Over the past decade or so, smartphone cameras have gone from devices that can take a quick snapshot to document an event or item, to tools that can be used for serious photography. Images taken with phones can now rival dedicated digital cameras in many cases, but if you want to mount your phone to a standard tripod, things can become complicated.
Tripods, and other such camera accessories, generally feature a 1/4 – 20 UNC threaded bolt for attachment, but if you’ve looked at your iPhone, Android, or even BlackBerry device lately, you won’t find any corresponding female threads. To add this type of attachment capability without resorting to epoxy and permanent defacement of your beautiful pocket supercomputer, GS Industries is offering a magnetic 1/4″ threaded puck that attaches to your iPhone.
The puck is printed in black PLA, with magnets and a 1/4″ nut embedded mid-print. This makes the accessory a solid mass that, according to the listing, ‘should last a very long time.’ In addition to the magnetic attachment, the device comes with an adhesive sticker to add extra grip to your iPhone if needed. The device looks like a great way to really take advantage of this amazing device’s camera capabilities.
On the other hand, if you’d of a certain age and/or technical experience, you may be hesitant to place powerful magnets near expensive electronics. Superstition at this point or not, it still makes me a bit nervous. In the defense of magnets for such an application, Apple itself does use them in various attachment schemes, and it seems this setup has been well tested. So you really shouldn’t be concerned… Just don’t use it to mount an early hard drive-based iPod!
Creator Evil Genius Labs LLC has gone all out on this design using 512 RGB LEDs and the result is a breathtaking display that is a very well engineered display. Each RGB LED has its own decoupling capacitor built in and the PCB is split into 4 separate data line fed areas. This approach means you can use the FastLED library and, in particular, the parallel driving functions – giving you incredible framerates of up to 260fps. The FastLED library is compatible with a range of boards including Teensy, ESP32, ESP8266 and more.
Supplied fully-assembled and in a bespoke acrylic case, this is a reassuringly priced item. This is not Evil Genius Labs only option when it comes to beautiful RGB LED displays – we heartily recommend that you check out all of their products. If it’s Fibonacci you need, you may be interested in the smaller versions of this display such as the Fibonacci 128 or the Fibonacci 64.
Check out this video of the Fibonacci 512 in all it’s glory!
Investing in the right case for your modular equipment is an important decision; it has to be strong, sturdy and reasonably easy to transport – with enough space to house enough modules to raise the roof. The 6U 104HP Powered Plywood Eurorack Modular Case is a great example of all the above requirements, with plenty of space in a modern-style plywood case, which is hand made to fit two rows of modules.
Crafted in Portland, Oregon, this custom case has been made with the utmost attention to detail with high-quality furniture plywood which has been hand sanded and finished with an oil coating. It comes with two rows of 3U by 104HP real estate (with 3mm slide nuts installed on the rails) which comes complete with Synthrotek’s own case power and a power distribution board with 35 possible conenctions.
This fine modular comes with a power brick and 4 rubber foot pads to protect the underside – ready to be loaded up with your favourite units. Dimensions of the case are 21 13/16 x 11 3/16 x 5 7/8 inches with an interior depth of 5 1/2 inches.
It’s sold by ASCIII who are based in the USA who offer a Smorgasbord of modular delights for all your musical desires. They also offer a 9U case if you can’t quite fit it all in!
Sequencing is the best way of make the most of your synthesizers, bringing a cyclical groove to your music and enabling syncronization to external gear, such as drum machines for arrangement and playback of full tracks. The BabyGate10 is such as sequencer, with 10 steps of outputted notes designed to connect to and control the awesome Atari Punk Console.
This tabletop sequencer is powered by a 9V Battery and comes in kit form to make yourself – using the included sockets, switches, LEDs, capacitors and even a built in speaker. It has two switches on each step to skip the step and or reset the sequence from that step – meaning you can create sequences of 1-10 notes, for some serious polyrhythm play times.
The Atari Punk Console is a simple synth based on 555 Timers to generate tonal synthetic sounds with minimal components, which outputs a square wave. You’ll find three models available on the Tindie site, just click here! If you like chiptune sounds, the Atari Punk Console is an ideal starter kit for those new to soldering and synths alike.
The BabyGate10 is sold by PCB Pins who are based in California, USA. Have a look at their twitter channel to see it in action!
