Tindie

Enter a world filled with bizarre and otherworldly sounds with this Passive Ring Modulator Kit! Containing all the parts needed to build your very own ring modulator, this incredible kit is the perfect gift for any synth lover in your life – especially yourself!

Capable of producing wonderful harmonic sounds, this entirely Passive Ring Modulator kit packs a lot of punch for a tiny kit. Once built, the device is shockingly adaptable and can modulate almost any instrument you can imagine – plug your chosen instrument into the input jack and get modulating!

A ring modulator, put very simply, is a device that combines two signal inputs into one brand new output which has entirely different characteristics. Ring modulation is used all over popular media, with one of the most iconic uses being Star Wars. When you hear space communications distorted by interference, these are actually being affected by a ring modulator!

Keep Reading ›

We are very excited to announce that Tindie seller Bobricius is one of the 10 finalists in the first round of the Hackaday Prize — Planet-Friendly Power! This round is all about getting and storing power locally, which is one way we can reduce our burden on the planet. Many of the projects in this round focused on typical ways of creating and storing energy — wind turbines, solar arrays, hydroelectric, etc. But Bobricius’ entry focuses on a much smaller scale.

His entry is the ArmaLamp, a small light source that uses a supercapacitor, photocells, and a very efficient boost converter to provide nighttime illumination. Because it uses a supercap, it can be charged and discharged an almost unlimited number of times. Typically secondary (rechargeable) battery cells would wear out over time and require replacement. Because it uses a supercap that doesn’t need to be replaced, the entire module could be potted, making it waterproof and very rugged. It’s interesting that the design uses photocells instead of typical solar panels. This is just as valid an approach and allows more flexibility in shape and size, though often at the cost of lower efficiency. But for such a low-power device, this is a great application for photocells!

We’d also like to congratulate the other 9 finalists from this round — you can check out the announcement detailing the finalists here! Keep an eye out for the next round — Reuse, Recycle, Revamp. It’s going on right now, so you still have time to enter your project! Entries must be submitted by June 12th, 2022, and the finalists from that round will be announced on June 27th! You’ve got a chance at winning the grand prize of $50,000! Check out the official Hackaday Prize page for all the details.

Keep Reading ›

The Arduino Uno has introduced many a maker to the wonderful world of microcontrollers, DIY robotics, IoT, and more. Once blinking an LED becomes old hat and you can read a few buttons with ease, you may notice that the Uno itself is fairly large and power hungry compared to its peers. The AS-UNO by ArduinoShop presents a more minimal option, forgoing the power hungry USB-to-serial adapter, while keeping the classic socketed ATmega328P microcontroller onboard.

The device’s IO pins are tightly arranged beside the AT328P microcontroller, allowing for a board design that’s much smaller than the standard Uno. The AS-UNO itself fits nicely on a breadboard, which can be a bit of a pain point for full-sized Arduino Uno boards. Since it doesn’t include a USB-to-serial adapter, you’ll need to provide one for programming, and there’s an option to include one in the listing.

One drawback to this board is that it won’t fit a standard ‘Uno shield, though there are a wide range of other options if you want to go that route. On that subject, if you would like an easy a way to experiment with a standard Uno, you might check out the Trainer UNO shied featured here.

Keep Reading ›

Texture is a drone generation synth which gives you incredible control and expressivity over an ever-evolving sonic soundscape. Combine Textures’ three independent voices using satisfying analog potentiometers, and bring beautiful droning tones to your home.

This innovative and exciting drone synthesizer is a wonderful addition to your synth setup,  whether you’re searching for some ominously deep background droning, mellow synth pad sounds, or squealing cross-modulated voices – Texture is a device that covers a lot of textural bases.

Comprised of three voices with fully adjustable parameters, the sounds that come out of this device are mesmerizing even without accompaniment. They are the perfect option to add some analog grit to your next composition. The first voice, Cluster, is composed of three frequency controlled oscillators. The second, Ring, uses pseudo-ring modulation circuits to create metallic sounds – and a third voice, Chaos, is formed by three oscillators in cross-modulation, which produce complex variations in tone and granularity.

Keep Reading ›

Continuing our look back at Superbooth 2022, where I managed to catch up with some Tindie sellers on my travels! This time, we take a look at Lumanoise aka Leploop and their innovative electronic devices designed and made in Italy. Scroll down to see my conversation with the maker, Tony, in Berlin earlier this month, and read on to find out what he sells on Tindie.

Lumanoise is a unique product in the synth world, being controlled principally through an LDR – or Light Dependent Resistor, meaning a swish of the hand over its sensor, or an illuminating burst of light alters the way it generates sound. It’s got some history too, being based on the Trautonium, which was designed in the 1940s by Oskar Sala.

Keep Reading ›

Basketball has captured the heart of the world in its “short” 130 years of existence. It’s been played all over, such as at the Summer Olympics, between rival schools in the ever-beloved March Madness tournament, and in pick-up games in neighborhoods every day. The game has evolved over the years, to the point where we even have robots playing basketball. If you yourself want to combine basketball and technology, the REX Woody Desktop Basketball Game is the perfect weeknight project!

