Are you using the 220 ohm resistors between the common cathode and ground as shown in the schematic?  If not, that could significantly increase the current draw.

routerRX -> LogicLevelConvertorTX1 -> TX0 -> ArduinoTX(pin1)
routerTX -> LogicLevelConvertorRX0 -> RX1 -> ArduinoRX(pin0)

I think you have some directions backward.

First of all those are "I" and "O" for Input and Output, not 1 and 0 for One and Zero.

TXI (Transmit Input) is on the LV side (of both channels.)
RXO (Receive Output) is on the LV side (of both channels.)

You want to connect the 3.3v TX of the Router to a TXI input and the corresponding 5v TXO to Arduino RX.
You want to connect the 3.3v RX of the Router to an RXO output and the corresponding 5v RXI to the Arduino TX.

routerTX -> (TXI>LogicLevelConvertor>TX0) -> ArduinoRX(pin0)
routerRX <- (RXO<LogicLevelConvertor<RXI) <- ArduinoTX(pin1)

Try this code based on the the example code that Sparkfun provides:

Code:

#include <nmea.h>

// create a GPS data connection to GPRMC sentence type
NMEA gps(GPRMC);

void setup() {
  Serial.begin(4800);  // Start serial communication with GPS
  pinMode(13, OUTPUT);  // Arduino LED
}

void loop() {
  if (Serial.available() > 0 ) {
    // read incoming character from GPS
    char c = Serial.read();
    Serial.write(c);  // Send out to Serial Monitor at the GPS baudrate.

    // check if the character completes a valid GPS sentence
    if (gps.decode(c)) {
      // check if GPS positioning was active
      if (gps.gprmc_status() == 'A') {
        digitalWrite(13, HIGH);  // Show the GPS IS ACTIVE light

        // check if you are in Colorado, USA
        boolean inColorado = (gps.gprmc_latitude() > 37.0)
                          && (gps.gprmc_latitude() < 41.0)
                          && (gps.gprmc_longitude() < -102.05)
                          && (gps.gprmc_longitude() > -109.05);
     if (inColorado)
           Serial.println("Your GPS is in Colorado!");
    else
          Serial.println("Your GPS is not currently in Colorado");
      } // GPS Active
    else
        digitalWrite(13, LOW);
    }
  }
}

You have to do the decode BEFORE you can check to see if the GPS was ACTIVE.  Until it receives the message it can't interpret the message.

The Modtronix board should work fine on the Arduino.  The company is in Australia but they have a US distributor if that is better for you:

http://microcontrollershop.com/product_info.php?products_id=1719

I ordered LCD's from 'web4robot' and never received an order confirmation or the product.  After waiting a month I disputed the charges with PayPal and eventually received a refund.  I'd be surprised if they were still authorized to accept PayPal payments.

The bootloaders are built for a specific ATmega chip.  If you are programming an ATmega328 then you would select a board that uses the ATmega328 before you select Burn Bootloader.  It doesn't matter what ISP you are using to do the burning.

Be sure to disable the auto-reset on the UNO after you install ArduinoISP.  You don't want the Burn Bootloader process to reset your UNO and start talking to the UNO's bootloader!

Yes, the ArduinoISP sketch should work on your Arduino clone.

If you implemented auto-reset on your Arduino clone you will have to disable it to use the ArduinoISP sketch, otherwise the Burn Bootloader process will reset your Arduino clone and start talking to your bootloader and not the ArduinoISP sketch!

Could it be that what you have ie a piezo beeper with a built-in oscillator and not a raw piezo element?  Is the disk in a plastic case (as your diagram shows) or out in the open with two wires?

Looks like you could connect the RX-1 line of the logger to the same Arduino pin that is getting serial data from the GPS.  Hook up Power and Ground and set the logger to SeqLog mode and it will log everything the GPS sends.

Does the LED marked D3 glow when the sample sketch is running?  The D13 pin it's connected to doubles as the SPI clock pin so you should see at least a faint glow when data is being sent to the AD5206.

Some people remove the pot and solder in two equal resistors.

The advantages to using the built-in pot:
 1) No soldering required.
 2) You can easily tune it to be at stop at 90 degrees, 1500 microseconds, or a value of your choosing.
 3) You don't have to have spare resistors on hand.

So if I put functions in like the one you wrote that would give me the shorthand names? And those would go before the setup() and loop(), correct?

Correct.  You can call the function anywhere in your program.  The function will calculate and return a value.

Your

Code:

if(downreading == HIGH)

becomes

Code:

if(downreading() == HIGH)

Your upspeedvariable will have to be a function, too, if you want to use the current value of uppotValue().  Otherwise it is like any other initialized variable. You set it when it was created and it will retain that value until you assign it a new value.


 
 

Code:

int starboardpotValue = analogRead(horizontalpotPin);
int starboardfwdreading = digitalRead(starboardfwdbuttonPin);
int starboardrvsreading = digitalRead(starboardrvsbuttonPin);

These are NOT creating associations between the variable names and reading the sensor input.  The variables will be initialized ONCE and will keep the same value until you change them.

If you want shorthand names for reading sensor input you can create functions:

Code:

int starboardpotValue() {return analogRead(horizontalpotPin);}
int starboardfwdreading() {return digitalRead(starboardfwdbuttonPin);}
int starboardrvsreading() {return digitalRead(starboardrvsbuttonPin);}

Lots of people have done it before.  You only have to ask Google to show you their pictures:

http://www.google.com/search?q=flex+sensor+arduino&tbm=isch

I would change it to:

Code:

println(Serial.list());
  port = new Serial(this, Serial.list()[0], 9600);

Sorry for interrupting, but

Also, 120V AC is +60V to -60V.

isn't correct,
as 120V AC is 120 * sqrt(2) = +169.7V to -169.7V.

Oops!  My mistake.  I did not know that AC power was named after the DC voltage with equivalent Root-Mean-Square power.

Good thing I never interface stuff to the mains!