Freezer Burn is an Alberta Regional Burning Man celebration annually creating a temporary community out on the prairie. A few of us here at Solarbotics attend, and having access to all of the neat technology, we make an effort to bring special projects to the festival. Lit up projects work well since the event is … Continue reading Freezer Burn 2017 Pendant

We’ve been researching a manufacturer for a shiny new product we are working on (shhh, don’t tell anyone and stay tuned for the reveal!). What we have been looking for is a metal spinner. Metal spinning, also known as spin forming, spinning, or metal turning most commonly, is a metalworking process by which a disc … Continue reading Metal Spinning Field Trip

We are closed on Monday, July 3rd in lieu of Canada Day this Saturday (July 1st)! We will be back in business July 4th.

As of June 7, 2017, Active-Tech Calgary is now under the ownership of Solarbotics Ltd.! Solarbotics has been a part of the Calgary DIY Electronics community for over 22 years, manufacturing and reselling the kits, parts and pieces you use for your own creations. Active-Tech Calgary has been around slightly longer, supplying industrial electronics & … Continue reading Solarbotics Takes Over Active-Tech Calgary

Because… of things… Solarbotics didn’t do a booth or official presence at this year’s Bay Area MakerFaire. We opted to do something fun this time, building a custom just-for-the-fair piece of sorta-interactive LED artwork. Following on the success of the quickie LED floor mandala resting area we did at the NYC MF, we turned it … Continue reading Interactive String LED Floor Mandala at MakerFaire Bay Area

ESP8266 ESP-32 CAD 13.50/ USD 9.99 The much anticipated ESP32 is here!! Bluetooth, Wifi, Dual Core, IoT just became doable! ESP-12F AP+STA Remote Serial Port WIFI Controller / Module CAD9.38/USD6.95 You can’t turn over an internet-connected rock without finding an ESP8266 of some sort wired to it. This ESP-12F AP+STA is a solid way to … Continue reading New ESP Offerings at Solarbotics

A brilliant selection of new smart LED strips with various features. They are addressable, white RGB, or full-color RGBW, available on spools or per meter to add blindingly bright effects to your project. Some so bright, we had to shoot them at 1/4 power to avoid freaking out the camera exposure. 5V RGB Addressable Serpentine … Continue reading New Product: LED Strips

What’s the biggest event for Solarbotics in the spring? Calgary Comic Expo on April 27-30! This year we are going to be there as part of the DIY Island (booth 110) at BMO Centre, Calgary Stampede Park. DIY Island is a booth space shared between Solarbotics, Repair Oasis, Protospace and MakerFaire Calgary. Solarbotics will be … Continue reading The Solarbotics DIY Island & Repair Oasis at Comic Expo 2017

Solarbotics has been a regular at the Calgary Comic & Entertainment Expo for quite a few years now. Throughout the years we’ve shown off multiple projects that we created ourselves and in collaboration with some brilliant costume and prop designers. Here is a recap of the most impressive projects. We are always happy to assist … Continue reading The Solarbotics Comic Expos Best Projects Recap

Magnetic storage reaches the atomic level The magnetic field of a single atom is read and written, but it’s not very stable (Via ArsTechnica) Magnificent Cardboard Airships by Jeroen van Kesteren Beautifully crafted and intricate fantastic ships made of cardboard (Via Colossal) Google X Levi’s touch-sensitive denim jacket Embedded conductive threads make it touch and … Continue reading Web Links Tuesday