Are you on, in, under or around the state of Oregon? Do you have the ability with which to get thineself to Medford, which is located in Oregon, on October the 8th? If you answered ‘yes’ to most of the above questions, you might want to consider dropping in at RoboMaxx – an event which is “designed to showcase robotics to our local community by providing a forum where robot designers and builders from all over the world can compete their creations in a fun and festive atmosphere. In addition to the competitions, RoboMaxx provides robotics demonstrations, robot building workshops for all ages and vendors from all over the world presenting their robotics related products.” And if you want to throw your hat into the ring for some crazy robot-type competitions, you can have a chance at winning some of the totally great Solarbotics prizes we’re sponsoring. It looks like it’s shaping up to be a really good time, and so we encourage anyone in the area to check it out. You can get some more details on the RoboMaxx Facebook page.

And if you’re trying to figure out how to occupy yourselves until October 8th, take a gander through the newest additions to our inventory:

• PICAXE-20M2 Chip – The new PICAXE-20M2 microcontroller builds on the pedigree of the ever popular 20 pin PICAXE microcontrollers by adding new and improved features at no extra cost.
• PICAXE-08M2 Chip – Now offers 8 times more memory over the previous 08M version + lots more features.
• PICAXE-14M2 Chip – Replaces the 14M, and offers the impressive suite of features of the M2 series in a small SMT package.
• Dual VNH3SP30 Motor Driver Carrier MD03A – If you are looking to drive two high-power motors through one compact unit, these dual VNH3SP30 motor driver carriers are perfect for you. With these boards, it’s easy to get a medium-sized, differential drive robot running in no time.
• 9V Battery Holder with Switch & 2.1mm Plug – This is a 9V battery pack with on/off switch and a 2.1mm barrel plug, you get both parts and will have to solder them together.
• Wixel Programmable USB Wireless Module (Fully Assembled) – The Pololu Wixel is a general-purpose programmable module featuring a 2.4 GHz radio and USB. You can write your own software or load precompiled, open-source apps onto the TI CC2511F32 microcontroller at the heart of the Wixel, turning it into a wireless serial link, data logger, or whatever you need for your current project.
• Pololu Pushbutton Power Switch SV – An alternative to bulky mechanical switches. Small switch with big current ability!
• Pololu RC Switch with 3A Low-Side MOSFET – Looking for a small, simple, RC on/off switch? This Pololu unit can dump 3A signaled from a simple R/C PWM signal!
• Ethernet Shield v1.2 PCB – Who needs a full shield when you could just get the PCB? A great opportunity to collect parts for your own or to experiment with. – These sensors are simple to set up and great for sensing pressure, but they aren’t incredibly accurate. Use them to sense if it’s being squeezed, but you may not want to use it as a scale.
• 1.8″ 18-bit Color TFT LCD Display with MicroSD Card – This lovely little display breakout is the best way to add a small, colorful and bright display to any project. Since the display uses 4-wire SPI to communicate and has its own pixel-addressable frame buffer, it can be used with every kind of microcontroller.

And that’s all we got for this week. So go forth, friends. Slay the weekend in an impressive feat of fun and excitement.