Tindie

Every Thursday we send out a curated list of featured products from Tindie. In case you missed it, here are last week’s products!

ModepSystems prototype board PB-3

Create circuits of any complexity

ATmega328p Breakout Board

Free up your Arduino Uno with the ATmega328p Breakout Board!

PING2550 @ 48Mhz

The Ping 2550 board is a development board based around a PIC18F25K50

20×4 LCD Bezel Black with Clear Backplate

A black, acrylic bezel for your LCD. This is laser cut from .118″ acrylic also includes a .060 piece of clear acrylic.

Bru. Fermentation Monitor and Temp Controller

Bru. Fermentation Monitor and Temp Controller

Energy Harvester Breakout – 20 mV Startup

Harvest energy from thermoelectric generators or small solar cells

Re:load 2

The Re:load is a lightweight, affordable constant current dummy load for testing power supplies, high power LEDs, etc

Keep Reading ›

I read an article this week called “Five Pegboard Alternatives That Make Storing Your Tools a Cinch” and it made me think about my own workspace at home. In our office we have a closet that has sliding doors so a few months ago we decided to put in a workspace there. The closet has an ugly mix of vertical wood supports with pegs and wooden shelves in it, so we put that to use. Pegboards were pretty expensive and felt fairly constricted in what we could do with them. Instead, we removed all the shelves and put up two ventilated wire shelves on each side, held up by screw in brass cup hooks. Next, we put in an Ikea table and then some accessories on the wire shelves to organize our tools.

Part list and cost

• 2- 12″ x 2′ Elfa white ventilated shelves from Container Store= $9.99 each
• 4- 1-1/4″ The Hillman white brass cup hooks from Lowes = $1.24 each
• 1- Grundtal stainless steel magnetic knife rack from IKEA= $14.99
• Bygel silver S-hooks from IKEA= $0.99 per 10 pack
• Bygel plastic container cups in assorted colors from IKEA = $0.99 each
• Bygel plastic S-hooks in assorted colors from IKEA= $0.99 per 6 pack *note: I couldn’t find these on the IKEA US site anymore. Link is to the British page.*
• Linnmon White Table Top from IKEA= $5.99
• Adils adjustable table legs in silver from IKEA= $3.50 each

Total cost: ~ $57.00 + tax

Where do you work on your hobbies and projects and how do you organize it?

You can see the cup hooks at the top of this photo

Here is the magnetic knife rack that keeps tiny tools organized

Here is one of the plastic hooks and organizing cup

Tools, tools, tools

Closeup of hooks

Cups to hold more awkwardly shaped items and bags 

Keep Reading ›

We at Tindie are makers at heart and like to work on our own personal projects. What better place to buy parts and equipment than from our own Tindarians in the Tindie Marketplace!

Recently, my husband finished building a miniature Power Macintosh computer based on a Raspberry Pi compatible board.  He mainly uses it now for playing Oregon Trail or watching After Dark screensavers on his desk at work, but version 2.0 is already on the horizon and this PiScreen kit may provide a good upgrade.

The PiScreen is a successful Kickstarter project that is available on Tindie both as a kit (requires soldering) or fully assembled. We both enjoy soldering, so the kit is perfect for us. It works with Raspberry Pi A, B, B+ and Pi 2 and connects via ribbon cable or GPIO pins. There’s also a switch on the back to control the backlight.

Version 1.0 of the Mini PowerMac

My order was shipped in a regular box with this box tucked neatly and securely inside

Contents of the box

Everything taken out of the bags

TFT Module and PCB

Front of the PCB with super detailed silkscreening of where everything goes

Back of the PCB with clear markings for the switch, including which way is which!

Back view of the TFT Module with pinout description

74HC4094 shift registers, 74HC4040 Binary counter, and 74HC04 hex converter

Stylus and headers

Capacitors and switch

It also included this nifty PCB keychain. What a nice touch!

 Please note that these are my own personal opinions and photos. I purchased this product with my own personal funds and was in no way contacted before or after from the seller for a review or anything else.

Keep Reading ›

While looking at my RSS feed today, I recognized an Instructables post! BalearicDynamics is a Tindie seller who has created products like the Digital Potentiometer Arduino Shield and 7-Segments LED Display Arduino Kit.

They’ve posted an Instructable for their Digital Potentiometer Arduino Shield which can be used to provide a variable resistance controlled by another event. For example, changing the volume of a music player to compensate for increases in room noise. Check it out!

