Adafruit Industries

Logic Gates as Explained by Pumpkins

Wed, 28 Oct 2020 01:00:48 GMT

Saw this on Twitter, on Kaz Miyamo’s feed, thanks to Becky Stern, who retweeted and commented: “Most compelling explanation of logic gates I’ve ever seen.” Same here.

See the Twitter thread for more visual variations on the theme.

Here’s the Wikipedia entry on logic gates if you need more info to better understand what these images represent.

NEW GUIDE page: BSEC Air Quality for BME680 @adafruit #adafruit

Tue, 27 Oct 2020 22:57:46 GMT

Learn Guides are living, breathing things, and this one has just sprouted a new page! The BME680 STEMMA QT environmental sensor combines temperature, humidity, pressure, and gas sensing, and now, using the Bosch BSEC Air Library, we can convert those readings in to Air Quality values!

Want to see it in action? Check out the demos from JP’s Product Pick of the Week

Make:’s Guide to Boards added the Adafruit QT py!

Tue, 27 Oct 2020 22:10:47 GMT

The QT Py is back in stock! This diminutive dev board comes with our favorite lil chip, the SAMD21 (as made famous in our GEMMA M0 and Trinket M0 boards).

For a limited time: only $6 per QT Py, what an amazing deal!

Make:’s Guide to Boards added a guide to the Adafruit QT Py!

I dig tiny microcontroller boards. Teensy boards, Arduino Nano boards, SparkFun Pro Micro boards. All of them. I am amazed at the power available in these small packages. Make LED wearables! Create tiny USB devices! Build small smart sensors! Make tiny synthesizers! The new QT Py is my current favorite of this class of devices. It’s also one of the smallest, most capable, and most expandable.

Physically the QT Py is less than 1” square at 20mm×17.5mm, with seven castellated pins on two sides, at 0.1” spacing, for breadboard use. Of these 14 pins, 11 can be analog inputs or digital I/O. Six of the pins can be capacitive touch inputs. One pin has a true analog output as a 10-bit DAC. And of course, there are hardware SPI, I2S, I2C, and serial interfaces available on various combinations of the pins. The QT Py also includes a Stemma QT / Qwiic connector for hooking up the myriad of I2C peripherals offered by SparkFun and Adafruit. On the bottom are pads for an easily-solderable SPI flash chip, enabling you to add 2MB (or more!) of extra storage to the board. This is an officially supported “hack” by Adafruit (they even sell the correct flash chip); it offers a more feature-rich version of CircuitPython if you have the chip installed.

Make: says “”If you need a powerful Arduino-compatible board that’s smaller than a postage stamp and can run CircuitPython or Arduino at an incredible price, the QT Py is a great choice.”

See more and pick up a QTPy of your own here!

Architect Jean Nouvel reveals design for cave resort in Saudi Arabia’s AlUla desert

Tue, 27 Oct 2020 21:00:33 GMT

Via GCR

Located in the Sharaan Nature Reserve, 1,100km from Riyadh, Nouvel’s design is inspired by the nearby Nabataean wonders of Hegra, Saudi Arabia’s first Unesco World Heritage Site.

The project will be the first carving into AlUla’s rock since the Nabataeans did the same 2,000 years ago. According to Nouvel, the project will be sculpted within the landscape rather than competing with it.

The 40-room hotel will contain 25 one and two-bedroom suites, 10 tented guest pavilions and five large resort villas containing four-to-10 bedrooms.

See more!

Build Your Own Martian Electronic Eye

Tue, 27 Oct 2020 20:00:25 GMT

Gorgeous build from GlenS56 on Instructables

Based upon the success of that make, I decided to built a studio scale replica of the Martian electronic eye that haunts Sylvia Van Buren and Professor Clayton Forrester in the farm house sequence of the film.

JP’s Product Pick of the Week — 4pm Eastern TODAY! 10/27/20 @adafruit @johnedgarpark ...

Tue, 27 Oct 2020 19:48:45 GMT

Hey! — Come on by for JP’s Product Pick of the Week! A new product pick will be revealed. The show airs at 4pm ET / 1pm PT, T O D A Y!

