Tindie

The original Sony Playstation changed gaming forever, bringing it out of the darkened, slightly sweaty bedrooms of gamers and into mainstream consciousness – ushering in new 3D worlds with big-beat soundtracks capable of being housed on super-cool black CDs. The PlayBaby DSUB (RGB|240p|480p) Adapter For PlayStation is a neat device to help rekindle your affection for the console, and its sequel – the Playstation 2, with a D-Subminiature output for 480p gaming, with no other gear required.

This A/V multi output adapter will output video from the console as well as sound from a 3.5mm socket. While it doesn’t do any upscaling or transcoding, it does ensure that your VGA signal brings a sharp quality to your gaming experience, surpassing any unshielded SCART cables you may have. It requires no power, has no buttons and works for both the PS1 (aka the PSX) and the PS2 – but do read the product page for specifics. As always, if you are unsure of anything before purchasing, send the seller a message and they’ll take care of you.

The PlayBaby is sold by Chipnetics Computing who are based in Canada, and seem to be pretty hot on making converters for a host of purposes. Can we also take a moment to admire these gorgeous images, too? Perhaps the best I’ve ever seen on Tindie!

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For those that have seen one running, the Vectrex is an absolute delight for the senses – vivid wireframe vectors projected onto a built-in CRT, with almost liquid fluidity and bold vintage sound effects. The PoiTrex: Vectrex to Raspberry Pi Interface is an incredible device which replaces the CPU of the original machine by connecting a Raspberry Pi Zero to its cartridge port – providing a superb alternative to playing games and unique access to programming your own!

The PiTrex replaces the Vectrex CPU with an ARM CPU running at 1GHz and 512MB of RAM; which is an almost infinite update from the original. The seller has created a wiki page covering the details of the module; with schematics, circuit descriptions and updates. It’ll also support some Vectrex emulators meaning you can play a host of vintage games from back in the day, once you have them on your SD card. Games such as Asteroids, Tailgunner, and Battlezoe can all be played with save states to put you back where you left off – a godsend for those unforgiving older games.

PiTrex is an open-source project with code hosted at GitHub – and is available in a customised Vectrex cartridge case, or without. The PiTrex is sold by OmberTech who are based in Australia, and have a wealth of gaming goodies in their store.

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When building MIDI instruments, you need to be sure they interact with each other correctly –  mixed voltage systems can be a nightmare. The ‘MIDI In-and-Out Module for 3.3v‘ hopes to turn that nightmare into a dream, allowing you to attach MIDI components directly to your 3.3v projects with no hassle!

For instruments to communicate correctly over MIDI they must be speaking the same language, and the language of MIDI is spoken using high or low levels of voltage. When using 3.3v microcontrollers such as the Teensy, attaching standard 5v MIDI inputs or outputs can be complicated.

Most 3.3v systems can only accept voltages of up to 3.3v before malfunctioning, meaning that 5v MIDI inputs can cause serious issues – thankfully these can be overcome by using a level shifter within your circuit. This module acts in a very similar way to a level shifter without the need for any external components – creating a hardwearing and adaptable MIDI interface for your project!

This handy breakout board contains everything you need to quickly add MIDI control. Featuring a 3.3v supply voltage, a MIDI input jack, a MIDI output jack, and an optocoupler to ensure that any 5v signals get stepped down to the correct voltage – this device does just about everything you could need from a 3.3v MIDI breakout board. Arriving fully assembled and tested, you can plug this straight into your project using its 2.0mm spaced pin headers and get making music!

Midimonster is an independent company based out of Hilden, Germany and willing to ship almost worldwide. With 25 years of experience in electronic music and 20 years in electronics development, the maker provides others with the products he couldn’t find when he needed them.

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The dawning of the cyberpunk era is upon us – with films, games, comics and anime depicting a roboticized future of neon lights and A.I. driven cities. Display your very own piece of cyberpunk art with the Pulse Driver Cyberpunk LED PCB Desk Ornament! Its cleverly designed LED lights show a sparse futuristic cityscape which subtly glows – a brilliant way to display your deliciously nerdy taste in dystopian decor.

This art piece has a slowly pulsating light show that is entirely controlled by the custom-designed PCB. Using red, yellow, blue, and green LEDs, this objet-d’art brings a significantly geeky flair to your living space, especially for fans of Blade Runner, Cyberpunk 2077 or Ghost in The Shell – it’s undoubtedly a conversation starter.

Its cyberpunk-esque silkscreen print creates a fantastic-looking landscape using only electronics and PCB elements. The board sits in a purpose-built 3D printed stand – which contains all of the components and allows it to stand on any flat surface. In the bottom left, the Pulse Driver logo brings the whole product together and creates a very professional final look.

This product was designed by Black Tie Products, an independent company based out of New York, USA. New to selling on Tindie, they deliver unique and handcrafted electronics to customers worldwide.

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Even with a wide range of modern indicator options, there’s still something really cool about how Nixie tubes glow to indicate a selected character. While generally not produced anymore, a large stock of new-old tubes means that they’re entirely usable today, with the caveat that they have to be DC powered in the 100 volt range. This requirement is a hassle for modern electronics, and also presents some potential danger.

While it won’t eliminate this danger, and need for experience/caution when working with such tubes, the Digitally Adjustable Nixie Tube Power Supply from WiZeus Store takes care of actually generating the needed DC power. From a 12VDC input, it’s able to generate voltages of between 85 to 175V, with a 20mA max current. This voltage range can be controlled by an Arduino board or other controllers via I2C, allowing for dynamic effects, such as dimming the tubes at night.

The device can also supply 5V or 3.3V for control electronics. Nixie power can be switched off when needed, while keeping the lower voltage power active, as an all-in-one power supply.

