<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<rss version="2.0"
	xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/"
	xmlns:wfw="http://wellformedweb.org/CommentAPI/"
	xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/"
	xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom"
	xmlns:sy="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/syndication/"
	xmlns:slash="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/slash/"
	>

<channel>
	<title>adafruit industries blog &#187; useful-stuff</title>
	<atom:link href="http://www.adafruit.com/blog/category/usefulstuff/feed/" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" />
	<link>http://www.adafruit.com/blog</link>
	<description>electronics, open source hardware, hacking and more...</description>
	<lastBuildDate>Wed, 22 May 2013 21:00:00 +0000</lastBuildDate>
	<language>en-US</language>
	<sy:updatePeriod>hourly</sy:updatePeriod>
	<sy:updateFrequency>1</sy:updateFrequency>
	<generator>http://wordpress.org/?v=3.5.1</generator>
		<item>
		<title>The Prodigious Abacus</title>
		<link>http://www.adafruit.com/blog/2013/05/13/the-prodigious-abacus/</link>
		<comments>http://www.adafruit.com/blog/2013/05/13/the-prodigious-abacus/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 13 May 2013 17:01:45 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>driverblock</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[customer projects]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[EE]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[science]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[tools]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[useful-stuff]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.adafruit.com/blog/?p=63479</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[A Blast from the Past: pighixxx has posted a slide-rule template for Voltage, Resistance, Current, and Power calculations!]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>A Blast from the Past:</p>
<p>pighixxx has posted a <a href="http://forums.adafruit.com/viewtopic.php?f=25&amp;t=38344&amp;p=197566#p197277">slide-rule template</a> for Voltage, Resistance, Current, and Power calculations!<a href="http://forums.adafruit.com/viewtopic.php?f=25&amp;t=38344&amp;p=197566#p197277"><br />
</a></p>
<p style="text-align: center"><a href="http://forums.adafruit.com/viewtopic.php?f=25&amp;t=38344&amp;p=197566#p197277" target="_blank"><img class="aligncenter" alt="" src="http://www.adafruit.com/adablog/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/dispa_e.png" width="589" height="832" /></a></p>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://www.adafruit.com/adablog/?feed=rss2&#038;p=63479</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>2</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>ArduTester &#8211; Arduino Component Tester</title>
		<link>http://www.adafruit.com/blog/2013/05/02/ardutester-arduino-component-tester/</link>
		<comments>http://www.adafruit.com/blog/2013/05/02/ardutester-arduino-component-tester/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 02 May 2013 21:03:32 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>driverblock</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[arduino]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[components & parts]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[customer projects]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[open source hardware]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[sensorsparts]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[tools]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[useful-stuff]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.adafruit.com/blog/?p=62389</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[pighixxx, author of the ABC &#8211; Arduino Basic Connections series, has released his ArduTester &#8211; a simple Arduino-based component tester: This is an Arduino porting of the excellent work by Markus Frejek.The final aim is to create an economic component tester using Arduino and a few passive components; You can see more about ArduTester in [...]]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>pighixxx, author of the <a href="http://www.pighixxx.com/abc-arduino-basic-connections/">ABC &#8211; Arduino Basic Connections series</a>, has released his ArduTester &#8211; a simple Arduino-based component tester:</p>
<blockquote><p><span style="font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;line-height: 18px;background-color: #e1ebf2">This is an Arduino porting of the excellent work by Markus Frejek.</span><br style="margin: 0px;padding: 0px;font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;line-height: 18px;background-color: #e1ebf2" /><span style="font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;line-height: 18px;background-color: #e1ebf2">The final aim is to create an economic component tester using Arduino and a few passive components;</span></p></blockquote>
<p>You can see <a href="http://forums.adafruit.com/viewtopic.php?f=25&amp;t=39537&amp;p=196065#p196065">more about ArduTester in our Arduino Forum</a>.</p>
<p style="text-align: center"><a href="http://forums.adafruit.com/viewtopic.php?f=25&amp;t=39537&amp;p=196065#p196065"><img class="aligncenter" alt="Ardutester - Arduino Component Tester" src="http://www.adafruit.com/adablog/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/disp35e.png" width="577" height="408" /></a></p>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://www.adafruit.com/adablog/?feed=rss2&#038;p=62389</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Oriental Rug Made from Discarded Electronic Parts</title>
		<link>http://www.adafruit.com/blog/2013/03/27/oriental-rug-made-from-discarded-electronic-parts/</link>
		<comments>http://www.adafruit.com/blog/2013/03/27/oriental-rug-made-from-discarded-electronic-parts/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 27 Mar 2013 16:30:53 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>molly</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[art]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[useful-stuff]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.adafruit.com/blog/?p=58440</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[photos by Pipe Yanguas via thisiscolossal. We know we might overshare Miami artist Federico Uribe&#8216;s work, but he&#8217;s at it again, this time making an oriental rug out of discarded computer parts, and the results are stunning.]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img class="alignnone size-large wp-image-58443" title="uribe-11" src="http://www.adafruit.com/adablog/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/uribe-11-600x408.jpg" alt="" width="600" height="408" /></p>
<p><img class="alignnone size-large wp-image-58444" title="uribe-61" src="http://www.adafruit.com/adablog/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/uribe-61-600x400.jpg" alt="" width="600" height="400" /></p>
<p><img class="alignnone size-large wp-image-58445" title="uribe-21" src="http://www.adafruit.com/adablog/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/uribe-21-600x400.jpg" alt="" width="600" height="400" /></p>
<p>photos by <a href="http://www.pipeyanguas.com/">Pipe Yanguas</a> via <a href="http://www.thisiscolossal.com/2013/03/an-ornate-rug-made-entirely-of-computer-parts/">thisiscolossal</a>.<a href="http://www.pipeyanguas.com/"><br />
</a> We know we might overshare Miami artist <a href="http://www.federicouribe.com/">Federico Uribe</a>&#8216;s work, but he&#8217;s at it again, this time making an oriental rug out of discarded computer parts, and the results are stunning.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://www.adafruit.com/adablog/?feed=rss2&#038;p=58440</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Automated Eating for Your Pets</title>
		<link>http://www.adafruit.com/blog/2013/01/21/automated-eating-for-kitty/</link>
		<comments>http://www.adafruit.com/blog/2013/01/21/automated-eating-for-kitty/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 21 Jan 2013 19:05:21 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>molly</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[useful-stuff]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.adafruit.com/blog/?p=52420</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Don&#8217;t let your luddite pet claim she never benefitted from human technology.  Commercially available automatic cat feeders have been on the market for a while, but when Jonathan Foote was disappointed by the available selection, he rigged a jelly bean dispenser to release some kibbles to his favorite feline while he was out.  Following instructions [...]]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Don&#8217;t let your luddite pet claim she never benefitted from human technology.  Commercially available automatic cat feeders have been on the market for a while, but when Jonathan Foote was disappointed by the available selection, <a href="http://www.evilmadscientist.com/2013/art-controller-automatic-cat-feeder/">he rigged a jelly bean dispenser to release some kibbles</a> to his favorite feline while he was out.  Following instructions from EvilMadScientist, he attached a relay board to a remote control on a timer and voila!  kitty gets fed on time, even if he&#8217;s gone to Timbuktu.</p>
<p>So no more hating on technology kitty!<br />
<a href="http://www.adafruit.com/blog/2013/01/21/automated-eating-for-kitty/tt-eating/" rel="attachment wp-att-52421"><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-52421" title="tt-eating" src="http://www.adafruit.com/adablog/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/tt-eating.jpeg" alt="" width="500" height="675" /></a></p>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://www.adafruit.com/adablog/?feed=rss2&#038;p=52420</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>NEW PRODUCT! E1115 PS/2 Keyboard to TTL Serial Converter</title>
		<link>http://www.adafruit.com/blog/2012/12/14/new-product-e1115-ps2-keyboard-to-ttl-serial-converter/</link>
		<comments>http://www.adafruit.com/blog/2012/12/14/new-product-e1115-ps2-keyboard-to-ttl-serial-converter/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 14 Dec 2012 20:01:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Becky Stern</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[useful-stuff]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.adafruit.com/blog/?p=49396</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[NEW PRODUCT! E1115 PS/2 Keyboard to TTL Serial Converter &#8211; The E1115 PS/2 Keyboard to ASCII Converter is a single chip solution dedicated to producing a single TTL ASCII character on the &#8220;press&#8221; of a keystroke. It is designed to offload the process intensive complex keyboard decoding of PS/2, allowing the host microcontroller to better [...]]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://www.adafruit.com/products/1136"><img title="ps2breakout_LRG.jpg" src="http://www.adafruit.com/adablog/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/ps2breakout_LRG.jpg" alt="Ps2breakout LRG" width="600" height="461" border="0" /></a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.adafruit.com/products/1136">NEW PRODUCT! E1115 PS/2 Keyboard to TTL Serial Converter</a> &#8211; The E1115 PS/2 Keyboard to ASCII Converter is a single chip solution dedicated to producing a single TTL ASCII character on the &#8220;press&#8221; of a keystroke. It is designed to offload the process intensive complex keyboard decoding of PS/2, allowing the host microcontroller to better allocate its resources. The output is a selectable TTL serial or a clocked serial data with interrupt signal.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.adafruit.com/products/1136"><img title="ps2breakout3_LRG.jpg" src="http://www.adafruit.com/adablog/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/ps2breakout3_LRG.jpg" alt="Ps2breakout3 LRG" width="600" height="461" border="0" /></a></p>