Controlling LEDs using music is an exciting way of adding to the atmosphere, be it with frantic gated strobe lights or subtle glacially evloving backgroud hues. The Shades Audio Sensor Mic + MSGEQ7 Spectrum Analyzer is a great product to get started in the world of the former, designed for audio reactive sunglasses for all your raving needs – with opportunities for bold scrolling text and colourful flashing lights aplenty.
The board itself can be attached to LED Matrix shades or RGB Shades (set by fitting a jumper) and uses a built-in microphone to analyse incoming audio across the frequency spectrum – outputting the data as a spectacular light show! It’ll send varying voltages to LEDs which correlate with the dynamics of the music – meaning ambient jams behave slowly and high-octane hardcore techno, quite the opposite!
This latest version comes with a gain switch for high and low sensitivity,with a world of options for display output provided on their documentation pages found here: Shades Audio Sensor. There’s even an example of using the board without the glasses available there too, which could come in handy if you don’t want strobe lights attached to your head!
The Shades Audio Sensor Mic is sold by Macetech who are based in Oakland, USA. A finished unit is also available if you want a pre-made unit.
When measuring temperature, you’re often concerned with an overall value. Baking a cake means setting the oven to a certain temperature, thermostats generally set a single house temperature, and even solder profiles assume a single consistent temperature. In reality, the temperature within an oven or other zone will vary, and one might especially wonder about the behavior of an infrared PCB heater, such as the T-962 reflow oven that seller VoltLog uses.
After finding that his oven did produce inconsistent heating, he decided to look into this further. To obtain the proper data, VoltLog created the Voltlogger temperature logging device, capable of recording data from 10 thermocouples simultaneously.
The board uses ESP32 for control, along with a Micro SD card reader for logging. Card functionality has been tested at up to 64 GB, and is set up to record temperature values once every second, allowing for a significant amount of logging. Timestamps are generated via NTP, thanks to the ESP32’s WiFi interface. This functionality would also allow for wireless control and logging, thought this appears to be a potential future innovation.
To use it, you’ll just need to provide a FAT-formatted Micro SD card, and as many K-type thermocouples as you wish to use. More explanation on the build is seen in the video below, and code/design files are on GitHub. As for the oven itself, VoltLog plans to discuss its performance performance after he gathers enough data:
Say you find an original NES at a garage sale or flea market for $5, as was the case for Long Island Retro Gaming (LIRG) in the video below. Unless you’re incredibly lucky, such a low-priced unit won’t work, which wasn’t a surprise here, especially considering its heavily yellowed outer shell. In this case, the internals were in very bad shape, which, according to LIRG, meant that it was submerged in water at one point during its lifetime. Therefore, restoring this particular NES to its former glory and/or state of neglect was a non-trivial matter.
Shot boards or not, the NES did provide two elements critical to the device’s operation, intact CPU and PPU chips. The rest, you might say, is just details. In reality, “details” here is just a bit of an understatement, but as it just so happens, Tindarian Low Budget sells something called the NESessity v1.3, a full replacement PCB package for the NES console. This board–or, more accurately, set of 3 boards–is available as a solder kit with components, or there’s a components list if you perfer to source things yourself. This allows you to build up you new NES with (almost) all modern components.
You will have to source the CPU, PPU, and possibly the crystal oscillator (as they can be hard to buy new), along with the actual shell and mechanical components like the 72-pin cartridge connector. Of course, if you don’t have an old Nintendo, clones of the CPU and PPU chips are available, though they may have some issues according to Low Budget. The finished LIRG build seen here features a Blinking Light Win aftermarket cartridge connector, which seems like a good option for your Frankensteined NES console.
A New NES in 2021?
In the video, LIRG goes through the assembly of the board, wisely starting with surface mount and other low-profile parts, before moving on to components that will interfere with the soldering operation. Once things are in place, the board + CPU/PPU chips become a more or less a drop-in replacement for the original NES internals. One does, however need to reverse the power LED leads to allow it to light up with this new board, a fairly trivial operation considering the circumstances.
The video does a good job of pointing out that while this method certainly is much easier than restoring a trashed NES PCB, it does take a significant amount of soldering work to get the board working. One would have to guess that most retro-gaming aficionados willing to open up a console wouldn’t want it to be too easy–or at least wouldn’t want to pay the money to have someone else put it together for them!
New – and Improved!
