Dual L298HN Motor Driver

I built this motor controller to power the motors for an Arduino-controlled robot I am working on.  It uses 2 L298HN dual full-bridge chips, each of which is capable of powering 2 DC motors at 2A each, with bidirectional control.  You can get up to 3 of the L298HN chips for free from the ST website.  The rest of the parts needed are as follows:

• 2.5" x 3.125" perfboard
• 4 2-Position PC Mount Terminal Strips
• 5 3-Position PC Mount Terminal Strips
• 22 AWG Solid Core Hookup Wire
• 2 Heatsinks for the L298's

GUI Controlled LED Matrix

I recently got an Arduino Uno, and it quickly became my favorite toy.  After learning the basics of how the platform operates, I became interested in interfacing the Arduino with personal computers.  After seeing a large number of LED matrix projects on Instructables and the rest of the web, the LED matrix seemed like a perfect project to attempt to interface with a computer.  

Useless Machines

I built three "Useless Machines" within the last few months, and here are two of them.  I made one for my younger sister to decorate and give to her science teacher, and the other out of leftover parts I had.  The circuits of both have been modified from the standard circuit to include an LED strip.  The LED's are wired through the bumper switch, so they only light up when the box is open and the arm is moving.