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Electronic component shortages may last through 2011 via Chris...

Memory chips and other fundamental components such as resistors and capacitors are in short supply after their makers slashed output, fired staff, put equipment purchases on hold or went out of business during the recession.

In contrast to what happened in 2001 after the dot.com crash, makers of components for the consumer electronics, telecoms, automotive and solar industries are not scrambling to meet short-term demand, risking another boom-and-bust cycle.

..."All of a sudden, you have a particular transistor that was made by three people in the world, and now there are two."

Lots of folks in the open source kit biz are having trouble getting parts in a timely manner as well.

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Electronic component shortages may last through 2011 via Chris...

Memory chips and other fundamental components such as resistors and capacitors are in short supply after their makers slashed output, fired staff, put equipment purchases on hold or went out of business during the recession.

In contrast to what happened in 2001 after the dot.com crash, makers of components for the consumer electronics, telecoms, automotive and solar industries are not scrambling to meet short-term demand, risking another boom-and-bust cycle.

..."All of a sudden, you have a particular transistor that was made by three people in the world, and now there are two."

Lots of folks in the open source kit biz are having trouble getting parts in a timely manner as well.

Read the Full Story » | More on MAKE » | Comments » | Read more articles in Kits | Digg this!

Open music labs introduces the MICrODEC - A Microcontroller and a Codec – A Reprogrammable Audio Processor. Clean design, with an AVR performing all the CODEC functions (handwritten in assembly!). Engraved aluminum case is available, the box is a semi-kit, so all the SMT stuff is soldered on for you already - This could easily be put in a custom case. Tons of videos, documentation, firmware, schematics and layouts available so check it out and if you love audio filters, check it out.

Have you ever been frustrated with the low audio quality you get when doing microcontroller audio stuff?  Don’t get me wrong, the 1-bit groovebox has its place, as do all the fun 8-bit nintendo sounds; but what about a nice clean reverb?  or sinewave generator?   The MICrODEC is 16-bit, 44.1kHz, stereo, and can be anything from a guitar effects box to a nice piece of test equipment.  With plenty of ins, outs, and what-have-yous, it can be converted into whatever your heart desires.  Run MIDI into it and make a monophonic synthesizer, or use the 6 seconds of sample time to capture found sounds for a pseudo-convolver.

The MICrODEC has a high quality front end which can take microphones, guitars, or line level, and an output stage which can drive headphones (although we recommend the TLC074 opamp upgrade for this).  It comes pre-programmed with 16 functions, from reverb and delays, to VCOs and pitch shifters.  With the optional laser etched case, it makes a road-worthy addition to any musician’s arsenal.

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The BookLiberator Project is designing an open source, open hardware book scanner kit, to make it easy for anyone to archive their book collections without damaging them. Though they certainly aren't the first to make a DIY book scanner, what they are working towards is an easy-to-use setup using standard cameras, a simplified mechanical design, and straightforward software. The kit isn't quite ready ready to order yet, but you can follow their instructions to make your own, and maybe even help out! They had a prototype on display at the HOPE conference, and it looked quite solid. I'm looking forward to the final version!

More:

• Cheap portable book scanner Instructable
• How-To: Book scanner on the cheap
• alt.CES - DIY full auto book scanner
• How to "Steal This Book"
• $35,000 book scanner - make a LEGO version?

Read the Full Story » | More on MAKE » | Comments » | Read more articles in Kits | Digg this!