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Closed for July 1st & 3rd, Freeduino SB in Stock

HVW Tech (and Solarbotics) will be closed tomorrow (July 1st), and Friday (July 3rd). Standard rules apply - you can still place orders, send email, and leave phone messages while we’re closed. Shipping and correspondance will resume on Thursday and then again on Monday.

And what’s the reason for these crazy, crazy schedules? While Canada Day and the annual Cowboy Hick Fest make convenient excuses, the truth is that we’re taking this opportunity to do some major organizing and renovations around the office. We apologize for any immediate inconvenience, but these improvements will benefit everyone in the long run. Just you wait and see - once Monday rolls around, we’ll be a leaner, meaner Oscar Meyar Weiner robot sellin’ machine. In the mean time, we wish all our fellow Cunucks a Happy Canada Day and all our friendly neighbours to the south a fantastic July 4th.

Oh, and we have a bit of good news for you! The oh-so-popular Freeduino SB is back in stock! And not only is it back in stock, but it's an all-new 2.2 revision. When you start breaking out version numbers and decimal points, you know you're onto something good. In this case, 2.2 brings a preinstalled 16MHz crystal, FTDI "Bit-Bang" interface pins, and battery-friendly power routing. Neat stuff!

Posted June 30th, 2009 by Chris


Odds and ends from SparkFun (and a little bit from Parallax too)

Hi everyone! We've been busy over the past few days, and have a few new items from Sparkfun to show for it. I could go through a nice long schpiel about how each item is pretty neat, but I'll get out of your way so you can move on to having a look for yourself.Arduino Mini

We've also brought in two Parallax parts. They ain't nothin' fancy, but they're pretty useful in their own right.
Anyways, that's all for now. Stay tuned for more goodies in the coming weeks!

Posted June 24th, 2009 by Chris


LilyPad Main BoardMore Arduino, Arduino, Arduino...oh, and SparkFun! And Adafruit! And more SparkFun!

I love when we get these great boxes of goodies. Just like Christmas! Now that the giggling has subsided, here's what we unpacked... Let's see... We have the:
  • Arduino BT - Bluetooth connectivity and an onboard DC/DC converter for long-term, remote, battery-powered Arduinoing (yeah, we just made that word up!
  • Arduino Nano with USB - Think of it like Arduino, but in a Stamp-format package (and built-on USB)
  • LilyPads, plus accessories. Sew them onto...something, and make them do... something. On textiles!
    • LilyPad Main Board - Low voltage, slow, but oh-so-sweet to use!
  • SparkFun Official Arduino Pro 328, in slim 3.3V/8MHz and 5V/16MHz flavours!
  • SparkFun ArduPilot Arduino-based UAV controllers (for autonomous vehicles!)
  • Arduino Shields! Yes, some have been already announced, but let's summarize:
Ok, enough of just Arduino. Although it is very cool. How about some goodies from SparkFun?:
Whew! That's quite the parcel of goodies! And just in time to put into some of the project ideas we got at the Maker Faire...

Posted June 11th, 2009 by Dave


We're back from the Maker Faire - and we brought a treat!

Wow, what a crazy week! Most of us have returned from Maker Faire, where we had a fantastic time. We met a lot of great people, saw loads of neat projects and displays, and got a chance to take in some beautifully marginal California weather ("hey... it's this cold back home!"). We’re absolutely exhausted after an insanely long and busy weekend, but we’re slowly getting back into the groove. We’ve resumed processing and filling orders as well as answering emails and other inquiries.Nunchucky

If you feel like you missed out, we have something new to show off. The Nunchucky! It's a cool little breakout board for the Nintendo Wii’s Nunchuck controller. It features:
  • Two sets of interface pads
  • Includes both 4 Pin male and 4 pin female headers
  • Lock notches so your Nunchuck “clicks” in and won’t let loose!
  • Tie-down Holes for securing ribbon-cable extensions

Try putting it to work with your favourite flavour of Arduino - we’d love to see what you come up with!

Posted June 5th, 2009 by Chris

In the infamous words of our own tech Jerome Demers:
"ARDUINO ARDUINO ARDUINO!"

Arduino MegaArduino DuemilanoveIt's sort of a mantra to him. He'll wander around the offices chanting, and we can see why he'd excited. We've have lots of fun with our own version, the Freeduino SB, and it was about time we brought in some of the fully-assembed reference Duemilanoves and the super-cool Arduino Mega. And there's more coming!


BlinkM MaxAnd you now what fits nicely with Arduinos? BlinkM Max units!

These are bright. Well, the regular BlinkM is bright, but these are stupid bright. Like "Aw c'mon, how brigh...OW OW OW! I'm BLIND!" sort of bright.. Don't say I didn't warn you!

And if you're just interested in the (huge!) 10mm LED board itself, we also carry separate  daughterboards.



Posted May 12 2009 by Dave (Wishing it was June)


New PICAxe, XBee and Propellers

More cool things from Revolution Technology Education lead us off today!