Check out the livestream right here inside this product page, which is a kinda massive hint as to which product it’ll be, but you won’t want to miss it because there will be a VERY HUGE 50% OFF DISCOUNT during the show!!!

Tune in for:

John Park’s latest product pick
Learn how to use it
Enjoy the exciting unpredictability of live demonstrations

The live video will also be on Youtube LIVE, Twitch, Periscope (Twitter) and Facebook. LIVE TEXT CHAT IS HERE in the Adafruit Discord chat! Come on into the chat to participate in the joy, enjoy a snack, and make witty quips.

Every Tuesday @ 4pm ET/1pm PT!

Control Your PS4 with Home Assistant and Google Home

Tue, 27 Oct 2020 19:00:25 GMT

Helpful guide from Smart Home Makers on YouTube:

In this video I will be integration my sony playstation 4 into home assistant, afterwards I will create a script to trigger my favourite game “Dead By Daylight”, after that I will use the google mini via the google home app to trigger by script turning on my ps4 and launching the game.

See more and read more

HackSpace Magazine Issue 36 – Only the Best: Adafruit VEML6070 UV Index Sensor @HackSpaceMag ...

Tue, 27 Oct 2020 18:50:26 GMT

Issue 36 of HackSpace Magazine features the Adafruit Adafruit VEML6070
UV Index Sensor.

The sensor was rated 9/10 with HackSpace saying “A good choice for measuring UV light.”

See the review below and see other Adafruit items in Issue 36 of HackSpace Magazine.

NEW GUIDE: 3D Printed Frankenstein Monster with NeoPixel Eyes #QTPy #AdafruitLearningSystem ...

Tue, 27 Oct 2020 18:30:44 GMT

A new guide today in the Adafruit Learning System: 3D Printed Frankenstein Monster with NeoPixel Eyes

3D print this Frankenstein’s Monster head, nicknamed Frank, to build a light-up Halloween decoration. NeoPixels illuminate the inside of the model for a clean and even lighting effect. Frank’s brains are powered by a QT Py board, making this build nice and compact.

This guide will show you how to combine NeoPixels with capacitive touch using a QT Py.

See this guide now >>>

HackSpace Magazine Issue 36 – Only the Best: Adafruit ALS-PT19 Sensor @HackSpaceMag @Adafruit

Tue, 27 Oct 2020 18:05:54 GMT

Issue 36 of HackSpace Magazine features the Adafruit ALS-PT19 Analog Light Sensor.

The sensor was rated 8/10 with HackSpace saying “A great replacement for a non-RoHS light sensor.”

See the review below and see other Adafruit items in Issue 36 of HackSpace Magazine.

The Storied History of the Smiley Symbol #ArtTuesday

Tue, 27 Oct 2020 18:00:12 GMT

The Sm;)e Book celebrates the history of the smiley.

via Creative Boom

Now, a new publication titled The Sm;)e Book is being released to celebrate the icon’s cultural impact with a particular focus on its role in art and graphic design. Its creators – artist Rich Browd and DB Burkeman, a former rave DJ – have been working on this “passion project” for the past five years, aiming to “unearth the smiley face’s complex and expansive history”.

Among the artists and designers with work featured in the book are Alicia McCarthy, Jake & Dinos Chapman, James Cauty, James Joyce, Jeremy Deller, Fatboy Slim (who’s been collecting smiley iconography for years), Rachel Maclean, Richard Prince, Wolfgang Tillmans and many others.

HackSpace Magazine Issue 36 – Only the Best: VEML7700 Lux Sensor @HackSpaceMag @Adafruit

Tue, 27 Oct 2020 17:58:06 GMT

Issue 36 of HackSpace Magazine features the Adafruit VEML7700 Lux Sensor.

The sensor was rated 10/10 with HackSpace saying “An inexpensive and great little sensor breakout board.”

See the review below and see other Adafruit items in Issue 36 of HackSpace Magazine.

