Twin Triac AC Switch on DP5050 PCB

Two triacs switched by zero-crossing optocoupled drivers act as solid state relays on a Dangerous Prototypes standard size PCB.

Stripboard PID Arduino Shield, Part 4: Thermocouple Interface

The diagram shows how to connect an Adafruit MAX31855 breakout board to the stripboard Arduino PID shield. Vin should connect to the 5V pin and DO, CS, and CLK to A0, A1, and A2 respectively. Connect a K thermocouple in the screw terminals. If the temperature reading goes down when it should go up, switch the thermocouple wires around.

Stripboard PID Arduino Shield, Part 3: Serial Interface

The graphical user interface allows every feature of the Arduino PID controller shield to be governed remotely via the serial interface. A powerful additional feature is the ability to set multi-stage temperature profiles for applications where the set point changes over time.

Stripboard PID Arduino Shield, Part 2: Firmware

Install the code base for the stripboard Arduino PID shield and get started using it as a standalone temperature controller.

Stripboard PID Arduino Shield, Part 1: Hardware

This easy-to-make shield converts your Arduino into a full-featured PID controller.

LED Dimmer PWM Hack

This cheap dimmer is designed to blink LEDs with a variable duty cycle. The default frequency can be altered by swapping out a single capacitor. 20 kHz makes a whine-free speed control for a DC motor, 1 Hz gives slow PWM for high power resistive heating loads.

Solid State Relay Module

This solid state relay propels a puny logic signal into the big time, switching up to 20 Amps of mains electricity.

Automatic Flowerpot Smoker

Can't afford a Big Green Egg? You can build a ceramic smoker from a flowerpot in a matter of minutes — Alton Brown showed how on "Good Eats". Here I show how to add temperature control to your flowerpot smoker so that you can "set it and forget it". With automatic heating you can take the fiddling and guesswork out of using your smoker... and still have an excuse to hang out in the garden drinking beer.