Did you ever have to write a lengthy paper for a class in high school (or college) and just couldn't get to the required number of pages? This product post is kinda like that. Chinese new year put a huge delay on a lot of our orders. So, although we have a lot of new products coming, they are delayed, so we just don't have that much coming in lately. We tried our best with what we had this week. So for this week we just decided to have some fun with it rather than postponing a product post until next week.
It was a really fun video to make and it was nice to include more people in it this time. We had a blast. Let's see the small list for this week.
More power is almost always the right solution to any problem. However, more power can also generate more heat. This heatsink and fan combo is great for cooling off those small ICs that get a little too warm. It has a 40mm fan and comes with mounting hardware, thermal paste and a self-adhesive thermal pad.
Synesthetes will love this next product. Have you ever wanted to be able to see sound? Well, with the Colorganic Spectralizer, you can. This kit uses the MSGEQ7 to break up the input from the microphone into 7 different frequency bands and represent their relative volume levels on 7 10mm LEDs. As you can see from the video above, it's a lot of fun. Plus, the kit is a great way to test out your SMD soldering skills.
We have been revamping our XBee selection. The Series 2.5 modules are outdated and we are transitioning over to the newer Series 2 modules. The Series 2.5 and Series 2 have the same hardware, but different firmware. If you are looking to do anything with mesh networks, the new Series 2 is what you need. For anyone looking to do basic serial data links, you would be advised to look at the Series 1 modules. We just got our first batch of the Series 2 2mW modules with wire antenna. For anyone still confused about all the various XBee modules, I highly recommend Robert Faludi's book, Building Wireless Sensor Networks.
We also have a couple more retail products coming out this week. We now have the 16x2 serial LCD in retail packaging. This serial-enabled LCD screen needs only power, ground, and an open serial line and you can display 2 lines of text in no time! The retail packaging even includes the cable harness.
In addition to the serial LCD, we also have an RFID Starter Kit in retail packaging. This kit combines the ID-12, RFID USB Reader, and a couple RFID tags. It's all you need to get started with your next RFID project.
We have a couple new sockets to announce. Everyone loves sockets. We have two new 2mm sockets, one with 7 pins and one with 5 pins. These mate with the RFID modules (ID-12, ID-20, and ID-2) and the RFID reader breakout board. You can of course use these for whatever else you want too.
So, that's all we have for this week. Once we start getting our orders in, we'll have lots more cool stuff. Thanks for reading and we'll see you next week.
If series 2 is newer than series 2.5, we can't wait for series 0.95rc1. After 4 years, can't believe they're still focusing on this mesh networking stuff instead of increasing the range.
You really need to put warning stickers on videos like that!
What does it say on the box at 0:30?
(as in explain it, you can read it all at the end)
The box reads, "Put the stuff what goes down stairs for those guy to do what they will in their flamboyant tomfoolery...meng."
As you may have guessed, Gordon wrote that wondrous prose.
This is one of the restock boxes here in Customer Service. Returns come in, get opened and cataloged, and restockable stuff goes in the boxes then heads downstairs to the warehouse. It's all about as interesting as it sounds...but it's made more interesting by flamboyant tomfoolery.
Gordon sounds remarkably like a didgeridoo.
I used to have a tape of Tibetan Throat Singing crazy monks!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9ShSbbnloc
When can we order one of these 'Gordon' Didgeridoos?? But seriously, he was awesome!
I need 50,000 didgeridoos!
I think the goat is getting more mic time than me.
You can take the children, but you leave me my monkey!
Dude... lol whats that supposed to mean?
a reference to the movie walk hard, the scene in particular was a reference to Brian Wilson's "Smile"
That's what I was thinking too. Didn't have the circular breathing going, though! :D
I think it is physically impossible to inhale and breath out at the same time ERIC.
Gaww!
At the risk of missing the inside joke and taking it literally:
Circle breathing is indeed possible (I can do it), although its a bit of a misnomer. The trick is to fill you cheeks with air and breathe in through your nose while continuing outward airflow by pulling your cheeks back in. The hard part is to resume exhaling with minimal disruption to the flow.
edit: see you were referring to circle breathing while singing, joke missed, and I am pretty sure that's impossible.
Thank you guys for selling a SMD kit that's more useful than the simon! I really think that there should be more SMD kits in the world. Teaching people SMD soldering then they can have boards made and start making/selling their own products that can be pick&placed! Awesome guys! Really. Thank you RobertC for these amazing videos! I really look forward to them!
Aw Crap! I just bought an RFID id-20, usb board and 3 rfid tags for 30 more bucks on saturday and this comes out, sucks.
I would love to work at Sparkfun so VERY badly! Hiring any EE's by chance?
we have a link to our jobs at the top right of the page.
oohhh we have Pavarotti back¡¡
better than Glee¡¡
nice job.
I guess you could take the Colorganic Spectralizer, add some high power drivers to where the LED's go and feed an audio input to the mic connection and end up with a nice color organ. At least mount the thing as is behind a frosted lens and just feed in an external audio signal from your stereo (ok use two of 'em).
Some of the people working for Sparkun really have a talent for something....
Well all have SOME talent ;-)
Ha. Some new product video that was.
More like a "Coolest Place on Earth" to work at video.
Some days are better than others, but generally speaking it's a pretty rad place to work.
that's the feeling I get from ALL of your videos
That sound to light gizmo looks really fun. I would get it and just stick it places where it doesn't belong
Ew.
Although, I wonder what the frequency spectrum would look like in said places...
edit: Great video, BTW! I always look forward to these vids.
Ew? that was not what I was saying
Sorry, but sticking anything where it doesn't belong tends to be interpreted in a particular way.
I'm sure people out there take light sensors and stick them where the sun don't shine, and I would give them a similar "Ew."
Ah. yes. I see your point.
I meant in projects completely unrelated. along the lines of "ok, my writing robot is just about done! what else does it need? Oh - I know - a sound to color sensor!"
things like that.
or sticking it on my backpack - actually, if this could be made smaller with some tinkering, it would be really cool for a lilypad project
Who needs new products when you can watch that awesomeness? Amazing work. I can't stop watching it...
Hooray! Been looking forward to this all day :D