Over the past couple of weeks, the team working on the new Adafruit Learning System has been churning out updates almost daily. Having a nice small team allows us to test, tweak, update, and deploy rapidly. Here are some of the highlights of the last few updates:
We have done a lot to optimize the PDF downloads. With this latest update we have made images in the PDF larger, got Github Gists to display correctly, and included text at the end to know how older your downloaded version is. A Github Gist is Gist is a simple way to share snippets and pastes with others. All gists are git repositories, so they are automatically versioned, forkable and usable as a git repository. Learn more about how Gists work here, and see a demo of a Gist in the Learning System here.
Many new mobile device enhancements.
We can now embed time encoded Youtube videos. This allows us to embed a video and have it start at a certain time (get to the good stuff). Here is an example of this feature in use.
We have made a lot of changes to the homepage, mainly on the admin side, to allow our team to work together in an efficient way.
Our biggest update was probably the ‘Featured in this Guide’ sidebar. This is a great way to see exactly what Adafruit products are being used in that particular guide so you can make sure you have the right stuff on hand.
We love the way the Adafruit Learning System looks and acts on mobile devices, but couldn’t stand looking at a pixelated logo on a retina display. Now all graphics, and the logo are retina ready.
We have a ton of new updates in the works, and will keep you up to date on our progress. Thanks for all of the positive responses we have gotten thus far!
Circuit Playground 1.5 update is by far our biggest update yet – and as you may have already guessed, it contains much newness and improvements!
Check out some of the new features below:
Op Amp Calculators
Eight Op Amp Circuits total – including such classics as: Inverting Amp, Non-inverting Amp, Summing Amp, Differentiator, Integrator, Differential Amp, Current Source, + a Buffer schematic thrown in for good measure.
Op Amp Pinouts
When you’re ready to build that operational amplifier circuit, swipe on over to the Op Amp Pinout Reference where you’ll find layouts for the most common single, dual, & quad op amp IC packages.
Show & Tell
Got a finished project you’d like to show off? We want to see it! Circuit Playground’s new Show & Tell section lets you easily snap a pic or choose one from your photo library, then send it to Adafruit along with your project description.
Touch schematic components to change values.
On any calculator that includes a schematic, you can now edit input values by tapping the relevant component symbol.
+ Additional improvements throughout
You’ll also notice a quite a few other tweaks and improvements added to make the app easier to use.
Version 1.5 is a free update for all current users – and as always, can be downloaded from the App Store. Thanks again to everyone who purchased Circuit Playground + all the helpful feedback & reviews – do stay tuned for more awesome!
The Industrial Business Advisory Council, a cornerstone of the Bloomberg Administration’s initiatives to support the industrial sector, is set for its first meeting on August 1. This advisory body will ferment the working relationship between industrial businesses and the City agencies and policies that support them.
The City’s industrial sector plays an important role in diversifying the City’s economy, providing well-paying jobs to New Yorkers and enabling local consumption. Responsible for developing, producing, storing, distributing, and recycling goods, the diverse industrial sector will now be represented by 16 members serving two-year terms. The members—nominated by the public—range from academics, to successful developers, but are predominately business owners. Prominent members include Limor Fried, founder ofAdafruit Industries, the Manhattan-based open source hardware company; Andrew Kimball, President of the Brooklyn Navy Yard, an Industrial Business Zone known for its innovative businesses; and Mike Schwartz, co-founder of Bad Ass Organics, a Long Island City-based food line and organic culinary incubator.
The New York City Economic Development Corporation’s Industrial Desk, with the support of City Hall, will act as the convening body for these quarterly meetings. The Desk will leverage its Interagency Industrial Steering Committee to better involve the business community in the formation of policy and regulation rollouts. These efforts are part of a larger effort announced in June 2011 to reinvigorate New York City’s industrial sector. The new programs and initiatives fall into three categories: Increasing access to updated, affordable, and right-sized industrial spaces; creating new financing resources and increasing access to existing programs; and better aligning City resources with industrial businesses’ needs. These initiative categories were developed through data analysis from industrial studies as well as through extensive interviews with business owners, on-the-ground technical assistance providers, and industry leaders.
