Kitronik July 2014 D&T Update

16 BRAND NEWPRODUCTS INSIDE!

SUSTAINABLE LAMP DESIGN MADE EASY:see pages 4 & 5 for more details.

JULY 2014 UPDATEDESIGN & TECHNOLOGY:

Solar BuggyMicro USB Lamp Kit with 1W LED StarNew MP3 Mono Amp KitLaser MaterialsArcade Buttons and JoystickAlkaline AA Batteries

NEW PRODUCTS

ALSO INSIDE

Teach Design Event:Design & Make the Future 2014Kitronik’s Thread Winding Machine HackAdding Power Switches toElectronic Circuits

DESIGN & MAKE THE FUTURE 2014

Design & Make the Future 2014 was run by Teach Design and took place on Saturday 10th May at the National STEM Centre in York. The day was packed with a combination of keynotes, workshops, networking and exhibitions. There were 16 workshops in total that took place over the course of the day; each delegate could attend 4 sessions.

Over lunch there was the opportunity to network and look around the exhibition area where a number of companies were showing off their products/services. At the Kitronik stand a range of electronic project kits and E-Textiles products were on display, providing inspiration for teachers – who could also request a free sample of our kits!

Julie Boyd’s E- Textiles Workshop

www.kitronik.co.uk/dmfuture14

ENGAGING ELECTRONICS PRESENTATION

Kitronik director, Geoff Hampson, gave two presentations on delivering engaging electronics lessons. The session covered free-to-use resources, a range of project ideas, as well as taking a brief look at the use of microcontrollers and E-Textiles. Geoff’s presentation can be downloaded from the link below.

E-TEXTILES WORKSHOP

The E-Textiles workshop was run by Julie Boyd, an E-Textiles consultant who writes our E-Textiles tutorials. After an explanation of what E-Textiles was all about, the teachers were able to make a simple circuit: an Electro-Fashion Switched Coin Cell Holder connected to a Sewable PCB LED using conductive thread.

2

NEW – SOLAR POWERED BUGGY

Kit Contents:

- Laser cut Perspex buggy chassis (pre-cut, no need for a laser cutter).- A Low Inertia Solar Motor and a 3.0V 100mA Polycrystalline Solar Cell, which power the Solar Buggy under direct sunlight.- All of the pulleys, wheels and axles that are required to complete the buggy.

Thinking of ways to introduce solar energy to your students? With this new Solar Powered Buggy, learning how to harness the sun’s energy to produce power is fun and hands-on.

The buggy is simple to construct and all of the required parts are included. The scope of the project can be extended by getting your students to redesign aspects of the buggy and evaluate the impact that this has on its performance.

£6.80

10+

£7.90

1+

£6.40

100+CodeDescription

2153Solar Powered Buggy

This kit requires assembly, including soldering.

www.kitronik.co.uk/2153

The Solar Powered Buggy in action

3

NEW – MICRO USB LAMP KIT

“A common external power supply (EPS) must include a cable with a Micro USB-B

connector for connecting to a mobile phone.”— European Commission, June 2009

Request a free sample of the Micro USB Lamp Kit by phone, email or online at: www.kitronik.co.uk/services/samples

FREE SAMPLES

The aside specification was implemented due to the concern that if a user wanted to change his/her mobile phone, they usually had to acquire a new charger and dispose of the current one even if it is in perfect condition.

‘This unnecessarily generates important amounts of electronic waste. Harmonising mobile phone chargers will bring significant economic and environmental benefits. Consumers will not need to buy a new charger with every mobile phone.’

Due to this specification, you’ll find that most of your students will have a number of these Micro USB Power Supplies lying around their home (as they are supplied with the majority of mobile phones and tablets). Our new lamp kit is Micro USB-compatible and is a great project for your KS3 and GCSE students.

EXAMPLEOF THELAMP KITIN USE

See opposite page for more details.

Lamp design by Hawkley Hall High School

See more at:

www.kitronik.co.uk/2152

DESIGNING SUSTAINABLE MAINS POWERED LAMPS

www.kitronik.co.uk/gallery4

This kit allows you to build an economical mains powered lamp that takes power from a standard Micro USB phone charger (available separately). The kit comprises a very bright 1W Power LED which connects (with the cable provided) to a PCB that has a power switch, Micro USB connector and power resistor. All that is required to assemble the kit is to connect the LED to the desired length of cable and solder the resistor to the board.

£4.16

10+

£5.26

1+

£3.76

100+CodeDescription

2152Micro USB Lamp Kit - 1W LED

MICRO USB LAMP KIT

MICRO USB BREAKOUT

This Micro USB Breakout Board offers easy access to all the USB power and data pins as they are connected to large solder-able pads on the PCB. The board has two further outputs where the 5V power pin is connected through a switch or the switch and a resistor. This makes the board ideal for a variety of applications.

Description

Micro USB Breakout, with Power Switch 5104

Code

£3.25

1+

This is a 5V DC 1A UK Mains Powered Micro USB Power Supply. These can be used in a wide range of applications including phone charging and powering Raspberry Pis. It is safety approved and features short circuit and over current protection. This unit has a fixed UK pin and a 1.8 metre output cable.

