SparkFun: COM-00521
Description: These are very common, high quality BJT NPN transistors made by ST Micro.
Don Luc
The Alpha Geek – Geeking Out
Digital Electronics
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
SparkFun: COM-08357
Description: This is a handy little device that can save your system from smoking. A resettable fuse (also known as a PTC) is a resistor that has very unique properties.
For this model, if your circuit tries to draw more than 250mA of current (if you have a bad short for instance) the PTC would ‘trip’ (by heating up). The increased resistance (trip state) would break the circuit and allow only a small leakage current.
The leakage current may still be enough to hurt some electronics but it’s much less than the 3A that the short may have allowed. Removing the short, the PTC ‘resets’ and allows current up to 250mA to flow again. It’s a resettable fuse that protects your system! Good for use on battery powered devices that need to protect again high-current accidental discharges.
The thermal pictures to the right do a great job of showing what happens when the PTC is tripped. The first thermal picture shows a voltage regulating circuit in its normal state. In the second picture the circuit is shorted, notice how hot the PTC gets (213 °F!) as it limits the amount of damaging current going through the circuit. Major thanks to Joshua Weaver for the great thermal shots!
Don Luc
SparkFun: PRT-10007
Description: These headers are made to work with the Arduino Main Board, Arduino Pro, and the Arduino Mega. They are the perfect height for clearing the USB-B connector and great for stacking multiple shields. This kit includes 4 headers (2 8-pin and 2 6-pin), enough to connect a shield to an Arduino Main Board. These are the same headers we use in our tutorials and with our own shields.
Don Luc
SparkFun: DEV-09709
Description: This is a small prototyping shield for the Arduino Pro Mini. If your project requires just a little bit more space for your external circuitry, this might be a perfect addition. 38 unconnected PTHs are provided for your prototyping needs.
The shield fits the small form factor of the Arduino Pro Mini – connecting to the ‘top’ four pins on each side of the Mini (‘GND’-‘TXO’ & ‘VCC’-‘RAW’). There are small buses for VCC, GND and RAW. In addition to the power buses, the serial pins are also broken out on the shield. The analog and digital pins are not broken out on the shield.
Features:
Don Luc
SparkFun: SEN-08880
Description: This alcohol sensor is suitable for detecting alcohol concentration on your breath, just like your common breathalyzer. It has a high sensitivity and fast response time. Sensor provides an analog resistive output based on alcohol concentration. The drive circuit is very simple, all it needs is one resistor. A simple interface could be a 0-3.3V ADC.
Features:
Dimensions:
SparkFun: BOB-08891
Description: Simple breakout board for the MQ – 3, MQ – 4 and MQ – 6 gas sensors. All you need is VCC at 5V, GND, and a resistor to an ADC, that is it.
Note: This is the PCB only. Sensors listed below.
Dimensions: 16.8mm diameter
Don Luc