Tindie

The Banana Split from SixtyFourPixels is an ingenious device to sync your MIDI hardware and reduce latency inherent in daisy chaining your gear. It’s one of many useful devices available from his Tindie shop, well worth a look if you’re into using MIDI! 

This simple, efficient, and cost-effective unit splits one incoming MIDI signal (with both 3.5mm and conventional 5-Pin MIDI sockets) and sends it to each of the 6 outputs simultaneously. This means you can synchronise 6 or more pieces of equipment from one master clock giving you as close to perfect timing as humanly possible. 

In addition to benefits to clock timing, it’ll give you the ability to sequence and trigger MIDI devices from a computer. This makes each note and drum hit happen right on time, to expand your ability play combinations on several devices at a time. The Banana Split is compatible with a myriad of MIDI devices as well as modern Novation and Arturia units which don’t use 5 pin sockets. It even features MIDI bus power.  

The Banana Split comes fully constructed and tested. It’s powered by a 9-12 V wall-wart adapter that you supply yourself, and will accept positive and negative polarity. It features 3 LEDs to indicate MIDI activity, the clock tempo and incoming power.

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LiDAR technology has huge implications for future technology. These sensors provide accurate distance data to robotics platforms and drones for the purpose of collision avoidance, gesture recognition, area mapping, and motion sensing. This same kind of technology even powers modern self-driving vehicles.

MappyDot Plus, from Tindie seller SensorDots, is a micro LiDAR solution that uses the VL53L1X time-of-flight sensor from STMicroelectronics, along with an onboard controller to provide a significant amount of features from one component.

Each MappyDot+ is able to provide distance measurements, in millimeters, up to 4 meters at a non-interpolated rate up to 100Hz. The field of view is programmable from 15 to 27 degrees without additional optics.

If you chain multiple MappyDots or SensorDot boards together, you can gather multi-dimensional data about an area, similar to radar, without reducing the sampling rate. The sensor also performs low pass filtering on the motion data to offer the clearest possible picture of the environment around it.

The pulses from MappyDot+ are used for a variety of functions. Drones can utilize them to avoid collisions in mid-flight, or harness the data to optimize landings. You can even equip the sensor to doors and have them open automatically.

Each MappyDot Plus ships with the latest firmware, but new features are constantly added. You can find the latest firmware version on the Github repository. You can also chain MappyDot Plus to other SensorDots boards (a breakout board for use with MappyDot Plus) on the same bus.

Distance measurement is the primary function of MappyDot, but the features go far beyond that:

• Auto addressed bus scheme for chaining up to 112 devices
• A simplified I2C interface for easy integration into existing projects
• Automatic mode switching for optimum measurements based on the environment
• Open source firmware
• Tiny size: 13 x 17.8 mm
• Pre-calibration for plug-and-play use and auto user calibration
• User controlled LED (PWM, threshold, measurement, or manual modes)

Check out the full Tindie seller page for other components, such as the SensorDots development board.

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Owners of 3D printers are divided on the topic of auto-leveling, but for those who want to add this feature, the process can be complicated. You need to buy the individual pieces, assemble them, and then configure the software all on your own.

BA Project Workshop offers an Auto Bed leveling Kit that includes everything you’ll need for your Anet A8 (or compatible) 3D printer. Simply plug it into the main board, configure and upload Marlin, then level and tram your hotbed.

The kit comes fully assembled and tested. Not soldering, shrink wrapping or crimping is required. The kit is supported by both Marlin and Skynet (not that one). The kit has been tested with stock PCB aluminum heat beds through 3mm glass, with GeckoTek build plates, and with BIQU PEI sheets.

It’s important to remember that this sensor configuration and hardware has not been tested by an independent lab, only the seller. Anything in the RepRap space should never be used unsupervised.

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Photographers often struggle with timing. Some of the best pictures ever taken came down to a combination of location and a perfect moment. A great way to ensure you don’t miss your moment is to have a trigger in place to take the shot for you.

This is where the Remote Camera Trigger from Nightfire Electronics LLC can assist you. This creative solution is triggered by a laser pointer. You can use any common pointers with red, green, blue, and white lasers.

The device is compatible with any camera that has a 2.5mm plug and a switch closure. Sensitivity adjustments let you use the device both outdoors and indoors. The range is up to 50 feet so you can trigger it from quite a distance.

To do so, you simply point the laser at the light-sensitive resistor and the circuit will turn on for a time period based on your adjustments. This ranges from half of a second, up to ten minutes. LED indicators on the PCB let you know when the laser hits the LDR and turns on the circuit.

The kit includes everything to build the trigger, but you will need tools like a soldering iron, solder, wire cutters, and a laser pointer of your own to trigger it. For those who do not wish to build it themselves, a separate “Built & Tested” option is available.

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Electric doorbells have been a staple for modern homes since at least the early 1900s — longer than anyone reading this can remember. While certainly useful, it’s possible that this time-honored tech is due for a revamp, likely involving smartphones and or course the Internet.

For a DIY solution, this ESP8266 board from Lemcke Solutions looks quite promising. It comes in three flavors; as a bare board, as a kit with everything you’ll need for assembly, and even fully assembled and tested. Program data is transferred to the device via an FTDI module, and since it runs on the well known ESP8266, code for it can be written using the Arduino IDE. A sample program is available here for you to examine.

