Tindie

Drone synths are the lifeblood of any electronic performer, providing an audio bed and atmosphere upon which to jam, create, and marvel. The Nandamonium Double Drone – Eurorack Module is a new six-voice drone synth, capable of creating everything from monumental subsonic and searing high frequency laser sounds!

In addition to the 6 tunable squarewave voices, this drone synth offers a built-in delay for tripped out repeats and ethereal echos – by controlling the rate, feedback and mix of the effect. It has two CV inputs which can ofcourse change the outputted pitch as well as being used to  create lo-fi rhythmic effects. The unit measured 35HP wide, 22mm deep, and uses standard 3.5mm sockets for interacting with other gear. In addition to the conventional controls, you’ll find a Warp switch (which acts as a bright, small speaker tone control), as well as a blast switch to introduce a wave of maximum feedback into the circuit – hold onto your hat!

The Nandomonium is sold by Synthrotek who are based in Troy in the USA. Their store is jam packed with modular goodies, so if you’re not familiar with them, you’re in for a treat! Hear (and see) the unit in action in this extensive video from the makers:

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The Hackaday Prize is back for 2022! For the better part of a decade, our friends at Hackaday have been challenging makers and creators the world over to create something that matters. They’ve accomplished a lot, and this year will be no different.

This year the Hackaday Prize is taking on the task of Saving the World, and they’re challenging makers from around the globe to create the technology that will solve climate change. There are tens of thousands of dollars in prizes, going to the best solutions dreamt up by a world of makers. There are more than $100,000 in prizes and a residency at the Supplyframe DesignLab up for grabs, so get making!

Like previous years of the Hackaday Prize, there are a series of challenges asking you to create solutions to save the world. They are:

Planet-Friendly Power

This challenge asks you to lower the cost of clean energy, either through energy harvesting or through improvements in energy storage. Think of a solar-powered pump pushing water uphill for energy harvesting at night. Yes, the gravity battery is a great answer to planet-friendly power. This challenge is open from March 29 through May 1, with the finalists announced on May 15th.

Reuse, Recycle, Revamp

Projects for this challenge facilitate recycling or reuse of material that would otherwise end up in the waste stream. Got a plan to turn plastic waste into 3D printer filament? This is the challenge for you! This challenge is open from May 1 to June 12, with the finalists announced on June 26th.

Hack It Back

Entries for this challenge add new capabilities to older electrical gear to keep it useful. For instance, did you know you can build a powerwall out of thousands of discarded laptop batteries? This challenge is open from June 12 to July 24, with the winners announced on August 7th.

Climate Resilient Communities

This is a challenge to design devices that help communities be more resilient to climate change or collect data from the environment for changes in local infrastructure. Some communities (and states) ban red-light cameras, but that doesn’t mean you can’t use a Raspberry Pi and Machine Vision to catch everyone flying through a red light! This challenge is open from July 24 to September 4, with winners announced on September 18th.

Save the World Wildcard

Got an idea that will save the world? This is the challenge for you! Build something that creates a more promising future for us all. This challenge is open from September 4 through October 16, with the winners announced on October 30th.

To launch the 2022 Hackaday Prize, Hackaday is hosting a YouTube live stream all day tomorrow, starting at 8:00 AM PT and going until 2:30 PM PT. Topics will include Radical Ideas to Save the Planet with Bill Gross Founder and CEO of Idealab, The Next Industrial Revolution We Need with Cesar Jarada professor at the University of Hong Kong, and Helping the Planet Through Open Source Hardware with Alicia Gibb, Lee Wilkins, and Claire Cassidy from OSHWA.

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We’ve waxed lyrical about the benefits of Marco pads, for speeding your workflow, carrying out multiple processes and generally looking pretty sweet. Let me introduce the JoyPad – CircuitPython Macro Keypad With Joystick – loaded with features and a super X-Y controller to achieve the things similar devices simply can’t do.

