Here we go. As I mentioned a few days ago, I’m horsing around with analog input to my Arduino, in the form of input via a solar cell. For the win. It turns out, that I’m getting far better with my casual electronics experimentation…I will chalk this one up as a win…My basic set-up is this…Radio Shack solar cell, breadboard, florescent light source, Arduino, and a notebook.
Step 1: Gauge light source via multimeter
1.7 V…no need to toss in a resister, as the Arduino can handle 5V without issue. Good to go.
Step 2: Interface with Arduino via breadboard
This could have been a direct setup, but for the sake of not soldering a solid lead to my solar cell array, I chose to twist the crap out of the existing + and - leads of the wire outs on the unit, and cram them into the breadboard. USB connected to the Arduino, of course.
Step 3: Chop in some code for the Arduino
This was the tricky part…not that tricky, however:
void setup() {
Serial.begin(9600);
}
void loop() {
int v = analogRead(0);
Serial.print(v);
Serial.print(' ');
delay(900);
}
Note the lack of comments? I’m a flipping math dude, so that is wholly optional in my book. Long story short, Wiring is a stripped cousin of C++…I have to void setup and loop here, since I am not concerned with anything once I let ’er rip. I will touch on the programming specifics at a later date, but inquiring minds can find this info quite easily on the Arduino project’s main page, or on Wikipedia. Knock your socks off. I added the delay for sake of real-time monitoring, and matched the baud rate to which I had configured my USB connection. ttyUSB0 would be that in question…9600 would be the rate.
Step 4: Read input via serial monitor
As you can see, it is pretty much constant, with some fluctuation due to my set-up. Noisy, yes. Cheap components, yes.
Step 5: Testing ‘zero’ state
Here, I have employed my box of smokes. American Spirit Lights, to be precise.
Step 6: Gauge system
Here, I’m altering between ‘on’ and ‘off’ states. I start with the ‘off’ (smokes on solar panel) configuration for a time, remove the box to open the system to ‘max input’ for appx 7 secs, and then place the box to remove the input energy.
Most definitely for the win…with the experimental noise, that could be considered effectively zero. For the win. In summation, I have read in analog, as intended. Lessons learned? Pretty straight forward I suppose. My cheap-o solar cell is rated for a max of 6V, which I was far under. If I was to use this setup with a stronger light source, I would need to take this into consideration. I didn’t perform any data transformation, as I was not concerned with ‘actual voltage input values’ in this case…merely relative. Most importantly, I was able to knock out the task I had set out to do. Hopefully, I can ride my EE high and get cranking on something awesome, like a netbook robot. With some lasers.
I managed to find some pretty slick stuff at LifeInsuranceStar. Not only the normal 
I spent some time checking out the 
Stay tuned for further details
Whereas my scenarios are quite secure and specific, there exists a need for more secure, wide ranging remote access solutions. How about some 256-bit encryption? Like industry leading [link removed] With a secure system like that, you can troubleshoot other people’s computers remotely, with confidence for both the client and operator. Same is true for work collaboration. The flow of ideas is far easier to channel via a remote connection, be it a single user driving the discussion, or even with multiple users rolling simultaneously. Another use is a little less conventional. You can utilize the remote desktop set-up to act as a file share system. Multiple users, remotely rolling files in and out of a ‘server’ machine remotely via the interwebs. Not too bad of an idea at all, if you ask me. Hit one of those links to read more. I’m going to attempt to remotely access Katie’s notebook, through a remote connection from my netbook, from a remote connection to my notebook. +1 bonus degree of separation
Mad MS Paint skillz. +1 small dog
Truckbot is autonomous…the little sucker won’t drive off the edge of a table, even if user prompts it to. This may be a violation of one of Assimov’s robot rules…go look it up. No time to blog…must continue drooling over this.
Might help. I did think this was pretty epic. 
I’d say that if you are zero feet tall, then maybe you should not be looking for insurance. Or, you should be looking for a great deal of insurance. Might be time to look into a talk show career, and then into the 
Awesome. Here is the run-down. Or, in hip-hop speak, the ‘haps.’ Every possible situation I could imagine encountering could be made better with a Jay-Z ringtone. Peep these haps. Call from work – It’s a Hard Knock Life. Instead of treated, we get tricked…instead of kisses, we get kicked. Call from Kate – 99 Problems. I do in fact have 99 problems, but a b ain’t one. Call from parents – New York State of Mind. I bet they would like some Alicia Keys. She sings nicely. Call from Zig – Money Ain’t a Thing. He is always broke as a joke. See? Awesome. Young Hov would approve.
-1 boring -1 small head three and three-quarter stars
Well, I still ride dirty in the Yukon. I’d like to ride cheap and dirty, so there I find myself doing things like this. I stumbled upon NetQuote, and ran through the info gauntlet. Stumbling upon this guy… 
Some high school? You better have some damned high school education before you get all keyboard happy and start firing your personal data into a form. Or alternatively, you should be provided with a pop-up ‘go back to damned school, idiot, then look for some damned insurance’ box. But again, I digress. Well, long story shorter, I didn’t bite. I am paying too much for the Yukon’s insurance, but I am saving a ton with my currant renter’s/Katie’s ring insurance policy. You win some you lose some. At least I am still not horsing around with