USE IT.
START SPREADING
THE MEWS
OPERATION
This is really easy. Simply plug in the power supply
and Ethernet cable, and flip the switch. The green
power LED should come on, and in a few seconds,
the blue network status LED, too. The code tweets
an “Up and Running” message to let you know
everything is OK. You can plug a USB cable into the
Arduino and listen in on the serial port for some
debugging.
Every time the wire makes a connection, you’ll
see a new tweet! That’s it!
VARIATIONS
You can modify this project to make almost anything send a tweet. It’s a cat toy, but there’s no
reason it can’t be converted into a Twittering dog
toy, or even a Twittering bird perch. Just substitute
a different kind of switch sensor for the bird-on-a-wire. Make a Twittering burglar alarm? Easy! Doggie
door? Sure! Twittering fish? Now that’s a challenge!
Also, you can add additional switches or sensors,
connect them to as-yet-unused pins on the Arduino,
and write some code to handle them. Think about
adding a servo to make some random rumbles, or
a speaker to simulate a bird. That should keep your
cat’s interest!
This project is still evolving, and I need to add
more parts and experiment with them before I settle
on the final Twittering toy. By the time you read this,
I hope to have modifications that check whether
your cat is sleeping or needs food, via pressure-sensitive piezos under its bed and food bowl. I also
plan to add a speaker or small motor to get the
cat’s attention. See
makezine.com/22/kittytwitty
to learn more about these modifications.
RESOURCES
Kitty Twitty project code, links, and other resources:
makezine.com/22/kittytwitty
Arduino tutorials:
arduino.cc/en/Guide/HomePage
Getting Started with Arduino by Massimo Banzi:
Maker Shed item #9780596155513,
makershed.com
Making Things Talk by Tom Igoe: Maker Shed
item #0596510519
91 Make:
