Shiny LED Panels Run Hot

LED panels are great for grow lamps and all sorts of other purposes, but they are liable to overheat if the back surface is bare aluminium. Simply painting the top of the panel could almost double its thermal capacity, allowing you to run it at much higher current.

Source: Brompton Technology

Adafruit Lost A Customer

Last week I placed a $200 order with Adafruit. Today, after finding out that the order had not been processed in any way, I asked Adafruit when it would ship. The customer support representative could not say. Then, without any prompting from me, she cancelled my order and told me to find a new supplier. Apparently, my query was so unwelcome that Adafruit doesn't want my money, or indeed any future orders. :/

Update, June 11th. The Adafruit website now states that "Non-urgent orders are shipping within 7-10 business days, sometimes sooner." Why couldn't Kelly have told me that when I asked? In addition to cancelling my order, I now find out that Adafruit has also placed my shipping address on a blacklist to prevent future orders. If you are reading this, Limor Fried — thanks for nothing.

 

Pi Zero Print Server

I can't believe it! I actually finished a project the same day that I started it. A while back I won a Raspberry Pi Zero W in a promotional competition for Zipcar, and today I set it up as a wireless print server.

Valentine's Day Wearable

Recommended attire for Valentine's Day. Please note the electronic accessory, held in place with a barrette ;)

Magic Mote MSP430G2553 Wireless Sensor Node With NRF24L01+ Module

Proto Cape For BeagleBone

This add-on board for the BeagleBone or BeagleBone Black allows easy prototyping using through-hole components. More than 300 sold on Tindie!

Hacked Wall Clock (after Lord Vetinari)

This clock ticks erratically but still keeps accurate time. Its mechanism has been replaced by a programmable chip that emits 64 randomly spaced ticks every 64 seconds.