.

Fire Fighting Robotic Vehicle

Robots can be used in many hazardous situations like when a fire accident occurs. Here such a prototype is demonstration which consists of a water pipe with a nozzle and a pump.  The movement of the robot as well the spraying of water by the nozzle is controlled remotely using a set of push buttons and the commands are transmitted the robot through RF communication.

Line Following Robotic Vehicle with Microcontroller

Here a line following robotic vehicle is designed which is controlled using a microcontroller. Here one pair of sensors are used to sense the path and based on the input, the microcontroller gives proper commands to the motor driver IC to drive the motors accordingly.

Touch Screen based Remote Controlled Robotic Vehicle for Stores Management

Here a pick and place robot is developed which is controlled using RF communication. A touch screen panel is used to give commands which are transmitted and received by the robot to give proper motion to the robot in the desired direction and control the pick and place operation.

Auto Metro Train that Shuttles between Two Stations

An automatic train is developed with automatic start and stop mechanism such that the train stops at a particular station and starts moving after a certain time. It also consists of a mechanism to automatically open and close the door and counts the number of persons entering the train.

List of some more robotics projects ideas for engineering students:

• Accelerometer (Gyroscope) Controlled Robot
• Radio Frequency (RF) Controlled Wireless Robot
• Voice operated robot with speaker identification technology
• Computer controlled Pic and Place Robot (wired or wireless)
• Zigbee controlled Boat with wireless video and voice transmission with night vision capability
• Autonomous Robot with artificial vision for obstacle detection
• Smoke and LPG Gas detection robot with wireless control
• Visible light follower Robot
• Android mobile phone controlled bluetooth robot
• Wireless operated War field spying Robot with night vision wireless camera
• Construction of flying Quad Rotor Chopper with Video camera surveillance system
• Digital Compass and GPS based self navigating Robot
• Bomb detection Robot
• DTMF based humanless Robotic boat control for ocean research application
• Wifi robot controlled from Android smart mobile phone
• Wireless room freshener spraying robot with video vision
• DTMF based Mobile phone controlled Robot
• flying Quad robot chopper with wireless video camera
• GPS and Digital Compassed based self navigating robot
• Bomb displacing robot with wireless video camera controlled form PC/Laptop
• GSM (SMS) Mobile Phone Controlled Intelligent Robot
• Wireless Voice and image transmission robot for surveillance system
• Infrared Light tracing Robot (TV Remote controlled)
• Live Human detection and alerting Robot
• Micro Electro Mechanical Sensor (MEMS) Accelerometer/Gyroscope based self-balancing robot
• Mobile phone Bluetooth operated robot
• Mobile phone controlled four-legged walking robot with speed and direction control
• Obstacle detection robot with mechanical sensing switches
• Obstacle detection Robot with Ultrasonic Sensors
• PC Controlled Wired Robot
• Wireless operated war field land Rover that alerts on sensing planted Land Mines
• Human-robot interface using robust speech recognition
• PC controlled wireless Multipurpose robot
• Wireless operated Fire extinguisher Robot with water jet spray
• Remote Controlled Land Rover
• Robot Controlled Wireless Audio-Video Streaming Camera
• Servo motor controlled wireless video camera control system
• Wall Follower Robot
• speech controlled wireless elevator system
• Speech recognition robot with ultrasonic obstacle avoidance system
• Touch Screen Controlled intelligent robot
• Voice operated Intelligent Fire extinguisher vehicle