Thursday, 31 August 2017
Thank the Maker SparkFun Shirt
"For a limited time only, these light weight shirts have been emblazoned with the immortal words of our favorite golden robot thanking each of you, Makers. On the back of the tee has our SparkFun emblem and our moniker to Start Something. http://ift.tt/2wlZXG0"
Product Showcase: IoT Power Relay
IoT Power Relay: http://ift.tt/2vNCH0i Safely control your 120VAC appliances with your microcontroller (or any 3-12VDC digital logic). The IoT Power Relay plugs into your wall outlet and offers 2 normally off receptacles, 1 normally on receptacle, and 1 always on receptacle. You can switch up to 15A without having to cut into power cords to wire up your own relay!
Enginursday: Detecting Knob Changes
Comparing an ADC value with a previous value can detect a changed state, but what if noise is introduced? See some topologies in action for detecting purposefully changed inputs while rejecting noise. See http://ift.tt/2xAEOXc for more information. SparkFun parts used in this video: SparkFun RedBoard - Programmed with Arduino http://ift.tt/2m1BxO9 Black Knob - 15x19mm http://ift.tt/1PbuTIH Rotary Potentiometer - 10k Ohm, Logarithmic http://ift.tt/2d4JlIA Teensy 3.2 http://ift.tt/1izqDsY SparkFun TeensyView http://ift.tt/2m6TJqn Proto Pedal Enclosure http://ift.tt/2cUIhIg SparkFun Proto Pedal http://ift.tt/2dkZLfi Code used in this video can be found on github:: http://ift.tt/2wkT2x4 The referenced book is called: Design Patterns: Elements of Reusable Object-Oriented Software ISBN-13: 978-0201633610
Monday, 28 August 2017
Adventures in Science: Mixing RC Controller Inputs for Arcade Drive
AVC homepage: http://ift.tt/1eS5twp Previous episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0Ft8SB3pkw Arcade Drive demo code: http://ift.tt/2wWt8jG We read 2 channels from an RC hobby receiver and mix them together to give steering to our robot. We use 1 control stick to move the robot forward and back as well as turn left and right in a control scheme known as “arcade drive.” Additionally, former AVC combat bot competitor, Erik Josh, joins us to talk about his cardboard box-based bot.
Friday, 25 August 2017
FoodStuff Gets Some Culture(d Butter)
Anney and Lauren visit a local butter producer, Banner Butter, to learn how cultured butter is made. 2- Part Audio Episode on Butter: http://ift.tt/2vcZtU2 and http://ift.tt/2vo4SU4 Twitter: https://twitter.com/foodstuffhsw Instagram: http://ift.tt/2gQybvQ Facebook: http://ift.tt/2tngXYI Subscribe on Apple Podcasts (http://ift.tt/2gQyPJy), Spotify (http://ift.tt/2tnkmqx), GooglePlay (http://ift.tt/2gQycQq) or wherever podcasts are found. -- A new-ish audio podcast and video series from HowStuffWorks about, y'know, food and stuff. Join hosts Anney Reese and Lauren Vogelbaum as they explore the science, history, and culture behind everything we eat & drink.
FoodStuff Gets Some Culture(d Butter)
Anney and Lauren visit a local butter producer, Banner Butter, to learn how cultured butter is made. 2- Part Audio Episode on Butter: http://ift.tt/2vcZtU2 and http://ift.tt/2vo4SU4 Twitter: https://twitter.com/foodstuffhsw Instagram: http://ift.tt/2gQybvQ Facebook: http://ift.tt/2tngXYI Subscribe on Apple Podcasts (http://ift.tt/2gQyPJy), Spotify (http://ift.tt/2tnkmqx), GooglePlay (http://ift.tt/2gQycQq) or wherever podcasts are found. -- A new-ish audio podcast and video series from HowStuffWorks about, y'know, food and stuff. Join hosts Anney Reese and Lauren Vogelbaum as they explore the science, history, and culture behind everything we eat & drink.
