Notices by adafruit (adafruit@mastodon.cloud)

walkin' on rainbows 🌈👣🚶♂️👦 1/2

🎄💾🗓️ Day 18: Retrocomputing Advent Calendar - Commodore 64🎄💾🗓️

The Commodore 64, released in 1982, is one of the ones we keep hearing got many people their start in their own computing history. Powered by a MOS Technology 6510 processor at 1.02 MHz and featuring 64 KB of RAM, it became the best-selling single computer model of all time, with an estimated 12.5–17 million units sold.

🎄💾🗓️ Day 14: Retrocomputing Advent Calendar - Atari 400/800🎄💾🗓️

The Atari 8-bit computer line was launched in 1979 with the Atari 400 and Atari 800. Both were advanced for home computers at the time. Both were driven by a 1.79 MHz MOS Technology 6502 CPU, with ANTIC and CTIA/GTIA custom chips for advanced graphics and the POKEY chip handling sound and input/output duties.

Ladyada's desk gets a scope cart

We've always wanted a portable scope cart (https://vintagetek.org/scope-carts/) for our workspace to have our test equipment either by the desk for firmware work or at the soldering worktable for rework debugging. At our new office, we finally have space for one!

We've locked it next to our desk so we have more desktop space, and it's easy to peek over as we bring up new boards like the metro RP2350 (https://www.adafruit.com/product/6003). We'll also get the VGA output into our video streaming setup to show off signals we're working on.

We picked up this 'dental cart' (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DM8P2PDT) - It is not super fancy, but it is metal, and it came together fairly easily. We like the mini top shelf for the scope and the second shelf underneath for the power supply and electronic load. The drawer can hold leads or probes.

Its kernel was monolithic, and the system was primarily written in C++. It featured a 64-bit journaling Be File System (BFS), which supported metadata and allowed rapid file queries and fast performance for multimedia tasks. Despite its technical strengths, including support for symmetric multiprocessing and a responsive graphical user interface, BeOS struggled to gain market traction.

🎄💾🗓️ Day 10: Retrocomputing Advent Calendar - BeOS 🎄💾🗓️

BeOS, developed by Be Inc. in the mid-1990s, was an operating system for multimedia applications, multitasking, and multithreading. Initially designed for the BeBox—a proprietary hardware platform featuring dual PowerPC processors—BeOS was later ported to the Macintosh and x86 architectures.

Supporting KiCad helps the development of features, bug fixes, and community-driven improvements, empowering engineers, educators, and hobbyists worldwide. Consider donating to KiCad to strengthen the open-source hardware community and help make high-quality EDA tools accessible to everyone.

https://www.kicad.org/

Giving Tuesday – KiCad open-source design #GivingTuesday 💻🔧🌍❤️🤝

KiCad is an open-source software suite for electronic design automation (EDA), enabling users to design schematics and printed circuit boards (PCBs). KiCad is a great, free, open tool for creating complex designs, from hobbyist projects to professional-grade hardware. As an open-source initiative, KiCad promotes accessibility and collaboration, making advanced EDA tools freely available.

Blast to the past - the "Spaceball" 🚀🎶📻
Weltron (1970)
PORTABLE & TRACK STEREO TAPE PLAYER MODEL 2001
WITH AM-FM MULTIPLEX RADIO

Trinamical stepper breakout with TMC2209

About two weeks ago, we designed a breakout for the A4988 (https://blog.adafruit.com/2024/11/11/the-a4988-is-a-classic-stepper-driver-in-a-new-fit/), and we're still waiting for those prototype PCBs, but we're not one to wait, because we think that the idea is a good one...so why not design another version? This time with the Trinamic TMC2209 (https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/analog-devices-inc-maxim-integrated/TMC2209-LA-T/10232491). This is a similar "Step & Dir" type driver, with a wide motor range of 4.75 – 28 Volts and separate 3~5V IO pin.

10% discount code, code is: nvme ends at midnight NYC time - SHOP NOW! https://www.adafruit.com

Newxie brings the joy of nixies without the 170V power supply 💡🕰️✨

If there's one thing that melts our hearts, it's a nixie clock - we built one 20 years ago! (https://www.ladyada.net/portfolio/2003/index.html) but nixies are hard to find now that we don't hit up the MIT swapfest at 7am anymore (https://calendar.mit.edu/event/swapfest-the-flea-at-mit-2024); well we saw this funky faux nixie clock

🖥️ 🧸 a new (old) approach for 21st-century kids using computers... chronological order

as our kiddo gets older we are going on a journey with her, focusing on the evolution of computing from where it started, and using each one, in order.

our adventure begins with retrofitting a 1998 littletikes/ibm playset to house the early computers, providing her with a tangible way to interact with these machines.

ASK AN ENGINEER 11/6/2024 LIVE! https://youtu.be/F9LdUIJsqhs

Open Hardware month continues, there are over 2,905 open source hardware projects certified, currently Adafruit has 790 certifications, will we hit 800 by Halloween?? SCARY! 🎃👻🕸️🧛♂️🧟♀️🍬😈

https://certification.oshwa.org/list.html?q=adafruit

@oshwassociation

WE ARE LIVE in BROOKLYN! SHOW AND TELL! https://youtu.be/7qRfarfqyuQ

A level shifter just for pixels 🔌✨💡

After noodling with some WS2811s and TM1814, we really wish we had a board that would level-shift our NeoPixel signals from 3V to 5V or give us an inverted data line. So, we designed this board. it uses an AP3602 (https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/diodes-incorporated/AP3602AKTR-G1/5305823) charge pump to give a clean 5V reference voltage from 3~5V. a 74HCT2G34 (https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/nexperia-usa-inc/74HCT2G34GW-125/1300830) shifts two signals - we call them DAT and CLK, but it could be anything really - to 5V from 1.8~5V.

Working on some photos and videos from our ribbon cutting event for the new Adafruit factory in Industry City, Brooklyn, NY - USA! Here's a preview! 🎀✂️🏭🗽🇺🇸 Special thanks to the President of the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce, the Managing Director of Industry City, and the Vice President of Partnerships at the NYC EDC! More soon, it's Sunday after a loooong week and we are zonked!