There is an Indiegogo campaign to sell a kit for learning electronics that seems to have better pricing than most of the similar kits I’ve seen: BE MAKER! KIT plus FREE lessons on electronics, from Zero to Internet of Things | Indiegogo.

The most popular product they are selling seems to be a $69 kit with a microprocessor board (a clone of the Arduino Leonardo); a “shield” with an LCD display driver, pushbuttons, microSD card reader, 2 servo connections, RGB LED strip driver, and Ethernet adapter; a bunch of useful electronics parts (including an LCD display for the shield and an RGB LED strip); “lessons” (which are probably just assembly instructions for different projects, but may be more tutorial) and a box to keep all the tiny parts in.

As Arduino and Arduino-compatible kits go, this one looks pretty good.  Forget about it for holiday gift-giving though, as they don’t expect to deliver until February 2014.  If you want something similar for this year, look at the somewhat more expensive kits from AdaFruit or SparkFun.

There is an Indiegogo campaign to sell a kit for learning electronics that seems to have better pricing than most of the similar kits I’ve seen: BE MAKER! KIT plus FREE lessons on electronics, from Zero to Internet of Things | Indiegogo.

The most popular product they are selling seems to be a $69 kit with a microprocessor board (a clone of the Arduino Leonardo); a “shield” with an LCD display driver, pushbuttons, microSD card reader, 2 servo connections, RGB LED strip driver, and Ethernet adapter; a bunch of useful electronics parts (including an LCD display for the shield and an RGB LED strip); “lessons” (which are probably just assembly instructions for different projects, but may be more tutorial) and a box to keep all the tiny parts in.

As Arduino and Arduino-compatible kits go, this one looks pretty good.  Forget about it for holiday gift-giving though, as they don’t expect to deliver until February 2014.  If you want something similar for this year, look at the somewhat more expensive kits from AdaFruit or SparkFun.

In Insert Coin, we look at an exciting new tech project that requires funding before it can hit production. If you'd like to pitch a project, please send us a tip with "Insert Coin" as the subject line.

It's been said that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Improving on a good idea, however, is truly the ultimate homage, according to the makers of the new Pinoccio microcontroller. Inspired by the Arduino, the brain trust behind the Pinoccio decided to take the stuff they liked about the popular platform -- ease of programming and low cost -- and add some features to make it even better. These include a rechargeable battery, a temperature sensor and a built-in radio that allows one Pinoccio with a WiFi shield to communicate wirelessly with other Pinoccios. The microcontroller also delivers performance that stacks up well with an Arduino Mega but at a smaller size -- the Pinoccio only measures a couple of inches long and an inch wide. The project is currently trying to raise $60,000 at Indiegogo, with supporters netting the standard Pinoccio by pledging $49 and a microcontroller with a WiFi shield for $99. For more details, feel free to check out the video after the break or peruse the project's Indiegogo page by clicking at the source link.

Previous project update: The Lomography Smartphone Film Scanner was apparently ready for its closeup. The Kickstarter project more than tripled its $50,000 goal with two more weeks to go.

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Source: Indiegogo

Arduinos are fun to tinker with, but there's one problem. Once you've built something cool, you pretty much have to tear it down to use your board for another project. Sure, you can always buy multiple Arduino boards or proto shields, but what if you want to turn your creation into something a bit more permanent and a lot more compact? Say hello to Permaduino, a small battery-powered Arduino prototype board that just launched on Indiegogo. It features an Atmega328P (natch), two AAA battery holders with a 3 to 5V DC-DC converter (up to 180mA), a 25-column breadboard with VCC and ground, plus FTDI, AVR-ISP and USB interfaces. Best of all, Permanuino conveniently fits inside a standard 8mm videotape case (as long as you don't mount large components on that breadboard). Interested? Hit the break for the Indigogo link and campaign video.

Filed under: Misc

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Source: Permaduino (Indiegogo)