Thursday, 24 August 2017
Product Showcase: GPS Mouse
The GPS Mouse is a combination GPS and Compass in a self contained module perfect for UAV and autonomous vehicle enthusiasts. The The GP-808G inside the Mouse is a highly sensitive GPS module that can accurately provide position, velocity, and time readings. This module is highly accurate and easy to use, requires almost no set-up time, and is very easy to embed into your projects! Product: http://ift.tt/2ws1taM Guide: http://ift.tt/2vkvWUo
Product Showcase: uArm Swift Pro
The uArm Swift Pro is a high grade desktop robotic assistant that can be utilized in many more applications than its predecessors. Built around an Arduino Mega 2560, the uArm Swift Pro is an open-source and DIY friendly robotic arm platform developed for makers and educational purposes. This little bot is extremely easy to use, almost anyone can learn how to play with it in a few minutes. The uArm supports visual programming as well as Arduino, Python, GRABCAD and ROS programming providing plenty of options for any range of user. Unleash the maker inside and get uArm to make your idea happen! http://ift.tt/2wrZd38
Product Showcase: Pixy CMUcam5
Pixy CMUcam5: http://ift.tt/2w8FeUL The Pixy CMUcam5 is an integrated camera and vision processing system that can be taught to find objects of various shapes, sizes, and colors at 50 frames per second. Pixy’s free software allows you to see what Pixy sees, teach it objects, and set various parameters. It also contains connectors for UART, SPI, and I2C to talk to microcontrollers and provide object detection information. Finally, because Pixy is open source, you are able to modify and upload custom firmware with your own algorithms.
Wednesday, 23 August 2017
Tuesday, 22 August 2017
Adventures in Science: Using an RC Hobby Controller with Arduino
Learning how to control motors and drive your robot is the first step in creating your combat bot. We look at how to read a pulse width signal from an RC receiver using an Arduino and convert that into a PWM signal for driving motors. We use only 1 channel in this video, as mixing channels for steering is saved for another episode.
Thursday, 17 August 2017
Product Showcase: Wireless Motor Driver Shield and Circular Chassis
Circular Robotics Chassis Kit (2-Layer): http://ift.tt/2vHpRni Circular Robotics Chassis Kit (3-Layer): http://ift.tt/2wUzWfm Wireless Motor Driver Shield: http://ift.tt/2wUo4Ka Two new robot chassis kits let you level up your robotics game with small, desktop-sized bots! We’re also releasing a revision of the Ludus Wireless shield, which we’re calling the “Wireless Motor Driver Shield.” The shield has an onboard motor driver and breakout pins for servos, analog sensors, and an I2C port. We also added a separate power jack for powering your motors separately from the Arduino.
Adventures in Science: Combat Bot Weapon Types
For the first time in the history of SparkFun’s Autonomous Vehicle Competition (AVC), we’ll have a separate 1 pound plastic ants division. These are combat bots made mostly out of plastic (the intention is for competitors to 3D print their chassis). We have combat bot veteran, Jamie Leben, help explain the different types of bot weapons and chassis types as well as give us some tips for making them out of plastic. AVC homepage: http://ift.tt/1eS5twp
Tuesday, 15 August 2017
Dumpster Dive 2017 Announcement
It has been over a year and a half from our last one but Dumpster Dive is back... soon. In a less than a month, on Wednesday September 13th we will be making Dumpster Dive available once again but we will be changing things up a bit this year. The biggest change is that we will not have a set number of available Dumpster Dive boxes like previous years. This means when you place an order we will build the box in the order the order is received. Build to order! With this new approach to dumpster dive, it took quite a bit of planning (hence the lateness). With that planning came a few new rules that we needed to impart on the event. We've outlined most everything in this next video. http://ift.tt/2uFDTXX
Monday, 14 August 2017
Honey: Brought to You by Bees | FoodStuff
Honeybees make thousands of nectar-collection trips for every ounce of honey humans enjoy -- and we've been enjoying it since before written history was a thing. Anney and Lauren talk to a scientist, a chef, and a mead maker about how bees work, the amazing ways that honey can be used, and what's going on with colony collapse disorder. Audio Episodes: http://ift.tt/2uWjSYm http://ift.tt/2uDLR3F Twitter: https://twitter.com/foodstuffhsw Instagram: http://ift.tt/2gQybvQ Facebook: http://ift.tt/2tngXYI Subscribe on Apple Podcasts (http://ift.tt/2gQyPJy), Spotify (http://ift.tt/2tnkmqx), GooglePlay (http://ift.tt/2gQycQq) or wherever podcasts are found. -- A new-ish audio podcast and video series from HowStuffWorks about, y'know, food and stuff. Join hosts Anney Reese and Lauren Vogelbaum as they explore the science, history, and culture behind everything we eat & drink.
