Hardware

Don't Panic!

For some of you, this will be a nice easy build that doesn't even touch the sides of what you have done before. For others, this may well look terrifying. The good news is, if you can't face doing this, just email me (below) and I can provide you with a fully working interface in a suitable box, with all the cables, for £100 plus postage. The other good news is that, even for a beginner, it isn't as terrifying as it might look. This can be assembled with no soldering (although being able to solder would be better and more reliable), and there are videos to help you!

Step 1: Flash the firmware

You will need:
an Arduino UNO board or UNO R3 clone (eBay is your friend here)

A "Printer" USB cable (USB Type A to Type B). Usually comes with the Arduino

A copy of the Visual Passap firmware

A copy of the Arduino IDE software (available here)

There is a tutorial video walking you through this step, but don't worry - it's not as scary as it seems - and you only need to do it once!

Essentially, you are going to do the following:

Download the Arduino IDE (a program which allows you to write or open lines of code and put them on the Arduino)
Download the Visual Passap firmware, unzip it, and open it in the IDE
Connect the Arduino
Verify and then upload the firmware to the Arduino

Step 2: Construct the hardware

This is the more challenging bit - but again, don't panic! You will need several bits to complete this step - they are all available from eBay as well as other places. If you are licky enough to have an electronics hobby store near you, they may be able to help. There is also a tutorial video to help you through this stage.

Here is what you will need (and the titles to search for them on the internet!):