For obvious reasons, video game console controls provide input commands directly to the console. Modern consoles may do so wirelessly, but the effect is the same: direct input. But what if you connected a “controller” to the internet? Then you could play from anywhere and that is exactly what Redditor Lovelyroyalette achieved with this Arduino Due-based N64 controller.

The N64 controller communication protocol has been well-documented for decades now and is pretty easy to replicate using an Arduino. In fact, there is even a handy library available (called N64Controller) that makes that simple to achieve. Connect a few wires and it will send commands to the N64 like they’re coming from a real controller.

Normally, people use that functionality to build their own custom N64 controllers. But Lovelyroyalette chose to do something a little different and connected the Arduino Due to their laptop, which runs a server hosting a web interface where visitors can input controller commands. Push “A” on that interface and the laptop will tell the Due to send the “A” command to the N64, causing Mario to jump.

Not only is that neat from a technical standpoint, but it has some practical uses. The most obvious is to allow remote play — including remote multiplayer sessions in Goldeneye. With a video capture card, the web interface can display the game for remote players to see. This also has interesting applications for streamers, who could, for instance, let the chat send controller commands for some added interactivity.

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The automotive industry’s switch from carburetion to fuel injection was one of the most effective advancements of the 20th century. Electronic fuel injection allows for precise control over an internal combustion engine’s air-fuel mixture, which dramatically improves fuel efficiency and performance. But that requires computer oversight, which is why Kenyan engineer Peter Mbiria developed his own Arduino-based custom engine control unit (ECU) for upgrading vintage cars.

Electronic fuel injection conversions — from either carburation or mechanical fuel injection — aren’t very common, because they require computer control and that has to be tailored to the specific engine. With the exception of a few very popular models that warrant turnkey solutions, it simply isn’t worth upgrading most engines. But Mbiria’s custom ECU makes the process much easier, to the point where it can be worthwhile to convert older engines. The conversion gives them new life, increasing economy and power.

Mbiria’s Voltarent ECU can work with four-cylinder, six-cylinder, and eight-cylinder engines. After the conversion, it controls the injectors and ignition. A small OLED screen, mounted by the car’s dash, displays information and the driver can switch modes (economy, comfort, sport) using a knob. 

Those modes, and the injector control in general, are only possible because of sophisticated algorithms running on the firmware that Mbiria developed himself. He chose to use an Arduino Due board to take advantage of the many I/O pins, but also for the processing power of the AT91SAM3X8E microcontroller that is necessary to perform the calculations fast enough to keep up with the engine. Mbiria designed a custom PCB to host the Arduino and provide an interface to the injectors, ignition system, and user interface. And with relatively simple tweaks to the Arduino sketch, Mbiria can make the ECU’s firmware suitable for whatever car he’s working on.

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