Tindie

What could be better than an FM Drum machine; combining mutant drum sequencing with the FM synthesis chip of the Sega Genesis (or Megadrive)? The Poly Rotas is an updated version of the Opera Rotas which was released last year; this time offering polyphonic playback for the machine, thanks to a firmware upgrade!

Inside the Opera Rotas FM Drum Machine you’ll find an OPL2 FM chip, which offers crystal-clear replication of the sounds you may remember coming out of your 16-Bit gaming console during the 1990s. This new upgrade offers 9-voice polyphonic playback for that machine, which was origianally released as a monophonic device – giving rise to deeper melodic elements, chords, and layered sounds! It offers multiple play modes and a nice selection of pots to control synth parameters – played by MIDI keyboard or sequenced by your favourite music software. A full rundown of the Opera Rotas is available to view in their user manual.

In order to use this firmware upgrade, you’ll need to own version 0.9 and upwards of the original Opera Rotas – enabling you to choose between both of the released firmwares. The Poly Rotas is sold by Spherical Sound Society who offer a myriad of audio gadgets and musical devices. See the Poly Rotas in action here:

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Yes, you read that headline correctly, the 555 Micro kit listed here doesn’t allow you to make a particular gadget using a 555 timer, but instead allows you to make one out of discrete components! While most are content to take advantage of the 555’s pulsing operation and call it a day, this educational board lets you peer inside the inner workings of such a component; via a collection of resistors, diodes, and transistors.

Once constructed, you can hook the board up to pulse out square waves on an oscilloscope or to control another device. It really makes you appreciate what goes into components that we take for granted today, even the 555 which made its debut in 1971.

Notably the 555 Micro kit, while much larger than a typical 555 component, is actually the smallest in creator Sloth Byte Ltd’s lineup. Check out their store for the original, full-sized device and a mini version. The larger board especially may be a better way to learn and display than the micro, as things are nicely spaced out and you don’t have to deal with surface-mount components.

Of course, if you want a mobile way to display your love of the 555, this shirt might right up your alley!

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Arduino boards and the like are great for lighting up an LED or sending signals, but when you want to work with more powerful devices, you’ll need additional hardware. Relays are one way to control extra juice, and while slower than transistor-based options, their simple design using actual magnetically-controlled switches makes them easy to understand and implement.

If you need to control a multitude of relays, the 16 Channel I2C Electromagnetic Relay Module IoT by KRIDA Electronics could be a great solution. As per its name, this board features 16 relays, which can be controlled by a single I2C signal. As shown in the video below, an Arduino Uno can click all 16 of these devices on or off, indicated by LEDs next to each one.

Relays used here are rated at 10 amps, and should be good for 10 million operations. You can hear the device clicking away in the video below, along with their indicator LEDs to display which relays are active. For a faster, less-clicky version you might be better served with this 8-channel solid-state relay (SSR) device, which we featured in 2019. There’s also a 16-channel SSR version if you so prefer.

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Who doesn’t love blasting fictional intergalactic foes to the sound of ascending arpeggios and glistening bleeps? Often though, sourcing retro controllers can be costly and time consuming, but now the IndiJoy: DIY Joystick PCB For C64 and Amiga is here; giving you access to not only build your own working control stick, but customise it’s design!

The IndieJoy literally brings indie joy on many levels, putting a custom-made controller in your collection as you need it, with hours of button bashing mayhem awaiting you and your siblings or friends! The IndiJoy will work with vintage Commodore 64s and Amigas, as well as modern computers – with dual outputs featuring USB and 9-Pin D-Sub connections.  It has 3 solder points for 3 fire buttons, a rapid-fire switch and rate controller, an LED screen and 9 save-able configuation presets.

This is the frist product from seller Edge Records who is based in the UK – find more information on the project by checking out their Github page. The IndieJoy comes as a PCB only, so you’ll  have to seek out some killer arcade buttons and joysticks – which are widely available from a number of arcade stockists. See the instruction manual for further instructions on builds and components.

The get ready to blast your friends, and possibly yourself into oblivion!

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Whether you want to spend some quality time refining your soldering skills, or impress the people around you with a new spin on an old game – this Three-D Tic-Tac-Toe Kit is perfect. It contains all the parts needed to build a high-quality 3D game; a fast-paced spin on Naughts and Crosses featuring faster wins and a much lower likelihood of drawing.

The computing components in this project are the same found in the Arduino, and it can be programmed just like one. The microcontroller comes with the Arduino Uno bootloader pre-installed, meaning that creative coders could even write new code for the device – has anybody made 3D snake yet?

We’d love to see more of these advanced soldering practice kits, which get you building something you will use again and again, while honing your skills with the soldering iron. This kit is a little more complex than many of the already brilliant practice kits sold on Tindie, making that first 3D Tic Tac Toe game even more rewarding!

There’s extensive information, including build guides, available on the projects GitHub page – and the entire system is open-source, so you’re free to experiment away! The kit includes everything needed to build the game with 3 PCBs, all components, high-quality LEDs, brass rods and dinky rubber feet. This kit also includes an FDTI port that can be connected via USB using an adapter, allowing for total reprogramming of the device.

Subsystems are an independent company based out of Florida in the USA, and will ship anywhere in America. They’ve been selling on Tindie for over three years and have plenty of other exciting products on their storefront – check out their custom Arduino shield, the ‘Starship‘, explicitly designed for STEM education!

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Whether you’re creating musical instruments, drone cameras, or home automation projects – one common aim is to make a circuit smaller, neater, or cheaper. Makers often use Arduino because of its brilliantly easy upload process, but later find its size a little unwieldy for finished projects. Using the 328BootloadHat, you can replace the Arduino in any circuit with a single ATMEGA328 chip!