Honey: Brought to You by Bees | FoodStuff
Honeybees make thousands of nectar-collection trips for every ounce of honey humans enjoy -- and we've been enjoying it since before written history was a thing. Anney and Lauren talk to a scientist, a chef, and a mead maker about how bees work, the amazing ways that honey can be used, and what's going on with colony collapse disorder. Audio Episodes: http://ift.tt/2uWjSYm http://ift.tt/2uDLR3F Twitter: https://twitter.com/foodstuffhsw Instagram: http://ift.tt/2gQybvQ Facebook: http://ift.tt/2tngXYI Subscribe on Apple Podcasts (http://ift.tt/2gQyPJy), Spotify (http://ift.tt/2tnkmqx), GooglePlay (http://ift.tt/2gQycQq) or wherever podcasts are found. -- A new-ish audio podcast and video series from HowStuffWorks about, y'know, food and stuff. Join hosts Anney Reese and Lauren Vogelbaum as they explore the science, history, and culture behind everything we eat & drink.
Thursday, 10 August 2017
Product Showcase: Pi Desktop
Pi Desktop: http://ift.tt/2vTnIX7 Raspberry Pi 3: http://ift.tt/1Thf2iG Raspberry Pi Camera Module v2: http://ift.tt/2e6JeyM SD Card: http://ift.tt/1pjgvZh The Pi Desktop is a kit that turns your Raspberry Pi (version 2 or 3) into a small, sleek desktop computer. It contains an adapter board that allows you to connect a solid state drive (SSD) via mSATA, an onboard real time clock (RTC), and a front slot for mounting your Pi Camera.
Enginursday: Assistive Technology
In this week's Enginursday, Alex meets with a local Speech-Language Pathologist to talk about how makers can help make devices for people who use assistive technology. Alex designs a proximity switch to be used as an alternative and augmentative communication (AAC) device. By using off the shelf components and making a device yourself, you can save some major dough.
Tuesday, 8 August 2017
SparkFun According to Pete #46: WiFi
In this episode of According to Pete, we go a bit more in-depth into how WiFi (specifically 802.11) actually works from a low-level perspective. We’ll briefly cover some history, the specs (b, g, n, etc) and they’re data rates, modulation schemes, data formats and frequencies in use. It’s a crash course in what the WiFi landscape looks like.
Monday, 7 August 2017
Adventures in Science: Using a Magnetometer as a Compass
A magnetometer is any instrument that can be used to measure magnetic fields. Developments in semiconductor and microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) in the past few decades have afforded us digital magnetometers that can be used to take precise measurements of these fields. Because the Earth acts as a giant magnet, we can use magnetometers to find the direction of the Magnetic North Pole. This could be extremely useful on robots that need to determine a heading to, say, autonomously navigate a course. SparkFun Autonomous Vehicle Competition: http://ift.tt/1eS5twp Circuit: http://ift.tt/2wnm0tZ Code: http://ift.tt/2vcHQSz
Sunday, 6 August 2017
Marshmallows: Make, Eat, Repeat | FoodStuff
Anney and Lauren visit MalviMallows to learn how marshmallows are made, sample serveral flavors and roast some marshmallows over a tabletop barbeque. Audio Episode on Marshmallows: http://ift.tt/2wkbZhh Twitter: https://twitter.com/foodstuffhsw Instagram: http://ift.tt/2gQybvQ Facebook: http://ift.tt/2tngXYI Subscribe on Apple Podcasts (http://ift.tt/2gQyPJy), Spotify (http://ift.tt/2tnkmqx), GooglePlay (http://ift.tt/2gQycQq) or wherever podcasts are found. -- A new-ish audio podcast and video series from HowStuffWorks about, y'know, food and stuff. Join hosts Anney Reese and Lauren Vogelbaum as they explore the science, history, and culture behind everything we eat & drink.
Marshmallows: Make, Eat, Repeat | FoodStuff
Anney and Lauren visit MalviMallows to learn how marshmallows are made, sample serveral flavors and roast some marshmallows over a tabletop barbeque. Audio Episode on Marshmallows: http://ift.tt/2wkbZhh Twitter: https://twitter.com/foodstuffhsw Instagram: http://ift.tt/2gQybvQ Facebook: http://ift.tt/2tngXYI Subscribe on Apple Podcasts (http://ift.tt/2gQyPJy), Spotify (http://ift.tt/2tnkmqx), GooglePlay (http://ift.tt/2gQycQq) or wherever podcasts are found. -- A new-ish audio podcast and video series from HowStuffWorks about, y'know, food and stuff. Join hosts Anney Reese and Lauren Vogelbaum as they explore the science, history, and culture behind everything we eat & drink.
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