<p>Plug in a PS/2 Keyboard in one end, and you can type away, with 57.6K or 115.2Kbaud (pin-selectable) TTL spit out of the TX pin. This can make adding a UI much easier for many projects where you can&#8217;t sit around and wait for the interrupts from the keyboard port. Please note that we&#8217;ve tested it and it works great with our PS/2 keyboard but it does not work with our PS/2 Magstripe reader or the PS/2 Touchpad. </p>
<p> Comes as a ready-to-go pre-soldered and tested module.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.adafruit.com/products/1136">In stock and shipping now!</a></p>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://www.adafruit.com/adablog/?feed=rss2&#038;p=49396</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>3</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>NEW PRODUCTS! Copper Foil Tape rolls in 25mm and 6mm widths</title>
		<link>http://www.adafruit.com/blog/2012/12/06/new-products-copper-foil-tape-rolls-in-25mm-and-6mm-widths/</link>
		<comments>http://www.adafruit.com/blog/2012/12/06/new-products-copper-foil-tape-rolls-in-25mm-and-6mm-widths/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 06 Dec 2012 17:09:41 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Becky Stern</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[useful-stuff]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.adafruit.com/blog/?p=48358</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[NEW PRODUCT &#8211; Copper Foil Tape with Conductive Adhesive &#8211; 25mm x 15 meter roll &#8211; Copper tape can be an interesting addition to your toolbox. The tape itself is made of thin pure copper so its extremely flexible and can take on nearly any shape. You can easily solder to it, and the tape [...]]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://www.adafruit.com/products/1127"><img title="1127_LRG.jpg" src="http://www.adafruit.com/adablog/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/1127_LRG.jpg" alt="1127 LRG" width="600" height="461" border="0" /></a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.adafruit.com/products/1127">NEW PRODUCT &#8211; Copper Foil Tape with Conductive Adhesive &#8211; 25mm x 15 meter roll</a> &#8211; Copper tape can be an interesting addition to your toolbox. The tape itself is made of thin pure copper so its extremely flexible and can take on nearly any shape. You can easily solder to it, and the tape itself can carry current just like a wire. On the back is an electrically conductive adhesive. The adhesive can&#8217;t carry significant current but it is very handy for sensing applications where you don&#8217;t want to solder the copper tape.</p>
<p>Comes in a roll 15 meters long, this tape is 3mils/0.07mm thick, 1&#8243;/25mm wide and has conductive adhesive on one side and a protective paper backing over the adhesive.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.adafruit.com/products/1127"><img title="1127box_LRG.jpg" src="http://www.adafruit.com/adablog/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/1127box_LRG.jpg" alt="1127box LRG" width="600" height="461" border="0" /></a></p>
<p>We&#8217;ve seen such tape used for EMI shielding, working with EL, making capacitive touch pads, ultra-thin wiring needs, etc.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.adafruit.com/products/1128"><img title="1128_LRG.jpg" src="http://www.adafruit.com/adablog/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/1128_LRG.jpg" alt="1128 LRG" width="600" height="461" border="0" /></a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.adafruit.com/products/1128">NEW PRODUCT &#8211; Copper Foil Tape with Conductive Adhesive &#8211; 6mm x 15 meter roll</a> &#8211; Comes in a roll 15 meters long, this tape is 3mils/0.07mm thick, 1/4&#8243;/6mm wide and has conductive adhesive on one side and a protective paper backing over the adhesive.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.adafruit.com/products/1128"><img title="1128box_LRG.jpg" src="http://www.adafruit.com/adablog/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/1128box_LRG.jpg" alt="1128box LRG" width="600" height="461" border="0" /></a></p>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://www.adafruit.com/adablog/?feed=rss2&#038;p=48358</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Inge Druckrey: Teaching to See</title>
		<link>http://www.adafruit.com/blog/2012/09/01/inge-druckrey-teaching-to-see/</link>
		<comments>http://www.adafruit.com/blog/2012/09/01/inge-druckrey-teaching-to-see/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 02 Sep 2012 01:27:02 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Kevin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[useful-stuff]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.adafruit.com/blog/?p=39500</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I sometimes feel pretty stunted in the creativity department &#8212; I&#8217;m a lot more logical than I am creative, though there&#8217;s obviously some overlap in any complex problem solving.  That said, I&#8217;m still pretty visually oriented, and I&#8217;m always interested in the details that go into things, and learning how to look at things different. [...]]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-39501" src="http://www.adafruit.com/adablog/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/TeachingToSee.png" alt="" width="637" height="358" /></p>
<p>I sometimes feel pretty stunted in the creativity department &#8212; I&#8217;m a lot more logical than I am creative, though there&#8217;s obviously some overlap in any complex problem solving.  That said, I&#8217;m still pretty visually oriented, and I&#8217;m always interested in the details that go into things, and learning how to look at things different.  This 40-minute video by Inge Druckrey &#8212; <a href="http://www.fastcodesign.com/1670615/a-40-minute-crash-course-in-design-thinking" target="_blank">Teaching To See</a> &#8212; might be interesting if you&#8217;re in the same boat yourself.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://www.adafruit.com/adablog/?feed=rss2&#038;p=39500</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>United Nations Icon Collection</title>
		<link>http://www.adafruit.com/blog/2012/08/31/united-nations-icon-collection/</link>
		<comments>http://www.adafruit.com/blog/2012/08/31/united-nations-icon-collection/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 31 Aug 2012 13:51:23 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Kevin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[useful-stuff]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.adafruit.com/blog/?p=39430</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I saw a post from Adam Wolf on Google+ today about the UN opening up an icon collection, and it jumped out at me right away.  I love icons.  They&#8217;re hard to do well, and a great way to communicate basic information, whether on a sign or on your PCBs.  It was a nice reminder [...]]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-39431" src="http://www.adafruit.com/adablog/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/UNIconCollection.jpg" alt="" width="640" height="377" /></p>
<p>I saw a post from <a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/101494205604337491076" target="_blank">Adam Wolf</a> on Google+ today about the <a href="http://blog.thenounproject.com/post/30033447108/the-united-nations-collection-now-available" target="_blank">UN opening up an icon collection</a>, and it jumped out at me right away.  I love icons.  They&#8217;re hard to do well, and a great way to communicate basic information, whether on a sign or on your PCBs.  It was a nice reminder to me as as well since I actually started my career at the UN &#8212; in OCHA even (Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs), the same branch behind these icons &#8212; and it was one of the more memorable moments in my life for the opportunities it offered me down the road, and the people I met (including my wife!).  The UN icon collection is licensed under a creative commons license and they can be seen on <a href="http://thenounproject.com/" target="_blank">thenounproject.com</a> with a lot of other interesting icons if you&#8217;re interested.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://www.adafruit.com/adablog/?feed=rss2&#038;p=39430</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>2</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>NEW PRODUCT &#8211; USB MicroSD Card Reader &#8211; microSD / microSDHC / microSDXC</title>
		<link>http://www.adafruit.com/blog/2012/07/25/new-product-usb-microsd-card-reader-microsd-microsdhc-microsdxc/</link>
		<comments>http://www.adafruit.com/blog/2012/07/25/new-product-usb-microsd-card-reader-microsd-microsdhc-microsdxc/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 25 Jul 2012 19:41:23 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>adafruit</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[useful-stuff]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.adafruit.com/blog/?p=36886</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[NEW PRODUCT &#8211; USB MicroSD Card Reader &#8211; microSD / microSDHC / microSDXC. This is the cutest little microSD card reader &#8211; but don&#8217;t be fooled by its adorableness! It&#8217;s wicked fast and supports up to 64 GB SDXC cards! Simply slide the card into the edge and plug it into your computer. No drivers [...]]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://www.adafruit.com/products/939"><img src="http://www.adafruit.com/adablog/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/window-4-5.jpg" height="450" width="600" border="0" hspace="4" vspace="4" alt="Window-4-5" /></a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.adafruit.com/products/939">NEW PRODUCT &#8211; USB MicroSD Card Reader &#8211; microSD / microSDHC / microSDXC.</a> This is the cutest little microSD card reader &#8211; but don&#8217;t be fooled by its adorableness! It&#8217;s wicked fast and supports up to 64 GB SDXC cards! Simply slide the card into the edge and plug it into your computer. No drivers are required, it shows up as a standard &#8216;Mass Storage&#8217; device under any OS. You can swap cards while the USB port is kept plugged in.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.adafruit.com/products/939"><img src="http://www.adafruit.com/adablog/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/window-5-2.jpg" height="450" width="600" border="0" hspace="4" vspace="4" alt="Window-5-2" /><br />
</a></p>
<p>Comes with a handy little cord so you can attach it to your datalogger project. Also has a little plastic cover for the USB A connector part so it won&#8217;t short against nearby electronics.</p>
<p>Max read speed is 16 Mb/sec, max write speed is 6 Mb/sec &#8211; most microSD cards are not this fast so the bottleneck will be the card, not the reader </p>
<p><b>Does not come with a microSD card!</b> We do carry <a href="http://www.adafruit.com/products/102">microSD cards</a> in the shop that go great with the reader.</p>
<p><b>Reader Specifications:</b></p>
<ul>
<li>Dimensions — 0.984&#8243; x 0.478&#8243; x 0.104&#8243; (24.99mm x 12.14mm x 2.64mm)
<li>Operating Temperature — 0° to 60° C / 32° to 140° F
<li>Storage temperatures — -40° to 85° C / -40° to 185° F
<li>Weight — 0.137 oz (3.8g)
</ul>
<p><a href="http://www.adafruit.com/products/939">In stock and shipping.</a></p>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://www.adafruit.com/adablog/?feed=rss2&#038;p=36886</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>2</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Unbricking a MacBook with the Bus Pirate</title>
		<link>http://www.adafruit.com/blog/2012/07/02/unbricking-a-macbook-with-the-bus-pirate/</link>