This clever PCB accessory will cut down the time it takes to bootload the ATMEGA328 chip, allowing you to shrink your projects fast! An ATMEGA328 chip controls the Arduino Uno and Nano which can completely replace the Arduino’s functions when paired with a few very cheap components; namely capacitors, resistors, and a crystal oscillator. Switching the Arduino with this chip allows you to create numerous fully-functional projects without being tied down to multiple Arduinos. Now you can choose how many drones or LED cubes you actually need!

The 328BootloadHat lets you upload this bootloader to any DIP (drop-in-place) ATMEGA328 chip and replace the Arduino Nano or Uno in your projects. Its cleverly designed PCB and simple setup sit perfectly on top of either a Nano or an Uno, enabling you to upload the bootloader via USB and get straight onto building!

It’s available as open-source hardware and so is open to tweaks and modifications. The maker  recommends using a zero-insertion-force socket to create the most hardwearing and long-lasting bootloading shield! You’ll find assembly instructions here.

AutumnHippo is an independent company based in Kolding, Denmark, who sell a few other innovative technology products on Tindie. Their PCB projects are both exciting, and excellent soldering practice! Why not check out their Joystick Tester?

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The Nintendo Gameboy is an iconic piece of retro gaming hardware, with new software still being released – in addition to it being a relevent device for chip music making in the modern era. It’s amazing to see new software developed for the portable console, such as the Cartoon Face Screen for Gameboy – a chance to show off your snazzy new backlit screen with BMO from Adventure Time’s cartoon face!

This unique cartridge loads up the cheeky face with controls to cycle through nine expressions including what appear to be sheer joy, fear, pain and extreme smugness! The intention for the program is to show off new modifictions to the Gameboy, such as backlit screens, colour inversions, and other such upgrades! The cartridge is region-free and will work on the original DMG model of the Gameboy, Gameboy Color and Gameboy Pocket. Some might say it’s lunacy, but we love the playfulness of it, and the possibility of more software to come for this 30 year old pocket powerhouse!

The Cartoon Face Screen for Gameboy is sold by SuicideBattery who are based in Leeds, England. They have a number of weird and wonderful gadgets, including other Gameboy software and accessories.

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Adding a capacitive touch sensor to your project isn’t too taxing, as modules for this type of single-point interface are readily available. Add a few more of this type of device, however, and your project may soon become unwieldy. The ESP32 Touch Matrix interface by Electro Point presents an elegant solution for such a multi-touch interface, with a 5×5 arrangement of capacitive-sensing pads on a single board.

The device’s ESP32 control module can interface with other hardware via I2C, and the board breaks out SCL and SDA (along with VCC and GND) on header pins for easy attachment. One might also take advantage of its WiFi and Bluetooth capabilities for a multitude of wireless possibilities. The board works at 5V, and includes a 3.3V regulator to properly power the ESP32. An onboard RGB indicator is also provided to indicate the status of the unit.

The matrix comes programmed with a basic example sketch for testing, and a programming header is available for customization. Several other code examples are available on the project’s GitHub page to help you get started.

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The Arduino Uno form factor represents an incredibly well documented way to get started with microcontrollers, but what if you want to add a directional pad interface? Rather than fishing around in your parts bin and/or online for discreet parts, the Keypad Shield Kit from SKITEC provides everything you need as a standard plug-in shield.

The pad includes up/down/left/right and center buttons. Two general purpose buttons are also implemented on top of that – one of which can be set up as a reset. 3 pins are required to interface with the device, leaving a wide range of unused IO ready to go via male or female (stackable) headers that emanate from the top.

The board also takes care of debouncing functions, and it supports multi key combinations. Optionally, it features an interrupt pin to let button presses break into normal operation for time-sensitive inputs. A dedicated SKITEC-Keys library is available to assist with this boards operation, helping you get started on your interface journey!

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A hackable games console, software development device, and even a radio beacon – the ESPboy2 can seemingly do almost anything! Reminiscent of the transparent plastic stylings of the Game Boy – the updated ESPboy2 runs your favourite retro games, analyses WiFi signals, and can download programs directly from an app store.

However, the ESPboy2 starts to distinguish itself from other retro games consoles with its attachable modules and ability to be programmed using C/C++, MicroPython, Arduino IDE, and other languages. It can therefore be used as a prototyping and development platform compatible with a wide range of code libraries!

With add-on modules such as a heart rate monitor, GPS navigator, and a full keyboard – there are many creative coding possibilities to be explored. If you want something totally custom, you could even design your own modules using things like light sensors! It enables you to assemble modules from scratch, with extensive community documentation available  – see the product page for details..

The ESPBoy2 is open source, easy to disassemble, portable, and modular – making it perfect for modifications and experimentation. The previous iteration of this device, the ESPboy, has been used to run a wide variety of applications, including the Game Boy emulator shown below;

The ESPboy2 has been upgraded with a clear acrylic case that makes it more polished and hardwearing, with soft tactile switches for the buttons. The programming port is accessible without any disassembly, and the pin headers are written directly on the case – making hacking this device even faster.

A dedicated community has built up, intent on finding new and interesting ways to use this tiny computer. For guidance on getting started with the ESPboy2, the maker recommends that you start here with a detailed setup guide written up by one of their users. 

ESPboy is an independent company based in Saint-Petersburg, Russia, happy to ship almost anywhere in the world. If you’re looking for a great portable retro gaming console with a lot of hackability, this is it!

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