In all, these initiatives will result in activating, modernizing and/or preserving up to 9 million square feet of industrial space, creating and/or retaining up to 30,000 direct and indirect, industrial or industrial-driven jobs (on-going and construction) over the next 20 years, and generating $150 million in gross direct fiscal revenues for the City by 2021.
-Miquela Craytor, Director, Industrial Initiatives, Center for Economic Transformation
Very proud of our Ladyada, and thank you to all our NYC business partners and friends who made this possible!
#MakerCamp is about to begin this AM! We’ve teamed up with the folks at Google to create an awesome virtual summer camp, as part of our Summer of Making activities. It’s 30 days of 30 projects with online how-tos, camp counselors and “expert” makers to help you with your builds, G+ hangouts, online field trips, and much more. It’s going to be a blast. The camp is free, there’s no registration, and you can plug in and out as you please. The camp is directed at teens 13-18, but cyber-campers and at-home tinkerers of all ages can participate, too. Find out all of the details here.… And get ready to go camping. Just “Follow” (MAKE) on Google+ to join in the fun.
Ladyada will be on an upcoming Thursday for Maker Camp on Google+ stay tuned for details!
ASK AN ENGINEER 10PM ET – 7/14/12! Special guest Ayah Bdeir.
Ayah Bdeir is the creator of littleBits, an open source system of pre-assembled, modular circuits that snap together with magnets – making learning about electronics fun, easy and creative. Each bit has a simple, unique function ( light, sound, sensors, buttons, thresholds, pulse, motors, etc), and modules snap to make larger circuits. The magnets ensures that you do not assemble the units in any wrong way. littleBits is an easy way to make prototypes or play using light, sound, and electric circuits without any soldering or wiring. You can make remote controls or alarms or anything you imagination throws up, and even combine this with other construction toys.
littleBits was founded on the belief that we need to create scientific thinkers and problem-solvers, and interventions need to occur early.
Ayah Bdeir, the founder of littleBits is an engineer and interactive artist who does not believe in boundaries set by disciplines or cultures. With an upbringing between Lebanon, Canada and the US, Bdeir’s work uses experimental tools to look at deliberate and subconscious representations of identity. Bdeir received her Masters degree from the MIT Media Lab and undergraduate degrees in Computer Engineering and Sociology from the American University of Beirut. Ayah lives and works in New York.
What is “Ask an engineer”? From the electronics enthusiast to the professional community – “Ask an Engineer” has a little bit of everything for everyone. If you’re a beginner, or a seasoned engineer – stop in and see what we’re up to! We have demos of projects and products we’re working on, we answer your engineering and electronics questions and we have a trivia question + give away each week. Mosfet the cat stops by too. Previous chats can be viewed at http://www.adafruit.com/ask
And don’t forget, 30 minutes before the show we’re doing our weekly show-and-tell. If you are on Google+ and want to join, just add/follow +Limor Fried’s (Ladyada) page and post a comment so you can be added to the show and tell circle. At 9:30pm ET you will see a link to the hang out. Just keep your mics muted until we call on you and have your project ready.
For those who just want to watch, you’ll be able to watch it live on Ustream here and we usually have a recorded version posted later.
“Teach me to make” as simple as it sounds is a simple yet powerful effort on wordpress by a maker from USA. Apart from being a true maker, Michael Shiloh is an absolutely delightful and an approachable person to talk to. His sense of purpose in his work was very much apparent in my short, yet interesting conversation with him. Here are some widely and less known things about the teacher, student and entrepreneur.
P: What is your role as a part of Arduino? M: Let me see… We can call it Community Liason. Ill take care of all the minor bugs, wishlist and major issues, bridging the gap between developers and the community.
Michael Shiloh is now the Community Liason for Arduino, this is fantastic news, congrats to Michael, the Arduino team and everyone in the community.