		<comments>http://www.adafruit.com/blog/2012/07/02/unbricking-a-macbook-with-the-bus-pirate/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 02 Jul 2012 14:35:55 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>kgroce</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[tools]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[useful-stuff]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.adafruit.com/blog/?p=35372</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Russm shares his write-up on repairing the Extensible Firmware Interface of a Macbook with the aid of the Bus Pirate. In my tinkering with EFI I attempted to flash some backdoored firmware to a test MacBook that was kindly donated to science by a friend of mine. This resulted in the bastard doing the S.O.S. [...]]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://ho.ax//posts/2012/06/unbricking-a-macbook/"><img class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-35373" src="http://www.adafruit.com/adablog/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/wired-218x300.jpg" alt="" width="218" height="300" /><br />
Russm</a> shares his write-up on repairing the Extensible Firmware Interface of a Macbook with the aid of the Bus Pirate.</p>
<blockquote><p>In my tinkering with EFI I attempted to flash some backdoored firmware to a test MacBook that was kindly donated to science by a friend of mine. This resulted in the bastard doing the S.O.S. beeps and not booting, and it didn&rsquo;t seem to be recoverable using the Firmware Restore CDs from Apple. I decided that since it was dead anyway I might as well try and recover it by re-flashing the firmware manually using the nifty Bus Pirate that I impulse-bought not long ago, and a copy of flashrom.</p></blockquote>
<p>Adafruit is happy to be a distributor for the Bus Pirate.  You can pick yours up for $30 in the <a href="http://www.adafruit.com/products/237">store.</a></p>
<p>Via <a href="http://dangerousprototypes.com/2012/06/26/unbricking-a-macbook-with-the-bus-pirate/">Dangerous Prototypes</a></p>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://www.adafruit.com/adablog/?feed=rss2&#038;p=35372</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>BACK IN STOCK &#8211; Powerswitch tail 2</title>
		<link>http://www.adafruit.com/blog/2012/06/27/back-in-stock-powerswitch-tail-2-2/</link>
		<comments>http://www.adafruit.com/blog/2012/06/27/back-in-stock-powerswitch-tail-2-2/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 27 Jun 2012 17:11:22 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>adafruit</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[announce]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[useful-stuff]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.adafruit.com/blog/?p=35041</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[BACK IN STOCK &#8211; 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 [...]]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://www.adafruit.com/blog/2011/11/15/back-in-stock-powerswitch-tail-2/"><img src="http://www.adafruit.com/adablog/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/268-1.jpg" height="461" width="600" border="0" hspace="4" vspace="4" alt="268-1" /></a></p>
<p><a href="https://www.adafruit.com/products/268">BACK IN STOCK &#8211; Powerswitch tail 2!</a> 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.</p>
<p>Ideal for people making their own controllable lights, SMT reflow plates, boilers or heaters, coffee roasters, home automation projects, etc.</p>
<p><b>The Power Switch Tail II is opto-isolated so you don&#8217;t need a transistor or protection diode. The input acts like an LED so its safe for use with any microcontroller or logic pin.</b></p>
<p>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.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.adafruit.com/products/268">In stock and shipping now!</a></p>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://www.adafruit.com/adablog/?feed=rss2&#038;p=35041</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>NEW PRODUCT &#8211; Smart Cord &#8211; A2DP Bluetooth, 120v 10amp 1200 Watt Extension Cord</title>
		<link>http://www.adafruit.com/blog/2012/03/30/new-product-smart-cord-a2dp-bluetooth-120v-10amp-1200-watt-extension-cord/</link>
		<comments>http://www.adafruit.com/blog/2012/03/30/new-product-smart-cord-a2dp-bluetooth-120v-10amp-1200-watt-extension-cord/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 30 Mar 2012 16:43:56 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>adafruit</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[useful-stuff]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.adafruit.com/blog/2012/03/30/new-product-smart-cord-a2dp-bluetooth-120v-10amp-1200-watt-extension-cord/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[NEW PRODUCT &#8211; Smart Cord &#8211; A2DP Bluetooth, 120v 10amp 1200 Watt Extension Cord. This is Zsmart&#8217;s patent pending electrical extension cord with manual and Bluetooth® wireless technology control. The Bluetooth wireless range of 30 feet or more, depending on environment. Does not require line of sight. This is an inexpensive way to control on/off [...]]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://www.adafruit.com/products/763"><img src="http://www.adafruit.com/adablog/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/window-139.jpg" height="461" width="600" border="0" hspace="4" vspace="4" alt="Window-139" /></a></p>
<p><iframe width="600" height="412" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Zb71MpvbQHg?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></p>
<p><a href="http://www.adafruit.com/products/763">NEW PRODUCT &#8211; Smart Cord &#8211; A2DP Bluetooth, 120v 10amp 1200 Watt Extension Cord.</a> This is Zsmart&#8217;s patent pending electrical extension cord with manual and Bluetooth® wireless technology control. The Bluetooth wireless range of 30 feet or more, depending on environment.  Does not require line of sight. This is an inexpensive way to control on/off power via Bluetooth from a variety of devices. We like using these to turn on and off hard-to-reach projects high up or put inside structures without easy access. Since it uses an almost universal way of accessing it (A2DP Bluetooth) there are a lot of projects possible. Please visit the <a href="http://www.thesmartcord.com/">http://www.thesmartcord.com/</a> site for more information.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.adafruit.com/products/763"><img src="http://www.adafruit.com/adablog/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/window-1-76.jpg" height="461" width="600" border="0" hspace="4" vspace="4" alt="Window-1-76" /></a></p>
<p><strong>Features:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>3 Prong Plug and Outlet.</li>
<li>Interior use only.</li>
<li>~4 Feet in Length.</li>
<li>Controls up to 1200 watts.</li>
<li>120v / 10 amp / 1200 watts.</li>
<li>FCC ID:  A4B-ZC30 Bluetooth Compliant </li>
<li>APP Name = Smart Cord</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>ZSmart technology works on ANY A2DP Bluetooth capable Phone, Computer or Tablet, including the following mobile operating systems:<br />
</strong>
<ul>
<li>iPhone 3G and beyond, iPad</li>
<li>Android 2.2+</li>
<li>Windows Mobile 7.1+</li>
<li>Blackberry 4.5+</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>The Zsmart Smart Cord works on ANY A2DP Bluetooth capable Computer or Tablet with audio playing capabilities, including:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>iPhone 3G and beyond, iPad</li>
<li>Android</li>
<li>Windows Mobile</li>
<li>Blackberry</li>
<li>Web (Mac, Linux, Windows, etc)</li>
</ul>
<p>Complete <a href="http://www.thesmartcord.com/smartcordnotes.htm">instructions and troubleshooting here.</a></p>
<p><iframe width="600" height="412" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/04SwYPsXGCE?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></p>
<p><iframe width="600" height="412" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/N2XoLssuIkA?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></p>
<p><a href="http://www.adafruit.com/products/763">In stock and shipping now!</a></p>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://www.adafruit.com/adablog/?feed=rss2&#038;p=28462</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>NEW PRODUCT &#8211; Adafruit Perma-Proto Super Pack!</title>
		<link>http://www.adafruit.com/blog/2011/12/02/new-product-adafruit-perma-proto-super-pack/</link>
		<comments>http://www.adafruit.com/blog/2011/12/02/new-product-adafruit-perma-proto-super-pack/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 02 Dec 2011 21:17:09 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>adafruit</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[tools]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[useful-stuff]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.adafruit.com/blog/2011/12/02/new-product-adafruit-perma-proto-super-pack/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[NEW PRODUCT &#8211; Adafruit Perma-Proto Super Pack! Pick up a super pack of our Perma-Proto PCBs, perfect for professional prototyping projects! This super pack contains 3 each of our 3 sizes &#8211; 9 PCBs total. You&#8217;ll always have the right size for whatever you&#8217;re working on. Pack contains: Three quarter-sized Perma-Proto PCBs Three half-sized Perma-Proto [...]]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://www.adafruit.com/products/591"><img src="http://www.adafruit.com/adablog/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/window-36.jpg" height="461" width="600" border="0" hspace="4" vspace="4" alt="Window-36" /></a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.adafruit.com/products/591">NEW PRODUCT &#8211; Adafruit Perma-Proto Super Pack!</a> Pick up a super pack of our Perma-Proto PCBs, perfect for professional prototyping projects! This super pack contains 3 each of our 3 sizes &#8211; 9 PCBs total. You&#8217;ll always have the right size for whatever you&#8217;re working on.</p>
<p><strong>Pack contains:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.adafruit.com/products/589">Three quarter-sized Perma-Proto PCBs</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.adafruit.com/products/571">Three half-sized Perma-Proto PCBs</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.adafruit.com/products/590">Three full-sized Perma-Proto PCBs</a></li>
</ul>
<p>Nine PCBs total. <a href="http://www.adafruit.com/products/591">In stock and shipping now!</a></p>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://www.adafruit.com/adablog/?feed=rss2&#038;p=22273</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>2</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>NEW PRODUCT &#8211; Adafruit Perma-Proto Full-sized Breadboard PCB &#8211; 3 Pack!</title>
		<link>http://www.adafruit.com/blog/2011/12/02/new-product-adafruit-perma-proto-full-sized-breadboard-pcb-3-pack/</link>
		<comments>http://www.adafruit.com/blog/2011/12/02/new-product-adafruit-perma-proto-full-sized-breadboard-pcb-3-pack/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 02 Dec 2011 18:03:39 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>adafruit</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[tools]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[useful-stuff]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.adafruit.com/blog/2011/12/02/new-product-adafruit-perma-proto-full-sized-breadboard-pcb-3-pack/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[NEW PRODUCT &#8211; Adafruit Perma-Proto Full-sized Breadboard PCB &#8211; 3 Pack! Customers have asked us to carry basic perf-board, but we never liked the look of most basic perf: its always crummy quality, with pads that flake off and no labeling. Then we thought about how people actually prototype &#8211; usually starting with a solderless [...]]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://www.adafruit.com/products/590"><img src="http://www.adafruit.com/adablog/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/window-35.jpg" height="461" width="600" border="0" hspace="4" vspace="4" alt="Window-35" /></a><br />
