Get a kick out of tinkering with electronics? Me too! But if you're anything like me, finding the time to start and hopefully finish an electronics project from scratch can be hard. With kids to feed and entertain, a career to stay on top of, a house to keep, and a dozen other daily responsibilities, chances to sit down and concentrate with a soldering iron are few and far between.

Wouldn't it be awesome if there were some kind of open-source hardware and software bundle that made hobbyist electronics easy and affordable? Lucky for you and me, there is! Enter the Arduino.

Not only does the Arduino system make learning fun, it gives you all of the tools and programs you need to get started and actually make progress. To summarize? It's AWESOME!

But wait, what the heck is it?

Officially, the Arduino is an open-source electronics prototyping system, but at it's core, it's basically a nifty little PLC (programmable logic controller). A PLC is a small computer that has architecture designed to interact with the outside world. Using a PLC, you can program it to do things like check sensors, trigger events, and manipulate electronic components like lights, fans, and motors.

Arduino is an open-source electronics platform based on easy-to-use hardware and software. Arduino boards are able to read inputs - light on a sensor, a finger on a button, or a Twitter message - and turn it into an output - activating a motor, turning on an LED, publishing something online..

So, let's look at some neat things you can create using an Arduino!

The Maker Bot

The Maker Bot is a 3D printer that uses two Arduinos to control various aspects of the device, including moving the motors and ejecting molten plastic in order to form physical models from digital designs.

Wii Nunchuck Controlled Labyrinth Game

Connect a Nintendo Wii Nunchuck to your Arduino and trigger a pair of motors attached to one of those neat labyrinth games for an extra level of difficulty and fun!

"Puff" the Robotic Dragon

Yes! Robots are so cool, and you can definitely use an Arduino to program them. Check out this guy's website to see some of the sweet stuff they're working on.

DIY Voltmeter

Connect your Arduino to a couple of testing wires and bluetooth to your mobile device for a do-it-yourself voltmeter.

The Laser Harp

How cool is that?! It's like a weird mix between a laser-light-show and a theremin.

Automatic Dog Feeder

Fido will never go hungry again! Controlled by an Arduino UNO and motor shield. Food is dispensed in adjustable batch sizes. Water is dispensed via a lawn irrigation solenoid valve in combination with simple dip probes.

Arduino as a Video Game Console

Who needs Nintendo? Just build your own video game console from an Arduino!

Autonomous Multi-copter Controller

The Baker Tweet

Hands too sticky from baking fresh bread? No problem! Just turn a dial and hit a button, and all of your favorite bakery fanatics can get a Twitter alert that the buns are coming out of the oven!

HubNub Home Automation Demo

Give you house a mind of its own!