ASK AN ENGINEER 10PM ET – 7/14/12! Special guest Ayah Bdeir.
Ayah Bdeir is the creator of littleBits, an open source system of pre-assembled, modular circuits that snap together with magnets – making learning about electronics fun, easy and creative. Each bit has a simple, unique function ( light, sound, sensors, buttons, thresholds, pulse, motors, etc), and modules snap to make larger circuits. The magnets ensures that you do not assemble the units in any wrong way. littleBits is an easy way to make prototypes or play using light, sound, and electric circuits without any soldering or wiring. You can make remote controls or alarms or anything you imagination throws up, and even combine this with other construction toys.
littleBits was founded on the belief that we need to create scientific thinkers and problem-solvers, and interventions need to occur early.
Ayah Bdeir, the founder of littleBits is an engineer and interactive artist who does not believe in boundaries set by disciplines or cultures. With an upbringing between Lebanon, Canada and the US, Bdeir’s work uses experimental tools to look at deliberate and subconscious representations of identity. Bdeir received her Masters degree from the MIT Media Lab and undergraduate degrees in Computer Engineering and Sociology from the American University of Beirut. Ayah lives and works in New York.
What is “Ask an engineer”? From the electronics enthusiast to the professional community – “Ask an Engineer” has a little bit of everything for everyone. If you’re a beginner, or a seasoned engineer – stop in and see what we’re up to! We have demos of projects and products we’re working on, we answer your engineering and electronics questions and we have a trivia question + give away each week. Mosfet the cat stops by too. Previous chats can be viewed at http://www.adafruit.com/ask
And don’t forget, 30 minutes before the show we’re doing our weekly show-and-tell. If you are on Google+ and want to join, just add/follow +Limor Fried’s (Ladyada) page and post a comment so you can be added to the show and tell circle. At 9:30pm ET you will see a link to the hang out. Just keep your mics muted until we call on you and have your project ready.
For those who just want to watch, you’ll be able to watch it live on Ustream here and we usually have a recorded version posted later.
Some nice updates today to our tutorial system! The Adafruit Learning System – First, we should mention we’re currently in beta of our new tutorial system – Justin, Tyler, Daigo, Ladyada and Phil are all working on making the best tutorial system in the world. It’s a huge undertaking for us, but we want to provide the best for our customers and for everyone who wants to learn electronics.
We’re doing dozens of updates per week, today we added PDF support. Each tutorial has a PDF download on the left side, and they’re not just any ole’ PDF, they’re nicely designed and nice looking. There are lots of other updates, we’ll be talking about the tutorial system on this week’s ASK AN ENGINEER video show and future blog posts. Explore it and enjoy it as we build.
We’re approaching 1,000 products in our store soon. In addition to a lot of updates, a site refresh and our learning system - We’re testing out our new search on Adafruit.com for products that some of you have already noticed and have been using. As you type in the search box it will do its best to find what you are looking for. We’re adding more to this, so consider it beta! We are adding more features and bugs are being squished. We’re using Sphinx, the open source search server. We are watching the usage, so please try it out so we can improve it!!
On the 4th of July – Independence Day Holiday Adafruit’s online store will be open 24/7 as usual. For online store customers who place orders there will not be a not postal pick up or UPS pick up on July 4th, any order placed on July 3rd after 2pm and on July 4th will ship on July 5th.
Also, keep in mind that July 4th is not a business day, any overnight/next-day orders placed today will arrive on July 5th, any 2nd or 3-day will ship today but take one extra day.
In the United States, Independence Day, commonly known as the Fourth of July, is a federal holiday commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776 (image here).
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.
Heavy stuff! Have a happy and safe July 4th everyone!
BACK IN STOCK – Powerswitch tail 2! The Power Switch Tail II is a smart alternative to slicing apart power cords to wire up your own relays. Its a compact 120V 3-pronged extension cord, with a relay board embedded in the middle. Connect to the relay using two screw terminals and activate by providing a 3 to 12V signal (3mA current draw at 3V, 30mA at 12V). The relay can switch 15 Amp resistive loads such as heaters, small skillets, lights, etc. An LED indicator above the terminals will help you with debugging.
