Contents

Preface

Acknowledgments

1 Tinkering

Tinkering Is Not a Waste of Time

Tinkering with Game Boy Advance

Tinkering with MAME Arcade

Tinkering with 3D

Tinkering with Arduino

Tinkering Can Get You a Job

2 Building a NERF Niche

The Sentinel Project

The Design

The Blaster

The Base

The Code

3 Processing Crash Course

What’s Processing?

Getting Processing

Installing Processing on Mac OS X

Installing Processing on Windows

Hello, Circle!

More Circles!

Save the Ellipses!

Don’t Skimp on Structure

Let’s Draw

4 Arduino Crash Course

What’s a Microcontroller?

So Use a Desktop or Laptop, Right?

What Connects to Microcontrollers?

Types of Arduino Boards

Anatomy of an Arduino

Dream, Create, Deploy

Getting Started

It’s Go Time!

What You’ll Need

Installing the Software

Blinky Blink

Wiring an Arcade Button

What You’ll Need

Making Things Move

“Awesometer”

What You’ll Need

But Wait. There’s More!

Awesome. We’re Done

5 Motion Detection

What You’ll Need

Motion-Sensing Methodology

PIR Sensors

Image-Based Detection in Processing

Computer Vision

Facial Detection with OpenCV

6 Tinkering Pays Off

Project Blueprint: The MailChimp Feces Flinger

The Concept

Project Requirements

Design and Build

Software and Video Streaming

Delivery

The Takeaways

The Feces Flinger—What Went Right

The Feces Flinger—What Warranted Another Look

The Feces Flinger—Lessons Learned

7 Foam Dart Blaster Hackery

Components

Optional Upgrades

Analog Tools

Blaster Selection

The Big Chart

Weight Removal

Option 1: Lithium-Ion Battery Modification

Option 2: Make the Battery Tray External

Option 3: Power-Adapter Modification

Fire Control

8 Blaster Brains and Eyes

Autonomous Turret, Assemble!

Pan as in Rotation System

It’s Webcam Time

Down to the Wiring

Mouse Movement = Servo Movement

Blaster Coding for Processing

Blaster Coding for Arduino

9 Autonomous Avenger Armed

All Systems Enabled

HUDs, GUIs, and FUIs

Tips and Tricks

10 Leveling Up

Cutting the Cords

Manual Control

Death Blossom

Even More Awesome

A Parts List

B The Sentinel Project Build

Instructions for the Prototype Build

Building the Base

C Applied Warfare Tactics

Flanking

Diversion

Choke Point

D Tales from the Toolbox

Save Time, Save Money

Board Up Your Toolbox

Upgrade to a Combo?

Powering Your Project

Blaster Augmentation

Alternate Input

Fancy Up

Index