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While the rest of the Blogosphere has been docked in Las Vegas this week, SparkFun Electronics released a new GPS evaluation board for the itty bitty 20-channel ET-312 SiRF III GPS module from USGlobalSat. Able to pull power from an onboard USB port and serially link with a PC via the same USB port, this $100 eval board could be just the ticket for building a portable DIY GPS tracking monster gizmo.—Dave Prochnow
Bug Labs has just released the pricing for their initial release of BUG modules. As an added incentive, the “first wave” of customers will receive a BUG Early Adopters Discount:
- BUGbase $349 ($299 w/discount)
- LCD module $119 ($99 w/discount)
- GPS module $99 ($79 w/discount)
- Camera module $79 ($69 w/discount)
- Motion detector / Accelerometer $59 ($49 w/discount)
So jump, don’t walk, to the BUG store and get in line to order your modules beginning January 21. Then you’ll be fully prepared to enter the PopSci Build-a-BUG Challenge.—Dave Prochnow
(Image: Bug Labs)
If your project needs a strong, lightweight battery power source, this discounted
Great Planes lithium-polymer 3-cell battery pack could do the trick. Rated at 11.1V 720mAh, this $27.99 battery pack is wired and ready to juice up and go. Tipping the scales at a lithe 1.85oz, it won’t weigh you down, either. Tower Hobbies also carries a
Great Planes charger for $24.99 that is ideal for charging these picky LiPo battery packs. You’ll also need a 12V battery to supply the charger.—Dave Prochnow
(Image: Tower Hobbies)
Good news for vintage robot enthusiasts;
Heathkit and its classic robot HERO, might be headed back from oblivion. This reincarnation is being disguised in the body of the 914 PC-BOT from White Box Robotics. Heathkit’s “Phoenix” robot will retain some roots with its pedigree, however. The Heathkit Educational Systems robot will be named
HE-RObot. Built on a Mini-ITX mobo with Intel Core Duo microprocessor and using Windows XP for its operating system (unlike the model 914 PC-BOT which can be outfitted with Ubuntu), HE-RObot is being built and priced towards the educational market. A market that sorely needs a sophisticated robot platform. The hobbyist DIY market, on the other hand, could suffer from sticker shock. The HE-RObot’s 914 PC-BOT counterpart is priced from $5,000 - $8,000 which could make the HE-RObot a tough sell to even the most rabid roboticist.—Dave Prochnow
(Image: Heathkit Educational Systems)
David Weeks is at it again. That clever designer who brought you devilish desk lamps, funky floor lamps, and crazy chandeliers, now brings you the 2-way candlestick holder LED flashlight. Yup, when you dinner party goes awry and you need to throw a beam of light rather than cast some light, just flip your $40.00 candlestick holder over and use the embedded LED as a flashlight. Presumably, you wouldn’t have a burning taper in the holder when using the flashlight. Also, there is no comment on the environmental economy of using 3 AA batteries versus a candle.—Dave Prochnow
(Image: Velocity Art and Design)
After six months of operation, the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) “XO” laptop has logged its first major success story: Peru. Kids love ‘em, administrators love ‘em, parents love ‘em and Nicholas Negroponte is ecstatic. Loaded with approximately 100 copyright-free books (are you listening Amazon.com?), the XO has become exactly the empowering tool that Negroponte predicted. This success story is not without its minor hiccups, however. Although targeted for 9,000 Peruvian elementary, only about 4,000 of these schools have Internet access. Nonetheless, OLPC is working with Peru to surmount this obstacle.—Dave Prochnow
(Image: laptopgiving.org)