£4.25

1+

£3.85

10+CodeDescription

22085V 1A Micro USB UK Mains Wall Power Supply

MICRO USB UK MAINS WALL POWER SUPPLY

www.kitronik.co.uk/2152

www.kitronik.co.uk/5104

www.kitronik.co.uk/2208

5

ADDING POWER TO SWITCHES TO ELECTRONIC CIRCUITS

Our MP3 Mono Amplifier Kit does not include a switch simply because not everyone wants to integrate a switch into their circuit and because there are so many different switches to choose from. However, that is not to say that it cannot be done. In fact, adding a switch to our amplifier kits (and other kits) is extremely straight forward.

MONO AMPCASE WITHROCKERSWITCH

If you wish to add a power switch, don’t solder both ends of the battery clip directly into the board, instead:

ADDING AN ON/OFF SWITCH

Solder one end of the battery clip to the PCB, either black to ‘-’ or red to ‘+’.1

Solder the other end of the battery clip to the on / off switch.2

Using a piece of wire, solder the remaining terminal on the on / off switch to the remaining power connection on the PCB.

3

“CAN I ADD A SWITCH TO MY MP3 MONO AMPLIFIER KIT?” — OF COURSE YOU CAN!

You can laser cut your own Mono Amp Case using our cutting files:www.kitronik.co.uk/monoampcase-cuttingfiles

6

SPST ROCKER SWITCH

Code3406

DescriptionSPST black 'I/O' actuator - 10 pack £3.90

1+

SPST rocker switch black, rectangular, snap fit. L 21, W 9.6, H 28.5mm. Pack of 10.

SPST ROUND ROCKER SWITCH

Code3407

DescriptionSPST round rocker switch - 10 pack £4.70

1+

SPST rocker switch black, round, snap fit. L 16.5, Dia 23mm. Pack of 10.

SPDT TOGGLE SWITCH

Code3408

DescriptionSPDT toggle switch - 10 pack £4.70

1+

SPDT standard toggle switch. Body dimensions L 13, W 8, H 9.8 mm. Pack of 10.

MINIATURE SPDT TOGGLE SWITCH

Code3423-10

DescriptionMiniature SPDT toggle switch - 10 pack £3.65

1+

SPDT minature toggle switch. Body dimensions L 13, W 8, H 9.5 mm. Pack of 10.

SPST SUB MINIATURE TOGGLE SWITCH

Code3413

DescriptionSub-Miniature toggle switch SPST - 10 pack £4.45

1+

SPST sub miniature toggle switch. Body dimensions L 8.1, W 5.1, H 8.6mm. Pack of 10.

DPDT SLIDE SWITCH

Code3416

DescriptionStandard slide switch (large) - 10 pack £1.75

1+

Standard DPDT slide switches with solder tag connections. L 22, W 8, H 13mm. Pack of 10.

MINIATURE DPDT SLIDE SWITCH

Code3404

DescriptionMiniature DPDT slide switch - 10 pack £1.20

1+

Miniature DPDT slide switch. L 15, W 7, H 18mm. Pack of 10.

www.kitronik.co.uk/switches

OF COURSE YOU CAN!

POPULAR ON/OFF SWITCHES

7

WE HAVE REDESIGNED OUR PRE-BUILT MP3 MONO AMP KIT!

With the help of our new Pick and Place Machine, we have redesigned our Pre-built MP3 Mono Amp Kit (which works just as well as the older version). The chips that we previously used for this board are now obsolete; however including a new IC is not the only change that we’ve introduced…

All of the components are now surface mount, including the IC, as most chips are now generally only available in surface mount packages. Being fully surface mount means that the speed and accuracy of manufacture has been improved.

Surface mount components

MP3 MONO AMPLIFIER V2.0, PRE-BUILT

The pre-built version of the amplifier kit allows you to focus more on product design. The Mono Amplifier Kit can be used with any personal stereo equipment. The IC (LM386) and the resistors and capacitors are all surface mount. Students just need to finish it by connecting the jack lead, speaker & power clip to the board.

Mono Amplifier example

* Price shown includes bulk buy discount

£3.32

10+

£3.02

100+

£2.869

200+*

£4.05

1+Code

2154B

Description

MP3 Mono Amplifier V2.0, Pre-built £2.718

300+*

www.kitronik.co.uk/2154B

8

NEW – LASER MATERIALS

Our Birch Laser Plywood sheets have proved so popular with schools that we have decided to extend our range of laser materials. With laser cutting machines in classrooms, students of differing abilities are able to produce high quality work in a short space of time.

HOW IS POPLAR DIFFERENT TO BIRCHLASER PLYWOOD?Poplar is a cultivated wood that grows quickly, which makes it a very sustainable product. The advantage that Poplar has over Birch when laser cutting is that it is lower density, meaning that it can be cut easily at lower power settings. Poplar also has little (or no) internal knots, which also aids consistency of cutting. The difference can be seen in the two images below, which were both cut on our laser cutter at the same power and speed.

