ASK AN ENGINEER 11/11/2020 LIVE! 8PM ET TONIGHT! @adafruit

ASK AN ENGINEER 11/11/2020 LIVE! 8PM ET TONIGHT! – Video.

New Products 11/4/2020 Featuring Adafruit BMP390 – Precision Barometric Pressure and Altimeter – STEMMA QT / Qwiic (Video)

New Products 11/4/2020 Featuring Adafruit BMP390 – Precision Barometric Pressure and Altimeter – STEMMA QT / Qwiic (Video)

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• Clear Adhesive Squares – 6 pack – UGlu Dashes (0:10)
• Adafruit Matrix Portal Starter Kit – ADABOX 016 Essentials (2:20)
• CircuitBrains Deluxe – CircuitPython-compatible SAMD51 Module by Null Byte Labs (3:57)
• ESP32-S2-WROVER-I Module with uFL – 4 MB flash and 2 MB PSRAM (5:06)
• Raspberry Pi 400 Desktop – Computer Only (5:50)
• Raspberry Pi 400 Desktop – Full Computer Kit (5:50)
• Adafruit SGP30 Air Quality Sensor Breakout – VOC and eCO2 – STEMMA QT / Qwiic (10:18)
• Adafruit BMP390 – Precision Barometric Pressure and Altimeter – STEMMA QT / Qwiic (10:55)

EYE on NPI – CUI CMM-4030D-261-I2S-TR I2S Microphone #EyeOnNPI #Adafruit @cuidevices @DigiKey

Mmm-mm we like the sound of this new microphone from CUI Devices – the new CMM-4030D-261-I2S.

That part number is quite a mouthful, but also pretty descriptive since 4030 is the size of the mic (4x3mm) and I2S is the interface it uses for audio. The reason we picked this for EYE on NPI? It’s the only top-ported I2S microphone available on Digi-Key and we’ve been looking for one for a while!

If you’ve ever designed a product with a microphone input you know you basically have two choices – good ol’ electret microphones or MEMS-based mics. Electrets have been around for decades, are very inexpensive and easy to use. However, they have a few big downsides – one is you can’t SMT reflow them (or at least, not any of the low cost one’s we’ve ever seen or used) – they must be hand/selective/wave soldered instead.

Two, they are analog output and need an amplifier. The amplifier is not a big deal, but if you want to have digital input into your chip, single board computer, or FPGA, you need to then get a separate I2S audio converter chip.  Either way, if you’re trying to avoid non-SMT assembly steps, that low cost electret isn’t as low cost anymore!

OK so next you look at MEMS mics – created by measuring the capacitance change in a MEMS diaphragm when sound pushes it towards a matching plate. Because they are solid state, you can pick and place and SMT reflow them for easy manufacture. They’re also much smaller and thinner than electrets, so they’re great for making tight builds. So, problem number one is solved! And, unlike electrets, you can get them with three different output options: analog, PDM and I2S.

Analog is the earliest and simplest – the capacitance change in the MEMS transducer is converted to a small analog value and piped out one of the pins. You still need to amplify it, but any op-amp will do the job. Pro: cheap, simple, great if you have an analog input, can replace electret analog circuits. Cons: Need an extra op-amp, passives, and an analog input.

Next up is PDM output – which is a weird semi-analog digital signal. Like PWM, if you were to low-pass filter PDM, you’d get an analog signal, but you get the benefit of clock-synced output.

And it’s really simple with only two pins needed for stereo microphone in (one has data on falling clock, one on rising). You do need to do heavy filtering to get rid of the square wave ‘carrier’ but that’s often handled within the PDM peripheral on your chip – at worst you can sorta treat it like an SPI device at 1 MHz and perform the filtering yourself in code. Pros: cheap, fairly simple if you have a PDM peripheral on your chip. Cons: You need that special peripheral!

So finally we get to I2S which was how we got here in the first place! I2S microphones have a true I2S interface, so they work with many more chips including existing codecs that expect I2S inputs. For example, Raspberry Pi computers and other Single Board Linux computers often don’t have PDM inputs, but they do have I2S! So you can wire this microphone directly to a Pi. Also many other chips, even if they don’t have PDM or you don’t want to use analog, will have solid I2S support.

The only downside is that, at least for now, I2S mics are more expensive than PDM or analog – but they may be cheaper than analog mics + a codec or ADC! And they’re definitely small, so if you want to have a very compact build, they’re great.

Like we mentioned at the beginning, this is the first top-ported I2S microphone we’ve seen, so we’re happy we can pick one up to use in a future design. Digi-Key has a bunch of CMM-4030D-261-I2S-TR in stock right now, you can order tonight and have it by tomorrow morning. Also save yourself some time by downloading the CAD footprint from SnapEDA while you wait for the package to be delivered!

Digi-Key short URL: https://www.digikey.com/short/zdfjf1

Adafruit Top Secret! (Video November 4, 2020) #AdafruitTopSecret #CircuitPython #Adafruit #FromTheVault @Adafruit

A secret look ahead from Adafruit in New York!

Broadcast November 4, 2020

Adafruit broadcasts the weekly ASK an ENGINEER video show and this is the segment (from the vault) on items or concept products that may/might/could be introduced into the Adafruit store in the future (or not)! It’s not out yet, so please don’t ask questions or ask when it’ll be available.

You may keep an eye on the Adafruit new products list to see what has been put in the store or that may be coming soon.

Check out the latest video above!

Check out the Adafruit store for all the great products that are available (Adafruit is open and shipping!)

And for coming soon products, you can sign up to be notified when they are in stock.

Join us on Discord for news, help, and community – over 25,000 strong and growing! https://adafru.it/discord/

ASK AN ENGINEER 11/4/2020 LIVE! 8PM ET TONIGHT! @adafruit

ASK AN ENGINEER 11/4/2020 LIVE! 8PM ET TONIGHT! – Video.