While you might call it a drop-in, this board isn’t a 1-for-1 replacement, as much an upgrade. It features a modern power supply with a massive heat sink, and an auxiliary switch that you can user for your own purposes. The new boards also feature composite video, along with stereo outputs. If you’d like to take things a few steps further, the device is compatible with NES RGB or Hi-Def NES mods. Either, will take a bit more hacking and sourcing on your end.
What a beautiful heat sink!
A series of 3 potentiometers modify the sound output, one of which is used to control Famicom expansion audio functionality. This allows for sound characteristics that you’ve likely never heard if you’re in the US, with everything able to be adjusted to your taste in terms of volume. The device has a Famicom-style expansion port for such accessories, and even features a microphone so that you can yell at it and have something actually happen (for example in the Japanese edition of Zelda). The system is region-free, and simply requires a cartridge adapter to play Famicom games.
All things considered, it’s an excellent video for what appears to be an excellent board. What’s shown in the LIRG build is the NESessity version 1.3, which has gone through multiple iterations. It’s clearly been a popular choice for many people; it’s currently sold out with new stock arriving soon. The second video below features Low Budget showing off the v1.1 NESessity board himself, which appears to be largely similar to the 1.3 version that LIRG put together.
Sometimes items on tindie raise a knowing smile and it’s often products that have been created to solve a very individual issue or frustration. As a case in point this product solves an annoying beep when carrying an over size load in a 2020 Toyota Highlander Hybrid.
The Toyota Highlander Hybrid is an SUV and as such gets called in for load carrying duties. As a HIghlander owner, JPElectron occasionally had the need to carry over size objects. Objects like ladders, timber or pipework sometimes needed to extend out of the tailgate of the vehicle. Securing the payloads is no problem, but the Highlander has an alarm system connected to the tailgate locking mechanism that indicates if it isn’t closed. Needless to say the prospect of a long journey accompanied by an alarm was the catalyst for creating this solution!
This simple 3D printed plug is designed to be inserted and grabbed by the lock mechanism. When inserted and locked the tailgate thinks it’s closed and the alarm is silenced. Toggling the lock the plug is ejected by the opening mechanism. The plug is printed in PETG which means it’s tough and durable and not likely to be effected by warm temperatures. The plug has a slot through which you can attach a cable tie, which can provide an anchor point for the tailgate or we could imagine it being used to hang the plug near the tailgate when not in use.
White noise is an element which is often included with synths in order to layer the existing sounds with a sharp burst of energy. This tiny Noise Generator is a small PCB which provides a simple solution to adding white noise or pink noise to your project, using an Electric Druid Noise2 chip.
White noise is a familar and soothing sound, often added to electronic dance floor hits to deliver impact and a sense of subconcious comfort. This PCB offers both white and pink noise using an established chip that utilises the Voss-McArtney Pink Noise Algorithm. Both elements are key features for music making devices, and a small PCB such as this can offer a simple solution to adding noise to any project.
This Noise Generator PCB runs on 12V of power and has a L7805 to regulate power to the Noise2 chip. You’ll find an interactive BOM provided by the seller here with the schematics, KiCAD files, gerbers and more also on their GitHub page. The Noise2 chips can be purchased directly from Electric Druid to fund development of future chips!
The Nosie Generator is sold by Sonosus who are based in Fife, Scotland! The English 20p coin is shown for scale and is not included.
Knowing the temperature, humidity, and light levels are critical to a number of automation tasks, such as reacting when a light switch comes on in a house, or to temperature changes. To facilitate this information gathering, the aptly-named JDomotic has come up with a tiny breakout board for the SHT30-DIS-B temperature/humidity sensor, along with the BH1730FVC ambient light sensor.
Communication with the board is via I2C, and since there wasn’t a library available for the BH1730, JDomotic has developed one for that exact purpose. The board is very small at 18mm x 6.5mm, allowing it to be tucked away where needed. You’ll just need to provide pullups for the I2C bus, along with, of course, your own Ardiuno/microcontroller/dev board.
For another easy-to-use sensor package, be sure to also check out this USB motion, light, and noise dongle. While it won’t give you temperature/humidity sensing, it does add a PIR (Passive Infra Red) sensor for motion detection, and plugs to your device via USB. While not exactly appropriate for Arduino use, in other more computer-centric applications it could save quite a bit of development time!
This is the first product by JDomotic who are based in the Netherlands – we look forward to seeing more soon!
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