Student Microcontroller Design Projects

from Colorado State University’s course:
MECH307 – Introduction to Mechatronics and Measurement Systems
(here’s a video highlighting examples of what students do in the course)

These projects are among the best from 2001 to the present. They are listed in order with the more impressive and interesting projects at the top of the list.

TOP TEN OF ALL TIME

  1. commuter bike – F16 (final report, with code)
  2. inverted pendulum drink cart – S14 (final report, main program Arduino code, remote control Arduino code, Tray LEDs PIC code, modified RF24Master Arduino Library)
  3. hiking buddy – F16 (final report, with code)
  4. dog fetch machine – F13
  5. Laser Tag turret – F12 (final report)
  6. go-cart game – S16 (final report)
  7. transmission electronic shifting – F18
  8. room-cleaning robot – F16 (final report, with code)
  9. submarine – F11 (main sub PIC code, controller PIC code)
  10. wind turbine with CVT – S14

Other Projects

  1. “Whac-A-Prof” game – S13 (final report, scoreboard PIC code, coin slot PIC code)
  2. Portal Turret security robot – F15 (main Arduino code, PIC eye code, PIC guns code, Android main, activity, layout code)
  3. Nerf ball gun turret – S16 (final report)
  4. avalanche rover – S16 (final report)
    • appeared in the June ’16 issue of Makezine (see article)
  5. “Whoop” Trouble game – S15 (main Arduino code, pitches.h file for Arduino code, PIC keypad code)
  6. self-playing guitar – F15
  7. volleyball setting machine – S16
  8. frisbee launcher – F17
  9. autonomous recon robot – F18
  10. Rock’em-Sock’em Robots – S15
  11. app-controlled drink dispenser – F14 (master Arduino code, slave Arduino code, PIC code, App code)
  12. “Galactic Conquest” shooting game – F17
  13. automated coffee making system – S14
  14. laser tanks – S11
  15. portable weather station – F14 (Arduino code, PIC code)
  16. Jukebox Hero – S08
  17. multifunction slot machine – F05
  18. sign language machine – F08
  19. “Knight Rider” RC car – F17
  20. autonomous lawn mower – F18
  21. motorcycle helmet – F16
  22. marshmallow roaster – F16
  23. smart toolbox – F15
  24. LED cube – S13
  25. home brewing system – F15
  26. RC forklift – F17
  27. CNC laser engraver – S16
  28. drink temperature control table – S15
  29. RC hexapod – F18
  30. Dr. Seuss target shooting game – S14
  31. air hockey table – F18
  32. smart cane for visually impaired – F17
  33. wind turbine – F13
  34. Skeeball game – F17
  35. smart dry-erase-board car – F17
  36. laser shooting gallery – F18
  37. pool cue chalker – F16
  38. package security box – S16
  39. auto blackjack dealer – F15
  40. drink and ice dispenser – F14
  41. magic piano – F09
  42. rock-paper-scissors game – F14
  43. oral shade guide for crowns – F17
  44. study die – F15
  45. tic-tac-toe game – F16
  46. time-lapse camera slider – F16
  47. balance board tank – S15
  48. picture waterfall – geometric falling water – F10
  49. electric bike shifter and dyno – S15
  50. baseball pitching simulator – F17
  51. solar tracker – F14
  52. maze game – F14
  53. RC car obstacle course – F14
  54. mechanical PONG game – S14
  55. glove-operated hand – F11
  56. party bot – F18
  57. portable massagger – F17
  58. wine bottling system – F15
  59. Skittles sorter – S16
  60. gumball sorter and dispenser – S14
  61. T-shirt folder – F16
  62. Micro-Jackson dancing robot – F13
  63. motorized mountain board – F14
  64. Ping-Pong trainer – S15
  65. MagLev UFO game – S14
  66. bike lights – F11
  67. automated greenhouse – S15
  68. bike shifter – F11
  69. gumball trivia machine – S11
  70. bike lock and alarm – F15
  71. automated melodica – F08
  72. pancake art machine – S15
  73. variable-landscape putting green – F09
  74. guitar teacher with dual-purpose LEDs – F10
  75. Connect-Four game – F15
  76. child safety backpack – S16
  77. ferris wheel – F14
  78. sobriety test key lock box – F13
  79. Etch-a-Sketch – F11
  80. RC aiplane hand gesture controller – F12
  81. propane-powered potato launcher – F06
  82. robotic hand – S15
  83. Plachinko game – F18
  84. record player with speed feedback – F14
  85. automated xylophone – F13
  86. Tetris game – F12
  87. Corn Hole game – F13
  88. fish bowl protector – F14
  89. coin-sorting bank – S13
  90. hovercraft – F13
  91. emergency rescue arcade game – F08
  92. self-playing electric guitar – F07
  93. water-powered Tesla turbine – F08
  94. Hawaiian theme ball-drop game – S16
  95. Scaredy-BOT roaming robot – F15
  96. RC maze game – S16
  97. Nixie Tube alarm clock – S14
  98. LED fountain system – F09
  99. Pac-Man game – S13
  100. magic knock domitory door – S10
  101. record player with volume LEDs – F14
  102. ball bounce into moving hoop game – S14
  103. Bellagio fountain replica – F10
  104. multi-function LED bike lights – F12
  105. water and lights alarm clock – F11
  106. fire-fighting mobile robot – F06
  107. POV LED fan – F11
  108. automated harmonica – F10
  109. MR-fluid bike shock – S13
  110. automatic sensing prosthetic – S10
  111. Recycle bin with bar-code reader – F11
  112. CNC router – F10
  113. “Bop-It” game – F12
  114. vending machine – F09
  115. puzzle-block alarm clock – F13
  116. motorized mountain board – F08
