The Make Controller is a flexible tool that serves people of diverse backgrounds and interests very well.  But what can YOU make with the Make Controller?  What do you need to get started?

It's helpful to identify how you'll be using the Controller.  The most common profiles of Make Controller users are:

• Desktop Developer - you create programs on the desktop that integrate physical devices.
• Microcontroller Developer - you create programs that run directly on the Make Controller, no computer involved.

In either case, you can get a good sense of what's available by browsing the Documentation Section.

Desktop Developer

If you write software on the desktop, the Make Controller can be used as an interface between your applications and the physical world.  The Make Controller communicates with your programs via OSC, an open and standardized protocol, making it easy to interface from a variety of languages and environments over both USB and Ethernet.

Use Cases

• Create a "kiosk" - a station that triggers computer actions based on physical interactions.
• Create a custom controller for an application you're working on.
• Create a physical display for your program - animate lights, dials, and other to communicate the behavior of your application.

Prerequisites

You're familiar with, or willing to learn, one of the languages that uses OSC such as:

Resources
Some helpful documents to get started integrating the Make Controller into your programs.

• The OSC tutorial and OSC reference
• The tutorial and how-to sections for OSC users 

Microcontroller Developer

The Make Controller is fully re-programmable and supported by free, open-source tools.  An easy-to-use API makes it simple to write your own programs to run on the Make Controller. 

Use Cases

• Create a data logger or data acquisition device
• Create a remote (Ethernet) control interface
• Create an embedded interactive device (read sensor input and create a corresponding output)
• Interface with and control other hardware (wireless modules, LCDs, etc)

Prerequisites

• Familiar with, or willing to learn, C programming language (firmware is written in C)
• Familiar with using IDEs, and ideally command line tools (not always necessary)
• Soldering and some electronics knowledge for cases in which external hardware is involved

Resources

• Tutorial on programming the Make Controller
• Firmware API