We now supply Poplar Laser Plywood and Laser Grade MDF!www.kitronik.co.uk/laser

LASER MATERIALS – 600MM X 400MM

POPLAR PLYWOODThe board has selected poplar faces and core made of the highest quality veneers. Glue type EN 314-2. Ideal for Model Making, Joinery and Carpentry applications.

MDFThe MDF has E1 low emissions, meaning low formaldehyde emissions. The product is to FSC(Forest Stewardship Council) certification.

£2.50

1+Code

3209

Description

3mm Poplar Laser Plywood, 600mm x 400mm sheet£3.7532106mm Poplar Laser Plywood, 600mm x 400mm sheet£1.6032113mm Laser Grade MDF, 600mm x 400mm sheet£2.0032126mm Laser Grade MDF, 600mm x 400mm sheet£2.7032013mm Birch Laser Plywood, 600mm x 400mm sheet£3.9532026mm Birch Laser Plywood, 600mm x 400mm sheet

BIRCHLASERPLYWOOD

POPLARLASERPLYWOOD –CLEANERCUTTING!

Please note that all materials except A4 sizes are subject to a £6.50 delivery charge.9

NEW – ARCADE BUTTONS & JOYSTICK

Looking to deliver a fun, hands-on and interactive Electronics project? Looking for new ways to deliver the Computing Curriculum? Ever considered building game controllers...?

Our new Arcade Joystick and Arcade Push Buttons certainly liven up our range of switches, to say the least, and are heavy duty - carefully chosen to handle the passionate gamers amongst us.

ARCADE PUSH BUTTONS

These 33mm round momentary convex push buttons are available in a range of bold colours, similar to the ones that you find on arcade games and have a simple screw in design.

£0.78

1+

4676

CodeDescription

Arcade Push Button 33mm, Pink

£0.784677Arcade Push Button 33mm, Blue

£0.784678Arcade Push Button 33mm, Green

£0.784679Arcade Push Button 33mm, Yellow

www.kitronik.co.uk/newarcadeswitches

10 BRAND NEWPRODUCTS INSIDE!

ARCADE JOYSTICK

A heavy duty 4-way Pacman-type Arcade Joystick. The joystick uses four microswitches to detect on/off position and has an ABS plastic and solid alloy construction.

£10.21

1+Code

4680

Description

Arcade Joystick - Short Handle

Laika game controller prototype

www.kitronik.co.uk/4680

10

KITRONIK’S THREAD WINDING MACHINE HACK

This new range of Alkaline Batteries offers great performance at an economical price.

£1.12

1+

2207-04

Code

£1.02

5+Description

Pro-Elec Alkaline AA Battery, pack of 4

PRO-ELEC BATTERIES

£8.652207-40 £7.95Pro-Elec Alkaline AA Battery, pack of 40

www.kitronik.co.uk/batteries

Take an old and used thread winding machine, an Arduino Uno, our Relay Board Kit, an LCD Screen, a few switches, a 5V Power Supply(and a few more parts here and there)and we have… a Thread Winding Machine designed to measure and wind a piece of conductive thread neatly around an Electro-Fashion bobbin!

The motor within the winding machine spins a bar that protrudes from the left side of the machine, holding the Electro-Fashion t-shirt (thread holder) on the end. With each spin, the conductive thread is wrapped around the t-shirt. The Arduino Uno has been programmed to drive the Relay Board, which

determines how many times the motor should spin the t-shirt depending on the length that we require the conductive thread to be.

The LCD Screen lists the modes that are available e.g. ‘2m T-shirt’, ‘6m T-shirt’ & ‘45m Bobbin’, which are controlled by two buttons – one button changes the mode and the other runs the command that has been selected.

NEW BATTERIES & OUR THREAD WINDING MACHINE HACK

11

0845 8380781T:

KitronikUnit 3a, Shipstones Business Centre, North Gate, Nottingham, NG7 7FN

A:

www.kitronik.co.ukW:[email protected]:

www.kitronik.co.uk/twitter

www.kitronik.co.uk/facebook

www.kitronik.co.uk/youtube

www.kitronik.co.uk/google

With the new academic year comes new projects and new budgets that must be met. Here at Kitronik, we offer a discount for bulk buying kits.

Order 200+ kits and get a 5% discount on the kits, or order 300+ kits and get a 10% discount on the kits.

The kits can be mixed and matched to make the total. Please note that the discount only applies to project kits, not the whole order, and only Kitronik manufactured kits are eligible for the discount.

www.kitronik.co.uk/bulk-buy-discounts

ORDER300+ KITS10% OFF

ORDER200+ KITS5% OFF

All prices shown are exclusive of VAT, delivery charge may be applicable.

The samples service is available for any self assembly electronic kit which is marked as exclusive to Kitronik (except for the motor controller, FM radio & high power amp)

Request your free sample Kitronik project kit by phone, email or online at:

www.kitronik.co.uk/services/samples/

FREE SAMPLES