Let's start with the big news - the X2 series has finally been released, specifically, the PICAxe-28x2 (regular), PICAxe-28x2 (3V),  PICAxe-40x2 (regular), and PICAxe-40x2 (3V). These chips offer a substantial increase in speed, RAM and I/O control. The big difference between the regular and low-voltage versions are that they really need to be run at the specified voltages. The low voltage version run between 1.8V to 3.6V, the regular versions run 4.5V to 5.5V. Mix them up at your own peril!

PICAxe-08M Project BoardAlso new from Revolution Tech. Ed. is the PICAxe-08M SMD project board. Take a SMD PICAxe08M, put it on a cleverly designed carrier board, and offer it at a great price! Good formula, methinks...


XBee Module 1mW

XBee! We've got XBee! (Finally...)
It's taken us a bit longer to get these than we hoped, but now we finally have the host modules to fit all the XBee accessory boards we carry. Say "Hello" (with) to the:
PROP2508Last on the list is a bit of a fun thing. We got another type of propeller. Nothing too special, but it's impressive to see what thrust you can generate from a tiny motor when you totally over-amp it...



Posted May 1st 2009 by Dave

ATmega328P-20PU w/ Arduino Firmware, Sparkfun Wireless Data Transmission Goodies

ATmega328P-20PU w/ Arduino Firmware v15

We have a few new n' neat toys to show you today. First and foremost is this ATmega328P-20PU - but it ain't no ordinary microcontroller. We've programmed (and tested) it with the Arduino Firmware v15, making the chip ready to drop into any standard DIP-mount Arduino-compatible board, like our own Freeduino or Boarduino kits.


We've also added a small handful of items to our Wireless Data Transmission category, in particular the four following items from Sparkfun:
  • Sparkfun RF Link 2400bps Receiver - 315MHz This wireless data is the easiest to use, lowest cost RF link we have ever seen! Use these components to transmit position data, temperature data, even current program register values wirelessly to the receiver. These modules have up to 500 ft range in open space, and the receiver is operated at 5V.
  • Sparkfun RF Link Transmitter - 315MHz This will work with the RF Links at 315MHz at either baud rate. These modules have been used extensively and have been very impressed with their ease of use and direct interface to an MCU.
  • Sparkfun Transceiver nRF2401A with Trace Antenna The SparkFun nRF2401A module is a great replacement for the RF-24G if needed. Same IC, same commands, the difference is the MiRF v1 has a 0.1" connector.
  • Sparkfun Breakout Board for RF-24G Transceiver It's pretty difficult to attach to the tiny header on this great little wireless module. So Sparkfun laid out a PCB to convert the 1.25mm 10 pin header to an in-line .1" standard breadboard interface!

Posted April 22nd 2009by Chris


BlinkM Smart LED Video

Remember that BlinkM Smart LED we mentioned a few weeks back? Well, we knew that it was just so cool that we simply had to make a video for it. Check out our snazzy embedded YouTube video below - I shows of 360 degrees of rotation goodness as well as some pretty n' colourful blinky...ness. 

Posted April 20th 2009 by Chris


Itty Bitty stuff, by Didel


GM17 Driver/EncoderIf  you are familiar with R/C aircraft and the like, you may have of Didel - they are known as a great supplier of indoor R/C aircraft stuff. Tiny motors, gears, things like that. Now they've started engineering stuff that works with our stuff, like the GM17 motor driver/encoder unit, and the upgrade gear sets for faster speed. And they must really like the GM17, as they even made a nice aluminum mount for them too!

I'd tell you about the their gears we're carrying too, but somebody found out already, and most are already gone. Sorry, more are coming!
Posted April 2nd 2009  by Dave

Recession? Think of it more as "Quality Indoor Time"

Ok, maybe that's a little glib - we're all tightening our belts a bit, but generally, we're seeing that when times get tight, people will trade their luxeries for some quality "indoor" time. When times get tough, people get innovating, which means digging out that broken VCR and turning it into a cat feeder.

HVW Technologies & Solarbotics Ltd. are here to help you with those lofty goals. So with that in mind, lets talk about some new stuff

BlinkM - Smart LEDs

BlinkM Smart LEDDon't get these mixed up with the little candies that don't melt in your hands (although these are somewhat crunchier...). These Smart LEDs are cool little RGB LEDs - mulitcolour lights that don't sound that innovative... until you realize you can hook up 127 of these in a chain, connect them to a microcontroller and make them do all sorts of funky stuff. Did I mention they're bright? Ouch, they're bright... Don't trust the picture - this is the "off" state. When on, they leave little pixie lights in the back of your eyeballs...

SparkFun - BlueSMiRF Modems

SparkFun BlueSMiRF Gold ModemThese guys just have waaay too much fun. Find stuff, make it really easy to use, then sell it. So we buy it. Then accounting says "STOP PLAYING, and GET TO WORK", so then we have to let you guys see it.

The latest thing we've brought in from SparkFun is their BlueSMiRF Gold Modem. You want to wirelessly connect your device to your PC in a really easy way? S'nice...

