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Many projects that are controlled via laptop or single-board computer just need a bunch of GPIO to control motors, servos, relays, etc. Some single-board computers have lots of built-in GPIO pins, but there are still lots of applications where extra GPIO can come in handy. This 24-channel USB GPIO controller is a neat little board that can even handle up to 45V on its outputs!

Another nice benefit of using USB is that you can easily isolate it using a USB-USB isolator, allowing safe interfacing with projects that might be using high voltage or at different ground potential. With 150mA drive per output, it can easily drive relays and other coil-based devices, another great feature. You can use the USB Vbus supply, or connect an external 5V power supply if you plan on driving many outputs at high currents.

The whole thing is controlled with a very simple AT command interface, much like modems and the ESP8266 AT firmware. This makes it simple to get up and running quickly, enabling fast prototyping. It can be a great accessory to have on the bench if you just want a quick GPIO and don’t want to program a microcontroller. Easily test LEDs, motors, and just about anything else that GPIO can control!

We’d also like to highlight that this seller is based in Sri Lanka, which is very cool. We are happy to have them on Tindie!

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The Mac, launched in 1984, was a huge watershed moment in computing history. Though GUIs and mice had been done before, Apple was the first company to really bring those concepts to computer users of all types. And those computers (plus their many follow-ups) are still loved and cherished by their owners. Taking care of vintage computers can be difficult – mechanical parts can fail, power supplies can damage ICs, and hard drives screech to a halt. But, with this awesome Optical ADB Mouse replacement board, you can keep your ADB mice going without worrying about the old ball mice mechanism.

Some collectors might hold their nose at the thought of getting rid of the ball in the mouse, but the reality is spare parts are near impossible to get, and if your ball mouse is failing or outright broken, optical replacement boards like this are a great way to extend the life of your hardware while retaining the original look and feel!

Plus, for those of us who were around before optical mice (man that statement makes me feel old!), ball mice were, generally speaking, never really that precise or smooth unless maintained constantly, and used with a really good quality mousepad. When optical mice came around, we ditched ball mice as quickly as we could. They do have a certain nostalgia, but that nostalgia can quickly fade when trying to remove wound-up hair, dirt, and dust from the rollers inside.

So if you’ve got an ADB-compatible machine (from the original Mac all the way to some of the NeXT computers and beyond) and want to restore your mouse, this is a great way to do so!

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Macropads have become an indispensable tool for many computer users, especially those doing CAD/CAM work, artists, programmers, and power users in general. Four years ago, dekuNukem released the original duckyPad, which has seen a large, dedicated user base because of its build quality and ease of use. Now comes the new duckyPad Pro: a redesigned and updated version with all sorts of new features!

It has all the basics you’d expect: hot-swappable keys, rotary encoders, USB-C, etc. But it also packs a bunch of new features based on feedback from the original duckyPad. It uses duckyScript, which gives you much more control than typical macropad firmware like QMK/VIA, Bluetooth connectivity for wireless usage, up to 64 profiles for almost four thousand macros, and an expansion module to allow foot pedals and other input devices. The whole design is 100% open-source, and hacking is encouraged — they even provide a tinkering guide to help you hack your duckyPad Pro!

If you’ve been wanting to get a macropad, or want to upgrade to a much higher quality one, then the duckyPad Pro is likely to be the best macropad released this year.

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So many modern microcontroller systems use serial communication both for programming, like the Arduino, and also for user input. In the past, serial connections were done with a current loop instead of voltage sensing. So if you want to control a current-loop device with modern tech, this ASR33 Teletype controller in combination with external relays will work great!

Modern serial traces its legacy all the way back to the Murray-Baudot code and Depression-era teletypes. Today it uses either TTL-level signalling or RS-232 signalling (5V logic and ±12 to 18V respectively). However, before RS-232, serial data was sent through a current loop. A constant 20mA (or, on even older systems, 60mA) flows through both ends of the link,  and interrupting this current is how each bit is sent. It was set up this way because of the electromechanical nature of teletypes. The current in the loop would directly drive coils to move selectors into position. CuriousMarc’s YouTube channel has an excellent series of videos showing both the full restoration of a WW2-era teletype as well as showing how current loops work to send data.

This Teletype controller has some neat features built in, including a copy of Colossal Cave Adventure, one of the very first text adventures ever created! It runs at the correct 110 baud for the ASR33 and can be connected to over WiFi for remote printing. You could use it to display messages sent to an MQTT topic, for example. For a video showing the ASR33 which this device was specifically built for, check out the embedded video below!

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We’ve seen so many square and circular LED arrays — and we certainly love glowy LED panels of all shapes — but when we spotted this triangular panel we immediately started thinking of the nifty shapes you could build with a few of them! From a giant hexagon (the bestagon) to long rectangles to zigzags along a wall, there are all sorts of neat decorative designs just waiting to happen.

With 144 WS2812B/W LEDs on-board, these are about as densely packed as you can get them. The true white LEDs also greatly add to the brightness and colour range that can be generated. JST connectors on the back allow easy daisy-chaining, with additional surface mount pads you can solder directly to or possibly fit a bigger connector.

