It's a Quadcopter Christmas! And don't forget Free Day!
A little holiday sing-a-long with music provided by a quadcopter! Plus a Free Day reminder!
We've posted in the past about quadcopters and we're not afraid to admit that we find them exceedingly cool. What's not to like about a helicopter that is ultra-fast, maneuverable, and has four blades? With that in mind, we'd like to share the following video we received from Flying Machine Arena all the way from Zurich, Switzerland.
Puts you in the holiday spirit doesn't it? Make sure you watch it all the way to the end for the "surprise" ending! We hope that the new year brings everybody happiness, health, and a whole bunch of awesome electronics projects.
Speaking of the new year, don't forget what's coming up in just over two weeks - Free Day 2011! This year, Free Day is on January 13th and there is a whole new system to claim your money. In a nutshell, you can either get $10 for every year you've been a SparkFun customer or take your chances with a 10 question electronics quiz potentially worth $100. Plus for every question you answer right, we'll donate some money to charity! Read all of the rules here and start studying our bite-sized primers tutorials. Good luck!
Could you guys put up a countdown clock somewhere in the websites header or on the main page to free day for the international customers?
Every time I realize how close its starting to get I have to go off and find a time conversion to figure out what time of the day I have to be online for and plan accordingly. Which I soon forget once again and the cycle repeats.
I'd just like to say that Free Day is a superb concept, and thanks to you for doing it. Now, because I've been a customer for 4 years, I can get $40 credit!
However, I won't be using it. I'm a working engineer now, and I can afford to pay for my (modest) toy habit :) Of course I do remember my student days, and the early times in the workforce, when money was really tight and a Free Day would have been the highlight of my year.
So here's a challenge (in the Telethon tradition): if you can afford your SparkFun habit, then leave Free Day to those who can really benefit from it. There will be plenty of people around whose undiscovered genius could be revealed with the aid of some free SparkFun kit, it would be a pity to deprive them for the sake of something you could buy yourself anyway!
I work full time, not as an engineer yet but IT. However, since I'm married, I'll definitely be participating.
I Agree to both of your posts.
There will always be people who want more things, and they are willing to steal from students who could use these parts to make some of their dreams and ideas come true.
Hopefully this next year, i might be able to implement some of my ideas, and dreams, unlike last year. (Got in and had a cart ready, but could never make it to checkout :/ )
Sadly, I'm afraid, no matter how correct you are, many people won't listen to you. Humans are selfish and greedy creatures. Just look up some videos of "Black Friday footage". It's quite sickening...
Cool video!
Maybe somebodu have info how the speed controller is controlled by? Using pwm?
Regards,
Pranas
I see this sort of thing in big red box's future: http://www.m5industries.com/m5i.html
I want to see it complete with Arduino brain, SFE branded flame thrower and more! Anyone have any other cool add-ons it needs???
Why the 13th, isn't that kind of jinxing things ?
Oh well at least its not a Friday.
I think that may have been one of the greatest ads for anything. Ever.
I like the little dance at the end too. Awesome.
I like the red boxes. Is there any cool story behind them?
Does SF actually have boxes that size? I use the boxes I get in the mail to organize parts...
Sadly, we don't have a "real" red box that size. Yet. Our Marketing Communication folks spent a lot of time and effort painting that one to look so good.
Can I buy that box?
I believe that they have plans for that box in the future. Of course, if you can get out here to take the SparkFun tour, you're welcome to see it in person, maybe even get inside it...
I was thinking the same thing. I guess we better start saving up to buy a billion atmegas to fill one of those boxes.
Hah, I thought the same thing. Maybe if the order is large enough they will send it in one of these boxes.
You only get that box if you order one of everything :) lol
Maybe if you buy a few hot air rework stations, a few oscilloscopes, and a few big function generators. That should fill up the box.
I totally want that huge box
Found a place with open source to build your own. I'm going to give it a try - as I get money for parts.
http://aeroquad.com/content.php
Still looking at $500 or so to build one, including radio.
I have all the parts to build mine, and they total to $368 excluding the costs of frame materials.
That's about what I totaled up, but that's without the radio.
Oh yeah, I forgot that. I control mine with bluetooth
Why? Why? WHY?
Why must it be on a Thrusday? We have school and work!
Please! And if it simply can't be on a weekend, at least maybe in the afternoon after we get home!
Thank you. I'll be waiting for Free Day 2012, as I will NOT BE ABLE TO ACCESS A COMPUTER AT 11AM EASTERN TIME on jan. 13 2011!!!!!
Some of us in IT like to sleep in on weekends. (When we're feeling really ambitious, we try to take them off from work altogether...)
LIKE LIKE LIKE LIKE!!!
This is sooooo true. Although, I get a rush when I am on call and things go down. I guess I am a problem solver by nature.
Then have it in the afternoon! Please! And out here in the east, everything is +2 hrs. So if you have free day 2012 from 12 pm to 2 pm colorado time, then it is 2 pm to 4 pm for me. See? Happy East Coasters.
Here is what you do if you are in school: 1) Don't go to school that day or 2) Goto the "bathroom", then head to the library or any other computer lab. Wear a sweatshirt so you can take a notebook of some sort. (sweatshirt so you can hide the notebook from the teacher as this looks odd if you are going to the bathroom.) (and notebook so you can say you are doing some report or something.) or 3) you can pay me to purchase your things for you. I think $40 is fair. That way you still save $60.
Aw the days of testing my social engineering skills at high school.
My school is like a prison. You can not enter any classroom not on your schedule without a pass, and all of the computers in the computer face the teacher. I'll just wait for Free Day 2012, January 12th from 12 pm to 2 pm MST.
No matter what we do, we're going to time things inconveniently for a whole pile of time zones and personal schedules. It's pretty much the nature of the beast, I'm afraid.
If your educational institution and/or employer will accept a note from SparkFun IT, I'd be happy to sign one. ;)
Why can't you change to a later time? Just move it 3 hours next year, from 12 -2 MST?
This is discrimination against hardworking adults and students!
"Just quit your bitchin', bite your tongue, save it for a rainy day, son" -Smash Mouth
please, please, please make free day before 10 or else i'll miss it because of school.last year i had skip a field trip to not miss free day(Though i still didn't get anything). it would also be nice to put a low bandwith cap so people with slow connections(like me) don't have the disadvantage.
I second this.
I second you plead. Let's start a boycott!
*not really
But PLEASE!!!!!
Awesome'copters. Here's some more: here
showin' off!