New Guide: Sew a Halloween Costume Face Mask #halloween

Tue, 27 Oct 2020 17:50:39 GMT

Halloween is just around the corner. Everyone is a little anxious this year – with Covid 19 still threatening our neighborhoods and cities, we want to keep each other as safe as possible. But we all desperately need a little fun and connection, and Halloween really brings neighborhoods together.

So we’re happy to present this new tutorial from Erin St. Blaine: Sew a costume face mask over your real face mask, and keep those trick-or-treaters safe this year. This tutorial has three free downloadable sewing patterns to make an animal face or a spooky Plague Doctor mask, all of which can transform your look into something silly that will make the kids laugh when they come to your door. Or make one for your young trick-or-treater that will make her want to keep her mask on all night long.

From the guide:

Halloween is such a fun holiday, and traditionally includes mask-wearing to complete your costume. This year, face masks have been a daily fashion choice for many of us, so here’s a guide that focuses on making that face mask a little extra special for the spookiest day of the year.

Use colored felt to add a bird beak or monkey face to any face mask. Or create a “plague-doctor” style mask from

scratch to bring a bit of historical authenticity to your costume this year.

We’ve included printable patterns and sewing directions. You’ll need fabric and interfacing or craft felt, scissors, pins, and a sewing machine (or a needle and thread and some patience).

Learn to make your Halloween Face Mask here: https://learn.adafruit.com/halloween-costume-face-mask/overview

Happy Halloween!

HackSpace Magazine Issue 36 – Only the Best: Adafruit Phototransistor @HackSpaceMag @Adafruit

Tue, 27 Oct 2020 17:49:00 GMT

Issue 36 of HackSpace Magazine features the Adafruit Phototransistor / Light Sensor.

The sensor was rated 10/10 with HackSpace saying “A great RoHS alternative light sensor.”

See the review below and see other Adafruit items in Issue 36 of HackSpace Magazine.

"Time Warp”

Tue, 27 Oct 2020 17:45:00 GMT

“Time Warp” – video.

Beyond Cyberpunk: Me on the Plutopia Podcast #cyberpunk

Tue, 27 Oct 2020 17:00:40 GMT

I was interviewed on the Plutopia podcast a few weeks ago. The recording was posted yesterday.

On the podcast, I join hosts Jon Lebkowsky and Scoop Sweeney for a far-ranging blabberfest that touches on the importance of the Whole Earth Catalog over the course my life, how I got hooked up with Mark Frauenfelder and Boing Boing, the early days of the pioneering online community The Well, how I got involved with Mondo 2000, the infamous Billy Idol Cyberpunk album, my time at Wired, the maker movement and its association with “the street finds its own uses for things,” living in the “cyberpunk now,” and much more. We also talk about the history of cyberpunk series here on Adafruit and how that came about.

Gareth Branwyn: Beyond Cyberpunk

Putting Pencil to Paper, in Galleries and in the Voting Booth #ArtTuesday

Tue, 27 Oct 2020 17:00:00 GMT

Drawing is both immediate and universal. At one point or another everyone has, at the very least, attempted some form of drawing. The New York Times highlights two exhibits that capture our current time. 100 Drawings from now and Twenty Twenty

Drawing may be the most ancient art, dating to when early humans first scrawled images on cave walls. But this adaptable, affordable and accessible practice is also experiencing a resurgence in this turbulent year. Drawing’s capacity to chronicle events in real time has made it a powerful means to reflect on volatile election campaigns, a deadly pandemic and economic and racial inequality.

“Drawing allows for the most freedom, it’s easily accepted, it doesn’t require such a critical eye,” said Walter Price, one of 105 contributors to the show “100 Drawings From Now,”

100 Drawings from now at the Drawing Center in Manhattan through January 17
Twenty Twenty at the Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum in Ridgefield, Conn. till March 2021

For a virtual only tour the times recommends Toni Lane’s Pandemic Drawings

The Great Search: M.2 "E Key” Connectors #TheGreatSearch #DigiKey @DigiKey @Adafruit

Tue, 27 Oct 2020 15:05:55 GMT

The Great Search (video) is a new series of videos focused on searching the Digi-Key catalog to narrow down to the parts you want to buy. This week:

If you want to add an M.2 modules to your PCB, there’s plenty in stock at Digi-Key to choose from. We’ll show what to look for (it isn’t obvious how to find ’em!) and some nifty new features of Digi-Key’s site, like 3D PDFs and ready-to-use CAD file downloads for instant integration with KiCad, Eagle, OrCad, Altium, etc!