<a href="http://www.adafruit.com/products/590">NEW PRODUCT &#8211; Adafruit Perma-Proto Full-sized Breadboard PCB &#8211; 3 Pack!</a> Customers have asked us to carry basic perf-board, but we never liked the look of most basic perf: its always crummy quality, with pads that flake off and no labeling. Then we thought about how people actually prototype &#8211; usually starting with a solderless breadboard and then transferring the parts to a more permanent PCB. That&#8217;s when we realized what people would really like is a proto board that makes it easy! </p>
<p><a href="http://www.adafruit.com/products/590"><img src="http://www.adafruit.com/adablog/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/window-1-22.jpg" height="461" width="600" border="0" hspace="4" vspace="4" alt="Window-1-22" /></a><br />
This proto-board is the PCB you always wish you had, but never realized it! We took the basic layout of a full-sized breadboard and turned that into a beautiful PCB. The top side has a while silkscreen, and the same markings you&#8217;re familiar with, to make transferring components easy. The bottom has the 5-hole pad design that matches a classic breadboard, with 4 power bus lines on the sides, and no mask so you can easily cut traces when necessary. We used 1.2mm diameter drill holes so even parts with big leads will fit. All holes are thru-plated for strength &#8211; these wont peel off with rework. The finish is a gold plate &#8211; you won&#8217;t get oxidation like with bare copper perf! There are also three mounting holes so you can attach the PCB to your project box. </p>
<p><a href="http://www.adafruit.com/products/590"><img src="http://www.adafruit.com/adablog/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/window-2-11.jpg" height="461" width="600" border="0" hspace="4" vspace="4" alt="Window-2-11" /></a><br />
These are so handy, we decided to put them in a pack of 3. Once you use a Perma-Proto board, you&#8217;ll never go back!</p>
<p><a href="http://www.adafruit.com/products/590">In stock and shipping now!</a></p>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://www.adafruit.com/adablog/?feed=rss2&#038;p=22270</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>NEW PRODUCT &#8211; Adafruit Perma-Proto Quarter-sized Breadboard PCB &#8211; 3 Pack!</title>
		<link>http://www.adafruit.com/blog/2011/12/02/new-product-adafruit-perma-proto-quarter-sized-breadboard-pcb-3-pack/</link>
		<comments>http://www.adafruit.com/blog/2011/12/02/new-product-adafruit-perma-proto-quarter-sized-breadboard-pcb-3-pack/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 02 Dec 2011 17:59:15 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>adafruit</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[tools]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[useful-stuff]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.adafruit.com/blog/2011/12/02/new-product-adafruit-perma-proto-quarter-sized-breadboard-pcb-3-pack/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[NEW PRODUCT &#8211; Adafruit Perma-Proto Quarter-sized Breadboard PCB &#8211; 3 Pack! Customers have asked us to carry basic perf-board, but we never liked the look of most basic perf: its always crummy quality, with pads that flake off and no labeling. Then we thought about how people actually prototype &#8211; usually starting with a solderless [...]]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://www.adafruit.com/products/589"><img src="http://www.adafruit.com/adablog/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/window-34.jpg" height="461" width="600" border="0" hspace="4" vspace="4" alt="Window-34" /></a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.adafruit.com/products/589">NEW PRODUCT &#8211; Adafruit Perma-Proto Quarter-sized Breadboard PCB &#8211; 3 Pack!</a> Customers have asked us to carry basic perf-board, but we never liked the look of most basic perf: its always crummy quality, with pads that flake off and no labeling. Then we thought about how people actually prototype &#8211; usually starting with a solderless breadboard and then transferring the parts to a more permanent PCB. That&#8217;s when we realized what people would really like is a proto board that makes it easy! </p>
<p><a href="http://www.adafruit.com/products/589"><img src="http://www.adafruit.com/adablog/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/window-1-21.jpg" height="461" width="600" border="0" hspace="4" vspace="4" alt="Window-1-21" /></a></p>
<p>This proto-board is the PCB you always wish you had, but never realized it! We took the basic layout of a quarter-sized breadboard (basically, a &#8216;tiny&#8217; breadboard plus power rails) and turned that into a beautiful PCB. The top side has a while silkscreen, and the same markings you&#8217;re familiar with, to make transferring components easy. The bottom has the 5-hole pad design that matches a classic breadboard, with 4 power bus lines on the sides, and no mask so you can easily cut traces when necessary. We used 1.2mm diameter drill holes so even parts with big leads will fit. All holes are thru-plated for strength &#8211; these wont peel off with rework. The finish is a gold plate &#8211; you won&#8217;t get oxidation like with bare copper perf! There are also two mounting holes so you can attach the PCB to your project box. </p>
<p><a href="http://www.adafruit.com/products/589"><img src="http://www.adafruit.com/adablog/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/window-2-10.jpg" height="461" width="600" border="0" hspace="4" vspace="4" alt="Window-2-10" /></a></p>
<p>These are so handy, we decided to put them in a pack of 3. Once you use a Perma-Proto board, you&#8217;ll never go back!</p>
<p><a href="http://www.adafruit.com/products/589">In stock and shipping now!</a></p>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://www.adafruit.com/adablog/?feed=rss2&#038;p=22266</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>2</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>BACK IN STOCK &#8211; Adafruit Perma-Proto Half-sized Breadboard PCB &#8211; 3 Pack!</title>
		<link>http://www.adafruit.com/blog/2011/12/02/back-in-stock-adafruit-perma-proto-half-sized-breadboard-pcb-3-pack/</link>
		<comments>http://www.adafruit.com/blog/2011/12/02/back-in-stock-adafruit-perma-proto-half-sized-breadboard-pcb-3-pack/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 02 Dec 2011 17:54:18 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>adafruit</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[tools]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[useful-stuff]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.adafruit.com/blog/2011/12/02/back-in-stock-adafruit-perma-proto-half-sized-breadboard-pcb-3-pack/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[BACK IN STOCK! Adafruit Perma-Proto Half-sized Breadboard PCB &#8211; 3 Pack! Customers have asked us to carry basic perf-board, but we never liked the look of most basic perf: its always crummy quality, with pads that flake off and no labeling. Then we thought about how people actually prototype &#8211; usually starting with a solderless [...]]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://www.adafruit.com/products/571"><img src="http://www.adafruit.com/adablog/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/pt_129.jpg" height="379" width="600" border="0" hspace="4" vspace="4" alt="Pt 129" /></a></p>
<p>BACK IN STOCK! <a href="http://www.adafruit.com/products/571">Adafruit Perma-Proto Half-sized Breadboard PCB &#8211; 3 Pack!</a> Customers have asked us to carry basic perf-board, but we never liked the look of most basic perf: its always crummy quality, with pads that flake off and no labeling. Then we thought about how people actually prototype &#8211; usually starting with a solderless breadboard and then transferring the parts to a more permanent PCB. That&#8217;s when we realized what people would really like is a proto board that makes it easy! </p>
<p><a href="http://www.adafruit.com/products/571"><img src="http://www.adafruit.com/adablog/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/pt_131-1.jpg" height="386" width="600" border="0" hspace="4" vspace="4" alt="Pt 131-1" /></a></p>
<p>This proto-board is the PCB you always wish you had, but never realized it! We took the basic layout of a half-sized breadboard and turned that into a beautiful PCB. The top side has a while silkscreen, and the same markings you&#8217;re familiar with, to make transferring components easy. The bottom has the 5-hole pad design that matches a classic breadboard, with 4 power bus lines on the sides, and no mask so you can easily cut traces when necessary. All holes are thru-plated for strength &#8211; these wont peel off with rework. The finish is a gold plate so <b>it wont oxidize like bare copper!</b> There are also two mounting holes so you can attach the PCB to your project box </p>
<p><a href="http://www.adafruit.com/products/571"><img src="http://www.adafruit.com/adablog/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/pt_130.jpg" height="559" width="600" border="0" hspace="4" vspace="4" alt="Pt 130" /></a></p>
<p>These are so handy, we decided to put them in a pack of 3. Once you use a Perma-Proto board, you&#8217;ll never go back!</p>
<p><a href="http://www.adafruit.com/products/571">In stock and shipping now!</a></p>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://www.adafruit.com/adablog/?feed=rss2&#038;p=22262</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>NEW PRODUCT &#8211; 4-pin JST SM Receptacle Cable</title>
		<link>http://www.adafruit.com/blog/2011/11/29/new-product-4-pin-jst-sm-receptacle-cable/</link>
		<comments>http://www.adafruit.com/blog/2011/11/29/new-product-4-pin-jst-sm-receptacle-cable/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 29 Nov 2011 22:52:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>adafruit</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[leds-lcds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[useful-stuff]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.adafruit.com/blog/2011/11/29/new-product-4-pin-jst-sm-receptacle-cable/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[NEW PRODUCT &#8211; 4-pin JST SM Receptacle Cable. This 4-wire cable is 20cm long and has a JST SM type connector receptacle on the end. It mates with the JST SM plug cable and is good for whenever you have 4 wires you want to be able to plug and unplug. We like the solid [...]]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://www.adafruit.com/products/578"><img src="http://www.adafruit.com/adablog/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/window-32.jpg" height="461" width="600" border="0" hspace="4" vspace="4" alt="Window-32" /></a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.adafruit.com/products/578">NEW PRODUCT &#8211; 4-pin JST SM Receptacle Cable</a>. This 4-wire cable is 20cm long and has a JST SM type connector receptacle on the end. It mates with the <a href="http://www.adafruit.com/products/578">JST SM plug cable</a> and is good for whenever you have 4 wires you want to be able to plug and unplug. We like the solid and compact nature of these connectors and the latch that keeps the cable from coming apart easily. For more information, check the <a href="http://www.adafruit.com/datasheets/JSTSM.pdf">JST SM connector datasheet.</a></p>
<p>Our digital addressable LED strip and 12mm pixels also come with JST SM connectors and you can use these cables to connect to the input or output port </p>