The headline couldn’t be more attractive—“A Laptop 40-Hour Battery?” Alas, all this is just speculation raised from some juiced theoretical prototypes at the moment. Regardless, in the ScienceNOW article by Robert Service, a research team, lead by Yi Cui, a materials scientist at Stanford University, is cited as developing a battery anode from nanowire strands of silicon which can hold a charge up to 10 times longer than conventional carbon anodes. What’s holding this technology back from reaching your laptop’s battery? Designing a cathode that is equally able to hold a charge that is 10 times greater than current technology. Let’s just hope that these new 10x batteries don’t produce 10x-sized laptop fires.—Dave Prochnow
That’s right, the hot-selling ASUS Eee PC is now available in colors. Granted, this isn’t the flagship, Eee PC 4G model, it’s the 2G-Surf flavor, but at least you now have the luxury of selecting from three odd color choices: blush pink, sky blue, and lush green. Each color is served up at a tasty $299.99 from J&R Music and Computer World via the venerable Amazon.com. At first blush, that price and color might look tempting, but beware that there are more differences between the 4G and the 2G-Surf than just a 50% smaller flash drive. Missing is the built-in webcam and the 2G model also sports lighter weight 4400 mAh batteries.—Dave Prochnow
(Image: Amazon.com)
For you last minute shoppers, Amazon.com is now showing the ASUS Eee PC 4G-Galaxy Black as “in stock.” The list price is, well, list price: $399.99. You will have to hustle, though and select One-Day Shipping to have it delivered by December 24.—Dave Prochnow
(Image: Amazon.com)
When I wrote my book on the PSP, one thing I learned was to keep System Software version 1.5 permanently installed on my handheld entertainment device. No upgrades for me. If, on the other hand, your PSP lacks this vintage system software, then you might want to upgrade to the new version 3.80. Released on December 18, 2007, the two most noteworthy features that version 3.80 gives your PSP are the inclusion of Internet Radio and a newly revised theme package (oddly-named, version 1.2.0.0). If you can live without these “extras” and your PSP has System Software version 1.5, then you should forgo the upgrade and continue to enjoy the pleasures of homebrew gaming or Mac OS 7 via Basilisk II.—Dave Prochnow
Well, the first “review” of the XO laptop from the One Laptop Per Child initiative has been published. Remarkably, this BBC-sponsored review was performed by a real live child. Although written by his father, Rory Cellan-Jones, the meat of this matter is supplied by his son, Rufus Cellan-Jones. What’s your take on supplying XO laptops to developing nations for developing the minds of their youth? Do you have firsthand experience with an XO laptop? If so, please post your observations in our comments section. —Dave Prochnow
(Image: OLPC.ORG)
While a new product from SparkFun Electronics is ostensibly designed for wiring wearable LIlyPad projects together, this conductive thread could be an instant hit with hackers, too. Garnering around 82 ohms worth of resistance, each 117/17 2-ply spool of thread could help with those delicate ASUS Eee PC hacks. At $16.95 per spool, this conductive thread is not for the squeamish. When inserted in a sewing machine and combined with paper PCBs, however, this thread could open up a whole new concept in circuit design—stitch-a-circuit. —Dave Prochnow
(Image: SparkFun Electronics)
If you’ve always wanted a Nokia Internet Tablet, but you were stymied by sticker shock, Amazon.com is currently selling the N800 model for $229.62. This Internet Tablet OS 2007-based handheld might be a suitable substitute for that special someone on your list who wished for a currently sold out, ASUS Eee PC this holiday season. If you opt for one of these discounted devices, be sure to visit the Maemo community for all of your Nokia N800 freeware downloads.—Dave Prochnow
(Image: Nokia USA)
Update: (12/17/7) Amazon.com is sold out of the N800 Internet Tablet.
Update: (12/13/7) The Amazon.com selling price has been lowered to $221.41.
