I’ve been struggling to find a project I really NEED to use the Arduino for. But I got it!

Our door doesn’t close quite all the way in our entryway. There are otherwise no windows or sources of light down there other than when we turn the light on or open the door. The landlord doesn’t believe us that it’s not closing because he keeps looking at it at NIGHT WHEN YOU CANT SEE LIGHT THROUGH THE GAP… * ahem *.

I have photo-resistors to detect light and a data logging component that can record timestamps and the values from the photo-resistor. Then I can take that data and graph it on the computer using either Octave or Processing. It’s a simple project, but I can prove that the door doesn’t close!

And then I can set the unit out on the porch and see how many hours of full sunlight it gets so I know which plants will grow best out there for my herb garden. 17 months ago