<p>This cable can be used to connect to the OUTPUT port of our <a href="https://www.adafruit.com/products/306">LPD8806 digital addressable LED strip</a> so that you can connect another strip to the output, or perhaps apply power to the &#8216;output&#8217; end. It can be used to connect to the INPUT port of our <a href="https://www.adafruit.com/products/322">WS2801 LED Pixels</a> so that you can easily plug it into your Arduino or similar.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.adafruit.com/products/578">In stock and shipping!</a></p>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://www.adafruit.com/adablog/?feed=rss2&#038;p=22142</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>UPDATED PRODUCT &#8211; 9V battery holder with switch &amp; 5.5mm/2.1mm plug</title>
		<link>http://www.adafruit.com/blog/2011/11/29/updated-product-9v-battery-holder-with-switch-5-5mm2-1mm-plug/</link>
		<comments>http://www.adafruit.com/blog/2011/11/29/updated-product-9v-battery-holder-with-switch-5-5mm2-1mm-plug/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 29 Nov 2011 22:42:39 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>adafruit</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[useful-stuff]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.adafruit.com/blog/2011/11/29/updated-product-9v-battery-holder-with-switch-5-5mm2-1mm-plug/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[UPDATED PRODUCT &#8211; 9V battery holder with switch &#038; 5.5mm/2.1mm plug! Our popular 9V battery holder with switch now comes with the 2.1mm DC plug pre-attached &#8211; so you&#8217;ll be ready to go the moment its out of the box! In stock!]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://www.adafruit.com/products/67"><img src="http://www.adafruit.com/adablog/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/window-31.jpg" height="493" width="600" border="0" hspace="4" vspace="4" alt="Window-31" /></a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.adafruit.com/products/67">UPDATED PRODUCT &#8211; 9V battery holder with switch &#038; 5.5mm/2.1mm plug!</a> Our popular 9V battery holder with switch now comes with the 2.1mm DC plug pre-attached &#8211; so you&#8217;ll be ready to go the moment its out of the box!</p>
<p><a href="http://www.adafruit.com/products/67">In stock!</a></p>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://www.adafruit.com/adablog/?feed=rss2&#038;p=22138</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>BACK IN STOCK &#8211; Powerswitch tail 2</title>
		<link>http://www.adafruit.com/blog/2011/11/15/back-in-stock-powerswitch-tail-2/</link>
		<comments>http://www.adafruit.com/blog/2011/11/15/back-in-stock-powerswitch-tail-2/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 16 Nov 2011 03:37:47 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>adafruit</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[useful-stuff]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.adafruit.com/blog/2011/11/15/back-in-stock-powerswitch-tail-2/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[BACK IN STOCK &#8211; 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 [...]]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="https://www.adafruit.com/products/268"><img src="http://www.adafruit.com/adablog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/powerswitchtail2_LRG.jpg" height="461" width="600" border="0" hspace="2" vspace="2" alt="Powerswitchtail2 Lrg" /></a></p>
<p><a href="https://www.adafruit.com/products/268">BACK IN STOCK &#8211; Powerswitch tail 2!</a> 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.</p>
<p>Ideal for people making their own controllable lights, SMT reflow plates, boilers or heaters, coffee roasters, home automation projects, etc.</p>
<p><b>The Power Switch Tail II is opto-isolated so you don&#8217;t need a transistor or protection diode. The input acts like an LED so its safe for use with any microcontroller or logic pin.</b></p>
<p>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.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.adafruit.com/products/268">In stock and shipping now!</a></p>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://www.adafruit.com/adablog/?feed=rss2&#038;p=21649</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>BACK IN STOCK AND UPDATED PRODUCT &#8211; Powerswitch tail 2</title>
		<link>http://www.adafruit.com/blog/2011/09/17/back-in-stock-and-updated-product-powerswitch-tail-2/</link>
		<comments>http://www.adafruit.com/blog/2011/09/17/back-in-stock-and-updated-product-powerswitch-tail-2/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 17 Sep 2011 19:41:05 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>adafruit</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[useful-stuff]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.adafruit.com/blog/2011/09/17/back-in-stock-and-updated-product-powerswitch-tail-2/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[BACK IN STOCK AND UPDATED PRODUCT &#8211; 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 [...]]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="https://www.adafruit.com/products/268"><img src="http://www.adafruit.com/adablog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/powerswitchtail2_LRG.jpg" height="461" width="600" border="0" hspace="2" vspace="2" alt="Powerswitchtail2 Lrg" /></a></p>
<p><a href="https://www.adafruit.com/products/268">BACK IN STOCK AND UPDATED PRODUCT &#8211; Powerswitch tail 2!</a> 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.</p>
<p>Ideal for people making their own controllable lights, SMT reflow plates, boilers or heaters, coffee roasters, home automation projects, etc.</p>
<p><b>New! The Power Switch Tail II now is opto-isolated so you don&#8217;t need a transistor or protection diode. The input acts like an LED so its safe for use with any microcontroller or logic pin.</b></p>
<p>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.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.adafruit.com/products/268">In stock and shipping now!</a></p>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://www.adafruit.com/adablog/?feed=rss2&#038;p=18965</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>7</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>E96 (1%) Resistor Kits</title>
		<link>http://www.adafruit.com/blog/2011/06/23/e96-1-resistor-kits/</link>
		<comments>http://www.adafruit.com/blog/2011/06/23/e96-1-resistor-kits/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 23 Jun 2011 18:04:57 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Kevin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[components & parts]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[useful-stuff]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.adafruit.com/blog/?p=15755</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Do you frequently find yourself looking for odd-ball resistor values or soldering resitors together to try to get as close as possible to some uncommon E96 (1% resistor) value?  If you make a lot of prototypes, you might be happy to learn that most major resistor manufacturers offer resistor &#8216;kits&#8217; containing a certain number of [...]]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-15757" src="http://www.adafruit.com/adablog/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/YageoResistorKits600w.jpg" alt="" width="600" height="429" /></p>
<p>Do you frequently find yourself looking for odd-ball resistor values or soldering resitors together to try to get as close as possible to some uncommon E96 (1% resistor) value?  If you make a lot of prototypes, you might be happy to learn that most major resistor manufacturers offer resistor &#8216;kits&#8217; containing a certain number of every value.  While they aren&#8217;t cheap, they do represent a fair value for the amount of work involved packaging and producing them, and if you&#8217;re really serious about electronics it can be reassuring to know that you have every value you might need.</p>
<p>To find different kits, you can search Digikey for some variation of this phrase: &#8220;res kit 1% 0805&#8243; (changing the package size to match what you want), or here are the Digikey part numbers for some kits manufactured by Yageo (who typically have very competitive prices on their reels of resistors):</p>
<p><strong>0805 1% Resistors (50 of each value):</strong><br />
1.0-9.76: PHC1A-KIT-ND<br />
10.0-97.6: PHC2A-KIT-ND<br />
100-976: PHC3A-KIT-ND<br />
1.00K-9.76K: PHC4A-KIT-ND<br />
10.0K-97.6K: PHC5A-KIT-ND<br />
100K-1.0M: PHC6A-KIT-ND</p>
<p><strong>0603 1% Resistors (50 of each value)</strong><br />
1.0-7.5: PHH1-KIT-ND<br />
10.0-97.6: PHH2-KIT-ND<br />
100-976: PHH3-KIT-ND<br />
1.00K-9.76K: PHH4-KIT-ND<br />
10.0K-97.6K: PHH5-KIT-ND<br />
100K-1M: PHH6-KIT-ND</p>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://www.adafruit.com/adablog/?feed=rss2&#038;p=15755</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Arduino Hole Dimensions Drawing</title>
		<link>http://www.adafruit.com/blog/2011/02/28/arduino-hole-dimensions-drawing/</link>
		<comments>http://www.adafruit.com/blog/2011/02/28/arduino-hole-dimensions-drawing/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 28 Feb 2011 14:31:14 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>johngineer</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[arduino]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[useful-stuff]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.adafruit.com/blog/?p=11871</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Arduinos are great, but if you&#8217;ve ever tried to mount one on a baseplate or inside an enclosure, you know it can be a pain. While there are some great enclosures specifically designed for an Arduino, if you just have a regular box that you want to use, you have to measure and mark out [...]]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/johngineer/5484250200/sizes/o/in/photostream/"><img class="alignnone" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5091/5484250200_dc106d9efd.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="381" /></a></p>
<p>Arduinos are great, but if you&#8217;ve ever tried to mount one on a baseplate or inside an enclosure, you know it can be a pain. While there are some <a href="http://www.adafruit.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&amp;cPath=53&amp;products_id=337">great enclosures</a> <a href="http://www.adafruit.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&amp;cPath=53&amp;products_id=271">specifically designed</a> for an Arduino, if you just have a regular box that you want to use, you have to measure and mark out the holes yourself. If all you have is a ruler and a pencil, this isn&#8217;t the easiest thing to do.</p>
<p>In the process of working on a robot project, I needed to draw up an Arduino hole pattern and outline in CAD as part of the design. I figured others could use a similar drawing &#8212; after some polishing up, I had this <a href="http://www.adafruit.com/datasheets/arduino_hole_dimensions.pdf">Arduino hole dimension drawing</a> (PDF).</p>
<p>You can use it as a reference to the dimensions or as a drilling guide. It is drawn at a scale of 1:1 on a standard 8.5&#215;11 sheet, so you can print it out, lay the drawing down on your mounting surface, and use a pre-drill punch directly on the paper. I&#8217;d recommend you use the punch rather than just drilling through the paper, to avoid a &#8220;walking&#8221; drill bit. If you don&#8217;t have a proper punch, you can just use a sharpened nail (we&#8217;re not fancy here).</p>
<p>In order to get it to print 1:1, you have to <strong>turn off print scaling</strong> in Adobe Acrobat. Somewhere in the Acrobat print dialog there&#8217;s going to be a &#8220;Page Scaling&#8221; option. Set it to &#8220;None&#8221;. There&#8217;s a 1-inch scale mark next to the title block in case you want to verify that it printed correctly.</p>