Is it an animal, vegetable, mineral, or other? So begins the interrogation from the entertaining new game from Radica USA a division of Mattel, Inc. Based on the “analog” game, 20 Questions, 20Q predicts that it can “read” your mind. And with a proven (very unscientific sampling of 10 folks) track record of 60% success, 20Q might make you think that it really is, in fact, in your head. At $9.95, these colorful Kreskin-like balls also like to add some insult to the injury with a little bit of snippy banter.—Dave Prochnow
(Image: Amazon.com)
Forget radio-controlled cars—this season it's all about taking to the air. From the WowWee Dragonfly ornithopter to the RadioShack Indoor Micro Mosquito RC Helicopter, kitchen air raids might be a common occurrence in many post-Christmas households. Aside from these more familiar insect-named flying toys, a more obscure and slightly higher cost model could be the cream of the crop.
The RC AH-64 Apache RTF 4-channel electric helicopter from HobbyTron is a high-performance flying model that can fly for approximately 10 minutes per charge and operate with a flight radius range up to 120 feet. But the real spec that makes this $129 toy spectacular is the ability to perform a fairly stable hover. Although the 16”-long Apache model is a little too large for flying inside most households, outdoors, this baby could be just the ticket for keeping those pesky squirrels out of the bird feeder. —Dave Prochnow
(Image: HobbyTron)
Locating DIY bargains this holiday season is proving to be a real challenge. Yeah, remember those low-cost sub-$300 Compaq Presario notebook computers that were “conveniently” sold out at Circuit City upon your 5 a.m. arrival? I hear ya. Well, All Electronics might have the salve to ease that pain.
The LC-7 robot line-sensing car kit is a fun way to experiment with optical sensors wrapped up in a conventional vehicle chassis. Although you are unable to choose your chassis (e.g., street, rescue, Mars, or jungle) and the erasable marker board inside the box might be torn, at $7.50 each, this could become the robot toy of the season. Why? Well, just mount the enclosed marker on the nose of your car and let it draw its own line to follow. Be sure to explain to your Mom that all of those black lines around the house were done in the name of scientific experimentation. She’ll understand. —Dave Prochnow
(Image: All Electronics)
If you listen to Peter Semmelhack, he will tell you that Bug Labs’ name is derived either from system software “bugs” or the Hemiptera (aka “bugs”) order of insects. Based on the open source Web-enabled modular software & hardware nature of Bug Labs’ BUG, I feel that a viable alternative definition might be more synonymous with the term “bug” used in the vernacular of circuit designers to represent today’s integrated circuit (IC)--the basic building block for all digital consumer electronics. Regardless, BUG is one of the most anticipated DIY products of 2007.
Consisting of a brilliant platform of modular components that simply plug together, BUG can quickly become, within reason, any product of your dreams. Although not quite ready for prime time (YET), the BUG lineup for 2007 is scheduled to include:
- BUGbase - the ARM-based Wi-Fi Linux computer “brain” which acts as the foundation for building all BUG mashups
- GPS
- Touch-sensitive color LCD screen
- Digital camera/videocam
- Accelerometer
Also, slated for release in the first quarter of 2008 are these BUGmodules:
- A 2x, bigger touch-sensitive color LCD screen
- Mini-QWERTY keyboard
- Teleporter - “…beam me up, Mr. Scott.”
- Audio speaker
Acting as the “lifeblood” to make a BUG creation work is a Java-based programming environment known as the BUG Module Interface or BMI. Under the hood, BMI relies on a service-oriented component runtime called OSGi.
Get ready to be BUGged. As soon as BUG comes to retail life, we will have a more in-depth look at this modular DIY product lineup. In fact, maybe a GPS-enabled digital camera Google Maps project would be a great demonstration of BUG. Stay tuned.—Dave Prochnow
(Image: Bug Labs)
Sure it’s Thanksgiving week and you’d expect any major product release to be worried about turning into, well, a turkey, right? Hold onto your hat, because today is the day that one doozey of a product is being released. While digital e-book readers have been traditionally treated like foul fowl, a new venture from Amazon.com might turn the tide from e-book flop to electronic book wonder.