The JoyPad comes as a fully-assembled unit, with a Raspberry Pi PICO employed as the brains behind the operation. A Macro Pad allows you to assign numerous button pushes and commands to one button, speeding up processes like audio/video editing and repeated tasks immeasurably. The keypad itself uses MX style tactile keys and features a gloriously crisp 128 x 64 OLED display to see what’s happening. Video game fans will recognise the joystick from its similarity to popular game controllers such as the PlayStation or Xbox.

The icing on the cake with this design is a built-in speaker- a genius inclusion to give audio feedback of your presses.It can be used for a range of tasks, as listed on the product page – the one which caught my eye was as a MIDI controller! Being built in CircuitPython it’s also ripe for customisation and programming to suit any of your work or leisure needs.

The JoyPad is sold by Bradán Lane Studio who is based in Washington DC – selling a number of accessories to inspire and adorn your tech life.

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We all love playing on and using the actual hardware we grew up with, and for many of us oldies, that includes early IBM PCs and Apple Mac computers. We also may remember a time before USB (which we take for granted now) allowing for simple and direct interfacing with all types of equipment. Now we can bring USB devices like keyboards, mice, and gamepads to those vintage computers using the wonderful USB4VC: USB Inputs on Retro Computers!

USB4VC is a superb way to interface modern input devices with vintage systems – using an active protocol converter compatible with a wide range of vintage computers. It utilizes a modular design, with many different platforms supported by swapping out ‘Protocol Cards’ – the seller has even made them available to make your own. Each unit is made up of two halves: Baseboard and these swappable Protocol Cards – each one housing a dedicated microcontroller and specific circuitry and connectors for a certain system. Amazing!

It’s sold by dekuNukem who sells all manner of tech accessories and devices to make your computing experience easier, based in Nottingham, England.

The USB4VC was covered in a LGR Review and has amassed a huge amount of views, so this is clearly something which has struck a chord with vintage computing enthusiasts! See more in the demo video below:

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We all enjoy making modular music, but as time goes on many people are looking to generate their own visuals at the same time. This Tymkrs Visualizer Eurorack Module is a perfect choice for those who want some visual splendor to accompany your musical masterpieces. Not only does it fit into just 10HP of space, it also looks like it was beamed in from another planet, in the distant future.

This audio reactive module is controlled by the signal you’ve plugged into the input socket – the speed of the illumination is a real-time reflection of the amplitude and frequency of the incoming sounds. You could even use an LFO to have it change in a seriously synced tempo matched fashion! It has been designed to allow for boosting of the signal, and if you do so, the module will add some lovely harmonic distortion – causing the low frequency content to punch through to the higher frequencies for a more visual feedback!

It’s a beautifully designed unit, which even allows for the chaining of multiple units together – with a promise of a variety of front panels coming on the horizon!

It’s made by The Toymakers, who are based in the US – check out their store for all kinds of audio, technology and modular accessories. Here’s a lengthy video on setting it up:

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FM radio has been around for almost 90 years, sending sound invisibly through the airwaves to all kinds of applications. Scanning the stations for what you need is always an exciting prospect, and this ScoutMakes FM Radio Board is perfect if you want to do just that – offered in a small but perfectly formed unit.

It’s a great way to learn about FM radio –  this I2C breakout board is designed for the RDA5807 FM radio chip made by RDA Microelectronics. The board is compatible with Arduino and CircuitPython programming languages – and there is example code and libraries to help you get off the ground. It has a host of integration features, which include an RDS (Radio Data System) to see what’s playing and where! Connect your FM wonder to headphones using the 3.5mm socket or hook it up to some speakers to play it loud.

The ScoutMakes FM Radio comes off the back of the success of their Radio Kit, which puts the whole radio in the palm of your hands. This dinky FM Radio Board is made by Tinkering Tech who are based in  Massachusetts, USA. Check out their store for a variety of technology treats.

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In the age of technology, it’s become common sense to back up all of your essential information and data – but have you ever even considered backing up your TV remote? This innovative Infrared Remote Decoder board allows you to back up and recall your TV remote signals, avoiding the hassle of sourcing a new remote when the inevitable accident happens!