On the Internet we can find some very basic applications of the component, reviewed in many blogs and sites, including the arduino.cc website “Controlling a digital potentiometer using SPI“. Unfortunately these tutorials focus on the way you can control this chip: the SPI (= Serial Peripheral Interface) protocol. Also the sample Sketches we find – limited to very few lines of code – are very simple but also almost useless.

Also the usage suggestions are very poor: how to control digitally the audio levels of some devices. But then? It’s up to you. Nothing else.

So the reason I have decided to create this shield project is to have a full working digital potentiometer lab reliable and ready for real-world applications. Also the sketches are a bit more complex but includes, hopefully, useful features explained.

Do you have an Instructable for one of your products on Tindie? Let us know and we will feature you next!

Keep Reading ›

The Silicon Valley Electronics Flea Market runs on Saturdays from March through September in Cupertino, California. Parking is $3 so I decided to go check it out and see what kinds of interesting items I could find.

Sellers register and are given 2 parking spaces to use ($25 fee). Sellers had their items in their trunks, on the asphalt, on tables, or on blankets.

Walking through the parking lot, I noticed a sea of cars with amateur radio antennas, and spotted a few people wearing belt buckles with their call signs.

Most prices were reasonable.In fact, many sellers even had sections marked “Free”! I imagine this is easier than paying to dispose of electronics. I saw a few broken mac monitors, keyboards, and piles of bare electronics components.

There were also many people selling an assortment of tools for very low prices.

Some even had a variety of small supplies. Here was a seller that had a wide assortment of capacitors to choose from.

Because it is a flea market, I heard a lot of haggling. Phrases such as “Will you take $30?” and “Will you throw in the manual?” were common.

If you are in the area and are interested in more information, visit the website.

Keep Reading ›

Every Thursday we send out a curated list of featured products from Tindie. In case you missed it, here are last week’s products!

Cactus Micro Arduino compatible plus WIFI esp8266

Cactus Micro tiny size Arduino board plus WIFI chip esp8266

ATtiny841 breakout board

ecTiny841. ATtiny841 uC board.

Mini Mint Tin Proto Board (2 Pak)

Prototyping board that fits in a small mint tin!

Minishift 4-pack

The Minishift is a chainable, scrolling LED matrix display you can control over USB or from a microcontroller

GrovePi Board For The Raspberry Pi

The GrovePi is a system that connects over 100 sensors and devices to the Raspberry Pi.

LUNCHBEAT – 1-bit groovebox DIY KIT

little groovebox with 4 sounds and step sequencer

ADNS-9800 Laser Motion Sensor

Laser motion sensor for detecting distance traveled in X or Y plane

Keep Reading ›

Because it is Friday the 13th, the eve of National Pi day, I’ve picked 13 cool Raspberry Pi related things to bring to you. Let’s get to it!

1) Very Berry Pi-Case 3000

by rwinscot (who also has a store on Tindie, check it out!)

“Time to unleash your inner-geek and make a tangy very berry Raspberry Pi case – say that ten times fast!” This is a bright and beautiful case project I found on Instructables. I’ve never seen a project quite like this, it is just super unique and really just so cool looking.

2) Raspberry Pi Servo Card

by Land-Boards

“Control up to 3 servos, 2 LEDs and read 3 switches from a Raspberry Pi.” This successful Kickstarter project is super small (1.4″ x 1″) with recessed side connectors and right angle connectors to make it low profile.

3) Pi Day Celebrations: Raspberry Jams

Pi Day feels like it’s growing larger and larger every year, with  so many events going on around the world with lots of fun to be had. Here’s a fun fact from Wikipedia: “Pi Day will have special significance on 3/14/15 at 9:26:53 a.m. and p.m., with the date and time representing the first 10 digits of π. That same second will also contain a precise instant corresponding to all of the digits of π. However, some argue that 9:26:54 a.m. and p.m. on 3/14/15 are more accurate because of the 11th digit of π being 5, which would cause the 10th digit to round up to 4.”

4) Pi or Pie?! Celebrating Pi Day of the Century (And How to Get Your Very Own Piece of Pi)

Speaking of the special significance of this year’s Pi Day, here is a really interesting Wolfram Blog post that explains how you can  use the Wolfram Language to find your birthday in Pi (mine was 55,680) and you can even get that on a shirt. Nifty!

5) Erica the Rhino

“A cyber rhino created by the University of Southampton’s Electronics and Computer Science team.”  The rhino is powered by a Raspberry pi to do things like tweet, move various parts like its eyes (which are webcams!) and ears, and it has various LEDs that light up which is a already an interesting piece of art. You can also interact with her using a smartphone!