Known as Kindle, this is the Amazon.com take on the electronic book and it reads pretty good:
- Sprint EVDO wireless connectivity--no Wi-Fi; plus no wireless connection fees or rate plans
- Removable SD storage media; but purchased books are stored @ Amazon.com, plus unsubstantiated rumors indicate that you can’t transfer books between Kindles.
- Lightweight; 10.3 ounces
- Built-in book buying interface; typically priced at $9.99 each
- Built-in keyboard
- Includes bookmarks, search, annotations, and The New Oxford American Dictionary
- Access to Wikipedia.org
- Built-in newspaper, magazine, blog, Audible.com audiobooks purchase interface
- E-mail retrieval of MS Word, HTML, TXT, JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP, PRC, and MOBI format files
Priced at just south of four hundred bucks, Kindle seems overpriced to me (e.g., Sony Digital Book costs $299.99). Also, the price break for downloaded media (e.g., books, magazines, newspapers, and blogs (!??!) doesn’t seem great enough. And hey, how about including a Crossword puzzle game with Kindle? Whether Jeff Bezos likes to admit it or not, the future of Kindle could depend upon how well it can be hacked. Who's going to be the first to tether it's unlimited free EV-DO data to a PC? Then we'd really have a disruptor. —Dave Prochnow (Image: Amazon.com)
If you’re a Windows user (or, even if you’re a Mac user, too) and you feel naked without your suite of MS Office business software , but you don’t (can’t) always have your computer with you, then you can immediately grasp the merits of Floppy Office. This free s self-contained suite of installation-free office-like tools weighs in at less than two megabyes, allowing it to fit perfectly on a USB thumb drivef or portable PC productivity. (NOTE: each program must be expanded and installed on the USB drive for proper operation).
Floppy Office includes: PDF Producer, Kpad, Spread32, Ted, 100K Zipper, NPopUK, IFTP, MemPad, EVE, RenameFiles, HTTP Web server (TinyWeb), file encryption, and password software. Alas, the suite isn’t necessarily sweet (Spread32 crashed while opening an Excel spreadsheet, for instance), but it might help you in a pinch—especially if you're a Mac or Linux user attempting to work in a PC world. Above all else, test before using. —Dave Prochnow
If you’ve ever wished that you could print a hard copy map from your IrDA-equipped PDA or cell phone while you’re on the road and you’re willing to do a little nuts-and-bolts work, BG Micro has a printer for you. BG Micro is currently selling the Citizen PD-22 thermal printer for around thirty bucks. This portable battery-powered serial printer can give you a quick print through either a serial or IrDA port. Unfortunately, the serial port requires a special cable which isn’t available from BG Micro. Luckily, you still have IrDA. Oops, your PC/PDA doesn’t have an IrDA port? No problem, BG Micro also sells the ACTiSYS ACT-IR4000US IrDA USB dongle for $4.95. You can download Windows drivers for this dongle direct from ACTiSYS. Once your IrDA connection is up and running, look to Citizen Systems Europe for all of your driver, manual, datasheet, and support needs. Oh, and as you (re)discover the joys of printing maps, messages and photographs on thermal paper, BG Micro can also supply you with five rolls of PD-02 replacement paper for ten bucks. —Dave Prochnow
(Image: Citizen Systems Europe)
Boy, was I wrong. Just last week I was gushing over the ASUS Eee PC and now this week I’ve seen the error in my ways. Forget that $400 UMPC, there’s a new and better kid on the block. Meet Nokia N810 Internet Tablet. For just a scant forty bucks more, you get a whole lot more. Check it out:
- 4.3-inch WVGA LCD (with the same resolution as the Eee PC)
- 128Mb DDR RAM
- 256Mb Flash RAM
- 2Gb storage; up to 8Gb SDHC removable storage
- GPS
- Bluetooth
- Wi-Fi
- USB
- VGA web cam
- QWERTY Keyboard
- Maemo Linux-based application development platform; featuring Web, media, communications, mapping, e-mail, imaging, games, and more apps
But wait, there’s more. Here’s the reason that the N810 moved to the head of the class. Its pocket-sized form factor may have you wishing you could run all of your Palm OS apps on the N810. Thank a company called Access for giving you a wonderful Thanksgiving Day present: The Garnet OS virtual machine (VM) enables Nokia N770, N800, and N810 platforms to run lots and lots of Garnet OS (aka Palm OS apps). Running a virtual machine of an entirely different operating system may seem like a tough job for a low-power hand-held tablet , but the svelte Garnet OS VM takes only 3.5Mb of RAM and 1-32Mb of user configurable storage space. —Dave Prochnow
