DIY Home Automation With NodeMCU and Amazon Alexa

If you read my last tutorial on DIY Home Automation with the LinkNode R4 and Amazon Alexa you already know the jist of this tutorial, but instead of using a purpose built board this time, I am going to walk you through the steps to accomplish the same thing using a NodeMCU and a 4-channel relay board. As with every home automation tutorial here at The Makers Workbench, the purpose of both of these tutorials is not to show you how to fully integrate the system into your home's infrastructure, but to give you a starting point of how to control Mains AC powered devices using low-voltage DC devices.  [node:read-more:link]

Trigger A Servo With A Ping Sensor

This weeks tutorial revisits some of our past experiences with the HC-SR04 Ultrasonic sensor, and adds in a new element, the Servo! I decided to write up this tutorial as a resource for the students in my Young Makers class to follow in a project they are currently working on.  [node:read-more:link]

Illuminating NeoPixels with an HC-SR04 Ultrasonic Distance Sensor

This is a really quick tutorial that will show you how to illuminate a sign when someone walks past it. I decided to write this simple tutorial after I hear one of my favorite makers, Jimmy Diresta, mention on a podcast that he has had clients ask him how to do something similar. Jimmy said that he knew that you could use an Arduino to do this, but was unsure of just how to pull it off.  [node:read-more:link]

The use of flux when soldering electronics is one of the fundamental skills that everyone who thinks of picking up a hot soldering iron should have. A lot of times, those new to soldering think that the application of flux is not a necessary component of the soldering process. Judging by the emails I get, this is mainly because of two reasons. They watched a youtube video of an inexperienced kid solder two wires together using $5 pencil iron and plumbing solder then state that flux core solder is all that is needed. The other reason I hear most often is that flux is too expensive for the average hobbyist. We paid $15 for the 2 flux pens we purchased last and $25 for the jar of liquid flux we purchased before that. Today we are going to show you how to create your own flux and create a large quanitity for much less than you would spend by purchasing it premade.

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