One day I fertilizing my yard and thinking about what my next project should be. After about an hour of trying to get the rate set correctly on the fertilizer spreader, and uncomfortably reaching behind me to turn it on and off manually I decided there had to be an easier way.
So I decided to automate the process with an Arduino and a stepper motor. Check out the video below. Now all I have to do is press a button to turn it on and off, and use a knob to adjust the rate.
Panel Mount 10K potentiometer (Breadboard Friendly) – 10K Linear: This potentiometer is a two-in-one, good in a breadboard or with a panel. Its a fairly standard linear taper 10K ohm potentiometer, with a grippy shaft. Its smooth and easy to turn, but not so loose that it will shift on its own. We like this one because the legs are 0.2″ apart with pin-points, so you can plug it into a breadboard or perfboard. Once you’re done prototyping, you can drill a hole into your project box and mount the potentiometer that way. (Read more)
Each Monday is ArduinoMonday here at Adafruit! Be sure to check out our posts, tutorials and new Arduino related products. Adafruit manufactures the Arduino right here in the United States in cooperation with arduino.cc. We have a huge selection of Arduino accessories and all the code and tutorials to get you up and running in no time!
Adafruit publishes a wide range of writing and video content, including interviews and reporting on the maker market and the wider technology world. Our standards page is intended as a guide to best practices that Adafruit uses, as well as an outline of the ethical standards Adafruit aspires to. While Adafruit is not an independent journalistic institution, Adafruit strives to be a fair, informative, and positive voice within the community – check it out here: adafruit.com/editorialstandards
Stop breadboarding and soldering – start making immediately! Adafruit’s Circuit Playground is jam-packed with LEDs, sensors, buttons, alligator clip pads and more. Build projects with Circuit Playground in a few minutes with the drag-and-drop MakeCode programming site, learn computer science using the CS Discoveries class on code.org, jump into CircuitPython to learn Python and hardware together, TinyGO, or even use the Arduino IDE. Circuit Playground Express is the newest and best Circuit Playground board, with support for CircuitPython, MakeCode, and Arduino. It has a powerful processor, 10 NeoPixels, mini speaker, InfraRed receive and transmit, two buttons, a switch, 14 alligator clip pads, and lots of sensors: capacitive touch, IR proximity, temperature, light, motion and sound. A whole wide world of electronics and coding is waiting for you, and it fits in the palm of your hand.
Have an amazing project to share? The Electronics Show and Tell is every Wednesday at 7pm ET! To join, head over to YouTube and check out the show’s live chat – we’ll post the link there.
Each Monday is ArduinoMonday here at Adafruit! Be sure to check out our posts, tutorials and new Arduino related products. Adafruit manufactures the Arduino right here in the United States in cooperation with arduino.cc. We have a huge selection of Arduino accessories and all the code and tutorials to get you up and running in no time!