(Image: NokiaUSA)
Some businesses might be more willing to donate used PCs, if they could conquer their fear of information compromise. In other words, discover a method for reliably cleaning or “sanitizing” static storage media. Then hard drives could be safely given away without worrying about inadvertently including next year’s sales forecast figures with that charitable donation. WiebeTech has a dedicated hard drive eraser for supplying this type of sanitized storage sanity. The Drive eRazer writes a single data pattern (the standard $99.95 model) throughout the drive’s platter stack including partitions and host protected areas. There is a verification cycle to make sure that all bases are covered. It sure beats taking a belt sander out and physically “scrubbing” each platter.
(Image: WiebeTech)
Want to impress all of your tree-hugging friends who are chiding you that your iPhone can kill you? Now a chunky little media player from the inventor who brought you the windup radio, Trevor Baylis, delivers a music player, video player, FM radio, LED light, image viewer, sound recorder, data storage, and cell phone charger all-in-one windup—the Eco Media Player. One minute’s worth of winding and you can listen to around 40 minutes of music. If you’re in for the longer haul, an onboard USB charging port will enable you to use your, gasp, computer for instilling a full-capacity charge for 20 hours of music-listening. Sadly the Eco is currently available only in the UK at around 155 British pounds. With the ghastly exchange rate applied, that's roughly $326 US dollars. Here's hoping for a U.S. release. —Dave Prochnow
(Image: Trevor Baylis Brands PLC)
All Electronics has a super price on a super capacitor. These 4.7F (yup, farad) 2.5V capacitors from Elna (#CBC-18) sell for $3.85 each. Even better for handling all of your serial and parallel capacitor circuit design needs, bulk quantities of these capacitors are available at prices down to three bucks apiece. Remember you can build a 2.35F 5V super-duper capacitor by joining two of these capacitors in series. Then link two of these super-duper capacitor duets together in parallel for a mega-death 4.7F 5V capacitor power pack. Whoa!
(Image: All Electronics Corp.)
OK, by now you’re probably well aware of Nicholas Negroponte’s One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) foundation and it’s $100 (sic) XO laptop. But the more things change, the more they stay the same. Yes, that one hundred dollar laptop has swelled to a manufacturing cost of approximately $175 per unit. Likewise, the XO laptop that was once chided by Bill Gates for its modest screen, crank-up power supply, and lack of Windows support has now been fully embraced by Gates, with a special version of Windows XP for the XO apparently in the works.
What’s all of this got to do with the rest of us? Well, the recent release of ASUS's similarly-sleek and low-cost Eee PC has many analysts predicting big things for the low-cost, low-power laptop product range. Aside from the Village of the Damned marketing photos and its somewhat politically incorrect PR copy (“designed for…young students, children, housewives, the elderly…”), the Eee PC shares many of the same specs as the XO laptop: a solid-state design with 7-inch LCD, Linux OS, 512 Mb RAM, 4 Gb MMC/SD storage, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g, USB ports, and audio/video support. Furthermore, there are reports that the Eee PC contains the open-source Open Office suite.
These specs are all very well and fine, but the question on every DIYer’s mind is what else can I do with it? Well, for one, would you believe Windows XP? ASUS claims its little notebook will support the full-fledged version, but better performance will probably gleamed from the diminutive bugger known as Tiny XP—a stripped-down, barebones version of Microsoft's OS that has been circulating on peer-to-peer networks for a while (download at your own risk!). In addition to this, ahem, ill-gotten OS, you will also need FSUM for building the Tiny XP ISO.