  117. propane-boost truck – F08
  118. music mimic machine – S14
  119. carbonated beverage pourer – F13
  120. solar panel sun tracker – F12
  121. robotic snake – S12
  122. hand strength game – F12
  123. backcountry avalanche buddy – F13
  124. camera focusing system – S12
  125. pill dispenser – S13
  126. Sous Vide Cooker – F11
  127. fishing assist unit – F13
  128. circuit board tester – F09
  129. quad rotor copter – F12
  130. ice cream sundae machine – F09
  131. tank battle bots – F09
  132. pinball machine – F11
  133. claw machine – S12
  134. metal-detecting mine-sweeping robot – S13
  135. PLC infant formula machine – F09
  136. “Animal Hunt” shooting game – F09
  137. automatic dog feeder – F09
  138. voice-operated RC car – F10
  139. toolbox with touchscreen – S12
  140. Stressometer – S09
  141. automated foosball – F12
  142. sound seeking car – S11
  143. air-ride vehicle suspension – S07
  144. “Bright Write” letter teacher – S09
  145. CaddyShack golf bag – S12
  146. bean toss game – S10
  147. Pong game table – F11
  148. CSU-themed pinball machine – S08
  149. RC blimp – F08 (8.0 MB)
  150. laser spirograph – S11
  151. RC hovercraft – S09
  152. security door – F10
  153. RAM-Ride RC car
  154. auto-track-reconfigure mobile robot – F07
  155. water drop strobe
  156. gumball sorter – F11
  157. persistence-of-vision LED clock
  158. bottle uncapper – S09
  159. Pong light table – S11
  160. CNC laser cutter – S09
  161. linear drink dispenser – S11
  162. automated rootbeer pong – F10
  163. pancake alarm – F09
  164. spring-loaded cue-stick squirt tester
  165. variable surface putting green – F09
  166. security safe – F09
  167. flavored shaved ice machine – F10
  168. digital card dealer
  169. automated tool box – F11
  170. Monopoly game assistant
  171. gumdrop binary to digital learning machine – F03
  172. paintball gun aiming and shooting system – F07
  173. “BeerBot” – secure liquid dispensing system – F03
  174. pinball machine – F10
  175. water bottle filler – S13
  176. steerable lights for ATV – F12
  177. ice cream maker – F09
  178. mobile ottoman cooler – F09
  179. 4-wheel steering RC all-terrain vehicle – S09
  180. thermoelectric car console – S09
  181. paintball gun turret
  182. powertool security cabinet – S09
  183. shuffle board – F10
  184. temperature control sink – S11
  185. “Hic PICnic” carnival game
  186. drink dispenser – S11
  187. ultrasonic part cleaner – S10
  188. Batman belt – F09
  189. pneumatic cue-stick squirt tester
  190. Relaxation Station recliner – S09
  191. wind turbine
  192. glass, plastic, aluminum recycle kiosk
  193. automated paint-ball turret
  194. multifunction alarm wake-up system – F08
  195. automated plant watering system – S09
  196. Mayan fountain with sound-activated lights – F10
  197. zombie detector – F09
  198. laser pipe-cutting apparatus for fish-mouth joints
  199. frog linkage robot
  200. automated paint mixer
  201. spirited “Cam The Ram” stuffed animal – F04
  202. Electronic “Twister” game – F04
  203. searching security robot – F08
  204. off-road vehicle welded shaft straightener
  205. digital turntable for vinyl album music
  206. car door security system
  207. FormulaSAE race car electronic shifter
  208. dog door and feeder – S08
  209. walking robot
  210. soda mixer – F10
  211. automated socket retriever
  212. clock with solar system model
  213. breakfast machine – F09
  214. plant care tank
  215. Nintendo controller “Simon Says” game
  216. hot air balloon controller
  217. “Volcano Island Tiki Golf”
  218. automated beer brewing system
  219. Set-It-&-Forget-It automated dog feeder
  220. golf tee ball-placement system
  221. automated fish tank
  222. weight-based refrigerator alarm and locking system
  223. automated bike headlamp – S05
  224. smart tool box
  225. automated rootBEER dispensing and metering system
  226. rocket stabilizer
  227. motor-driven cue-stick squirt tester
  228. alarm clock with rug detector and automated window blinds
  229. pinball machine controlled by a Motorola HC12 microcontroller
  230. Greek letter “Mastermind” game
  231. lathe with stepper motors controlled by a manual pendant
  232. juice mixer
  233. RC airplane
  234. Perfect Steering simulator – S05
  235. rice transporter
  236. automatic window blind system
  237. squirting door security system
  238. draft distribution center
  239. audio CD jukebox
  240. miniature basketball HORSE game
  241. “Whac-a-mole” carnival game
  242. Field-programmble Gate Array (FPGA) controlled table tennis assistant – F04
  243. Dr. Dave Bot – F09
  244. HVAC temperature control system
  245. one-piece mechatronic Battleship game
  246. vacuum robot
  247. Southpark “AWESOMO” robot
  248. 2 DOF vibration isolation experiment
  249. binary coo-coo clock
  250. binary addition game
  251. automated blackjack dealer
  252. IR controlled search-and-rescue robot
  253. thermoelectric beverage cooler
  254. can crusher with large dc motor
  255. pneumatic aluminum can crusher
  256. car with steering wheel control panel
  257. automatic TV power-off from a seat switch
  258. “Doggie Diner” automated dog feeder
  259. mine retrieval RC car
  260. automobile automatic wiper and defroster
  261. card dealer
  262. alarm clock