News Archives - October, 2008

Hey, how about that! We’ve got some new gear motors to complement the popular Mini Metal Gear Motors (the GM11a, GM12a, GM13a, GM14a, GM18 and yes, even the mutant GM19).

What’s particularly new is that they have sealed cylindrical gearboxes! Same sort of gearing, but no funky rectangular shape - just a nice, sleek, clean enclosed gearbox. And these new motors aren’t just sealed-versions of their brethren - they actually bring new performance characteristics to the party. Particularly torque. We’re talking some finger-breaking torque in a tiny package (ok - if they don’t break your finger, they’ll cause considerable discomfort…). Sooo, your actuating-enjoyment, we present to you the:

GM20 -  Sealed gear box, with performance between the GM11a and GM12a

GM21 - A longer, sealed gear motor, but a real torquemeister (yes, I said torquemeister), with over 100in*oz of torque @ 6V

GM22 - Another sealed gear motor, with more torque than a GM14. Good Turbot tumbling robot type motor!

We love little precision gear motors. They’re just so cool…

They make neat things. Like wheels that fit the 3mm “D” shafts on GM11a/12a/13a/15a/18 gear motors. And super-cool motor mounts. This stuff is so neat, that we’re selling it now.

Oh, did I mention that the MAKER Faire: Austin was cool? Yeah, it was. You must see one of these events if the opportunity presents itself…

From the official site:

Maker Faire is a two-day, family-friendly event that celebrates the Do-It-Yourself (DIY) mindset. It’s for creative, resourceful people of all ages and backgrounds who like to tinker and love to make things. So much to see, you will need 2 days to see it all!

Come look for Dave or Cheryl, who’ll be helping out those fine Maker folks in their store. You’ll be able to pick up a few of our kits in person and even get a sneak-peak at what we’re working on for the upcoming holiday season.

Drop by and check it out - there’ll be tons of exhibits,  eclectic projects, activities and more! It’ll take place October 18 & 19 at the Travis County Expo Center - you can go to www.makerfaire.com for more info.

And don’t worry - some of us are privileged enough to stay behind with the bare trees, grey clouds and nippy wind, so business will go on as usual at Solarbotics HQ.

Dah-na nah-nuh
“Turkey is tastey”

Dah-na nah-nuh
“With veggies and pastry”

Dah-na nah-nuh.
“Monday is Thanksgiving”

Dah-na nah-nuh
“…and our office will be CLOOOOSED…oh yeah”

Canadian Thanksgiving is Monday October 13, 2008. Our office will be closed all day Monday, but never fear - we will roll ourselves back into work first thing on Tuesday morning and it will be business as usual.

It’s been in the coming for a while, and now is the time to release it to the webosphere (yes, I said “Web-o-sphere”).

Since Solarbotics Ltd. took over HVW Technologies, we simply couldn’t ignore some of the benefits of microcontrollers. Really, they’re not that scary. Many of them even look like our good friend the 74AC240 IC.

We’re starting our blending of technologies with the PICAXE line of microcontrollers. These have some specific features that make them very usable with BEAM projects:

1. They’re inexpensive. Most of us BEAMers are a cheap lot, scavenging for parts.
2. They’re SIMPLE. Plug in a USB cable, draw flow-charts, and download the code!
3. They offer suitability. With over 13 types from very simple and small (08 series) to the powerful 40X1 series,  you can pick the right tool for the job, without overkill. How BEAM-ish.

So if you’ve become too comfortable with your latest techniques, try something new. Stretch your brain, and check out the PICAXE. We’ve even got starter packs, and a book!

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Besides the PICAXE, we’re also dabbling with the Freeduino SB. This is a project spawned from the Arduino project out of Italy. It’s an open-source hardware and software project using the Atmel ATmega168 microcontroller.The really cool thing is that that it’s open-source, there’s a huge world-wide community of developers and users, so there’s lots of help, source-code, and examples to start with.

It’s more expensive than the PICAXE, but it’s a different beast. Where the PICAXE is generally just the chip, Freeduino is a full system. Besides the microcontroller, the Freeduino includes:

• USB interface (so you just plug it into your PC to use it. That’s it!)
• Programming software usable on Windows, Mac, and Linux,
• Programming language that is C-like, but simpler
• Built-in voltage regulation, indicator LEDs and a FUSE. How beginner-friendly is that? (Very!)

So if you’re more programming savvy than flowcharts and BASIC, check out a Freeduino SB, and do some web-searches. It’s an very useable, handy platform!