Adafruit - Lots of stuff

Adafruit Wave ShieldLimor over at Adafruit has a real nack of making useful stuff. Besides the cool Mintyboost recharger, and USBtinyISP AVR programmer, we're carrying her Arduino / Freeduino Wave Shield and Motor Shields. We've also got her Ethernet Shields too (we're working on bringing in the mating XPort modules)

Atmel AVR ATmega328

Atmel ATmega328Now, why should you care about the ATmega328 AVR microcontroller? The simplest reason is this:

It's an upgrade to the ATmega168. Yup, the same IC used in the Arduino / Freeduino SB. We're working on soon providing you with an Arduino-bootloader preloaded on this. Until then, feel free to raid our stock and hack the firmware in yourself!

Parallax - Propeller Accessory Kits

Parallax Propeller accessory kitParallax has been busy churning out all sorts of handy items, especially around their Propeller chips. We're now carrying the Propeller Accessory Kit that supplies you with a mouse (!), keyboard (!!), and a monitor (!!!) for your propeller. Pretty amazing what this IC can handle.

As usual, stay tuned for more product updates. My "new items" shelf still has a few trinkets left, and as soon as I can get them pried loose from our winter intern, I'll be introducing them!

Posted March 13 by Dave

Politics, Products, and ...Porcupines (I needed another "P" word)

It's been an exciting week in the world, hasn't it? Regardless of your impressions of the Canadian or American political scene, things are definitely happening! Oh, to be glued to CNN/CSPAN to follow what adventures are coming, but there is work to do. Like...

Sale on the MAKE Controller

These are really nice development boards, and they are presently under-appreciated. And a bit pricey, but that is not to say that you're not giving your money's worth out of these. At $94.95, these are a great way to get involved in ARM processors.

PICAxe Development Kits Article

Here's a neat little article on the PICAxe microcontroller by Clive Maxfield. It looks like he's diving into microcontrollers using the PICAxe and blogging his experiences as he goes.

New Product!

Yes, I have been able to sneak more purchases through the accounting department in the last month. Shhh, don't tell...

Jumper Wires

jumper wires - MaleHave you ever worked with really crappy jumper wires on a breadboard? You know, the kind that snapped after using them for five times? Or the end of it breaks off inside the breadboard so you have to dig it out? These quality jumpers from Sparkfun Electronics are truly what you need to play with. With male-to-male and female-to-female versions, these are just as useful on a breadboard as they are on an Arduino.

Freeduino SB / Arduino Protoshield

Arduino protoshieldSpeaking of Freeduino's and Arduino's, we now carry the Arduino Protoshield. It's quite handy for portable breadboarding and prototyping circuits. If you are doing more than making just the "pin13" LED blink, a couple of these Protoshields will come in very handy.




EFX-Tek Components

EFX-Tek RS-485We now carry the EFX-Tek AP-8 Audio Player and RS-485 networking adapters. Network several controllers together, and make them actually curse at each other!





Dimension Engineering

Sabertooth 2x10These guys keep coming up with better and better motor drivers. The Sabertooth 2x10 and a Sabertooth 2x25 are both very powerful units (two channels of 10 and 25 amperes, respectively) that use their very hand multiple-method communication interface.




MAKE Publications

Book - Getting started with ArduinoWe love MAKE publishing. "Getting started with Arduino" is proving to be an excellent companion to the Arduino and Freeduino microcontroller. As it is written by Massimo Banzi (cofounder of the Arduino project), he should know what he's talking about. It's a great little introduction to this microcontroller project.




The "Best of Instructables, Volume 1" is a very time wasting book. But in a good way. And that's all I'm going to say about that.

And as usual, there is more to come. Stayed tuned!



HVW/SB LogoHVWTechnologies now is under new management!
 Mr. Mark Hillier has a major new priority in his life (the type that crawls around and drools on things), and approached us at Solarbotics to take over the care and feeding of HVWTech.com! The transition has gone smoothly, and now your orders are being processed and supported by the fine staff at Solarbotics.

Online Specials

Pololu Dual Serial Motor Controller Pololu Dual Serial Motor Controller

Traditionally, you need at least 2 I/O lines to control a motor (enable / direction, or OutputA / OutputB), which would mean you'd have to ...
$22.95   $20.66 USD

LK204-24-USB-GW USB LCD Module LK204-24-USB-GW USB LCD Module

A true performer, this USB interface LCD module lets you connect up to four fans and up to six individual temperature probes. It also features ...
$79.95   $71.16 USD


Phidgets 50Amp Current Sensor AC&DC Phidgets 50Amp Current Sensor AC&DC

The 33325 measures AC current up to 50Amps and DC Current from -50Amps to +50Amps. Dual outputs allow the user to measure both the AC and DC ...
$54.17   $41.71 USD


MX-212 USB Drive Bay Kit USB-WB-BK MX-212 USB Drive Bay Kit USB-WB-BK
The MX212 - USB Driver Bay kit features everything you need to mount a 20 character x 2 line Blue USB LCD with a 24 key keypad interface, into a ...
$89.95   $80.06 USD



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