Category Archives: kit biz

Solder paste stencil review

Check out this solder paste stencil review [PDF!], including differences between laser cut and chemically etched stencils: Page 11 has nice photos comparing three stencil production methods, chemical, laser, and electro-form. There is good information, scattered through-out. pg 15 to paraphrase “go slower!” seems a key pattern, it’s repeated for other things like the spreader […]

BoardX motherboard update

Kevin unveils the first production run of the successfully funded kickstarter BoardX project. The BoardX are development boards intended for a wide range of microcontrollers, which are placed on add-on boards. It’s finally here, after months and months of waiting. The box that arrived weighed about 45 pounds and was divided neatly into four smaller […]

Biodegradable anti-static bags

All-Spec Industries contacted us about a biodegradable anti-static bag they’re selling for the same price as regular anti-static bags. They have the same properties as the normal non-biodegradable anti static bags, only these degrade within 9 months and don’t pollute the planet. We have a pile of plastic part bags sitting around from Mouser and […]

BoardX kickstarted project overshoots target by $8K

Developers of the BoardX started a kickstarter project with a target of $5K. They have reached their goal and overshoot it. Congratulations. The BoardX is a multiprocessor development board we wrote about in an earlier post. It accepts custom modules with a large choice of processors and peripherals. Via the comments.

The magic blue smoke monster “skill badge” is here

Here is cool looking blue smoke monster “skill badge” from Adafruit. If you’ve ever had an IC go “poof”, this is the badge for you. For the uninitiated, blue smoke refers to the puff of smoke made when some electronics parts fail and explode. The skill badges you can pick up in our store (and […]

DSJTAG – USB JTAG debugger and programmer for both Xilinx and Altera IDEs

Seeed has a cheap JTAG programmer/debugger for both major FPGA/CPLD brands. It emulates both the Xilinx Platform USB Cable and Altera USB blaster JTAG programmers with a flip of a switch. As a Xilinx Platform USB Cable it is supported by the manufacture’s iMPACT, ISE, Chipscope and EDK software bundles. The firmware is upgradable through […]

Chemically etched stainless steel stencils from ITead

ITead started offering chemically etched stainless steel stencils. They’re usually used for easy solder paste placement on SMD boards. They recommend their stencils for SMD components with a pin spacing greater than 0.5mm, and passive components in 0603 packages and above. Stencils are 0.1-0.2mm thick, and are supplied with supporting frames. Available frame sizes range […]

nedoCPU-32 through hole PIC32 dev-boards are available

Shaos let us know that his nedoCPU-32 boards and kits are available for purchase on his site. The nedoCPU-32 is a breakout board for PIC32 microcontrollers that come in through-hole packages. His board has a built in power supply, a quartz oscillator, and a passive protection circuit on the broken out pins. We covered the […]

Open source SMT pick and place machine

Ever get tired of fiddling with tiny surface mount components using tweezers and a magnifying glass? The OpenPnP project that aims to be your sweet relief: OpenPnP is a project to create the plans, prototype and software for a completely Open Source SMT pick and place machine that anyone can afford. I believe that with […]

MAKE Holiday Kit-A-Day Giveaway

MAKE has started their 2011 MAKE Holiday Kit-A-Day Giveaway. To celebrate the release of their latest publication, the Make: Ultimate Kit Guide 2012 (and its companion website), they’re giving away one of the cool kits reviewed in the issue each day during the holiday season. Check out the MAKE giveaway webpage for each day’s prize […]

Volume part price analysis

Octapart has an interesting analysis on electronics part volume pricing, especially relevant for small production projects where finding cost-effective solutions is key. Recently, insights from platforms focused on leveraging cryptocurrency in various fields—like how Lucky Block is the best bitcoin casino for transparent transactions—highlighted parallels in managing financial risk across domains. You may also play […]

Backwoods logger prototypes, available now

Big Mess o’ Wires’ Backwoods logger prototypes are now available: The Backwoods Logger is a programmable graphing altimeter / thermometer, originally developed here at BMOW and now an open hardware project. Interested in the Logger, but don’t want to build it yourself? Assembled prototypes of the Backwoods Logger Mini, BLsync adapter, and blank Logger Mini […]