Although the watch isn’t available in kit form, the designers have published all the PCB schematic and design files so you can have your own PCBs made up, and the Arduino sketch is available to get the watch operational. Here is an example in action:

From a quick observation this isn’t a project for the absolute beginner, however it is an excellent exercise in product manufacturing on a tiny scale – as you work through having the PCB made, part sourcing, assembly and programming. For more information visit the watch project page: http://wiki.makerbot.com/makerbot-watch.

Not only does it allow walk-around control (with a long cable) you can control speed, acceleration/deceleration rates, set maximum speeds, enjoy cruise control, roll to stop and more. This would also be great for allowing children to use the control – you can limit the maximum speed to avoid a scale tragedy.

Watch the following video for a quick demonstration of the control features: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68a0-eaYnDE

The ability to control trains in this manner offers the ability to combine many functions into the one piece of portable hardware, and also create your own versions of control. For more information review the project page here:

By following the tutorial by Instructables user ‘Uncoventionalhacker’ you can transplant the hardware from almost any donor wireless mouse to bring that old mouse back to a second useful life. If possible, use a Bluetooth mouse as this will allow use with a greater variety of PCs without needing specific dongles at the computer end.

Nevertheless the modification is quite simple and involves carefully removing the old mechanical ball-reading circuitry from the original mouse, then moving the same assembly from the new, laser mouse. Be sure to heed the instructions with regards to preparing the donor board and especially holding down the laser tracking lens – otherwise it won’t work correctly once transplanted.

With some older mice such as the Apple one shown below – there is only one button. However with Windows-based PCs there is software you can download to emulate a second button, or with some very careful drilling and modification – you could split the large button into two. So to get started, check out the project page here:

The hardware is very simple, considering the Raspberry Pi has GPIO ports that can be easily controlled. Therefore the only remaining interface is a simple relay circuit between the GPIO and the lights themselves. The only caveat is that you may be working with mains current with the traffic lights, so ensure the work is completed by a licensed electrician. And for the final product, watch the demonstration in the following video:

Even if you don’t use the monitoring software as the project author does, the tutorial is still a great look at controlling 230V devices using a Raspberry Pi. With the appropriate python script the lights could display email inbox status, twitter responses or even stock market alerts. So to get started check out the project page here:

http://www.kmggroup.ch/?p=204

The magic is within a tiny IC called the MSGEQ7 - this converts the audio from a music player into digital signals that represent the volume of one of seven frequency bands that can be processed by the Arduino – in effect, becoming a spectrum analyser. Then the Arduino can drive the RGB LEDs in whatever effects take your fancy. It could also detect gaps in the music playback (for example, between tracks) and display different effects to keep the buzz happening. Check the following video for demonstration and inspiration:

Furthermore the whole thing can be controlled using infrared – perfect for mingling and changing the lights at the same time. Another use of the system could be a simple loudness meter – if you need a “crowd vote” on a subject – the volume can be measured and related to the lights. Then the louder the crowd, the more lights turn on. With some imagination a lot of fun can be had. So to get started visit the Nuewire blog – http://nuewire.com/2011/09/eq-pixels/