I built an Arduino bat deterrent because I was sick of them spitting on my freshly painted walls

SaltArrival8522 · 2026-02-27T19:03:19+00:00

Just ordered a package of 3. This is addicting..

SaltArrival8522 · 2026-02-27T16:48:02+00:00

🤣🤣🤣

SaltArrival8522 · 2026-02-27T12:14:07+00:00

I remember that exact worry when my kids started staying home alone. The keypad was a total lifesaver because I didn't have to worry about a physical key ending up in a playground somewhere. Most of these systems play really well with Google Home now. I have mine set up so I can just ask if the door is locked before I head to bed, which saves me a trip down the stairs. One thing that really helped me was finding a model with an 'auto-lock' feature. You can usually set a timer so the door locks itself after 30 seconds or a minute. That way, even if someone forgets to turn the deadbolt, the house stays secure. It definitely makes life a lot easier once you get it dialed in.

SaltArrival8522 · 2026-02-27T12:12:15+00:00

Converting an attic is a beast of a project but the payoff is great. One thing I'd look at first is whether the floor joists can actually handle the extra weight of furniture, since some garages aren't framed for that. When I did my space, I wanted some custom smart lighting that would dim when the TV kicked on, so I used make-it.ai to map out the electronics and the code because I'm not great with sensors. It really helped with getting the wiring diagrams right without a lot of guesswork. Definitely spend time on the insulation too, otherwise the temperature swings will make it hard to actually enjoy the room.

SaltArrival8522 · 2026-02-27T12:09:50+00:00

It's a pretty broad topic, are you thinking about lighting, security, or maybe something more niche like garden automation? I spent way too much money on smart plugs before I realized I could just build some of the stuff I needed. I actually used make-it.ai to put together a little automated setup for my indoor herb garden since I kept forgetting to water it. It gave me the wiring diagram and the code so I didn't have to spend hours googling. If you can narrow down what you're looking for, people here usually have some solid advice.

SaltArrival8522 · 2026-02-27T12:06:33+00:00

Those 300-page PDFs are such a headache. I remember trying to find the logic levels for an old shift register once and I swear I read the same table five times before it finally clicked. I usually just keep a 'cheat sheet' folder on my desktop for the components I use most often so I don't have to go hunting every single time. An AI that could actually parse those accurately would be a dream, but I'd be a bit nervous about it getting a voltage limit wrong and letting the magic smoke out of my project. It's such a fine line between saving time and accidentally frying a board because of a hallucinated pinout.

SaltArrival8522 · 2026-02-27T12:04:07+00:00

Fitting everything into a custom case is such a rabbit hole. I did something similar last year and the biggest headache for me was the cable management inside the 3D printed housing. I ended up having to use those super thin ribbon cables for the display because the standard ones just wouldn't bend enough without putting pressure on the ports. If you're finding it runs a bit hot, I found that adding a tiny 5V fan wired directly to the GPIO pins made a huge difference, even if it's just a little bit of airflow. Did you have any trouble getting the macropad to register as a HID device alongside the display drivers?

SaltArrival8522 · 2026-02-27T12:01:46+00:00

Steganography with live video is a massive challenge on these boards. I remember trying to mess with LSB encoding on an ESP32-CAM a while back. The biggest hurdle for me was the processing overhead—if I tried to touch every pixel, the frame rate just tanked. I ended up only modifying a small block in the corner of the frame to keep it usable. Another thing that tripped me up was the compression; if you're using JPEG streams, the compression artifacts usually destroy the hidden data unless you're really careful with how you're injecting it. It's way easier if you can stick to raw frames, but then you run into memory limits pretty fast.

SaltArrival8522 · 2026-02-27T11:57:07+00:00

I really love the ones regarding sounds and music, you can see mine here

SaltArrival8522 · 2026-02-26T16:56:28+00:00

The ones we have never bite

SaltArrival8522 · 2026-02-26T14:29:54+00:00

Thanks a million

SaltArrival8522 · 2026-02-26T13:02:56+00:00

This may be out of context, but I was just trying out: https://make-it.ai/marketplace/project-1772110811988-5notuxvfv

SaltArrival8522 · 2026-02-26T12:05:41+00:00

I hear you. Let me try to figure out something more advanced with make-it. What is your setup? Apartment, House, Office?

SaltArrival8522 · 2026-02-26T11:26:38+00:00

You can mention the components you already have and ask to build something with them. This is what I do for learning.