This kit includes all the parts you need to construct two basketball hoops, launchers, and the simple circuitry to make it all work – you just need a 9V battery to get started. When you land that perfect 2-point shot, the tinfoil ball completes the circuit of the hoop and turns on an LED at the top! A manual score tracker on each courtside lets your competitive nature come out and see who can make it to five baskets first. If you’ve got some spare components as well, the simple nature of this kit makes it easy to hack in your own additions such as a buzzer!

With the end of many basketball seasons drawing close, these kits are a great idea to celebrate with those younger basketball athletes, budding electronic designers, and fans in your life. And if you love the style but aren’t a fan of hoops, check out Robotistan’s page for more projects like this, such as a moving Ferris Wheel or a controllable robot arm.

Keep Reading ›

It’s hard to argue that the advent of color computer monitors hasn’t been a huge net benefit to society, but one might also say that that the world of monochrome had a certain charm to it. Perhaps there was even an event where you didn’t quite plug in the monitor correctly and were treated to and/or tortured with a whole new non-color scheme before making the appropriate adjustments. If you’re nostalgic enough for those days, then spark2k06 has a solution in the form of the MonochromeVGA.

The device takes in RGB signals from a VGA source (e.g. a computer), and transforms them into either a black and white output, or a selection of red, green, and blue, selected with a set of DIP switches. These allow for different single-color outputs, such as green and amber, allowing you to hit a retro nerve for nearly any system! You can also set the device up to display in normal color mode as needed without disconnecting anything.

Check how the adapter works in the first video below, with a clip of the optional 3D-printed case being assembled in the second. Take note:: the sound at approximately 25 seconds in, has quite the pleasant snap-together action:

Keep Reading ›

The need to remotely monitor and control electronics is rising constantly. With more solar power systems, battery installations, and other power generation/monitoring projects – a simple and robust way to monitor and control these installations is essential. This wonderfully built and well-thought out TCP/IP Voltmeter more or less does what it says on the tin; providing a TCP server that will output measurements from the galvanically isolated voltmeter inputs.

But that’s not all! In many situations where remote voltage monitoring is needed, there’s also a need to control equipment. For example, when a certain voltage threshold is met, a device needs to be turned on. Or if the voltage dips too low, something needs to be disconnected. This board also contains 3 relays that can switch loads of up to 10A at 125VAC or 30VDC, though to be safe I would treat those as absolute maximums and stay well below them. The relays can always be used to switch a larger contactor or solid-state relay if large loads need to be controlled.

Besides hosting a simple TCP server, data can also be sent and received using SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol). The board contains an SNMPv2 agent and can also be configured to automatically send data to any endpoint that supports HTTP POST for datalogging.

The board is powered from 12V, and has an on-board Ethernet port. It would be very easy to use a PoE splitter to power the board and get data through a single cable, making installation and troubleshooting even simpler. The layout is well thought out, and it looks like a robust and easy to use solution for remote monitoring. Keep it in mind the next time you need to remotely monitor and control a project!

Keep Reading ›

Earlier this month, a host of independent synth makers, manufacturers, and brands headed over to Berlin to showcase their latest releases and make connections with the audience at Superbooth! I had the chance to visit with Sonicstate, and took the opportunity to speak to some of the folks selling on Tindie, including the seller Keurslager Kurt; who makes AE Modular Modules focused on making electronic music more accessible, space friendly, and affordable.

Zeno of Keurslager Kurt has 5 modules on sale as kits and as finished units in this diminutive but powerful modular format on Tindie. In the video, he demonstrates Boost, Five Steps, and a prototype of the dinky new one-third height AE standard; a sub-oscillator entitled WhatsUp – available on Tindie soon! We start off with a quick chat about the modules, followed by a demo of how they sound, and some discussions about future modules. Find out more about the AE Modular format by Tangible Waves here.

Superbooth turned 20 this year, with a focus on small boutique manufacturers of innovative tools and devices from the world of electronic music instruments – where established brands are also welcome.

Visit the Keurslager Kurt Store to see all of the excellent modules he’s selling, designed and made in Belgium. Here’s the Sonicstate video of the modules in action, as explained by Zeno, the maker!

Keep Reading ›

This LED cube sits neatly on top of your Raspberry Pi like a cute and sparkly hat, with a tonne of functionality! The PiCube is incredibly robust, easy to install, and has a low power usage – making it the ideal product for learning and invention. Program your own 3D light shows by combining the PiCube with your Raspberry Pi, and bring your visual ideas out into the 3d realm!

Create works of art that will astound your friends and family as this matrix takes you beyond the 2D plane. A 3D LED matrix like this works its magic by creating multiple layers, which, when combined create an exciting display or light show. Featuring 64 high-intensity monochromatic LEDs, each layer and each LED can be accessed individually and controlled to your requirements. It’s compatible with Raspberry Pi 4 Model B, 3B+, 3, 2, Zero, and more – and is available in 3 statement colours!

You can order this matrix either fully assembled or as a kit, meaning you can spend a pleasant evening refining your soldering skills before beginning your coding adventure! The maker has provided a fantastic PiCube GitHub repository to get you started, which can be easily downloaded onto your Raspberry Pi.

Keep Reading ›