 6) Zebra Case – Raspberry Pi B+ and 2B (Black Ice)

By c4labs

“The coolest Raspberry Pi case you can buy!” This is a really nice Raspberry pi case that uses stainless steel screws and rubber feet. It also allows for cooling through the top. Simple and lovely.

7) Oreo’s Raspberry Pi powered vending machine

This is a short Youtube video from MAKE where they went “behind the scenes” at SXSW to see Oreo’s vending machine that makes custom Oreos based on Twitter trends. It’s powered by a Raspberry Pi and Teensy, 16 print heads, a stepper motor, compressors, and more.

8) PIE1 – Raspberry Pi Sends Live Images from Near Space

Did you know that in 2012, a Raspberry Pi made its way into space? Dave Akerman, a resident of the UK who blogs about HAB (High Altitude Ballooning), sent a Pi up to 39,994 metres (that’s nearly 25 miles!) to endure temperatures -50C (thats -58f) and the results are pretty fantastic.

9) Arduberry For The Raspberry Pi

By DexterIndustries

“The Arduberry is a simple and inexpensive way to bring Arduino shields to the Raspberry Pi.” This shield goes right over the Raspberry Pi so you can stack and use your Arduino shields as well as write Arduino programs on your Pi.

10) Turn any printer into a wireless printer with a Raspberry Pi

This is a really succinct Instructable that shows you how to use your Raspberry Pi to make your wired printer now wireless. Save a lot of headache with 4 steps and less than $40!

11) GCHQ’s Raspberry Pi ‘Bramble’ – exploring the future of computing

12) Turn a Raspberry Pi Into an Ad Blocker with a Single Command

“Run this command only on a clean install of the Raspberry Pi running Raspbian.  Your results may vary if you try to run this on an existing system, so it is not recommended.” Add a single command and it pulls an automated bash script from GitHub that does the work for you. All that is left is to configure your computers to use it as a DNS server, and then you’re ad-free!

13) Browse Tindie DIY Electronics: Raspberry Pi

Just want to browse? You can search all products on Tindie, or you can go to the DIY Electronics section and click on “raspberry pi” which will take you to some more really great Tindie seller projects. Check it out!

Keep Reading ›

Keep Reading ›

Recently, I found this really interesting and thorough 3 part article series on prototyping with cardboard. Part one is the introduction, part two covers cutting, and part three covers shaping techniques. The best part of this series are the tables of products that breakdown cost, pros, cons, and best type of cardboard to use them on.

I had honestly never thought about prototyping with cardboard before, and this series even gives tips on where to find it for free.

Besides looking around your house, there are a few ways to get cardboard for free. Ask you local grocery stores and supermarkets (Walmart, Costco) if they have boxes to spare. Best timing is in the middle of the day or in the evening when staff is stocking shelves and hence emptying boxes.

For large size free cardboard: try kitchen stores, bike stores and dollar stores. However, many stores are not allowed to give away boxes because they have agreements with recycling centers.

2 online free cardboard resources:

• Craigslist: look up “free moving boxes”
• uHaul exchange program: a directory of people who just moved out and want to get rid of boxes

Free cardboard is cool because, well, it’s free but it’s not always the best for prototyping as it comes already used, folded and printed on.

For better prototypes, you will need clean large sheets of cardboard with a neutral tone or in plain color. I detail below the main types of cardboard (cardstock, chipboard, corrugated and honeycomb) and where to find each of them.

Images from Making Society

For the full series, start here with part one on Making Society.

Keep Reading ›

Every Thursday we send out a curated list of featured products from Tindie. Recently, we also began putting a best selling product in the spotlight as well. In case you missed it, here are last week’s products!

GestureR – Arduino Gesture Sensor Module

 “GestureR Shield” GestureR are modules capable of Gesture Sensing, Proximity Sensing, and Ambient Light Sensing

Spark Core with Chip Antenna

The Spark Core is a tiny Wi-Fi development kit based on Texas Instrument’s CC3000.

Integrated Stepper Motor Controller

StepperStack R5

MBI5030 PWM LED driver starter board – DIY kit

16 Channel PWM LED driver starter board – DIY kit – Arduino code available

XBee Breakout for BoardX Platform

Have you ever wanted to build a robot or remote sensing project, but found yourself tethered to your computer?

MSP430 Reaction Game

A circuit for a game to test your reaction skills by stopping the cycling LEDs at a specific LED using a button

Global Certifications for Makers and Hardware Startups eBook

Find the regulatory path to legally bring your product to market in the US (FCC), Europe (CE) and beyond…

Keep Reading ›