The creator of this board has it set up to send MQTT messages to his home assistant. This then sends a pushbullet message to a smartphone, and activates several audio buzzers around the house. In theory, this means that a doorbell will never be missed, however, the device is designed to be installed to work alongside the traditional doorbell circuitry so that you can still hear the doorbell if there’s a glitch in your setup.

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Geiger counters are used to detect radioactive emissions like beta particles and gamma rays. While it’s more than likely you never encounter these detectors in your daily life (unless you’re Bruce Banner), a device like this is incredibly useful when working with any kind of nuclear experiments.

Of course having a Geiger counter makes for a great conversation piece, and following the Fukushima disaster some people just want to see for themselves if there are any radiation sources in the area. This DIY Geiger counter kit from MightyOhm offers a fully functional tool for a fraction of the cost associated with commercial options.

The finished Geiger counter is powered by two AAA batteries and detects both beta and gamma radiation. It also supports data logging with a USB-serial cable. The entire kit is open-source as well.

In the kit, you will find a PCB with all the electronic components, an SBM-20 Geiger-Muller beta/gamma tube, a clear acrylic case, and mounting hardware. The LED and piezo speaker alert you to detections, while a mute button allows for silent operation if you prefer.

The device supports multiple Geiger-Muller tubes and is adjustable between 300-600V. Headers are included for serial, in-circuit programming of the AVR microcontroller, and pulse output, so you can connect the Geiger counter to other devices.

The ATtiny2313 microcontroller at the center of it all is also very hackable, which offers you the chance to let your creativity run wild with this open source hardware. A link to download assembly instructions can be found here.

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Robotics is a growing field that combines several aspects of engineering into single projects. By building a single robot, you can easily harness skills across electrical and mechanical engineering, along with computer science. It’s a catch-all industry that offers a great jumping point for beginners seeking engineering skills.

The Open Source Turtle Robot (OSTR) was created as the basis for a two-day workshop where high school students could gain hands-on experience with engineering concepts. The finished robot even creates interesting pieces of art via pen plotting with Turtle graphics.

The project is Arduino compatible for ease of programming and powered by 4 AA batteries to make it cost effective. Stepper motors were chosen for accurate motion, and the parts were 3D printed for easy customization.

The pricing is structured based on whether you have access to a 3D printer. You can purchase the electronics kit, 3D parts, and hardware separately as needed. While this is a complex project, it was designed with beginners in mind. Detailed instructions are available as well.

The goal was to create a project that’s easy to build and program, while also giving it the ability to do something interesting. Check out the video below for a look at the finished project, and the art it creates!

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Have you ever wanted a marquee display to output your latest message to people walking past your business or office? Or perhaps a display to show you the temperature or time at a moment’s notice would be useful to you.

This can and has certainly be done with the right combination of dev board, display, communications hardware, and programming. For an all-in-one solution, however, Armtronix is offering a WiFi sensor board along with a 32×16 display and power supply in a convenient kit. The sensor board includes the same ATmega328P microcontroller used in the Arduino Uno (and many other applications), along with the an ESP8266 module for communications.

As seen in the video below, the setup is ideal for receiving text from a smartphone and displaying it, and includes a RTC and headers for a variety of sensors. This means you’re not restricted just to static text, or even info pulled from external sources for your array of 512 LEDs.

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The promise of the Internet of Things is to allow our devices to achieve new levels of connectivity and communication. Giving your device a direct line to the cloud can take it to the next level. This Blaze IoT development board combines Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and IMU functionality into one package.

It functions as an add-on to the Blaze platform or as a means of adding connectivity to your maker project. Blaze is another design from Tindie seller roobit that functions as a miniature development board for wearables and IoT applications.

It features an ESP8266 ESP-03 module for Wi-Fi capability and the option to connect your project to the cloud. The HM-11 Low Energy Bluetooth module will give you the option to link your smartphone or another Blaze IoT board.

The LSM9DS1 sensor on the board combines an accelerometer, magnetometer, and gyroscope into a single 9dof IMU sensor. Despite all of these components, the Blaze IoT board maintains a miniature form factor.

The measurement is 41x44mm, which will fit perfectly into embedded applications. The external IO connections have a 0.1″/2.54mm pitch, which makes them breadboard and Veroboard compatible. Power switching between the BLE module, Wi-Fi module, and IMU sensor is controlled independently via the external IO. This allows you to save power when needed.

Even if you don’t plan on using this development board as a Blaze add-on, the included modules allow you to add cloud connectivity, Bluetooth support, and even motion tracking to your projects.

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Soldering is a skill that nobody’s born with (although that would be nice). If you plan on becoming a DIY maker with any kind of electronics, it’s a skill you’ll need to pick up sooner than later. But don’t work, it’s fun and rewarding to learn the ways of the melted solder. here’s a fun way to start. The LED dice from E-Radionica is a DIY solder kit that helps beginners learn this valuable skill.

This educational kit lets you create a portable LED die (the single version of dice) from scratch while learning basic soldering skills. On the back of the device, a CR2032 battery lets you take the die with you on-the-go. There are a total of 7 LEDs and a large pushbutton on the device.

This board is based on an Attiny85 microcontroller. The code is available on GitHub and if you want to make the board do different things than the stock firmware, it is possible to reprogram this chip using an Arduino board.

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