Tindie

A very simple light-following robot can be made with just a few light-dependent resistors (LDRs), batteries, and a motor. The trick here is that the LDRs on one side of the bot allow current to flow to the motor on the opposite side, thus effectively turning toward the light when not a direct path, and moving straight when the bot has locked onto the light source.

It’s a fun science project for those that want to get started in electronics, but actually linking the motors electrically and providing a mechanical structure can be cumbersome. For this purpose, and as an experiment in creative PCB design, I came up with this Light Follower Robot PCB. The PCB not only looks like an 80s video game spaceship, but passes electricity to the appropriate motors from a bank of 2 CR2032 batteries. A soldered-on paperclip acts as the tail to allow it to pivot, and a pair of 3D-printed wheels move it forward.

You can see it in action in the video below, along with the design process. Documentation, which includes KiCAD files, along with the other non-PCB parts needed to complete the ‘bot are found on GitHub.

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E-paper displays are remarkable for a few different reasons. Extremely high contrast, viewable in direct sunlight, and the most popular feature: zero power draw to maintain the display. This means you can set a display, put your microcontroller into super deep sleep, and use a few nanoamps at most to keep a readable display.

This awesome e-paper development board features the Particle P1 WiFi module, which contains a Cypress WiFi chip and an ST Cortex-M3 microcontroller with 1MB of flash. The e-paper display is 1.54″ with a resolution of 200×200 pixels. The model number of the exact e-paper display used is not shown in the description, but it’s definitely an SPI-driven display from GoodDisplay; likely the GDEH0154D67. A built-in LiPo charger is an excellent addition, making this usable as an IoT display development platform.

E-paper is an excellent partner to IoT as the low power requirements of epaper pair well with limited battery capacity designs common with IoT devices. The combination of WiFi and epaper allows low-power dynamic displays to become more ubiquitous, allowing more convenient access to daily data, i.e. calendars, weather, stocks and news. The GitHub repository comes with example code for a weather display, a simple clock, and using the Particle P1’s functions.

This board sparks all sorts of project ideas in my head. Creating a portable home automation controller; a small note-keeping display magnet for a fridge… I’ve wanted to hack on e-paper displays, and this module is a great way to do so, while also having options for wireless connectivity!

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7-Segment displays are one of the most basic ways to output numerical data from a computer to humans. They come in a variety of flavors, from LED to LCD and more, but the basic premise is that one light equals one “slash” of a number or other character. Now, with the advent of cheap WS2812B RGB LEDs (aka NeoPixels), Cyber City Circuits has come up with a new take on this venerable design—a 7-segment display using 21 RGB LEDs.

The idea is that 3 NeoPixels form each segment, allowing for control over the lighting and character shape well beyond what you’d expect from normal displays. These PCBs come assembled, with 4-pin headers that you can solder on for breadboard connections. They feature digital in and digital out pins, so you can daisy chain several together for multi-character displays.

The display is shown in the video below, cycling through different digits. One could also see it being used with all kinds of creative number patterns, perhaps fading colors from top to bottom, or having the pixels chase each other:

If 27 LEDs in 2 dimensions isn’t enough for you, then check out this 512 LED AuraCube. It’s certainly a challenging build, but the results are truly epic.

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Controlling hardware with MIDI is an amazingly expressive, performative and structured way of making music. The Modular Rack MIDI Controller is a new modular version of the tabletop controller released in 2019 – which allows for a myriad of MIDI messages to be assigned to a multitude of knobs, for supreme musical MIDI control.

It features 2 rows of 4 high quality pots which can be assigned to control changes, pitchbends, program changes, and more using the MIDI learn function built into the software. The pots have 7-bit resolution and are compatible with software VSTs, effects, and DAWs – controlling your synths, delays, reverbs, mixers, and automation from the comfort of your eurorack. The unit fits in a 3U Eurorack case, with the main module extendable with to up to 8 units for 64 knobs of control!

It’s a one of a kind device, designed to bring together hardware and software worlds – and comes in three purchase options: Basic, Extended, and Upgrade Set depending on how far into the rabbit hole you’d like to go. It has a mounting depth of 40mm with each extra unit taking up 3U of modular real estate.

The Modular Rack MIDI Controller is sold by the Velorum Project and is one of many such MIDI devices they sell.

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Remember playing with action figures a few days ago as a kid? While it was fun to make up adventures for these little people and their various accessories, pose options were generally somewhat limited.

If you’re looking for a new take on action figures, that concentrates on movement possibilities and customization options over pure outward aesthetics, then this open source action figure kit by APtech may be just the thing. The figure is an impressive 36cm tall and 15cm wide, and comes in green… and only green so far. The figures look like they’d be great for stop motion animation, or perhaps simply to keep you company.

Full documentation for the build, including print files is found on Hackaday.io, so the whole thing could also be printed. You’ll just need need to come up with a variety of screws and other hardware, which may be be difficult to source these days. Alternatively, you could start with the base model, then print and decorate your own custom head, or even new arms, legs, and accessories when it’s time for a change.

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As an amateur radio operator, I am always keeping an eye out for cool new radio-related things to tinker with. Hams have a long tradition of building and designing their own radios, and it’s great to see this still happening in the digital era. This DSP-based radio can receive SSB (single sideband) over almost the entire amateur HF band. This band spans from 1.9 MHz (also called 160 meters) all the way up to 28 MHz (10 meters) and everything in between.