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The OoberLights Micro RGB LED Module features 21 addressable LEDs arranged in three concentric rings. Or two concentric rings of 12 and 8 around a single LED, depending on how you’d like to view it. These can be controlled with the standard Arduino NeoPixel library, and besides a couple of capacitors and connection pads on the back, there’s little more to this board.

The unique feature of this board is its footprint: at 18mm x 18mm; it’s actually the size of a keyboard keycap, which is a lot of LEDs to fit on such a small control surface. Of course, it would need the proper adapter to fit on a key switch, a project that creator patshead.com is still contemplating.

While the OoberLights Micro is little more than a clever LED breakout, the story of its inspiration and build is quite interesting, as Pat humorously outlines in the product listing. The short story is that he’s been working on a larger version for quite some time. After receiving several JC Pro Macro keyboard prototypes (from me incidentally), he realized he could use the included breakout pins to control such a lighting apparatus.

You can see it in action in the video below, blinking under control of the macro pad. One could in theory use it for any sort of indication, such as for disk utilization or network traffic. The listing also has a well explained USPS letter shipping rate, though if you’re considering a similar arrangement, you might check out my Perfect Your Tindie Shipping Game post.

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Inside this tiny, card-sized casing lives a fully programmable, open-source, analogue and digital Foxie CardClock! This clock fulfils all of your pocket timepiece needs with a clever combination of beautifully designed circuit board, translucent grey faceplate, and a colourful 3D printed case.

The well layed out and brightly lit PCB display contains two rings of twelve LEDs – used as an analogue clock face with the ability to display a brilliant colour wheel light show! Below this is a fully configurable 17 by 5 LED matrix display which shows the time in a conventional digital format – also capable of portraying the time in binary, with no extra programming required! These displays are controlled by an onboard light sensor, ensuring that the brightness of the LEDs is always suited to the setting.

This device arrives fully assembled and ready to use or program to your needs – and comes in a choice of bold and vivid colours! It contains an onboard real-time clock, which, combined with WiFi synchronisation, means that this clock will always be right on time! Powered by an ESP8266 (a well loved WiFi-enabled microchip), it’s fully programmable using C++.

The files for the 3D printed case and more are available on Foxie Products GitHub, meaning that you can modify and print the case to fit your needs! Why not install holes, or hooks, to mount the clock on your bedside or to a backpack?

Foxie Products are an independent company based out of Texas in the United States. They create all sorts of superb colourful DIY technology to brighten up your spaces; why not check out their rainbow coloured desktop style Foxie Clock?

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Using computers for gaming, streaming, 3D modelling, and editing is now second nature for many of us – and devices to make this simpler and more streamlined are often the name of the game. Take the ANAVI Macro Pad 8 – a streamers delight with 8 programmable keys to assign to a multitude of macros or swift selection controls; complete with a clear OLED screen and wonderful illumination front and back!

The ANAVI Macro Pad 8 is a fully open-source, programmable keypad, capable of making numerous actions happen with a single button press. Let’s say you like to edit audio and frequently need to cut audio out to a new file then normalise it – you can program one keypress to perform this action! Likewise, you could use it for multiple camera setups while streaming, or for switching views in 3D modelling software.

It’s powered by the Quantum Mechanical Keyboard (QMK) open source firmware and can be constructed by hand without any specialist tools or soldering required. Use the online QMK Configurator to generate the firmware hex files directly in a web browser to make your own custom mappings and away you go. I’m sure you can think of at least 5 things you could automate right now!

The Macro Pad 8 is sold by ANAVI who are based in Bulgaria – and sell the awesome fume extractor we spoke about last week. Check out their Macro Pad 8 demo below:

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The Atari Punk Console is a classic design from the 1982 book, the ‘Engineer’s Notebook II’ written by Forrest Mims. The Atari Goth Console is an ode to that miniature music box, giving you the ability to generate drones from the other side with patching capabilities for integration with external gear. Get ready to summon your inner synth spirit!

The Atari Goth Console comes as a 21 piece kit, with all you need to put the beginner-friendly box together. Fundamentally, we have two oscillators to control, which interact with each other alongside a burst button to energise the circuit. It has 1/8″ jack sockets to hook things up to other devices, such as synths and modular setups – with controls for distorting and contorting the sounds fit for (as the seller suggests) a sonic séance! A build guide has been provided by the seller, where you can follow the step by step process of bringing the kit to life.

The Atari Goth Console comes in a neatly designed case, which locks together and is decorated with ornate gothic embellishments. It’s sold by CCTV who are based in Canada and offer a growing number of musical devices for modular and beyond.

Please note: It doesn’t actually use phantom power, thats a play on words!

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We’re huge fans of retro consoles at Tindie, and anything which allows us to use them with modern hardware is always welcome! Whether you’re using a NES, SNES or Genesis (Megadrive in Europe) control pad, the Triple Controller USB Adapter will allow you to plug-and-play with your favourite gaming system, such as Raspberry Pi, PC, or Mac!

It’s powered by an Arduino Pro Micro and comes fully assembled, assembled without the Arduino and as a DIY kit to make yourself. It’ll work with a host of systems and its software is based on MickGyver’s Retro Controller project; an open source coding collection to interface controllers over USB – subsequently, the Triple Controller USB files are available to use and inspect over on the sellers GitHub page. It’s a neat way to play homebrew or emulated games on your Raspberry Pi, Retro Pi, MiSTer, PC, or Mac based systems and offers an experience one step closer to playing on the original hardware.

It’s the first product on sale by TimVille, who ships within 1-2 business days from Pittsburgh in the USA. Get ready to challenge your friends to some Bubble Bobble, F-Zero or Golden Axe with the original controller in your hand!

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