Ideal for people making their own controllable lights, SMT reflow plates, boilers or heaters, coffee roasters, home automation projects, etc.
The Power Switch Tail II is opto-isolated so you don’t need a transistor or protection diode. The input acts like an LED so its safe for use with any microcontroller or logic pin.
Please note, this is a safer alternative to wiring up your own relays but still requires common sense and knowledge of electrical circuits. Stay within the rated limit of the relay and de-rate properly when not using resistive loads. Do not leave DIY electrical projects unattended or where they can get wet! This product is intended to be used by advanced hobbyists who are comfortable working with power supplies.
Adafruit founder & engineer Limor “Ladyada” will be speaking at The Rockefeller Foundation Centennial – 2012 Innovation Forum on June 26, 2012.
Innovation is the hallmark of the Rockefeller Foundation’s century of groundbreaking initiatives. It has characterized the Foundation’s most compelling and life-saving work, from the development of a Nobel-prize winning vaccine for yellow fever in the 1930s, to the agriculture techniques pioneered by Rockefeller scientists that enabled the Green Revolution in the 1960s. The 2012 Innovation Forum will focus on working together to identify how innovation can be applied in new and interesting ways to promote the well being of humanity around the world.
Innovation Spotlights – During this time, we will hear a series of hard-hitting, 8- 10 minute talks by a number of inventors and innovators on some of the cutting edge ideas, technologies and concepts. Presenters include:
Limor Fried – Founder, Adafruit Industries
Bre Pettis – Co-founder and CEO, MakerBot Industries
Mark Post – Professor, Maastricht University; Creator of “no-kill” meat
Carlo Ratti – Director, MIT SENSEable City Laboratory
NEW PRODUCT – Arduino Leonardo ATmega32u4 with headers. The latest addition to the Arduino family is here! The Arduino Leonardo is a microcontroller board based on the exciting USB-enabled ATmega32u4 (datasheet). This chip has about the same amount of flash, RAM and capability as the ATmega328 found in the UNO. It has 20 digital input/output pins (of which 7 can be used as PWM outputs and 12 as analog inputs), a 16 MHz crystal oscillator, a micro USB connection, a power jack, an ICSP header, and a reset button. It contains everything needed to support the microcontroller; simply connect it to a computer with a USB cable or power it with a AC-to-DC adapter or battery to get started.
The Leonardo differs from all preceding boards in that the ATmega32u4 has built-in USB communication, eliminating the need for a secondary chip (such as an FTDI friend, FTDI cable or the USB/Serial converter on the UNO). On one hand this means that sketches on the Leo are a little bigger because it’s also handling USB interaction. On the other hand, it allows the Leonardo to appear to a connected computer as a mouse and/or keyboard, in addition to a virtual (CDC) serial / COM port. It also has other implications for the behavior of the board; these are detailed on the getting started page.
We’re very excited to have a small shipment of Leo’s in stock. Please note that this board is very new and so is best used by people with existing Arduino experience as there may be a bug that trips up beginners. It is probably not going to work with nearly any shields other than the proto shield. We haven’t gone through and tested it with all the Adafruit shields and don’t guarantee it will work until we’ve sat down and done a lot of testing and coding, so keep that in mind!
This board is only supported in the latest Arduino IDE 1.0.1 so you will also need to update the IDE.
In stock and shipping (please not we only have a few of these, but sign up to be notified when the next batch is in if we’re out of stock!).
Memorial day is 05/28/2012 – Adafruit will be open and taking orders, free shipping to any military base as always… Postal orders & UPS will ship out on May 29th.
Memorial Day is a United States federal holiday observed on the last Monday of May (May 28 in 2012). Formerly known as Decoration Day, it commemorates U.S. men and women who died while in the military service. First enacted to honor Union soldiers of the American Civil War (it is celebrated near the day of reunification after the Civil War), it was expanded after World War I.
Printable catalog (PDF)
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