<p><img class="alignnone" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5060/5483656277_2d0e3def73.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="468" /></p>
<p>The drawing has dimensions for both the regular <a href="http://www.adafruit.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&amp;cPath=17&amp;products_id=50">Arduino</a> and the <a href="http://www.adafruit.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&amp;cPath=17&amp;products_id=191">Arduino MEGA</a>, and the hole pattern is good for all Arduinos going back to the NG (though the diameter of the holes might be different). The new UNO boards added a fourth mounting hole, which is indicated. It should also work with most &#8220;full-size&#8221; Arduino clones, such as the EMSL Diavolino and the Seeed Studios Seeeduino, as well as the <a href="http://www.adafruit.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&amp;cPath=52&amp;products_id=336">Netduino</a> boards.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://www.adafruit.com/adablog/?feed=rss2&#038;p=11871</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>6</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>BACK IN STOCK! &#8211; USB/Serial Converter &#8211; PL2303</title>
		<link>http://www.adafruit.com/blog/2011/01/24/back-in-stock-usbserial-converter-pl2303/</link>
		<comments>http://www.adafruit.com/blog/2011/01/24/back-in-stock-usbserial-converter-pl2303/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 24 Jan 2011 19:07:53 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>adafruit</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[announce]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[useful-stuff]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.adafruit.com/blog/2011/01/24/back-in-stock-usbserial-converter-pl2303/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[USB/Serial Converter &#8211; PL2303. This USB cable adds a DB9 serial port to your computer or laptop. Works with MacOS X, Linux and Windows. Note that this provides +-12V serial (RS232) not 5V serial (TTL), good for old devices like GPS, handhelds, programmers, etc with chunky DB9&#8242;s on the side. These are tested and work [...]]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://www.adafruit.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&amp;cPath=18&amp;products_id=18"><img src="http://www.adafruit.com/adablog/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/usbserial_MED.jpg" height="267" width="400" border="0" hspace="4" vspace="4" alt="Usbserial Med" /></a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.adafruit.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&amp;cPath=18&amp;products_id=18">USB/Serial Converter &#8211; PL2303</a>. This USB cable adds a DB9 serial port to your computer or laptop. Works with MacOS X, Linux and Windows. Note that this provides +-12V serial (RS232) not 5V serial (TTL), good for old devices like GPS, handhelds, programmers, etc with chunky DB9&#8242;s on the side.</p>
<p>These are tested and work great with bit-bang serial devises MiniPOVs, DASA programmers and Serial SpokePOV adapters &#8211; note that they are slow in comparison to hardware serial ports due to the high overhead of USB.</p>
<p>They are super fast for every day USB-Serial conversion. Uses the PL2303 chipset. Comes with a CD but we strongly suggest using the  <a href="http://www.prolific.com.tw/eng/downloads.asp?ID=31">most recent drivers from the Prolific Website</a> if you&#8217;re running windows and <a href="http://sourceforge.net/projects/osx-pl2303">the &#8216;fixed&#8217; driver for Mac OSX</a>.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.adafruit.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&amp;cPath=18&amp;products_id=18">In stock and shipping now!</a></p>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://www.adafruit.com/adablog/?feed=rss2&#038;p=10714</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>USB, serial and you&#8230; (video, an Adafruit after school special)</title>
		<link>http://www.adafruit.com/blog/2010/09/15/usb-serial-and-you-video-an-adafruit-after-school-special/</link>
		<comments>http://www.adafruit.com/blog/2010/09/15/usb-serial-and-you-video-an-adafruit-after-school-special/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 15 Sep 2010 05:52:40 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>adafruit</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[avr development]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[useful-stuff]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.adafruit.com/blog/2010/09/15/usb-serial-and-you-video-an-adafruit-after-school-special/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Connecting a microcontroller to a computer or laptop is a common problem: For decades, all computers had serial ports and parallel/printer ports. These were great for engineers because they were easy to connect to &#8211; data sent from the computer showed up exactly the way it was sent. Nowadays, few computers have parallel or serial [...]]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/14980412?title=0&amp;byline=0&amp;portrait=0&amp;color=000000" width="549" height="309" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>
<p>Connecting a microcontroller to a computer or laptop is a common problem: For decades, all computers had serial ports and parallel/printer ports. These were great for engineers because they were easy to connect to &#8211; data sent from the computer showed up exactly the way it was sent. Nowadays, few computers have parallel or serial ports, they have been replaced with USB. USB is better for users because theres only one connector, and information can be sent really fast with no errors. </p>
<p>But the trade-off is that USB is more complex than serial or parallel since data is wrapped in complicated, super-fast packets. So what if you still want that serial port? Well, you can use a usb-serial converter. These have little chips in them that are very specialized &#8211; they show up in your computer as a serial port but they do it through USB. The good news is that these are very common and cheap, but the bad news is that they are not very good for microcontroller hackers.</p>
<p>Why? For one thing, these big 9-pin cables had to reach many meters so what the designers did is make the voltage on them rather high, about 20V from negative to positive. Microcontrollers tend to want no more than 3 or 5V! Plugging this into your microcontroller will quickly damage it permanently! If you want to use one of these cables with your micro, you can build a converter from the 20V down to 5V, often called a MAX232 converter.  Some cables are hackable to bring the voltage down so if you&#8217;re excited to tear apart an adapter and solder some wires that can be a solution. For most makers, we really suggest you use is an FTDI cable or adapter.</p>
<p>FTDI chips simply take the USB signals and output 3 or 5V cleanly, so you don&#8217;t have a risk of zapping your electronics. Another nice thing about these cables and adapter is that you can use the 5V from your computer to power a project, up to half an amp. Basically like the USB/serial adapters they show up as serial ports to your computer, but these have the right voltage levels.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.adafruit.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&amp;cPath=18&amp;products_id=284"><img src="http://www.adafruit.com/adablog/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/ftdifriend_LRG1.jpg" height="422" width="550" border="0" hspace="4" vspace="4" alt="Ftdifriend Lrg" /></a></p>
<p>We have two options for FTDIness, cables and adapters. The cables are all in one piece with plugs on either end. The FTDI chip is inside the head of the cable. The adapters are small circuit boards, you can use any miniUSB cable, and the plug in the end matches the pinout of the cable. So why would you want the circuit board? For one, its a little less expensive. Another thing is that it has visible LED that blink when serial data is sent or received, which can be handy for debugging. Another fun thing you can do with the <a href="http://www.adafruit.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&amp;cPath=18&amp;products_id=284">FTDI friend</a> is change the voltage levels for power and data from 5 to 3v or change the 6th pin from RTS to DTR which may be useful for some hacker projects.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.adafruit.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&amp;cPath=18&amp;products_id=284"><img src="http://www.adafruit.com/adablog/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/ftdifriendback_LRG1.jpg" height="422" width="550" border="0" hspace="4" vspace="4" alt="Ftdifriendback Lrg" /></a></p>
<p>OK one question we get a lot is whats the difference between something like the <a href="http://www.adafruit.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&amp;cPath=16&amp;products_id=46">USBtinyISP programmer</a> and an FTDI adapter? Both plug into a USB port, that is true, and both can be used to program AVR. but they are different things. The <a href="http://www.adafruit.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&amp;cPath=16&amp;products_id=46">USBtinyISP</a> and other USB AVR programmers are specially made to program raw AVR microcontrollers, just as they show up from the factory. The USBtinyISP isnt meant for sending debugging messages or other data. On the other hand, if you have a chip with a bootloader on it already, like an Arduino, you can use the <a href="http://www.adafruit.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&amp;cPath=18&amp;products_id=284">FTDI friend</a> to upload new firmware and transmit serial data for debugging or logging. </p>
<p><a href="http://www.adafruit.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&amp;cPath=16&amp;products_id=46"><img src="http://www.adafruit.com/adablog/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/usbtinyisp_LRG.jpg" height="412" width="550" border="0" hspace="4" vspace="4" alt="Usbtinyisp Lrg" /></a></p>
<p>However, you can&#8217;t really use the <a href="http://www.adafruit.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&amp;cPath=18&amp;products_id=284">FTDI friend</a> to program a raw chip without a lot of effort and its pretty slow. So, for programming new AVRs, use a <a href="http://www.adafruit.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&amp;cPath=16&amp;products_id=46">USBtinyISP</a>. To bootload onto preprogrammed AVRs and pass data, use a <a href="http://www.adafruit.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&amp;cPath=18&amp;products_id=284">FTDI friend</a>.</p>
<p>Remember, FTDI Friend is your friend, not your FTDI enemy.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://www.adafruit.com/adablog/?feed=rss2&#038;p=7159</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>2</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>NEW PRODUCT &#8211; FTDI Friend + extras &#8211;  v1.0</title>
		<link>http://www.adafruit.com/blog/2010/09/13/new-product-ftdi-friend-extras-v1-0/</link>
		<comments>http://www.adafruit.com/blog/2010/09/13/new-product-ftdi-friend-extras-v1-0/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 13 Sep 2010 23:44:40 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>adafruit</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[useful-stuff]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.adafruit.com/blog/2010/09/13/new-product-ftdi-friend-extras-v1-0/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[NEW PRODUCT &#8211; FTDI Friend + extras &#8211; v1.0. Long gone are the days of parallel ports and serial ports. Now the USB port reigns supreme! But USB is hard, and you just want to transfer your every-day serial data from a microcontroller to computer. What now? Enter the FTDI Friend! The FTDI Friend is [...]]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img src="http://www.adafruit.com/adablog/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/ftdifriend_LRG.jpg" height="422" width="550" border="0" hspace="4" vspace="4" alt="Ftdifriend Lrg" /></p>
