The Alpha Geek – Geeking Out

#02 – Glasses LED

SparkFun – SPDT Slide Switch

SparkFun COM-09609 Mk01

SparkFun COM-09609 Mk02

SparkFun COM-09609 Mk03

SparkFun: COM-09609

Description: This is a simple SPDT slide switch – great for use as an ON/OFF button, or just as a general control switch. The pins are spaced by 0.1″, however they are incredibly thin making breadboard use not recommended. The switch is rated for 0.3A at 50VDC.

This switch is just a bit smaller than our popular SPDT Mini Power Switch, but uses the same pin spacing. Being smaller takes up less PCB space (good!), but it does make it a bit harder to hit and flip easily.

Don Luc

Adafruit – Half-Size Breadboard

Adafruit 64 Mk01

Adafruit 64 Mk02

Adafruit: 64

Description

This is a cute half size breadboard, good for small projects. It’s 2.2″ x 3.4″ (5.5 cm x 8.5 cm) with a standard double-strip in the middle and two power rails on both sides. You can pull the power rails off easily to make the breadboard as thin as 1.4″ (3.5cm) and stick it onto an Arduino protoshield. You can also cut these in half with a saw to create 2 tiny breadboards, or “snap” these breadboards together either way to make longer and/or wider breadboards.

Technical Details

Dimensions:

  • 2.2″ x 3.4″ (5.5 cm x 8.5 cm)
  • 9.7mm(0.38in) thick, including sticky foam on the bottom
  • Weight: 38.9g (1.27oz)

Don Luc

SparkFun – Capacitor Ceramic 0.1uF

SparkFun COM-08375 Mk01

SparkFun COM-08375 Mk02

SparkFun: COM-08375

Description: This is a very common 0.1uF capacitor. Used on all sorts of applications to decouple ICs from power supplies. 0.1″ spaced leads make this a perfect candidate for breadboarding and perf boarding. Rated at 50V.

Don Luc

Adafruit – Panel Mount 100K potentiometer (Breadboard Friendly) – 100KB

Adafruit 1831 Mk01

Adafruit 1831 Mk02

Adafruit 1831 Mk03

Adafruit: 1831

Description

This potentiometer is a two-in-one, good in a breadboard or with a panel. Its a fairly standard linear taper 100K ohm potentiometer, with a grippy shaft. Its smooth and easy to turn, but not so loose that it will shift on its own. We like this one because the legs are 0.2″ apart with pin-points, so you can plug it into a breadboard or perfboard. Once you’re done prototyping, you can drill a hole into your project box and mount the potentiometer that way.

Technical Details

Dimensions:

  • Body: 16mm / 0.6″
  • Body Circumference: 50mm / 2″
  • Shaft Length: 15mm / 0.6″
  • Weight: 6g
  • 100K ohm potentiometer, linear taper
  • 100,000 Cycle Life
  • Rotational Travel: 300 °
  • Static Stop Strength: 90 oz-in
  • Rotational Torque: 0.5 to 1.25 oz-in

Don Luc

Adafruit – Panel Mount 1K potentiometer (Breadboard Friendly) – 1K Linear

Adafruit 1789 Mk01

Adafruit 1789 Mk02

Adafruit 1789 Mk03

Adafruit: 1789

Description

This 1K potentiometer is a two-in-one, good in a breadboard or with a panel. Its a fairly standard linear taper 1K ohm potentiometer, with a grippy shaft. Its smooth and easy to turn, but not so loose that it will shift on its own. We like this one because the legs are 0.2″ apart with pin-points, so you can plug it into a breadboard or perfboard. Once you’re done prototyping, you can drill a hole into your project box and mount the potentiometer that way.

Technical Details

  • 1K ohm potentiometer, linear taper
  • 100,000 Cycle Life
  • Power: 0.2W
  • Rotational travel: 300 °
  • Static Stop Strength: 90 oz-in
  • Rotational Torque: 0.5 to 1.25 oz-in

Don Luc

SparkFun – Electrolytic Decoupling Capacitors – 10uF/25V

SparkFun COM-00523 Mk01

SparkFun COM-00523 Mk02

SparkFun COM-00523 Mk03

SparkFun: COM-00523

Description: Low-profile electrolytic decoupling capacitors 10uF/25V. These capacitors are great transient/surge suppressors and work well as charge pump caps for MAX232 circuits. High quality radial electrolytic capacitors.

Don Luc

SparkFun – ProtoBoard – Rectangle Wired 3″

SparkFun PRT-08812 Mk01

SparkFun PRT-08812 Mk02

SparkFun PRT-08812 Mk03

SparkFun: PRT-08812

Description: This is a different kind of perf board. 3″ long and 2″ wide, the holes are plated through and PCB is double sided like you would expect. All holes are routed together on both sides. The really neat thing about this board is every pad has a 20mil width trace connecting to every other pad. Every pad is shorted together! This actually speeds up prototyping because instead of having to wire from one point to another, you simply cut the traces to isolate the route or pad you want to use. Your board will look a lot better and be more robust without lots of point to point wires to interfere. Standard 0.1″ spacing with a 4-40 (3mm) holes for mounting. Great for quickly prototyping stackable circuits.

Don Luc

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