Show triangles some love and give this RGBW-packed board the limelight! Or, uh, make it generate the limelight. We’re not sure which.

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Current sensing is useful in a lot of different applications. From battery charging, load balancing, electronic loads, or even solar power — knowing how much current your circuit is consuming can be a key figure to know. The INA700 is a great chip, but it comes in a very small surface mount package. But this awesome new INA700 Stamp makes it easy to integrate by transforming it into a larger surface mount package, or a 12-pin DIP through-hole component.

The INA700 is a 16-bit power monitor that interfaces with your microcontroller over I2C. With a 2mΩ integrated shunt resistor, it can handle ±15A with a common-mode voltage up to 40V! Not only that, it can also calculate energy and charge (in watts and coulombs respectively) which make it very useful for scientific applications. It can also automatically average up to 1024 samples, making for very accurate long-term measurements.

This great little breakout board is fully open source, and TheFlamingo has done an excellent job with the board layout. The large, castellated gold pads make for easy soldering, and the jumper selector allows you to quickly choose different I2C addresses.

On a separate note, all of us here at Tindie wish you a very Happy New Year! Have fun this New Year’s Eve, and feel free to tag us on social media with your New Year hacks/costumes/designs! We would like to remind you that if you drink, don’t drive — have a designated driver, call a taxi, or spend the night! Start the New Year off right by making sure all of your friends and family celebrate safely.

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We absolutely love seeing the spread of the One True Connector, USB-C! Its many advantages over previous connectors (Power Delivery, no orientation, flexibility in acting as either host or device) make it a great choice for retro-fitting to existing products. Game consoles have been a popular choice, and these awesome projects from GilTesa include USB-C mods for Wii U Gamepads, the Game Boy Micro, and even powering the original Wii console!

The designs are easy to retrofit for those with soldering experience. Each connector is mounted to a small board or flat flex cable, with the correct spots to solder perfectly aligned. Simply remove the old connector (remember to use lots of flux, and pick up some low melting temperature solder if you don’t have a vacuum desoldering pump!), clean the area, and then line up the new connector. Solder the aligned points, either surface mount or onto a right-angle pin header for the Game Boy Micro, and voila! You’ve got USB-C for your game pad or consoles!

This ensures that, as original power supplies die over time, it will be easy to keep original consoles alive with just a quality USB-C cable and a good USB power supply. GilTesa’s USB-C mods aren’t limited to these new ones, either — make sure to check out the full store for more mods for the original Game Boy, SNES, DS Lite, and even the PSP and PS Vita!

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NFC is a really neat way to transfer data, and this passive NFC-based thermometer is a really neat application for wireless data transfer! It was featured on our sister website Hackaday a little while ago. Being able to have a digital temperature measurement device with you at all times that does not require any batteries or charging is super cool!

It’s based around the very power-efficient ATtiny1626 with 16kB of flash and 2kB of RAM all in a very small 20-pin package. Also on board is the 0.1°C accurate TMP117 and the RF430CL330 NFC chip for communication. The entire circuit is efficient enough that it can be powered just from the NFC field generated by your phone or any compatible NFC reader. In the time it takes for a standard NFC read to take place, the code on the ATtiny runs, grabbing the temperature from the TMP117 and then sending it to the RF430 for communication to the reader.

There are lots of interesting applications for this approach. It brings to mind a project by the incredible Ben Krasnow of Applied Science in which he showed his design for a similar NFC temperature probe but encapsulated inside a magnetic stir bar for use with lab heating and stirring plates. In theory, this design could also be encapsulated in a thin layer of epoxy resin or something similar and then could be used to read temperatures while immersed in liquids or in harsh conditions. The range for NFC depends on the strength of the transmitter’s field, so it is feasible to think that it could work inside some sort of plastic enclosure.

In any case, it’s something nerdy and cool to hang off your keychain, and you can get accurate ambient temperature readings anywhere!

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Yes, we’re fast approaching that time of year again… it’s cold, windy and snowy here in the Great White North, and we enjoy relaxing with a hot beverage and spending time with friends and family. A favourite pastime is doing crafts and puzzles together, so if your family is anything like mine, they will greatly appreciate this neat Electronic Gingerbread House Soldering Kit!

Much like a traditional gingerbread house, it does take some assembly — though typically solder isn’t used with the edible kind! This kit uses two LCD screens to show traditional fireplace scenes, with 24 Neopixels along the roof that can show colours & patterns or act like an advent calendar and count down the days to whichever holiday you celebrate — though it does seem Christmas fits well with the 24 LEDs!

All this is powered by an ESP32. All the soldering is simple through-hole stuff, so this can make a great teaching moment over the holidays. You can even decorate it afterward to help disguise some of the solder joints on the frontside!

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This week and over the upcoming weekend, many Tindie Sellers will be placing items on sale! This is your opportunity to pick up that development board you’ve always wanted, or grab a gift for a hacker friend, or maybe introduce someone to soldering with a neat kit! There will be plenty of awesome items for sale, so make sure to check back over the next week as sellers discount items!

Check out all sale items here: Tindie.com/Sale

Remember to add items to your wishlist — that way when an item goes on sale you’ll get an email notification!

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