New Product Post

Just a quick reminder that there are just two more weeks left to collect stickers for the Shield Evolution giveaway which ends April 15, 2013.  The grand prize is a set of 17 new shields from our new collection.  Don’t forget you have until June 15, 2013 to claim your prize, but prizes are limited.

We have a bunch of new items this week.  First up is the Tiny Bread Board Kit.  This kit includes 12 tiny bread boards in six different colors and a Lego-like base board.  Each bread board can be affixed to the base board in any formation that meets your needs.  It is a great tool for organizing and breaking down your smaller components into circuits.

For our prototyping enthusiasts, we have the Skeleton Box, an easy-to-assemble shell for your projects.  This box is universal, so it fits your standard Arduino or Seeeduino boards and can easily accommodate an additional shield, as well.  It is comprised of a mounting rack, a mounting board for installation of your own circuit board, and a back plate for protection.  It is made of solid, stable materials and is even stackable.  This is a must have for makers who need protection, portability, and/or an aesthetically pleasing layout.

Science enthusiasts we have something special for you, our new USB Digital Microscope.  Powered from your computer via USB, the handheld digital microscope magnifies objects up to 400 times their original size.  In addition to magnification, it can take HD pictures up to 2.0 megapixels, record video, and measure the items under the microscope.  Everything is properly lighted by 8 LEDs built around the lens, so pictures and videos can come out sharp and clear.  It’s very user-friendly and includes an installation CD, manual, and a Quick Start Guide.  If you aren’t inclined toward science, the microscope is also a helpful tool for inspecting circuit boards.

If you love the original Egg-Bot Kit, you must see the new Ostrich Egg-Bot Kit.  For those of you not familiar with Egg-Bot, it is an open source art robot that draws on the surface of spherical or egg shaped objects.  It’s a great tool for decorating eggs, ornaments, light bulbs, balls, and anything else spherical.  The original Egg-Bot Kit can handle items with a diameter of 1.25” to 4.25” (3 cm to 10 cm) while the Ostrich Egg-Bot Kit can accommodate objects that are 2.25” to 5.25” (6 cm to 16 cm) in diameter.  You will need a computer and install Inkscape, a free open source vector graphics editor, to create your drawings and control Egg-Bot.  If you already have an Egg-Bot, there is also an option to buy the upgrade-only kit.

If you like Raspberry Pi® but you crave a beefier alternative, then you need the Cubieboard.  Like the Pi, the Cubieboard has an ARM processor, but it has a faster processor speed and twice the amount of RAM.  It supports Android, Ubuntu, and other Linux operating systems.  It has a 96-pin extended interface for low level access to the SOC.  Plus it has a SATA port, so you can easily connect an external hard drive.  Coupled with the 2.4 GHz wireless mouse and keyboard support, it is a perfect platform for building your own computer or an Android TV box.

Wireless access for your Arduino just got a little easier.  We have a new WizFi Shield, designed by the Korean company Wiznet, which comes with a certified WizFi210 WiFi module.  It uses the 802.11b/g/n protocols and operates at speeds up to 11Mbps (802.11b).  It supports WEP, WPA/WPA2-PSK security protocols and EAP enterprise extensions EAP-FAST, EAP-TLS, EAP-TTLS, and PEAP which allows for greater interoperability.  An added bonus is that it enables you to free up your UART port on the Arduino.

Fresh off a successful Kickstarter run, we are happy to offer you Pixeled, an interactive LED art display.  There are two versions of the product:  the pre-assembled Pixeled that comes in an attractive black frame and Pixeled Guts 1024, the DIY kit.    Both products have a 32 x 32 RGB LED display, a IOIOMint board with an LED matrix shield, 2 Bluetooth dongles, a power supply, cables, Android apps, a PC app, and art from real world pixel artists.  The nice thing about the pre-assembled product is that comes already assembled with a black frame, a two-way acrylic mirror, and an IR hidden proximity sensor.  The hidden proximity sensor is a nice feature because some of the art work includes an interactive mode.  Both of these products can be controlled via your Android device or the PC.  You can even create and upload your own art if you would like.  Currently, these are expected to ship mid-May.

Just recently we added a few MSP430 LaunchPad compatible PCBs.  They are modular plug-in boards that add further functionality to the USB-based LaunchPad development board.  These BoosterPacks give you the added capability of a Bluetooth serial port, a GPS locator, a prototyping board, a prototyping board with SMD footprints, or WiFi.  If you need to add more than one, simply stack them.

• The Blue Pack – 43oh Bluetooth LaunchPad BoosterPack
• The Locator – 43oh MTK333 GPS LaunchPad  BoosterPack
• The Protopad – 43oh Prototyping LaunchPad BoosterPack
• The SMD Protopad – 43oh SMD LaunchPad BoosterPack
• Wirefree – 43oh WizFi LaunchPad BoosterPack

Until next time, keep on making.

 

(Written by Erin Linke)

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