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We are planning upcoming classes for Wearable Electronics, Intro to Arduino, and Conductive Paint. Email us at info@gadgetcat.com to be updated with the schedule!

We’ve added a lower flat rate shipping option for those who don’t need a tracking number. We’ll try this out and see how it goes!

Gadgetcat has reimagined the ever-popular NeoPixel in a new, tasty form factor!  Like its cousin the NeoPixel, the NeoCandy comes in a variety of appealing colors and a convenient size.

NeoCandy goes well with Maker Fuel –  Bawls or Cherry Bawls is recommended.

Notes: While the NeoCandy is much tastier than NeoPixels, the brightness depends on ambient lighting, and color of each is constant. However, apply enough power and you can make just about anything light up.

 

 

 

Today is a great day for Relays. 10 dual relay boards, 5 single relay boards, a quad-relay Arduino shield. Plus a couple ultrasonic rangefinder units.

Will upload soon, and update this post with product links. If you need them before we get to that, email info at gadgetcat.com.

We love gadgets. And cats. So for Valentine’s day we combined them. Thanks to the facilities at Sunshine Labs (our new business home!) we custom-designed and made a heart with the Gadget Cat in the middle.

1. First it started with a post-it note drawing.
2. Then the design was made in Autodesk, the vector for the Cat logo was imported from a vector Adobe Illustrator file. When done, file was saved as an .STL file
3. The .STL file was imported into MakerWare, which computed the slices for the 3D printer. MakerWare generated the gcode.
4. The gcode was saved onto an SD card, and put into the MakerBot 2x dual extruder and printed it.
5. When it was completed, we inserted a battery-powered RGB LED flasher that we made in less than a minute.  Instructions for that are below.

To make the tiny RGB LED flasher,

1. We used two flashing RGB leds 
2. We coiled the ends of the LEDs to pinch a CR1220 battery. We chose the CR1220 because it is a 3V battery which has small enough current that it is safe to connect directly to LEDs. No additional resistors or components needed.  
3. Then the LEDs and battery were placed inside the hidden compartment.

Voila! a flashing red and white heart for lovers of Gadgets, Cats, and Gadgetcat alike!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Adafruit PiTFT screen is a handy touchscreen that plugs directly into your Raspberry Pi.  With a case that holds the screen, and a wireless keyboard, you can turn the Raspberry Pi into a tiny touchscreen computer!

We wanted to make it as easy as Pi to get started 🙂  The easiest way is to just use SD card with Linux and the screen drivers pre-configured. Plug in the card, and it just runs. Like a laptop.

So, we made a downloadable image file that you can copy onto your own SD card. Or, skip the download and get an SD card with the files pre-installed.

Step 1: Get an SD card that has 4GB or more of memory (note: all old files on this card will be erased)

Step 2: Download the SD card image file

Step 3: Install the image file on your SD card.

• Click here for Windows instructions
• Click here for Mac instructions

Step 4: Remove the SD card and place it in your Raspberry Pi with PiTFT screen

Now you’re ready to go!

 

 

We got a bunch of the new PiTFT screens, and attached one to our Raspberry Pi B… and the screen fell over.  One even cracked 🙁  It really needs a case. So… we made one!  http://www.gadgetcat.com/product/modified-raspberry-pi-box-for-pitft-touchscreen/ This is a great little enclosure. It is based on the Adafruit open-source case, and has an opening for the screen. It covers just the edge, and holds the screen securely in place without sliding, or touching other parts of the Pi internally which could potentially cause shorts. We hope it’s as helpful for you as it’s been for us!

We got some acrylic colors in and are now trying them out! So let’s put them in orders for new customers. Made on-site. Here’s a pic of the latest version.

If you’re an existing customer, and want one, email us at info@gadgetcat.com and we’ll get one to you!

You may have noticed we started adding some product to the website. Thanks to some help from our friends at FamiLAB and the Orlando area, we did a thorough inventory of what’s in stock. Also figured out how to have special pricing on the website. Soon people will be able to find out what we have in stock, and their pricing, without having to email us personally.

So far it’s working well, people are already successfully placing orders through the web interface. This will help us to streamline the ordering process for you.

Our goal is to make offering classes as convenient and inexpensive as possible, so you can focus on building your community!