Look, Ma, No Computer!
Microcontrollers on
the Internet
The first response that comes to many people’s minds after building
a project like the networked cat bed in Chapter 3 is: “Great, but
how can I do this without needing to connect to my computer?”
It’s cumbersome to have to attach the microcontroller to a laptop
or desktop computer just to enable it to connect to the Internet.
After all, as you saw in Chapter 3, Internet message protocols are just
text strings, and microcontrollers are good at sending short text
strings. So in this chapter, you’ll learn how to connect a microcontroller
to the internet through a device that’s not much more complex than
the Bluetooth radio modem you used in Chapter 2.
4
MAKE: PROJECTS
Uncommon Projects' YBox (http://ybox.tv) puts RSS feeds on your TV using an Xport serial-to-ethernet
module and a Propeller microchip. Image courtesy of Uncommon Projects.
Making_Things_Talk.indb 115 11/13/09 4:52 PM

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