The X10 protocol for communication among electronic devices used for home automation, and like most things can easily interface with an Arduino for adding more control or monitoring applications. Although the final result of the following project might seem odd, the project in itself is an interesting demonstration of X10 and Arduino for light control. Michael LeBlanc's "Shy Light" project uses two Arduino-compatible circuits to control an X10 power line interface and a lamp control module - for a light that dims and turns off once exposed to the outside world. For example:
Odd - but well documented for those interested in X10, including schematics and sketches. And for more, we're on twitter and Google+, so follow us for news and product updates as well.
If you're wanting to reproduce the project above - you'll need a an ATmega328P MCUs with Arduino Uno bootloader:
This is the same Atmel AVR ATmega328P microcontroller used in the official Arduino Uno, as well as our Eleven, EtherTen, USBDroid, and other boards. Perfect for building your own Arduino-compatible project directly on a breadboard or on a custom PCB, or for replacing the MCU in an existing board. Comes with the Arduino Uno bootloader pre-installed. Better still, it even has a special label stuck on top with details of the pinout, so you don't even need to look up the datasheet when connecting it up in your project! For more information and to order, click here!
