Making Things Smart - JavaScript for Microcontrollers - by Gordon Williams

Author Gordon Williams writes, "We humans have endless imaginations. 'Making' -- whether that's painting, designing, building, or programming -- can be one of the most satisfying human experiences. Standing back from a creation and thinking, 'I made that,' is one of the best feelings I know."

Whether you're into robotics or other forms of electromechanics, Make: Making Things Smart is a great, approachable resource for beginner and intermediate makers. This instructional book lays out the ABCs of programming with engaging, but inexpensive homemade projects, giving YOU a solid, hands-on foundation in Javascript and Espruino. You only need everyday household tools (and the Espruino microcontroller) for these fun devices!

We're huge fans of the Espruino - the world's first open-source JavaScript microcontroller! This little board has an STM32 microcontroller pre-programmed with Espruino all ready to go so you can start playing with Javascript-microcontrollers. The Espruino is a tiny computer with a JavaScript interpreter, allowing for instant feedback from whatever device you're working with. Simply set up your code with the Espruino and send it to the device without having to wait for the board to 'flash.'

The Espruino's fast response time has a lot of advantages. It allows for quick and easy debugging and is a great way to test your project before your big reveal. In addition, you can control the Espruino from almost anything - Windows, Mac OS, Linux, RasPi, Android, anything that can talk to a USB Serial port.

This book is a perfect partner for learning Making and Electronics and JavaScript with Espruino - it's very easy and very satisfying!

Projects in this book include:

1. What is an Electric Motor?
   1. Experiment 1: Faraday’s Motor
   2. Experiment 2: Motor with Commutator
   3. Experiment 3: Stepper Motor
   4. Experiment 4: Stepper Motor Control
   5. Experiment 5: More Stepper Motor Control
2. Stroboscope Tachometer
   1. Experiment 6: Detecting Speed
   2. Experiment 7: Stroboscope
   3. Experiment 8: Brighter Stroboscope
3. John Logie Baird’s TV
   1. Experiment 9: Persistence of Vision
   2. Experiment 10: John Logie Baird’s TV
4. Make a Simple Robot
   1. Experiment 11: Try Out a Servo Motor
   2. Experiment 12: Make a Simple Robot
   3. Experiment 13: Following Light
5. Pen Plotter
   1. Experiment 14: Pen Plotter
6. Digital Pinhole Camera
   1. Experiment 15: Making a Digital Camera
7. Printer
8. Experiment 16: Making a Printer
9. Wired Communication
   1. Experiment 17: Making an Oscilloscope
10. Cutting the Cord: Infrared
    1. Experiment 18: Making the IR Receiver
    2. Experiment 19: Decoding IR Signals
    3. Experiment 20: Using Our Decoded Signal
    4. Experiment 21: Using Our Remote Control on the Net, with dweet.io
    5. Experiment 22: Using Our Remote Control on the Net, with IFTTT
11. Cutting the Cord: Radio Signals
    1. Experiment 23: Wiring Up the Receiver
    2. Experiment 24: Wiring Up a Transmitter
    3. Experiment 25: Transmitting from Espruino
    4. Experiment 26: Decoding the Received Data
12. Connecting with WiFi
    1. Experiment 27: Adding WiFi to Your Pico
    2. Experiment 28: Testing Your Wiring
    3. Experiment 29: Connecting to WiFi
    4. Experiment 30: Sending Data to the Internet
    5. Experiment 31: Getting Data from the Internet
    6. Experiment 32: Creating a Server
13. Bluetooth Low Energy
    1. Experiment 33: Using Puck.js
    2. Experiment 34: Making a Door Opening Counter
    3. Experiment 35: Advertising Door Openings
    4. Experiment 36: Receiving Door Openings with Eddystone
14. XY Plotter
    1. Experiment 37: Making an XY Table
    2. Experiment 38: Controlling the XY Table
15. Internet-Connected Plotter
    1. Experiment 39: Internet-Connected Plotter