This is a great radio for portable use. Paired with a small CW (continuous wave, the mode used for Morse code) transmitter, it would make a great QRP set for those who love low-power Morse communication. Bandwidth can be adjusted from 500Hz to 4kHz, which is perfect for CW as well as digital modes. The designer specifically designed it to be used with the extremely popular new digital mode FT-8, and it indeed fits the specifications very well. It could also be used for many other digital modes, including PSK, RTTY, JT65, and many more! The audio output can be wired directly into any PC — even a Raspberry Pi — to enable digital reception modes.

Remember that just listening does not require an amateur license — only transmitting does! That means you can legally use this board to listen to anything you can receive. It’s a great way to dip your toe in the waters of amateur radio, and see if you like it.

The on-board lithium polymer battery charger is a great feature, making it even easier to make into a portable receiver. Add a project box and a decently sized battery, and you will be receiving for many hours! Unfortunately, an antenna is not included with the board. Antennas for reception are not hard to come by though, and are much less expensive than antennas designed for transmitting.

Be careful, though — the amateur radio bug is impossible to get rid of once it bites you!

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Did you know that the act of engraving an item started in the mid 15th century with goldsmiths? Of course that was a highly-manual process that took years to perfect. Now thanks to the Engravinator Kit and the power of lasers, you can engrave all your new projects yourself and sidestep the apprenticeship!

The Engravinator Kit is a build your own, open-source, laser engraver platform kit. All you need to add is your time and a laser diode module. The creators of the product, Maniacal Labs, also provide you with an extensive build guide.

The kit has a few add-on options, such as enclosure panels, 3D printed parts, or the Platypus controller. The Platypus Laser Controller, also available separately on Tindie, is the brain of the machine. Since the product is open-source, you can always opt to use your own controller if you prefer.

Whether you want to add engravings to your next small project or you need to engrave a large item like a piece of furniture, the Engravinator Kit has you covered. It can be used on larger items just by clamping it down to the item itself.

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Making music on the move is a fun way of experimenting in a different setting, inspired by the scenery on trains, planes and in automobiles! The Cyber CIty Mini-Tone Keyboard is a nifty little design, with 2.5 octaves of notes, an on-board speaker, and a 3.5mm line out jack for plugging in your headphones!

Powered by a ATmega328 microcontroller, this pocket sized synth can be taken anywhere you can find USB power. It comes fully built with 4 WS2812 RGB LEDs, which are also known as NeoPixels, so you can be sure of bright vibrant colours! It uses a CH-340G USB interface making it fully Arduino IDE compatible and programmable from standard Arduino devkits.

Each time a key is pressed a little synth tone is emitted and the LEDs cycle through the various colours. Everything is housed on the PCB with surface mounted chips and components, giving it a very low profile and definite pocket appeal!

Both the source code the documentation are available. Check out the video below for a brief overview of its features.

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When starting out with electronics, you likely used an Arduino Uno or other similar board with built-in serial communication capabilities over USB. This is a great intro, allowing you to avoid certain connection hassles. At some point though, you’ll want to use a dedicated device to act as the go-between from your microcontroller to PC. These can be had for a few dollars—with the appropriate wait time, and from a supplier you’ve never heard of. Or they can be had in the ~$20 range from more well-known sources within a few days.

Any of these options will be good enough for most. If, however, you use otherwise high-quality tools on your workbench, you may want a correspondingly solid serial module. The COMBOX serial interface, based on the FTDI232 chip, aims to fill this role. It features a heavy Alumide enclosure, as well as 4mm test sockets for TX, RX, and GND. 5V or 3.3V modes are available via a selection switch, and LEDs give visual feedback as to what is going on inside. The device comes fully assembled.

As seller Trinology puts it, a “professional workshop earns a solid product.” You can see a nice 3D illustration of the device’s features via the video below:

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Why use WiFi when a physical link can do the job? Using a wired link is often more reliable and removes some security risks associated with wireless access. And what better cable for the job than the ubiquitous, time-tested RS-232? This dual-outlet metal junction box contains RS-232 control electronics to give any device that can speak serial control over the output.

WiFi devices have increased exponentially in popularity over the past 5 years. A larger and larger percentage of the population have WiFi controlled lighting, heating, appliances, and even door locks. The convenience is hard to beat, but wireless communications that aren’t properly secured can be exploited by an attacker. In most domestic use cases, the results would be more annoying than catastrophic. In an industrial setting, on the other hand, the consequences could be much more severe depending on the equipment being controlled. Wireless automation has made progress in industrial equipment, but many factories and workshops still prefer to use wired connections.

RS-232 was introduced all the way back in 1960, but wasn’t standardized until 1969. It can support near real-time speeds, making it ideal for applications that require low latency communication, such as power switching. Though modern computers often don’t have DE-9 serial ports, USB to DE-9 dongles are cheap and commonplace. Some ATX motherboards still have serial ports, and PCI express serial port cards are another option as well.  Serial communication has been tried and tested for over 50 years and is extremely reliable when implemented properly.

This power box may not find its way into the average consumer’s home, but it might be really handy to have in your electronics lab. You could set it up to power all your test equipment, and have it remotely turn them on when needed. It could also see use in amateur radio, where remote usage of base stations has grown in popularity. This box would make an excellent way to power up a radio via computer control.

Whatever the use cases you are thinking of, this box can handle up to 2200W! For safety, we would suggest sticking to under 1200W, especially on 120V. Pretty beefy though! The metal case is an excellent upgrade over common plastic junction boxes. It looks rugged and built-to-last!

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