An Awesome Project and Some New Products!

A deliciously designed maze and new products galore!

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Alright, let's get back to regularly scheduled programming. First we have an awesome project from Mujahid - an M&M labyrinth controlled by an ATTiny, a "PlayStation" joystick, and a handful of servos. Check this out!



And now, a handful of new products we recently added to the SparkFun catalog.



First we have a serial-enabled LCD. This is a 20x4, 5v, black on green LCD that's perfect for a simple display on your next project. The installed firmware allows for a number of special commands so you can clear the screen, adjust the brightness, turn the display on/off, and more.



Next is a green 4-digit 7-segment display. There is one decimal point per digit, and individual controllable apostrophe and colon points. Great to use for counter displays or time! We also sell this in yellow, red, and blue.



This is a simple breakout board for Digi's XTend 900 Modem. This board breaks out all eleven of the pins used by the modem to a 0.1" pitch header.



 This is an un-soldered male iPod connector from PodGizmo. This product comes in three easy-to-assemble pieces. This iPod connector is more compact than the other styles we carry. It's also really similar to what's being shipped with new iPhones and iTouches these days.



These are 8-pin female Conxall 5V power supplies. One of our retired products used an 8-pin Male Conxall connector. When the connector was not in use for data communication, it was used to charge the battery of the product. So rather then pitch our custom power adapters in the dumpster out back we have posted them as a product.



We recently cleared out some of our back rooms and closets and we found a whole bunch of boards. Some of these boards might be fully functional, some might be semi-working, and some may not work at all - we are giving no guarantees on these. But these boards make for great practice, and if you're good with your tools, you might save some serious dough. We have $6 items, $4 items, $3 items, $2 items, and $1 items. These items tend to go fast, so get 'em while supplies last! We will add new boards if we find more!

       

          
With "Practical Arduino", you can create your own Arduino-based designs, gain in-depth knowledge of the architecture of Arduino, and learn the user-friendly Arduino language all in the context of practical projects that you can build yourself at home. Get hands-on experience using a variety of projects and recipes for everything from home automation to testing equipment!



Ever wonder what goes on inside these things? Well this clear breadboard might enlighten you!



This is a breakout board for Honeywell's HIH-4030 humidity sensor. The HIH-4030 measures relative humidity (%RH) and delivers it as an analog output voltage. You can connect the output of the sensor directly to an ADC on a microcontroller. Plus, thanks to the sensor's near linear voltage output, the data is very easy to process.



Want to learn the fundamentals of electronics in a fun and hands-on way? Start working on some excellent projects as soon as you crack open this unique book. Build the circuits first, then learn the theory behind them! With Make: Electronics, you'll learn about all of the basic components and important principles through a series of "learn by discovery" experiments. Great for beginners because you don't need to know a thing about electronics to get started!



This is a pair of insulated binding posts, one red and the other black. These binding posts are a great way to connect single-wire leads.



This is a tiny, locking 14-pin FPC/FFC connector that mates with the TFT ScreenKeys and their displays. These connectors require a very minimal amount of force to close, which is great for delicate wires.



Zilog's ePIR is a fully functional motion-detecting single-board computer (SBC). Combined on this board is the Z8 Encore! XP MCU and a Murata passive infrared (PIR) sensor, which is shielded by a Fresnel lens.


Comments 12 comments

  • Shadyman / about 14 years ago / 1

    ROFL@"M&M FTW" subtitle at 0:42.

  • lorenw / about 14 years ago / 1

    I bet they cheat and grab the mm if they lose

  • Sweet maze! Nice mix of analog and digital. Clever and not ridiculously over-engineered. And M&Ms!

  • rmeyer / about 14 years ago / 1

    Now... place a video camera (CMU Cam for example) above the maze...paint the tops of the walls a good contrasting color... and program the controller to recognize the M&M and guide it through the maze autonomously...
    Could this be the next Sparkfun challenge?

  • tenging / about 14 years ago / 1

    The peanut inside that m&m sure is round.

  • tenging / about 14 years ago / 1

    Wow, that's a lot of work just for a piece of candy.

  • Applekid / about 14 years ago / 1

    Those segment display colors are gorgeous!
    I know they're way out of fashion, but I love the retro look of those alphanumeric displays. Any chance on sourcing a few of those? Or VFL modules?

  • rick2 / about 14 years ago / 1

    Cool! What was the title of that song towards the end? The words triggered some flashbacks to my teen gaming days!

  • MDG / about 14 years ago / 1

    I wish my closet was full of geeky, electronic goodness...

  • Danny Gale / about 14 years ago / 1

    hey! I know those back closet boards!

  • TWMIV / about 14 years ago / 1

    That maze is very impressive!

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