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Category: My Junkbox

Things that I have that I’ll use at one point or another

BGMicro Shipment

BGMicro Shipment

I just got my shipment of stuff from BGMicro, including a ton of pinheaders!

I ordered:
1x Velleman 4×4 keypad
1x GI AY-3-8910 Sound Chip (and matching IC socket)
2x LEDs with wire and
connectors
1x 2.5″ stero cable end (Digital Rebel XT Trigger?)
1x Graphical KS0108 Display
and Lots of 1×40 and 2×17 Pinheaders šŸ™‚

What I would buy/bought with $100 at SparkFun Electronics

What I would buy/bought with $100 at SparkFun Electronics

Since SparkFun Electronics announced Free Day on January 7, 2010, I figured I’d start looking at what exactly I could get for $100. (I’ll only link the big items for risk of being called Spam by Googlebot.) This list is a work in progress, I’ll add more as I search.

To anyone new to electronics, I would suggest the Arduino (See arduino.cc for more information).

Idea 1: Oscilloscope kit and soldering supplies (Probably better to get the Oscilloscope Kit at Seeed Studios for $33)

  • Digital Oscilloscope Kit $45.95
  • BNC probe kit $12.95
  • 9V DC/350mA power supply $5.95
  • Soldering Iron Stand $5.95
  • Brass Sponge $2.95
  • Diagonal Cutters $1.95
  • Total: Not quite done yet!

Idea 2: Reflow toaster controller kit and swag

  • Reflow Toaster Controller $89.95
  • SparkFun Pint Glass ($9.95) OR (SFE Iron-on patch ($4.95) and SparkFun Coffee Mug ($4.95)) OR Sparkfun Projects Case (Clear) ($11.95)
  • Total: $99.85 or $99.90 or $101.90

Idea 3: 3pi Robot (Probably better to get the 3pi at the Maker Shed, since their 3pi bundle is on sale for the same price, and use the free $100 to get other stuff)

  • 3pi Robot $99.95
  • Total: $99.95

Idea 4: Eee PC Hacking (NO. These modules’ antennae are too big for the Eee. A separate GPS with panel-mount SMA would be better.)

  • 20-Channel GS405 (SiRF Star III chipset) or 50-Channel GS407 (u-Blox 5H chipset) Helical GPS Receiver. Either is $89.95.
    (People have been having problems getting GPS to work right when put inside the EEE 700/701/702, but they’ve been trying to use a ceramic antenna instead of a helical one. Maybe helical is the answer?)
  • Surface-mount connector to fit the above. For GS405, $0.95. For GS407, $1.25
  • Total: $89.95+ (or maybe more Eee hacking stuff)

Idea 5: Uber Eee PC Hacking

  • UFl to RP-SMA Connector for external wifi antenna, $4.95 (Plus antenna, $7.95-$9.95) (Sold out for now, i’ll leave it alone)
  • Arduino Pro Mini 328, $18.95 (3.3V version or 5V version) OR Breakout Board for PIC24HJ64 – Mini Bully, $19.95 (3.3V) (Though neither have the serial to usb converter onboard… They would require something like the FTDI Basic Breakout, $13.95)… Maybe I should just make my own from a USB-capable PIC SOIC board?)
  •    OR… Just use an FT2232 chip to do all the controlling! (I’ll custom-build a circuit board based on FT2232 and a latch to control the innards of the Eee… Power switching to various devices, spi expander for sensors, etc)
  • FM Receiver Breakout Board – AR1010, $14.95 (Hmm, not RDS-capable…)
  • Triple Axis SPI Accelerometer Breakout – SCA3000, $44.95 (Temperature compensating, voltage regulated, input 3.35V-10V) OR Triple Axis Analog Accelerometer Breakout – ADXL335, $24.95
  • Total: $?+

Idea 6: Soldering Station

  • Soldering Station Variable Temperature 70W – Digital, $99.95
  • And maybe a smaller tip (each $14.99)
  • Total: $99.95+

Subtotal: GPS (Idea 4) + Uber Eee PC Hacking (Idea 5)

USB SD Card Adapter

USB SD Card Adapter

Ok, I got this set of 3 USB SD Card adapters from eBay seller flash-mart.

The picture shows the innards of one, and a full one. They come in multiple colors. They’re nice because you can insert an SD card and put the cover back on. I’m thinking in particular about USB hard drives for the MSNTV2s with these.

Laptop Hard Drive Adapter

Laptop Hard Drive Adapter

Well, I got this one (a pack of 5) from eBay seller igozz.

See, this one’s simple. You plug a laptop hard drive on one end, and an IDE cable and Molex power adapter on the other, and you have a working internal hard drive for your PC. 

:thumbsup:

Nokia 3310/3330/3390 LCDs (with PCD8544 Controller)

Nokia 3310/3330/3390 LCDs (with PCD8544 Controller)

I recently bought two Nokia LCDs from eBay seller talktalkmobiles, and each came with a free Torx-8 screwdriver.
The screens come from Nokia 3310, 3330 and 3390, and haveĀ built-in Philips PCD8544 controllers.

It has 8 pins on the back of the LCD.

Pinout:

  1. V+ (+3.3V)
  2. Sclk
  3. Sda
  4. DorC
  5. Cs
  6. Ground
  7. Vout (DC/DC voltage converter)
  8. Reset

For more information, Check out This Thread at LCDInfo.com or the datasheet.

Freescale Samples

Freescale Samples

Here are some samples I got from Freescale Semiconductor. :cool:

I
must admit, they have amazing service. I placed an order, it shipped
within 24 hours, and was at my door 2 days later, thanks to the UPS
folks. :woot:

What we’ve got here:

  • MC34940 – Electronic Field Imaging
  • MCZ33990 – Enhanced Class B Serial Transciever
  • MMA7261 – 3-axis 2.5-to-10G Accelerometer

(By the way, I love my Sigma Macro Lens, as you can see from the photo :thumbsup:)

Solar Panel

Solar Panel

Ok, so.. Long story short, our Canadian Tire had a $30 Eliminator 1.8W solar panel on sale for $10 this week. :eep:

I couldn’t resist picking one up. it came with a Cigarette Lighter adapter, a barrel-plug adapter, and battery clips. I’m sure I could think of a PIC project or three I could run off of Solar Power. Right now, It’s hanging in my windows by suction cup to charge a couple of 7Ah 12V Sealed Lead Acid batteries.

Canadian Tire SKU #11-1880-2