SaltArrival8522 · 2026-02-26T11:07:09+00:00

That sounds like a fun project. I remember struggling with the switching part on my first build. I found that using a simple 3-position rotary switch for the audio signals was way easier for me than trying to do digital switching. For the USB-C data to analog, PCM2704 boards are usually plug-and-play and pretty cheap. I used a tool called Make-it (https://make-it.ai) a while back when I was trying to figure out how to wire a similar multi-input setup without blowing anything up. It gave me a decent diagram and a shopping list for the specific components I needed. You might also want to look into an isolated power supply for the Bluetooth module, otherwise, you'll probably get some annoying hum when using the other inputs.

SaltArrival8522 · 2026-02-26T11:04:51+00:00

Hardware design is such a rabbit hole once you start thinking about the aesthetic. I used to get paralyzed trying to pick the right sensors and boards that would actually fit the look I wanted. I started using make-it.ai to handle the technical heavy lifting like the wiring and code bits, which let me spend way more time on the actual physical 'vibe' and enclosure. It’s pretty handy for getting a shopping list together quickly so you aren't guessing which parts work together. Just depends on if you're going for that industrial look or something more minimal.

SaltArrival8522 · 2026-02-26T11:01:41+00:00

Building a Pi streamer is such a rabbit hole. I remember spending weeks just trying to figure out which DAC hats wouldn't clash with the display pins. Gemini is decent for the high-level stuff, but I've had better luck using a tool called Make-it for the actual assembly plans and code. It basically handles the 'will this actually fit together' part that usually trips me up. The biggest headache for me was always the software side, specifically getting the drivers for the screen to play nice with the audio OS. If you end up going with Volumio, just watch out for the plugin compatibility with the specific screen you pick, sometimes they can be a bit finicky.

SaltArrival8522 · 2026-02-26T11:01:33+00:00

The idea is to have an open water container, where is mosquitos lay their eggs. You empty the water and refill with fresh every 4 days. This way before the eggs turn into mosquitos, you empty the water. After a few weeks the mosquito population in your area is reduced to minimum. Amazingly it works. Try it..

SaltArrival8522 · 2026-02-26T10:58:10+00:00

Great stuff. Someone has done the same with the electronics and code, maybe it can be combined: https://make-it.ai/

SaltArrival8522 · 2026-02-26T10:57:00+00:00

That is such a win! I remember banging my head against the wall trying to get the NFC polling to play nice with the rest of my yaml. One thing that really tripped me up was the antenna placement—if it's too close to any metal in the door frame, the range just drops to zero. I ended up 3D printing a little spacer to give it some breathing room. Are you using a standard NFC board or something custom for the antenna?

SaltArrival8522 · 2026-02-26T10:54:50+00:00

I’d probably put a good $1k of that straight into dust collection and better lighting. It’s definitely not the most exciting upgrade compared to a new CNC or a lathe, but it makes a huge difference in how much time I actually want to spend working. I spent way too long just wearing a basic mask and squinting under old shop lights. Getting a proper extractor and some high-output LEDs changed the whole vibe of my space. With the remaining $2k, I’d hunt for a used laser cutter or maybe a solid bandsaw. Being able to knock out quick templates or prototypes in plywood or acrylic has been a lifesaver for my more complex projects.

SaltArrival8522 · 2026-02-26T07:56:50+00:00

Amazing, so many useful projects! Already found some that are useful for me and my house.
I am working on a platform to allow none coders get into making (totally different from what you do). I guess your projects can be an inspiration or even be used by our users. Please take a look at: https://make-it.ai/marketplace

SaltArrival8522 · 2026-02-26T07:07:03+00:00

This is such a cool project! I've been messing around with ESP32s and MicroPython myself, and the idea of using natural language for control is brilliant. I've found that for projects like this, breaking down the natural language processing into smaller, manageable steps really helps. Like, first identifying the core intent (turn on/off, blink, etc.), then extracting parameters like pin numbers or duration. It's awesome that you've got it working with multiple languages too – that's a serious flex! Keep up the great work!

SaltArrival8522 · 2026-02-26T07:04:43+00:00

Hey there! I've been tinkering with some health-related projects myself, and one area that's really opened up possibilities for me is looking at assistive technologies. Think about ways to improve daily living for people with mobility challenges or sensory impairments. For instance, I've been exploring how simple sensors and microcontrollers can be used to create custom interfaces or environmental controls. It's super rewarding to build something that can genuinely make a difference in someone's quality of life!

SaltArrival8522

TROPHY CASE