Now how about Skype Video for Linux on the Eee PC?
Once we get our hands on a $400 Eee PC, we’ll test this and other hacks and publish a complete project report on this blog. Hopefully in time for purchasing a stocking stuffer for your fave DIYer who has everything.
Speaking of Christmas, don’t forget the charitable Give 1, Get 1 program by OLPC. Starting November 12, you can contribute $399 to OLPC and one of the XO laptops will be sent to a child in a developing nation, while another XO laptop will be sent to you for use with your own child. —Dave Prochnow
(Image: ASUSTek Computer, Inc.)
From the same state that scuttled Stephen Colbert’s presidential election campaign (South Carolina), comes the Zipit Wireless Messenger 2 (Z2). Building on the limited successes of the original Zipit Wireless Messenger which was released in 2004, Zipit Wireless, Inc. has upgraded the palm-sized instant messenger with a handful of nice features and a $149.99 price tag. A color LCD with 320x240 resolution, mini-SD port, backlit keyboard, MP3 music playing capability, and image viewing software are standard features of the Z2. There is no mention of a Linux OS kernel, though. And it was that very feature that endeared the original Zipit to DIYers. Linux in the palm of your hand for less than one hundred bucks. Now those were the days.
(Image: Zipit Wireless)
Sure can; and PopSci sure did. Remember our All-Seeing Tank project (November 2007 issue)? Well, Sanyo has uniquely stumbled onto the same concept—remote-controlled home foundation inspection tanks. In our iteration, for less than two hundred bucks, we showed you how to convert an RC tank into a dirt-grubbing, IR-seeing, home-crawl-space runabout. Sanyo’s incarnation of a similar product features an IR camera, obstacle-avoidance software, and a custom mapping application for driving your tank through subterranean spaces, but sports a sobering price tag of ¥1,000,000 (roughly $8,736 USD). Sanyo calls their beast, “Yuka shita Inspection Robot.” Great minds must think alike. —Dave Prochnow
(Image: Sanyo)
If you thought Doug Cantor’s disposable cam-belt buckle project was a little crazy, then get a load of the Amazing Chrome Calculator Belt Buckle from BWild (aka Village Street Wear). Why would you want/need a calculator belt buckle? Good question. According to the BWild marketing copy, this buckle is "great for cheating." "Why get caught with the wrong answer," they ask, when you could "never again struggle with simple equations or complex formulas." Oh, and it’s "great for accountants," too.
Hmm, isn’t fiddling with a chrome-finish calculator hanging from your waist bound to call you out as a cheater? And if an accountant starts fingering his belt buckle, it might be time to look for a new accountant. Good thing you had your disposable cam-belt buckle to record that zipper-cipherin' incident. —Dave Prochnow
(Image: Bwild.com)
This is just too practical to be true. A group called Snowtone Design (the brainchild of Tokyo-based Stephen Hauser) has concocted a wastebasket that is ideally shaped for reading during a toilet respite. Borrowing from an old Louis Sullivan chestnut, in this case, form really does follow flushing.
(Image: Snowtone Design)
Curse those overachievers at Spark Fun Electronics, curse them, I say. Just when my project-building budget started to come under control, those do-gooders released four must-have goodies that’ll surely blow my budget through the end of the calendar year.
Ya gotta love Luxeon LEDs—their small, bright, and HOT. Kinda like me! Well, kinda. Anyway, that latter quality can make it difficult to use Luxeon LEDs in a project. The Spark Fun Electronics Luxeon Aluminum Breakout board (#COM-08475; $2.95) provides an ample heatsink, as well as some isolated traces.
