Jameco's Newsletter: July 2011

IN THIS ISSUE:
Marshmallow Launcher | Circuit Skills: PWM | Crash Space Music Fest | Final Salute
Greg's Corner | YLOD: PS3 Repair | FM Transmitter | Calculate Your Full/Minimum Load

Cannon Launches Boy Into His Own Skin
My Story: Joey Hudy

At May’s Maker Faire we met 14-year-old inventor Joey Hudy, and the project that brought him there. Both have become an overnight sensation. Joey’s Extreme Marshmallow Launcher, which features a bicycle pump compressor, can launch the spongy confections up to 176 feet. The modifiable cannon barrel can also be used to launch T-shirts.

Circuit Skills: Pulse Width Modulation
By: Collin Cunningham

Controlling your speed is not just for the highway. Collin Cunningham shows us how controlling your motor speed with pulse width modulation (PWM) is versatile and efficient. Whether modulating lamp brightness, a heating element or producing a simple audio tone, PWM can be, as Collin says, “Pretty wild, man.”

By: Carlyn Maw

After an intense brainstorming session, CRASHSpace decided to turn their work space into an interactive musical instrument. The instrument triggered by sidewalkers in front of the store, used ultrasound elements to bang pots and bottles. CRASHSpace is a collection of hackers, programmers, builders, makers, artists and people who generally like to break things and see what new things they can build.

Create your own tunes by building a solenoid Thwacker.

AGELESS TECHNOLOGY. Two simple words yet I don’t think I’ve ever put them side by side. In fact isn’t this expression an oxymoron? If there is one thing that seems consistent about technology, it’s that it ages quite quickly. Engineers, of course, just can’t leave good enough alone apparently having never heard the advice, “if it ain't broke, don’t fix it.” And yet there are a few technology gems in our world that are just as impressive today as they were years ago.

I raise this topic because this month we’ll retire an ageless technology. How can you retire a technology that’s ageless? Read on and I’ll tell you about a technology that is 30 years old, equally as impressive today as it was back then, yet it’s being discontinued. Do you think you know?

Continue here and I'll tell you the technology that I'll soon be missing.

Regards,
Greg Harris
Vice President, Marketing
Greg@Jameco.com

Build Your Own Micro FM Transmiter
DIY Make Project

This fun and simple project will allow you to broadcast over an FM radio from a distance of up to 30 feet. Here’s your chance to become your own DJ with this step-by-step project from our friends at MakeProjects.

Do it yourself with this transmitter project.

Know Your Power Supply's Full/Minimum Load
Tech Tip by: Robert Cong

Where there’s smoke, don’t let there be fire. Videos of smoldering motherboards, hard drives and servers are aplenty online. Jameco gets a lot of calls from customers asking for troubleshooting tips, and one of our common questions is how to calculate the full/minimum load of a power supply. Knowing your power supply’s full load can help maintain efficiency and safety, avoiding the smoke AND the fire.

Step-by-step fix for game
consoles plagued with the
"Yellow Light of Death".

As PS3 gamers may know, the fatal console condition known as Yellow Light of Death (YLOD) precedes complete system shutdown. Before you fork out the money for a new gaming console, try this YLOD PS3 repair idea from our friends at iFixit.

Jameco welcomes the contributions of its customers. Frankly, we think what you write is more interesting than anything we could write. Share your electronic component story, project, or challenge, and we'll share it with the world. Send your story to MyStory@Jameco.com