<p><a href="http://www.adafruit.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&amp;cPath=18&amp;products_id=284">NEW PRODUCT &#8211; FTDI Friend + extras &#8211;  v1.0</a>. Long gone are the days of parallel ports and serial ports. Now the USB port reigns supreme! But USB is hard, and you just want to transfer your every-day serial data from a microcontroller to computer. What now? Enter the FTDI Friend! </p>
<p><img src="http://www.adafruit.com/adablog/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/ftdifriendback_LRG.jpg" height="422" width="550" border="0" hspace="4" vspace="4" alt="Ftdifriendback Lrg" /></p>
<p>The FTDI Friend is a tweaked out FTDI FT232RL chip adapter. Sure, like the well-known FTDI cable, it can provide power to your project and there are 4 signal lines for sending data back and forth. But the Friend can do much more! For example, you can change the signal and power lines to be either 3.3V or 5V. Arduino-derivatives and XBees use the RTS line for programming but what if you need that DTR line? Its there for you. <br /> By default, we&#8217;ve set it up so that it matches our FTDI cables. The 6th pin is RTS (as of Arduino IDE v18 this will work perfectly for uploading to &#8216;inos), the power wire is +5V and the signal levels are 3.3V (they are 5V compliant, and should work in the vast majority of 3.3V and 5V signal systems).</p>
<p> And of course, we include <b>a little extra</b> &#8211; in this case its the extra-long headers that you can use to plug it into a breadboard, or <a href="http://www.adafruit.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&amp;cPath=33&amp;products_id=206">a 6-pin extension cable</a> (which will also let you rearrange the wire order). There are also blinkies, 2 red &amp; green LEDs that pulse when serial is sent or received.</p>
<p>You can peruse the <a href="/datasheets/DS_TTL-232R_CABLES_V201.pdf">FTDI cable datasheet</a>, <a href="/datasheets/DS_FT232R.pdf">FTDI FT232RL chip datasheet</a> or the <a href="http://github.com/adafruit/FTDI-Friend">schematic/layout files at GitHub</a></p>
<p>In stock and <a href="http://www.adafruit.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&amp;cPath=18&amp;products_id=284">shipping now, FTDI Friend is your friend</a>, it is not your <b>FTDI enemy</b>.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://www.adafruit.com/adablog/?feed=rss2&#038;p=7094</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>6</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>We made a portable solar charging tracker</title>
		<link>http://www.adafruit.com/blog/2010/08/06/we-made-a-portable-solar-charging-tracker/</link>
		<comments>http://www.adafruit.com/blog/2010/08/06/we-made-a-portable-solar-charging-tracker/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 06 Aug 2010 15:18:47 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>adafruit</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Breakout Boards]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[EE]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[power supply]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[useful-stuff]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.adafruit.com/blog/2010/08/06/we-made-a-portable-solar-charging-tracker/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[This is actually not any sort of product or public project (!) &#8211; its something we designed to help me evaluate solar panels and how they act when charging batteries. Normally this requires a lot of multimeters and its a bit of a pain to do if you have to constantly change out panels. So [...]]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img src="http://www.adafruit.com/adablog/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/assembled.jpg" height="422" width="550" border="0" hspace="4" vspace="4" alt="Assembled" /></p>
<p><object width="549" height="309"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=13936259&amp;server=vimeo.com&amp;show_title=0&amp;show_byline=0&amp;show_portrait=0&amp;color=000000&amp;fullscreen=1&amp;autoplay=0&amp;loop=0" /><embed src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=13936259&amp;server=vimeo.com&amp;show_title=0&amp;show_byline=0&amp;show_portrait=0&amp;color=000000&amp;fullscreen=1&amp;autoplay=0&amp;loop=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="549" height="309"></embed></object></p>
<p>This is actually not any sort of product or public project (!) &#8211; its something we designed to help me evaluate solar panels and how they act when charging batteries. <a href="http://voltaicsystems.com/diy/measuring-power-flow-with-two-multi-meters/">Normally this requires a lot of multimeters</a> and its a bit of a pain to do if you have to constantly change out panels. So we decided we would build a specialized tool that would assist us. Here is what we wanted!</p>
<ul>
<li>Portable! Its hard to test solar panels inside</li>
<li>Ability to log to an SD card for long-term data analysis (to be added later)</li>
<li>Keep track of the solar panel voltage</li>
<li>Keep track of the battery voltage</li>
<li>Keep track of how much current is going thru the panel to the charger
      </li>
</ul>
<p>We figured if we had to build this, someone might find my notes useful. However, this documentation is primarily intended to demonstrate <a href="http://www.adafruit.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&amp;cPath=17&amp;products_id=271">how to use the enclosure we carry in the adafruit shop.</a></p>
<p>This design is intended for ~6V panels, single Lithium Polymer cells and chargers. It can very easily be adapted to any kind of panel and charger, you&#8217;ll just need to adjust the resistor dividers and such!</p>
<p><a href="http://ladyada.net/make/solarlogger/">Read more!</a></p>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://www.adafruit.com/adablog/?feed=rss2&#038;p=6265</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>5</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Polyurethane for protecting one-off PCBs</title>
		<link>http://www.adafruit.com/blog/2010/06/07/polyurethane-for-protecting-one-off-pcbs/</link>
		<comments>http://www.adafruit.com/blog/2010/06/07/polyurethane-for-protecting-one-off-pcbs/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 08 Jun 2010 02:09:19 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>georgegraves</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[tools]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[useful-stuff]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.adafruit.com/blog/?p=4847</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Here&#8217;s a handy tip from the forum for those etching PBC&#8217;s at home: forum post &#8230;about 4 years ago, I saw that someone said that you could protect an etched copper clad PCB with polyurethane once you were done soldering. So as a test, I grabbed a scrap of PCB and scrubbed it up till [...]]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<a href="http://www.adafruit.com/blog/2010/06/07/polyurethane-for-protecting-one-off-pcbs/poly_pcb/" rel="attachment wp-att-4851"><img src="http://www.adafruit.com/adablog/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/poly_PCB.jpg" alt="polyurethane coatign for PCB&#39;s" width="550" height="310" class="size-full wp-image-4851" /></a>
<p>Here&#8217;s a handy tip from the forum for those etching PBC&#8217;s at home: <a href="http://forums.adafruit.com/viewtopic.php?f=44&amp;t=16043">forum post</a></p>
<blockquote><p>&#8230;about 4 years ago, I saw that someone said that you could protect an etched copper clad PCB with polyurethane once you were done soldering. So as a test, I grabbed a scrap of PCB and scrubbed it up till the copper was shinny. I then sprayed 1/2 the board with polyurethane, and left the other half bare. I put it on a shelf, and it&#8217;s stayed there ever since. That was four years ago.</p></blockquote>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://www.adafruit.com/adablog/?feed=rss2&#038;p=4847</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Desoldering an SMD using a candle</title>
		<link>http://www.adafruit.com/blog/2010/05/14/desoldering-an-smd-using-a-candle/</link>
		<comments>http://www.adafruit.com/blog/2010/05/14/desoldering-an-smd-using-a-candle/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 14 May 2010 14:01:55 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>johngineer</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[disassembly]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[useful-stuff]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.adafruit.com/blog/?p=4059</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[From Rolo&#8217;s electronics projects pages: Never do this. I mean it. It is dangerous, it is wrong, you may get hurt, your tools, your stuff or your house may be damaged. I did this because I didn&#8217;t have proper tools at hand and it was a do or die weekend situation. You must use proper [...]]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img class="alignnone" src="http://www.eercz.com/sites/all/img/cnd_004_wmk.jpg" alt="" width="448" height="336" /></p>
<p>From <a href="http://eercz.com/en/desoldering_qfp_smd_ic_using_candle">Rolo&#8217;s electronics projects pages</a>:</p>
<blockquote><p>Never do this. I mean it. It is dangerous, it is wrong, you may get hurt, your tools, your stuff or your house may be damaged. I did this because I didn&#8217;t have proper tools at hand and it was a do or die weekend situation. You must use proper air soldering and desoldering tools. In Youtube you can find excellent videos on how to do this in a better manner.</p></blockquote>
<p>Bear in mind, I&#8217;m not suggesting you do this either, for all the reasons listed above. However, it is an interesting process to observe.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://www.adafruit.com/adablog/?feed=rss2&#038;p=4059</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>3</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>3 Ways to Power an Arduino Off-Grid</title>
		<link>http://www.adafruit.com/blog/2010/05/10/3-ways-to-power-an-arduino-off-grid/</link>
		<comments>http://www.adafruit.com/blog/2010/05/10/3-ways-to-power-an-arduino-off-grid/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 10 May 2010 15:39:22 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>adafruit</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[arduino]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[useful-stuff]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.adafruit.com/blog/2010/05/10/3-ways-to-power-an-arduino-off-grid/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Three Ways to Power an Arduino Off-Grid @ Voltaic DIY Solar! We get a lot of questions about how to run an Arduino off of solar panels. We decided to do a bit of testing and came up with three pretty simple ways to run an Arduino even if you aren&#8217;t near your computer or [...]]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img src="http://www.adafruit.com/adablog/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/6v-solar-panel-arduino-235x235.jpg" height="235" width="235" border="0" hspace="4" vspace="4" alt="6V-Solar-Panel-Arduino-235X235" /><br />
<a href="http://voltaicsystems.com/diy/three-ways-to-power-an-arduino-off-grid/">Three Ways to Power an Arduino Off-Grid</a> @ Voltaic DIY Solar! </p>
<blockquote><p>We get a lot of questions about how to run an Arduino off of solar panels. We decided to do a bit of testing and came up with three pretty simple ways to run an Arduino even if you aren&rsquo;t near your computer or an AC plug.</p>