Meet the switch of the future: ScreenKeys. This ingenious product is both a graphic display and a tactile switch. The result is a key that can morph to any function. SFE sells two flavors of ScreenKeys: a red/green graphic button (#COM-08492; $36.95) and a slightly higher priced RGB model ($48.95). Imagine a house populated with these switches (so that you’ll finally know which switch controls which light) or a car that toggles the same ignition switch from ON to OFF to ACCESSORIES to LOCK. Tired of waiting for vaporware? Build your own!
Are you looking for a small LCD for a special project, maybe that DIY VS1002-based MP3 player? Well, SFE presents the parallel 128x128 CSTN 1 ½-inch LCD (#LCD-08498; $14.95) that can produce nearly 64K colors.
Lastly, SFE has a kit that’s perfect for the builder who has everything but still needs a $1,000 clock to fill that “void” on the fireplace mantel. This isn’t any ordinary clock, however. It IS a clock that magically appears on the screen of your analog oscilloscope. Designed by Dutchtronix, this small AVR-based clock kit (#WIG-08488; $24.95) connects to the X-Y probes of your idle o-scope. Oops, don’t have an analog scope? Well, then you’d better beat a path to HSC Electronic Supply and pick up a used model before time runs out. —Dave Prochnow
(Images: SFE)
Often times, buying a case for your treasured electronics gadget can result in a conflict of interest: you want to protect your gizmo, but you need to use it, too. Enter Noreve St. Tropez. Noreve has been making fine leather cases for electronic devices since the dark ages of the Sony PSP introduction. Now with the advent of the Apple iPod touch, Noreve has successfully ensconced this revolutionary MP3 player in a traditional leather case for less than fifty bucks. There is a wide selection of colors, too, but, best of all, if the product you order is out of stock, Noreve will manufacturer it for you, in less than 15 business days. Heck, that’s almost like a custom leather case for $50. So, go ahead, pick olive green and carry your player in style.
(Image: Noreve St. Tropez)
Are you looking for a little vibrating pager motor to use in that special Halloween project, but don’t want to spend the typical buck per motor price? Well, a special clearance sale at The Electronic Goldmine features a Belkin Universal VIBRA Clip (G15260) cell phone adapter at the nice price of $0.79 each. Just open the case and remove the pager motor—complete with soldered leads. Plus you get an “AAA” battery and a stylish cell phone belt clip—all for less than a buck.
(Image: The Electronic Goldmine)
As first demoed at Gadgetoff 2007, the new iRobot Looj took both my daughter and myself by surprise. First, when Helen Greiner asked us if we had any gutters at our home, we responded with a “yes.” It was after a 5 minute demo of this new gutter-cleaning robot, that we both realized Helen meant gutters on our house and not gutters in the street.
It still remains to be seen how this $99.99 to $169.99 robot is any better than just using a standard garden hose for cleaning the gutters on a house. In fact, the flopping, flailing auger action looks like it would flip the hapless robot out of most built-in style gutters. If you purchase and try the Looj, please post your results in our comments section.
