An Unauthorized New Product Post
While the media team is away, Nick and Dave take matters into their own hands for a unique new product post.
Since our talented videographer Gregg is out of town at a conference this week, Dave and I decided to shoot the video ourselves. It turns out that producing these videos is no small task, but in Dave's words: "It's Friday, we can't not do a product post".
Come to think of it, we probably could have just asked for the key to the media closet. Oh well. Special thanks to Todd in IT for standing in as 'man behind the lens,' he's much more skilled at wielding a camera than we make him seem. And I'm sure you'll be relieved to know that Gregg will be back next week and we'll be returning to our regularly scheduled programming. You'll also notice the images aren't quite as good as usual - our photographer Juan is with Gregg at the same conference. We'll get those updated when he returns next week as well!
In the meantime, let's have a look at this week's new products.
The RPI-1031 tilt sensor is capable of sensing a change in orientation. It's different than an accelerometer (I said 'gyro' in the video, I meant to say accelerometer...I'm blaming the makeshift production crew) because an accelerometer can detect the angle at which it's tilted, whereas a tilt sensor can only tell you whether or not it's tilted at all. By reading the signal of the two output pins, you can tell if your project being tilted in any of four directions: forward, backward, left or right. Because of its size, the RPI-1031 can be difficult to prototype with, so we're introducing the Tilt-a-Whirl Breakout Board. It breaks out all of the necessary pins out to standard 0.1" spaced headers and makes it easier to work into your next project.
Schottky Diodes, named after the physicist Walter Schottky, are known for their low forward voltage drop and very fast switching action. These 1A 40V diodes are recommended for use with motor driver circuits.
It seems like no matter how many jumper wires you have, you never have enough. That's why we now carry both male to male and female to female jumper wires in packs of 100! Male to Male Jumpers are great for prototyping on a breadboard and Female to Female Jumpers are perfect for connecting all of those breakout boards that you've already soldered male headers to. Both configurations of jumper wires are 6" long and come in packs of five different colors.
Well that's everything for this week. Sure, it isn't exactly a truckload of new products but we have even more good things coming soon so check back next week. Meanwhile, enjoy your weekend and I'll see you next Friday!
You should make a video tour of Sparkfun HQ.
I agree!
Dude, this was so funny! I loved it! Please make more like this.
Please don't quit your day jobs.
What's funny is this IS their day job. :)
Well in that case... :)
We see people in the closet. We see people outside the closet.
What we don't see is those people coming out of the closet.
Beer and foosball? Can I work at SparkFun?
Heh, not only does our company (Thermopylae Science & Technology) have beer and foosball, we have a Cake & Beer Day where everyone is encouraged to blow off their regular work and hack on something! There are many SparkFun boxes here.
To be fair, the foosball table is pretty much hopeless. I don't think I've seen anyone play an actual game on it in 4 years.
Foosball tables are a status symbol, not a real game.
I'm confused. is 'foosball' and american word that hasn't made it's way across the pond yet, or are you continuing a spelling mistake?? :-$
Here you go.
Them's fightin' words in some circles.
The state of foosball is teally sad. I played in college (in the early 70's) when foosball interest was peaking. A class mate and I we unbeatable at times. We played in every table we could find and on one was decent. Rene Pierre tables give the player fantastic control over trapping and shooting. Once the German tables showed up (they were cheaper), foosball because a "slap" game and not a game of real control. I long for a Rene Pierre table.
Hack it! Play against a microcontroller...
The fundamental problem isn't that no one wants to play. The fundamental problem is that we have a lousy table. :)
I know people have done robotic/computer players. I'd be seriously impressed if you could build a credible one on a microcontroller...
The problem with our table is warpage. I bought the table off Craigslist, and borrowed an open pickup truck to get it. When I left, the weather was good. When I got there the sky was looking gray. A minute after I bought it and started driving back to SparkFun, we had a Colorado downpour, and the foosball table was completely swamped. It never really recovered from that...
This explains a great deal.
Absolutely! High-torque stepper motors and linear actuators vs. human! Motion capture of the ball may be tricky without a computer though. Just a thought...
Somehow I think they have Coke in that Beer tap.
Why would we do something like that? I believe the beer they got was Ellie's Brown, in case anybody's interested.
Picked up a few Ellie's on my last work trip to CO because the pic looks so much like my Lab. Was pleasantly surprised at the content of the bottles.
Hooray!! Shenanigans (sort of)! Love the vid!
Funny. Thanks guys!
Nice change in the audio... it's like we've turned the dial from AM to FM.
Is that Guinness? Okay, that tears it; I'm moving. Where do I submit my resume?
Ellie's Brown Ale
I was so hoping they would open the cupboard and rob would be inside. :-)
Guys, are you planning on carrying anything similar to these retro VFD tubes (like the IV-18) that are becoming so popular for clocks and other displays !?
Thanks,
Dan
When are we going to see the break out board for the Rotary Encoders - Illuminated COM-10596 and the Circular LED Bargraphs COM-10595 ???
Soon, I promise.
LOL, great video, nice work guys!
And that looks like some good beer!! MMMMMMM
OK, someone PLEASE tell me that tap lights up! It has to, I mean, it's at spark fun and it's acrylic right? Just some red LD's and a few volts, thats all I'm asking..
Great job with the video, and great editing as well!
It used to, and it also used to Tweet. There may or may not be somebody working on a new version of all of that, though sadly yet understandably, real work comes before side projects. ;)
Hire me, and I'll make it look like the Griswold's house at Christmas.
Nice! OK, no hard feelings really, I just have a condition that when I see acrylic I think LED's. It's a blessing at the same time. And I totally know how real work comes before blink things.. I wish it didn't sometimes..
Very entertaining! Makes up for the lack of new products.
Must. Have. New. Products!
NEW PRODUCTS!!!
But... if you and Dave were IN the video... who was recording it? The other Dave?
Otherwise, all that video needed was one of the robots from MST3K.
If only Crow and Tom Servo would riff on our product videos...
You got 5 compartment boxes to put all those jumper wires in?
I prefer to let my jumper wires roam free or pile them up in a red box like so much multi-colored spaghetti... but if you're into organization I'm sure we have something that will work for you.