Solarbotics Blog Posts & News
The S.A.F.E.!
Dave Hrynkiw
March 11, 2011
The Solarbotics Arduino / Freeduino Enclosure - That's what it is, and that's what it does! We love our laser, and part of the job is making things that make our job easier. We're finding enclosing our Arduino projects makes them... well, more survivable. Here's our first release of the S.A.F.E., with more variations coming!
Sherline Closing Sale
Dave Hrynkiw
February 28, 2011
Because we use their great products while making robots, we've also carried Sherline products almost since we started Solarbotics. But the time has come to start cutting things that aren't core to our business, and the Sherline machine tools definitely take valuable time from open-source hardware hacking, lasering, and pick'n'placing. For 1 week only, we're […]
Netduino!
Dave Hrynkiw
February 18, 2011
Not just another *uino clone, as this uses a 32-bit Atmel AT91SAM7X ARM microcontroller. Sure, it uses the same form factor (well, except for the breadboard-friendly mini version), but the Netduino uses the .NET micro framework. What's that mean? Well, you're using a hugely more capable microcontroller (8-bit vs 32 bit), with much more memory […]
Closed Monday, February 21st
Dave Hrynkiw
February 17, 2011
We all have family, in one form or another. Parents, siblings, aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, friends, pets... In some cases, even a delapitated, 20 year-old Honda Civic lovingly referred to as Lou. It has rust in the rear quarter panels and the steering wheel squeeks when it gets cold, but things just wouldn't be the […]
Hakko FA-400 Smoke Absorber
Dave Hrynkiw
February 15, 2011
It's cool. Well, not quite. But it's smoking. Umm, that's not right, either. It's anti-smoking. Whoever redesigned their 493 smoke absorber did a pretty good job - it's much better than it was before! And Hakko even posted a cool video showing how good it is (sorry, can't embed the video here).
Ex-Interns and their projects...
Dave Hrynkiw
February 15, 2011
Jerome Demers, our ex-intern of two seasons, just sent me a link to one of his latest projects. The (sigh...) "Fart-o-Meter". He even put it up on Instructables too. Good to see the experience he got at Solarbotics is being put to good use...
New Hakko Iron & SMD LoL Shields
Dave Hrynkiw
February 11, 2011
I wasn't very interested when the new Hakko FX-888 soldering iron showed up, but as I opened it and explored more, I got to thinking "Dang - this is a nice iron...". It's small, heavy, made-o'-metal, and of Hakko quality. And it's better than the old 936 it replaces, in practically every regard. And it […]
Interesting Mini-sumo build
Dave Hrynkiw
February 9, 2011
This mini-sumo design by Jeremy Bloyd-Peshkin features our wheels, and one of our favourite building materials, Sintra. We can't laser-cut sintra (PVC=bad stuff when burned), but milling it works well, as this builder shows. The asymmetric motor layout works, as proven by this contest-winning design (scroll to the bottom of the page).
New Kit: The Zendulum!
Dave Hrynkiw
January 21, 2011
The Zendulum! It's the mellow love child of a "Newton's Cradle" and a "SunSwinger Pendulum Kit". On sale next week, available for pre-order! It's currently available - we're shipping the Zendulum now!
Our Tech doesn't stink.
Dave Hrynkiw
January 14, 2011
We have proof. Jeremie uses up these deodorant sticks, and does stuff with them:
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