(Image: iRobot)
If you’d like to experiment with an RC transmitter/receiver operating on an unusual channel (Channel 89; 75.970MHz) that could require microcontroller support for an add-on industry-standard servo receiver, then All Electronics has a deal for you. An outdated VEX 6-channel transmitter/receiver combination (#JS-6; $29.95) that was originally marketed as a supplemental secondary RC unit for the VEX robot design system might be applicable to more common terrestrial RC projects. Provided that you are willing to build a Parallax SX PPM to servo output conversion unit. This VEX receiver decoder circuit (complete with software; written by Jon Williams) is provided by All Electronics. Furthermore, another All Electronics customer (known simply as “A Viewer”) has provided a couple of starting points for interfacing this RC unit with an industry standard servo receiver. If you try to make this jury-rigged contraption work, please let us know your results via our comments link. —Dave Prochnow
(Image: All Electronics)
Our friends over at Toolmonger brought this handy little tool to our attention: Coleman 5.4V Cordless Flashcell Screwdriver. Yes, “flashcell.” Upon further investigation, this “flashcell” technology, which was developed in concert with Team Products International, appears to be based on a capacitor power supply system. As such, Coleman claims that their flashcell screwdriver can be completely recharged in 90 seconds. That’s right; in less time than it takes to read this paragraph you’d have a handful of 220 rpm 5.4 V portable, cordless, rechargeable screwdriver. No word yet on how well this power supply system works, or, how many fasteners it is able to drive between charges. —Dave Prochnow
(Image: COLEMAN)
Those hard-working folks at Spark Fun Electronics have taken a good thing and made it better. By taking three of their 2000mAh 3.7V polymer lithium ion batteries and wrapping them up together, they have created a 6Ah powerhouse battery pack (#PRT-08484; $39.95). This is a parallel battery circuit. Also, rather than having to contend with those pesky solder tabs that are inherent to most LiPoly batteries, this Spark Fun power pack is terminated in a convenient JST connector. Oh, and if you don’t like JST connectors, just snip the connector off and solder on your preferred connector.
LiPoly batteries are very picky about recharging. If you’re looking for a suitable LiPoly battery recharger, Spark Fun has an easy-to-use fast charger (#PRT-08293; $19.95). This little black box charger requires a 5V regulated input with a barrel tip. The charger’s output is accessed via a 2-pin screw terminal block. —Dave Prochnow
(Images: Spark Fun Electronics)
Peter Blasser has a very unique Web site where you can download and print paper “circuit boards.” These circuits are for building music-making projects--sans the more “conventional” copper-clad board substratum. Just print the circuit board, layout the components, and wire the traces. How about adding some conductive paint and starting a revolution in circuit building? Try this “wire glue” (The Electronic Goldmine #G16133; $3.95) for making your pPCB connections. This combination could be an interesting method for introducing kids to electronics without the need of purchasing a classroom’s worth of soldering irons. If you try pPCB + Wire Glue, please post your results in our comments section. —Dave Prochnow
(Image: Peter Blasser)
If you’ve been looking for a portable soldering iron, modPRO has a battery-operated model that might be able to handle your remote soldering chores. Although this Chinese product could be difficult to locate, its 3-AA battery power source could warm you up to the task of finding a dealer. The suggested retail price is approximately $50 USD.
(Image: modPRO)
Does your latest project cry for a fuel cell? Or, maybe you are starting to feel the holiday mood and you’re seeking some artificial snow? Well, those folks who claim to make science “sizzle” can help you out. Educational Innovations in Norwalk, CT is a catalog supply company run by “teachers serving teachers.” Don’t let that motto stop you, however. Even those of you lacking in higher ed can buy some slick science stuff from Educational Innovations.
(Image: Educational Innovations)
Do you have a hankering to launch a new techie-type business? Well, then consider buying a laser cutter and opening an etch shop. For a scant $18,000 to $24,000 you can purchase a laser cutter and bring the wonders of modern fabrication to your hometown. Even better, the good folks at Adafruit Industries will hold your hand throughout the entire setup/startup process by leveraging resources from other laser fab shops into your venture. This open source business model is unique to Adafruit Industries and has helped several young entrepreneurs open laser “tattoo” parlors across the country. —Dave Prochnow
(Image: Adafruit Industries)
If you’ve wanted to experiment with the Parallax Propeller multicore microprocessor, but couldn’t find a suitable development board, check the latest Prop Dongle from Spark Fun Electronics. This $70 dev board is self-contained with USB and video connectors.
(Image: Spark Fun)
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While the rest of the Blogosphere has been docked in Las Vegas this week, SparkFun Electronics released a new GPS evaluation board for the itty bitty 20-channel ET-312 SiRF III GPS module from USGlobalSat. Able to pull power from an onboard USB port and serially link with a PC via the same USB port, this $100 eval board could be just the ticket for building a portable DIY GPS tracking monster gizmo.—Dave Prochnow