<p>Direct to a Solar Panel – We plugged our 2.0 Watt, 6Volt panel into the Arduino&rsquo;s 5.5mm x 2.1mm DC Jack via our Generator Circuit Box. On a hazy day and through a screen, it lowered the basic blink application. Of course, this will only work when there is sunlight and your application can work with extended downtime. The circuit box set has two outs so you can send power to another part of your application if needed. The panel is also available from <a href="http://www.adafruit.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&amp;cPath=35&amp;products_id=200">Adafruit</a>. </p></blockquote>
<p><a href="http://voltaicsystems.com/diy/three-ways-to-power-an-arduino-off-grid/">Read more</a>&#8230;</p>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://www.adafruit.com/adablog/?feed=rss2&#038;p=4008</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>2</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>USB FTDI TTL-232 cable (5V) [TTL-232R 5V] &#8211; in stock and shipping immediately</title>
		<link>http://www.adafruit.com/blog/2010/04/13/usb-ftdi-ttl-232-cable-5v-ttl-232r-5v-in-stock-and-shipping-immediately/</link>
		<comments>http://www.adafruit.com/blog/2010/04/13/usb-ftdi-ttl-232-cable-5v-ttl-232r-5v-in-stock-and-shipping-immediately/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 13 Apr 2010 15:28:40 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>adafruit</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[useful-stuff]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[wires-cables-etc]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.adafruit.com/blog/2010/04/13/usb-ftdi-ttl-232-cable-5v-ttl-232r-5v-in-stock-and-shipping-immediately/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Back in stock! This is a FTDI FT232RL usb/serial chip embedded in a cable that has a 6-pin socket at the end. These are perfect for use with a Boarduino, Meggy&#8217;s, or other Arduino clones, and Fuzeboxen. Useful whenever you want to communicate with a TTL serial device, such as an XPort, GPS, XBee or [...]]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img src="http://www.adafruit.com/adablog/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/TTL-232R_MED.jpg" height="202" width="278" border="0" hspace="4" vspace="4" alt="Ttl-232R Med" /><br />
<a href="http://www.adafruit.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&amp;cPath=33&amp;products_id=70">Back in stock!</a> This is a FTDI FT232RL usb/serial chip embedded in a cable that has a 6-pin socket at the end. These are perfect for use with a Boarduino, Meggy&#8217;s, or other Arduino clones, and Fuzeboxen. Useful whenever you want to communicate with a TTL serial device, such as an <a href="http://www.adafruit.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&amp;cPath=17_21&amp;products_id=86">XPort</a>, <a href="http://www.adafruit.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&amp;cPath=18&amp;products_id=99">GPS</a>, <a href="http://www.adafruit.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&amp;cPath=29&amp;products_id=128">XBee</a> or <a href="http://www.adafruit.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&amp;cPath=27&amp;products_id=101">SIM</a> module through a breakout board.</p>
<p>The version we have is the&nbsp; 5.0V (we used to carry the 3.3V) the only difference is that the 5.0V cable sends data signals at 5.0V levels instead of 3V The power line provides 5V. We suggest this for any product that needs FTDI cables in the shop except for YBox2. We don&#8217;t suggest using them with 3v microcontrollers or devices unless there is a level shifter to protect it (such as the XBee adapter which is protected).</p>
<p><a href="http://www.adafruit.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&amp;cPath=33&amp;products_id=70">Available now and shipping immediately!</a></p>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://www.adafruit.com/adablog/?feed=rss2&#038;p=3640</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Clear breadboards IN STOCK</title>
		<link>http://www.adafruit.com/blog/2010/04/05/clear-breadboards-in-stock/</link>
		<comments>http://www.adafruit.com/blog/2010/04/05/clear-breadboards-in-stock/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 05 Apr 2010 17:34:16 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>adafruit</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[EE]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[useful-stuff]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.adafruit.com/blog/2010/04/05/clear-breadboards-in-stock/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Lots of new products in the store lately &#8211; This is a CLEAR &#8216;full-size&#8217; breadboard, 830 tie points. Good for small and medium projects. It&#8217;s 2.2&#8243; x 7&#8243; (5.5 cm x 17 cm) with a standard double-strip in the middle and two power rails on both sides. You can pull the power rails off easily [...]]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img src="http://www.adafruit.com/adablog/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/clearbb_LRG.jpg" height="422" width="550" border="0" hspace="4" vspace="4" alt="Clearbb Lrg" /><br />
<img src="http://www.adafruit.com/adablog/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/clearbbclose_LRG.jpg" height="412" width="550" border="0" hspace="4" vspace="4" alt="Clearbbclose Lrg" /><br />
Lots of new products in the store lately &#8211; This is a <a href="http://www.adafruit.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&amp;cPath=18&amp;products_id=239">CLEAR &#8216;full-size&#8217; breadboard</a>, 830 tie points. Good for small and medium projects. It&#8217;s 2.2&#8243; x 7&#8243; (5.5 cm x 17 cm) with a standard double-strip in the middle and two power rails on both sides. You can pull the power rails off easily to make the breadboard as thin as 1.4&#8243; (3.5cm). You can also &#8220;snap&#8221; these breadboards together either way to make longer and/or wider breadboards. This one is transparent, you can see the junctions inside! <a href="http://www.adafruit.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&amp;cPath=18&amp;products_id=239">$8.00 in the Adafruit store, pick one up today!</a></p>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://www.adafruit.com/adablog/?feed=rss2&#038;p=3573</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>6</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Hooray, the breadboard power supply from Adafruit&#8230;</title>
		<link>http://www.adafruit.com/blog/2009/07/24/hooray-the-breadboard-power-supply-from-adafruit/</link>
		<comments>http://www.adafruit.com/blog/2009/07/24/hooray-the-breadboard-power-supply-from-adafruit/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 24 Jul 2009 19:10:39 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>adafruit</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[kits]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[power supply]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[useful-stuff]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.adafruit.com/blog/2009/07/24/hooray-the-breadboard-power-supply-from-adafruit/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Catbus has a nice review of our new breadboard power supply kit&#8230; Hooray, the breadboard power supply from Adafruit is put together and working. I look forward to not clawing my face off in frustration every time I have to ******* breadboard anything requiring power.]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img src="http://www.adafruit.com/adablog/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/hgnnur9ipq6x2iiwidsf5nrwo1-500.jpg" height="375" width="500" border="0" hspace="4" vspace="4" alt="Hgnnur9Ipq6X2Iiwidsf5Nrwo1 500" /></p>
<p><a href="http://catbus.tumblr.com/post/146444273/hooray-the-breadboard-power-supply-from-adafruit">Catbus has a nice review</a> of our new <a href="http://www.adafruit.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&amp;cPath=38&amp;products_id=184">breadboard power supply kit</a>&#8230;</p>
<blockquote><p>Hooray, the breadboard power supply from Adafruit is put together and working. I look forward to not clawing my face off in frustration every time I have to ******* breadboard anything requiring power.
</p></blockquote>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://www.adafruit.com/adablog/?feed=rss2&#038;p=1414</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Adjustable breadboard power supply kit</title>
		<link>http://www.adafruit.com/blog/2009/07/15/adjustable-breadboard-power-supply-kit/</link>
		<comments>http://www.adafruit.com/blog/2009/07/15/adjustable-breadboard-power-supply-kit/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 16 Jul 2009 04:51:24 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>adafruit</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[announce]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[power supply]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[useful-stuff]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.adafruit.com/blog/2009/07/15/adjustable-breadboard-power-supply-kit/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Breadboard supply A very low dropout adjustable power supply! This project details the design of a very low dropout adjustable power supply. A good power supply is essential to electronic projects. While there are many existing designs for adjustable power supplies, this one makes improvements that make it more useful for hobby designs MIC2941 regulator [...]]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img src="http://www.adafruit.com/adablog/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/bbpsup-lrg.jpg" height="385" width="550" border="0" hspace="4" vspace="4" alt="Bbpsup Lrg" /><br />
<img src="http://www.adafruit.com/adablog/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/adjust.jpg" height="412" width="550" border="0" hspace="4" vspace="4" alt="Adjust" /><br />
<a href="http://www.adafruit.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&amp;cPath=38&amp;products_id=184">Breadboard supply A very low dropout adjustable power supply!</a> This project details the design of a very low dropout adjustable power supply. A good power supply is essential to electronic projects. While there are many existing designs for adjustable power supplies, this one makes improvements that make it more useful for hobby designs</p>
<ul>
<li>MIC2941 regulator has guaranteed 1.25A output</li>
<li>Low dropout, only 40mV &#8211; 400mV compared to 1.25V &#8211; 2.0V for LM317. This means you can use a wider range of output voltages including generating 3.3V from as low as 3.7V (such as 3 AA&#8217;s or a lithium ion battery)!</li>
<li>Short circuit and overheating protection</li>
<li>Input diode to protect circuitry from negative voltages or AC power supplies.</li>
<li>2.1mm DC jack and terminal connector for voltage inputs</li>
<li>Two indicator LEDs for high and low voltages</li>
<li>Output selection switch to select from 3.3v, 5v and Adjustable</li>
<li>Onboard potentiometer for adjusting voltage from 1.25V up to within 0.5V of the input voltage. (20V max)</li>
<li>On/Off switch for entire board</li>
<li>Heat sink included</li>
<li>Breadboard and battery clip or DC power supply is not included, you can use any DC power supply with 2.1mm plug (we have a nice one in the shop).</li>
</ul>
<p>For design documents, instructions, parts list, etc. Check out the <a href="http://www.ladyada.net/make/bbpsup/">project webpage</a>! <a href="http://www.adafruit.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&amp;cPath=38&amp;products_id=184">And pick up one up at the Adafruit store!</a></p>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://www.adafruit.com/adablog/?feed=rss2&#038;p=1384</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>6</slash:comments>
		</item>
	</channel>
</rss>
