Still in search of the perfect LED?

by RobertC.
July 22, 2010

We're keeping you stocked in LEDS as well as few other new products (like the MUX Shield - and an awesome example from Rojas!)

Taking a break from watching Old Spice commercials on YouTube? Well, while you're here, check out these new products!

First off, we should mention that we will now be consistently offering both our PTH and SMD soldering classes every month. Everyone needs to know how to solder (so we think) and this is a great way to learn. Since there's no time better to learn than the present, we will be offering the PTH and SMD classes the 2nd and 3rd Tuesday of every month, respectively. Check out the classes category for all of our upcoming classes.

We will also be expanding our course selection to include a broader range of things we feel are necessary to know. Check back for the latest and greatest course schedule.

The first thing most people learn when they start with electronics is how to make an LED blink. But even the most well-seasoned veterans use LEDs. Here is a pack of 26 LEDs that includes super brights, standard, and even a couple of RGBs. It's just a great stash to have around because chances are, you will need one of these LEDs at some point in your electronics future!

We now carry white LEDs in various quantities. We have singles, 25 packs and 100 packs. Colorful LEDs are great, but you can't go wrong with a nice, bright white one!

So now you have about a billion LEDs and no way to drive them - that's where this next product comes in. The Mux Shield allows you to multiplex your Arduino inputs or outputs to get 48 analog or digital inputs (or digital outputs). Check out the above video to see what our videographer/photographer Rojas did with this shield - maybe it'll give you some ideas! Personally, I'm still waiting for a fireman's pole or a slide, but this will do for the time being.

Once you master the LED blinking, maybe the next step is to spell out four letter words. Sure, you could use an LCD, but why not try it out with an alphanumeric display? You're in luck because we now have some really cool 1" tall single digit displays in red, green, and blue.

At this point it might be like beating a dead horse, but LEDs are useful. This is the last batch of LEDs we'll post for at least a week, I promise! In addition to the alphanumeric displays above, we also have some 10 segment bar graph LEDs which are great for, well, you get the idea. We have them in red, yellow, blue, and green.

We have a new version of the SparkFun Inventor's Kit. The new version includes a flex sensor, soft pot, and a newer trimpot. This kit really is an awesome way to get started at making something cool!

If you need an SMD XBEE socket, we now have them. We use these on our shields and they make it much easier to do double-sided boards or avoid through-hole soldering.

Ever since the discontinuation of our last MEMS microphone, people have been asking for another. We finally found a good source for one and will now be carrying it once again. It's small, but don't fret, we are working on a breakout board for it right now.

That's all for today! Hopefully we will see some of you in our classes sometime in the near future! Cheers!