Hello loyal SparkFun followers! Another week has gone by and it's Thursday yet again. We have a few new products to talk about and a video that was probably a good idea at the time. So, let's see the video for this week.
Sometimes, I can't believe I get paid for this. If you've come to terms with the fact that we actually carry branded pocket protectors, you can read on for the entire list of new products for this week.
What happens when you combine a LiPo charger AND a boost converter? You get our next product, the PowerCell. The PowerCell combines a MCP73831T-based charger and a TPS61200-based boost converter in one board. You can select from either 3.3 or 5 VDC output, and charge from a MicroB USB cable or the 5V header. This board has infinite uses and is going to be quite popular, I think.
The PoGa from 4D Systems is a kit that gives you a nifty platform to play with their screens. With directional buttons and two 'fire' buttons, the Portable Game Development Console is a great way to prototype all sorts of projects. They also have great documentation and a lot of demos. Check out the product page (and the video above) for more information.
When we say 'let your geek shine' we really mean it. Sticking true to our motto, we are now carrying SparkFun-branded pocket protectors. Not only are they intensely stylish, but they are also severely functional, as you can see from the video above. Keep your lab coat safe, get a pocket protector.
We have a few retail products to talk about. And while these may be more interesting for our distributors, some may make great gifts since they have fancier packaging. We've combined the USB LiPo Charger with a 900mAh LiPo battery and wrapped it all in luxurious plastic. Batteries and chargers are basics that everyone needs to have, so this kit might make a great gift for someone just getting started in embedded electronics.
We also have the LCD add-on kit packaged for retail customers. The LCD add-on kit shows you how to connect an character LCD screen to an Arduino with basic step-by-step instructions. If you want to learn how to control LCDs without a serial backpack, this is a cool kit.
We've also packaged up our Simon PTH kit in retail packaging. This kit has been very popular for us and has been the basis for almost all of our beginner soldering courses. It's a fantastic gift for anyone just learning how to solder. Unlike most soldering tutorials, when you're finished with the Simon Kit, you actually get a fully working game in the end!
For those of you wanting to play around with the LSM303DLH tilt-compensated compass sensor, we sell it as a bare IC. We also have it in breakout board form if you don't feel like messing with the tricky package.
We have a couple of product revisions this week. Our last version of the Easy Driver had a problem with the silkscreen labeling on the trimpot. We've since fixed that and also increased the isolation on the ground pour. If you're looking to easily drive a stepper motor, the strikingly obviously named Easy Driver is just what you need.
We also have a new revision of our ADXL345 breakout board. We listened to the customer feedback and added an extra decoupling capacitor as well as some mounting holes. We are trying our best to integrate mounting holes into our designs, and it makes a lot of sense for the ADXL345 breakout.
Well, that concludes another week of new products. As always, we'll see you next week for even more goodies.
Screw using the pocket protector with a lab coat. I'm using it with anything that has a pocket!
If I were to get the pocket protector, i'd force myself to buy more shirts with pockets just to show off how snazzy it is.
I fully agree to that.
However, I always have my right pocket containing 1 pen, 1 pencil, and 1 Sharpie. Sometimes, if my pockets have other things (alligator clips, phone, and other misc. stuff) the protector would be there to protect those things besides the pocket.
Sparkfun ear protectors
Make it so.
Are those compatible with Arduino?
No. The Carbonite clogs the registers.
Dude! Your avatar rocks! City on the Edge of Forever is one of my fave old Trek episodes.
Woah!
You recognizing who that is and where the particular scene is from - all from a 30x30 pixel avatar - now THAT'S seriously impressive :)
You, sir, are awesome!
You can use a Lilypad if you want...
The pen catch is classic.
Only time I ever wore a pocket protector in my life was when I dressed up like a nerd for High School Spirit week. Sporting my dad's all-white shit and a bow-tie, about 1/2 way through the day one of the pens in my pocket exploded for no apparent reason. The pocket protector saved the shirt. I was flabbergasted.
I imagine you mean "shirt" instead of "s***" :)...
hahahaha!
Do those have pockets?
I've heard of white trash, but white sh***...
That's a first.
Unless it's bird poo.
What can I say?
TGIT!
Why dont add RJ45 plug to the easy stepper driver board and supply it with mounting holes for a nema17 stepper motor. Then it can be easily installed at the back of the motor and simply use a network cable to run it to the motherboard...
Your comment would have more effect on the EasyDriver page itself.
How about the microtouch from adafruit.com for the next product posts?
http://www.adafruit.com/index.php?
main_page=product_info&cPath=51&products_id=330
That's why I use pencils.
Sweet! I better get a lab coat to go with the pocket protector, before they're all out of stock.
You just might want to use hair spray to get those ink spots out of your lab coat. Water just sets those type of stains in. So next week you can have a can of Spark Fun Hair spray ink remover on the list of what’s new in Product Post Thursday!
That... was awful.
Makes me wish I'd been part of it, hahaha.
I wondered if you guys would yield to the pocket protector idea, I guess it was inevitable. way to go.
I love that pen catch! Very well done. Thank you for an awesome product post, good to see you keeping it fresh.
Cheers,
MM
Good catch - did anyone else immediately think about how many times that probably took before he got it right? :P
yep, I actually did it on the first try before the cameras were rolling. I did it 3 times out of the 6 total takes. all the outtakes are at the end of the video. it was a fun shoot.
In his defense, he did catch it the first try, but it was a practice round and the camera wasn't rolling.
It might have had something to do with how awesome the throw was, but I'm a bit biased :)
FACT: Robert caught the pen in the first take. The "outtakes" were for the amusement of us mere mortals. Go Beard Power!
The first one got caught on the beard.
I was having a pretty crap day until I saw this. Awesome video- thanks for cheering me up.
Get more Electroluminescent wire in=]
@MVX: Agreed! Very smooth (I'm sure it must've taken a few takes to get that one).
Love the vids!
Cool
The videos are very helpful in explaining your new products. Please continue making them.
That last bit was so cheesy... and so funny! Keep it up, RobertC!
Is it possible to obtain both 5 V and 3.3V from the Powercell ? Hacking?
Nope, one or the other. Although, by hacking (using different resistor values) you can adjust to any voltage between 1.8V and 5.5V. Remember, it's a Boost, not a Buck/Boost so you can't have a voltage LOWER than the input.
The PowerCell is just what I need for my Fezes. Thanks guys.
I never put pens in my pocket, why do you think we have ears?
So you're saying we should sell some sort of SparkFun-branded ear protector?
Genius!
Sparkfun welding helmets
Next step - Sparkfun Crotch Protectors!
"Keeping the sparks away from the fun!"
I think the next logical step would be a SparkFun Slide Rule...
But that seems like a terrible idea.
Maybe it could calculate things like resistor values...
No, still a bad idea.
That would, actually, be quite awesome.
Too bad i already have one. Inherited it from my late grandfather (who was an engineer, as was my father - the slide rule skipped a generation, tho).
lol, as if some sort of genetic inheritance: "slide rules skip a generation."
It's a recessive trait ;)
Holy Sparks! It's a miracle!
I need to stop going to the "New Products" page so that I can still experience the magic of New Product Thursday...