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SparkFun will be closed on Tuesday, November 5th to support our team in being able to go out and vote! Orders placed after 2 pm MT Monday, November 4th will ship on Wednesday, November 6th. Thanks for your patience and understanding.
Hello everyone, welcome back. Today we have a classic Friday New Product Post. Be sure to watch the video for a very special announcement.
That's right, this is my last post and video with SparkFun. I want to genuinely thank everyone who's watched my videos and read my posts over the years. I never thought when I did my first product video back in 2010 that they would be anywhere near this popular. But let's take a break from all the feels and talk about some new stuff we have for this week.
The Intel Edison has been a pretty popular product here. This week, we have a new block, the Power Block. It's very similar to the Battery Block, but comes without a battery. This has a couple of benefits. Without the onboard battery, it makes stacking additional blocks possible since the height of the battery prevents stacking blocks on top. Also, it allows you to add a larger or smaller battery.
Need a cap? If you don't now, you will soon. Check out the new capacitor kit, which includes a variety of values. Everything comes in a box to keep things organized and even has a guide on the sticker for identifying the values in the kit.
Be sure to watch the video, I talked about some of my favorite picks over the years. I didn't include them in the post since they're technically not new. I might make some future appearances at SparkFun, but I can't make any promises. But if you want to see what I'm up to, you can always subscribe to my YouTube channel.
As always, thanks for reading and watching.
Hello everyone, this is Robert. Sorry for not replying sooner, I was busy this morning.
Once again, I want to thank everyone for the support all of these years. I enjoyed doing the videos and in a way, it was the highlight of my week too :-)
EDIT: Also, wow, holy YouTube subscriptions! I'll have to start making some videos for you all!
The video was super sad at the end! :( To share the happy and fun moments of the earlier New Friday Product posts, the 100th video has a great montage! (Jump to 7 mins) :D
That makes me even sadder! There was a lot of Dave in that video :-(
Godspeed to you, oh bearded emperor of new products. Fridays will never be the same! wipes tears
I remember when I start to see the product video, my english was very bad (I only undertsand some words when Rob spoke), currently my english is a little bit better today (I need to work more on them), thank you very much to Sparkfun and Rob for inspire me to enter in the world of maker.
Cheers from Mexico. Saludos amigos.
Wow! Rob, you will be missed. Someone has a big beard to fill. ;)
Why is nobody asking the burning question: Why are you leaving? It sounds like everyone is trying to keep it all hush-hush, which just makes it even more interesting. If you were going to a company that made you a better offer, I'm sure you'd tell us. Did you get in a disagreement with Sparkfun management? Some internal issue? Or are you leaving to take care of a sick relative?? We need closure!! Anyway, good luck Rob!
It's time to watch another company grow :-)
Michelle's right, I took a job with a smaller company in Boulder. Their name is eGauge and they do Internet-connect energy metering solutions.
Don't worry, nothing too dramatic. Rob may choose to expand, but he left on good terms for a position at another company in the area. He'll probably respond and give his $0.02, but he's probably at work. :)
Usually with internal issues you don't hear from the person leaving. From personal experience it tends to be someone else making the announcement, frequently going out of their way to stress that everything was mutual with no bad blood. Which more often than not translates out to the exact opposite.
You're leaving us? WTF!! NATE!!! Front and Center!!! Robert's salary needs to be 10x immediately and I don't want to hear any bullshit. You have your own business, building and a hot wife, shut the !@#$ up and just do it!!!
d'awww. I'm gonna miss the random photoshops ;-)
Look not for Robert in the comments; look for him in the hearts of the men and women he provided so much for over the years.
We love you Robert and wish the absolute best for you and your future endeavors. The beard will fade but the memory will live on forever.
Always enjoyed your videos Robert, my kids gather around the laptop each week when they hear your voice, you will be missed at my house. Good luck.
Goodbye Robert. It's been a fun five years.
Aww nuts! We will miss you Robert!
Going to miss your new product posts :(
Congratulations on the new career move I hope it works out for the best :)
Will tears short out an iPad? If this is incomplete, you'll know why. Rob, man, you always made our Friday. You kept your sense of humor when we trolled you. You MC'ed with panache. Your beard was perfection, like you demeanor. We wish you the best and 2:7)3!s33DiskxjxiDksl
Fridays are NOT supposed to be downers. Robert, you will be missed! I appreciate you answering my occasional questions.
Rob, sorry to see you go - You were the face of sparkfun for me for years, watching these videos every Friday, and I can only hope that with the success of Sparkfun, you've bought a private island where you're going to build something great and share it all with us as you sip umbrella drinks on your private beach.. I've already subscribed to your youtube channel.. wish I had known about it before!
I've never felt like crying after a Friday new product post. I'll miss you Rob. Good luck out there!
Rob, you can go, but the beard stays. Good luck.
Every Friday before anything else, I would sip my coffee while watching the New Product Post. I learned much and they inspired numerous weekend projects. When I hear "Sparkfun", I think of Rob's face. Best of luck, Rob!
Thanks for the videos Rob. Gonna miss the beard!
Congrats on the new chapter in your life, Rob!
Cameos? Sounds like you're not straying too far form Sparkfun! : D
I will definitely still be working on projects.
Way to bum us out man. Will there be an American Idol style competition to replace Rob?
You may replace Rob. But you will never replace the beard.
gonna miss you Rob. Good night and good luck!
Bummer! We'll miss seeing your videos. Good luck with whatever comes next.
On the subject of component kits: I wish there were more readily accessible for SMDs. Ordering 10-25 tiny capacitors of various values (e.g. common 100nF, 10µF) is surprisingly expensive compared to the per-unit price off of a reel :)
Rob: Good luck with your future endeavors, looking forward to the occasional cameo!
I picked up a great set from Adafruit... hop over there and check out their SMT/SMD 0805 Resistor and Capacitor Book
Say it ain't so! Good luck Robert with whatever your future plans are! Will miss your product posts!
Classic Friday New Product Post are the best.
I was expecting some comic relief at the end, but jeez that was kinda sad.
Thanks Rob! Best of luck with your future plans!
Damn. That was kinda sad. :(
Good luck, Rob!
Whenever I look at a product ID starting with "ROB" or "BOB", I still think of Robert. In the beginning, I thought that those were the ones he had designed.
Thanks for the info, laughs, and all those Fridays. Bon voyage!
Robert, sorry to see you go. I enjoyed watching your videos. Good luck on your future adventures.
Ah, Robert.. we hardly knew ye.
Thanks for bringing a lot of clarity to so many of us when we were n00bs with your product demos. I think someone should review the entire SparkFun catalog and maybe make videos for some of the not-so-new products as well. (The "Simple Sketches" are cool, but some of the basic products might require a some narrative.)
So long, and thanks for all the vids. I'll be watching your YouTube channel for some combat robot tips..