Speedometer Calibration / DeMetrification

[CrankyOldMan]

Originally Posted by CTScott

That would be a more fun project than the one I had to do 20+ years ago using a Motorola HC6811 microcontroller. My professor owned a lumber mill and our project was to simulate a control system (with PID control of the heating) for his lumber kiln using a toaster oven. We spent many late evenings in the lab writing code, drinking beer, and precisely cooking frozen pizza.

The project used to be an open-ended "you choose it, you build it" paradigm, but some students were getting in WAY over their heads and not passing the course, while others were making something far too simple and walking away with an A. The solution last year? "Here's a list of common hand-held electronic device functions. Choose three. Go." The net result was things like audio playback with accelerometer response and short audio recording, etc. The solution this year? "Build an Arduino-based RC hovercraft for < $100. Go."

What family of micros do they have you working with?

We start off with a Spartan3E FPGA, then move up to ATMEL Atmega644 and/or Arduino Uno. I'm trying to also use a PICAXE M2 in our controller, since they're cheap, low-power and super small (DIP-8 with 6 I/O pins!). What did you use for this little beasty?