This unassuming white PCB  hides a lot of power once connected to your computer. It uses a terminal program, enabling the decoder to listen to signals from any infrared (IR) remote and display them on your screen. A no-fuss solution for collecting IR device IDs and commands, this product requires minimal set-up and shows the data clearly and without complications.

The maker Remote Mods decided to create this device because they’d seen many implementations of this idea that didn’t quite hit the mark, and they wanted to improve on them! With efficient decoding algorithms which ensure that the bits received are displayed in the correct order, you can be sure that this decoder will get the job done.

Next time you lose your remote down the back of the couch, or the dog decides its treasure he needs to bury in the garden – be sure that you won’t have to worry, because it’s all backed up.

Remote Mods are an independent electronics manufacturer based out of Toronto in Canada. They’re an assembler and programmer with an eye for innovative improvements of old ideas and 22 years of experience in the field!

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When working on bringing your electronics dreams to life, finding displays of the exact size you need can be challenging. This brilliantly compact Chainable Seven-Segment Display solves that problem by allowing you to chain them together as you see fit, creating the perfect number of digits for your next project.

The makers had a dream of creating a product that could drive seven-segment displays just as simply as an LED matrix or neopixel. They’ve certainly achieved their goal, bringing the charm of a seven-segment numeric display to even the tiniest of projects – whether you need to display 0-9, or 0-99999! This innovative product is perfect for makers in need of a versatile seven-segment display – you could eaily show a program number, a setting, or a note for a music sequencer!

These displays require four wires to control and power the entire component, using compact technology which is straightforward to wire up and program. These wires are the Voltage Common Collector (VCC), Ground, Clock, and Data – and they’re labelled straight on the PCB!

One by One is a new seller on Tindie, based out of Overijssel in the Netherlands shipping worldwide. Their goal is to create rapid prototyping interface modules that are chainable, and this is a great start! One by One are working on creating their own protocol, inspired by Neopixels, which allow every item in an interface to be chained – not just the LEDs. Check out their Tindie store for more!

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Sismo synths are back with another sound-emitting device, this time in the unconventional form of a little glitch gobin! The Mini Monster electronic organ is a module made for experimental sounds with some out-there control methods.

It comes fully made with everything in place to get started once you’ve installed a 9V battery. It has multiple notes to be triggered by making contact with the silver plates using the two crocodile clips (or funny arms) to complete the circuit. In addition to outputting tones, it features a variable resistor which, when turned, enables you to re-pitch the sound – and an LDR (Light Dependent Resistor) to do similar. Wave your hand over the LDR to block light and it’ll respond accordingly! You can even use carbon from a pencil (as seen in the video below) to make your own variable resistor on paper.

It’s similar in many ways to the work of MadLab, and I highly recommend checking out the Noise-X and the Scuttlebut if you want to see some other wildly inspiring glitch machines!

The mini monster is an affordable animal made by Sismo Synths in Portugal, who offer a wide variety of tabletop synths and pocket electronic percussion tools. Check out the video below to see it in action.

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Gone are the days of storing data on giant floppy disks and iridescent CDs – most storage devices now use MicroSD to house gigabytes of data, with ultra fast access speeds. Soldering one to your prized new project might be a little tricky as they are pretty small, so this MicroSD Card Breakout Board SD Card Reader Module is an ideal way to solve that problem – integrating and utilizing this astonishingly versatile storage device.

This minute breakout board will allow you to connect more comfortably to the connection points of a MicroSD card – and works on SPI interface communication making it compatible with SPI-based microcontrollers. It’ll work with any SD card which runs on an operating voltage of 3.3V, with various applications for use in tech projects.

You’ll find the source code shared on the company’s GitHub page – illustrating how to integrate the module with Raspberry Pi micro computers. Just imagine what you can store and access in your project – any number of text or MIDI files, even video files and photos can be comfortably accessed using this board!

The MicroSD Card Breakout Board SD Card Reader Module is created by SB Components who are based in Halesowen, in England – offering a huge range of electronic accessories and tech expansion solutions.

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