Maker Faire Arduino Workshop, LoL Shield...

Psst. Hey. You. I have a secret. A secret we want everyone to know about. But only the people going to the San Fransisco Maker Faire. The word 'free' is a pretty good word, right? Let's throw 'Arduino' in there too. We may be onto something here... How about 'workshop', just for good measure? Those things go together like peas and carrots. And corn. A colourful explosure of fun and adventure.

Where are we going with all this? We'll be hosting an all-day Arduino workshop for free. It'll be based on three projects from the Arduino Experimenter's kit, so you can get hands-on experience with the super-popular development program through making sound, sensing temperature, and controlling a servo. Drop by any time during the faire (well, we might take a lunch break at one point...), take a seat, and work through a project or two (or three). We'll be going by a first-come, first-serve basis with no set session time. We provide the documentation, equipment, chairs and tables (everything you need, basically, except your vital internal organs). There'll be a few staff members circulating to answer any questions you have and keep things moving along. If you, dear reader, come to the Faire and don't stop by to say hello, we'll be crushed. We're counting on you to keep us company.

Aaaand in other news, this week we've released the LoL Shield.  What is it? What does it do? I'm not sure about either of those things, but I can tell you with complete confidence as a result of personal experience that the LoL Shield does not taste like chocolate. Disappointing, I know, but I guess there's a limit to what our pick-and-place machine in capable of. Apparently, as my boss assures me, it has some sort of practical application aside from being not chocolate. The LoL Shield is designed for use with the Arduino, and is a simple SMD-assembled display comprised of 126 LEDs (your choice of either red or yellow/orange) in a 9x14 grid. You'll need to solder on the connector pins, but all the other construction has been completed for you. Pretty nifty, eh?

That's pretty much it for now, but just a bit of heads-up:  We'll be closed for the previously mentioned Maker Faire, from May 19th to the 24th. We'll be packed up, roaming around the greater San Fransisco and causing a big ruckus instead of being confined to our office. Place your orders and email and all that jazz - we'll resume operations in full on the 24th. We'll give you another reminder when the time gets closer. That's it for now - have a great weekend everyone!