Look for yourself on digikey.com at https://www.digikey.com/short/zn1q8z

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Catch live airings of The Great Search in the live Desk of Ladyada! broadcasts https://youtu.be/46zAO_3-ozY

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Visit the Adafruit shop online – http://www.adafruit.com

LIVE CHAT IS HERE! http://adafru.it/discord

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Subscribe to Adafruit on YouTube: http://adafru.it/subscribe

New tutorials on the Adafruit Learning System: http://learn.adafruit.com/

Field of Light at Sensorio — an LED Light Experience by Bruce Munro #FieldOfLight #ArtTuesday

Tue, 27 Oct 2020 15:05:07 GMT

We piled into the van and drove through the rolling hills of Paso Robles, California. The smell of the ocean was heavy in the air, but as we turned away from the coast, the fog cleared and the golden rolling hills took over the landscape.

We passed a handful of hidden-gem wineries and an ancient airplane museum before rattling our way down a dirt road that led us deeper into no-man’s land. Soon enough we came upon the sign we’d been searching for: Sensorio, a Field of Light.

We hurried through the gates as the sun set behind the hills, just in time for the dusk to swallow us. None of us were sure what to expect, but we bounced on our toes as we peeked over the hill into the valley beyond.

We were greeted with an unbelievable sight. The valley stretched out below us, as far as we could see, and every inch of it was blooming with light. We gave a collective gasp, then moved forward onto the dark path that wound its way through the illuminated flowers.

We strolled down the hill and straight into the center of the field of light, marveling at the scope of the installation. Tens of thousands of individual globes were hovering above the landscape, waving gently in the breeze as they slowly shifted through a rainbow of colors. The air was quiet apart from gasps of delight from the viewers, and the moon slowly rose behind a grand old oak tree on the hill, completing the magical illumination of this fairy landscape.

This gorgeous installation was created by Bruce Munro. The Field of Light has over 58,000 individual globes, lit by fiber optics and entirely powered by solar electricity. The design is flawless. Each flower was very simple in design. A fiber optic cable terminates in a baseball-sized glass or acrylic sphere, creating a lovely diffused glow. The flowers are lifted off the ground with a short length of clear tubing, allowing each individual flower to sway gently in the breeze.

The fiber optics lead back to a solar powered light controller. Each controller powers around 150 flowers, creating a patchwork effect of different colors across the field. The slight variation in cable lengths creates a delightful subtle variation in color within each patch, and the LED color shift was slow enough that many viewers were not consciously aware it was happening.

Out of 58,000 flowers, I only spotted one that was not working. Impressive.

The trail is a half mile loop that meanders through the field, with plenty of benches where viewers can relax and take in the magical sight. The simplicity and scale of this art piece evokes a deep feeling of peace and serenity, as the flowers quietly move through the spectrum of colors.

“Munro spent thirty years making notes and drawings in his artist sketchbooks. He noted both his interactions and those of others, with music, light, nature, and science. Behind the scene of today’s experience is a foundation of more than thirty years of thought, meditation, and craft. Your reaction of delight is a study in human interaction with art.”

Sensoriopaso.com

The exhibit will be open through January 3 of 2021, and it’s truly something wonderful to experience. Get tickets and more information at Sensorio’s web site: https://www.sensoriopaso.com/

Free Halloween Wall Hangings #ArtTuesday

Tue, 27 Oct 2020 15:00:53 GMT

Beautiful designs with a vintage feel from diterlizzi.com, via Twitter:

I know many are not in classrooms right now, but if you want some FREE old-school styled Halloween wall hangings to decorate your virtual space, here ya go

Get ’em here!