Adafruit Top Secret! (Video October 29, 2020) #AdafruitTopSecret #CircuitPython #Adafruit #FromTheVault @Adafruit

A secret look ahead from Adafruit in New York!

Broadcast October 29, 2020

Adafruit broadcasts the weekly ASK an ENGINEER video show and this is the segment (from the vault) on items or concept products that may/might/could be introduced into the Adafruit store in the future (or not)! It’s not out yet, so please don’t ask questions or ask when it’ll be available.

You may keep an eye on the Adafruit new products list to see what has been put in the store or that may be coming soon.

Check out the latest video above!

Check out the Adafruit store for all the great products that are available (Adafruit is open and shipping!)

And for coming soon products, you can sign up to be notified when they are in stock.

Join us on Discord for news, help, and community – over 25,000 strong and growing! https://adafru.it/discord/

The Python on Hardware weekly video #CircuitPython #Python #Adafruit @Adafruit

Python on hardware news and events for this week!

Episode 104 (October 28, 2020)

This is our weekly video-newsletter-podcast!

Ladyada and PT provide this week’s video on Python on hardware news and events.

The news comes from the Python community, Discord, Adafruit communities and more. It’s part of the weekly newsletter we do, with more than 8,210 readers!

Our entire playlist of Python on hardware videos is at http://adafru.it/pohepisodes

---

Also available – our Email Newsletter: Python on Microcontrollers

Sign up for the newsletter here: https://www.adafruitdaily.com/. No spam, no ads, your email address is never sold, opt out of everything quickly if desired.

The current newsletter post and the archives, 3 years worth! https://www.adafruitdaily.com/category/circuitpython/

Find out more about CircuitPython at https://CircuitPython.org/

See all the information on CircuitPython on the curated Awesome CircuitPython List

CircuitPython on Reddit https://www.reddit.com/r/circuitpython/

New Products 10/28/2020 Featuring Adafruit 2.9″ Tri-Color eInk / ePaper Display FeatherWing – R/B/W! (Video)

New Products 10/28/2020 Featuring Adafruit 2.9″ Tri-Color eInk / ePaper Display FeatherWing – R/B/W! (Video)

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• Arduino Uno R3 (0:43)
• Arduino Mega 2560 R3 (Atmega2560 – assembled) (1:10)
• Arduino MKR WiFi 1010 – SAMD21 with WiFi and BLE (1:45)
• Arduino Starter Kit from Arduino.cc (4:12)
• Replacement 5V Power Cable for RGB LED Matrices (4:55)
• 2-Prong Barbed Fitting Connector for Silicone Tubing – 5-pack (5:30)
• Adafruit LPS35HW Water Resistant Pressure Sensor – STEMMA QT (6:33)
• Adafruit 2.9″ Tri-Color eInk / ePaper Display FeatherWing – Red Black White (7:00)

New Products 10/21/2020 Featuring Adafruit Voice Bonnet for Raspberry Pi – Two Speakers + Two Mics (Video)

New Products 10/21/2020 Featuring Adafruit Voice Bonnet for Raspberry Pi – Two Speakers + Two Mics (Video)

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• AdaBox: Curated Adafruit products, unique collectibles, and exclusive discounts (0:06)
• Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 – 1GB / No MMC / No WiFi (Lite) (0:25)
• Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 IO Board (0:25)
• Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 Antenna Kit (0:25)
• PPE “Introductory” Pack – Protective Equipment Kit (4:37)
• PPE “Basics” Pack – Protective Equipment Kit (4:37)
• Nylon Fabric Squares with Conductive Adhesive – 10cm x 10cm – 3 pack (5:21)
• Adafruit Metro ESP32-S2 (7:00)
• Adafruit 2.9″ Grayscale eInk / ePaper Display FeatherWing – 4 Level Grayscale (8:27)
• Adafruit Voice Bonnet for Raspberry Pi -Two Speakers + Two Mics (10:03)

Adafruit Top Secret! (Video October 21, 2020) #AdafruitTopSecret #CircuitPython #Adafruit #FromTheVault @Adafruit

A secret look ahead from Adafruit in New York!

Broadcast October 21, 2020

Adafruit broadcasts the weekly ASK an ENGINEER video show and this is the segment (from the vault) on items or concept products that may/might/could be introduced into the Adafruit store in the future (or not)! It’s not out yet, so please don’t ask questions or ask when it’ll be available.

You may keep an eye on the Adafruit new products list to see what has been put in the store or that may be coming soon.

Check out the latest video above!

Check out the Adafruit store for all the great products that are available (Adafruit is open and shipping!)

And for coming soon products, you can sign up to be notified when they are in stock.

Join us on Discord for news, help, and community – over 25,000 strong and growing! https://adafru.it/discord/

The Python on Hardware weekly video #CircuitPython #Python #Adafruit @Adafruit

Python on hardware news and events for this week!

Episode 103 (October 21, 2020)

This is our weekly video-newsletter-podcast!

Ladyada and PT provide this week’s video on Python on hardware news and events.

The news comes from the Python community, Discord, Adafruit communities and more. It’s part of the weekly newsletter we do, with more than 8,175 readers!

Our entire playlist of Python on hardware videos is at http://adafru.it/pohepisodes

---

Also available – our Email Newsletter: Python on Microcontrollers

Sign up for the newsletter here: https://www.adafruitdaily.com/. No spam, no ads, your email address is never sold, opt out of everything quickly if desired.

The current newsletter post and the archives, 3 years worth! https://www.adafruitdaily.com/category/circuitpython/

Find out more about CircuitPython at https://CircuitPython.org/

See all the information on CircuitPython on the curated Awesome CircuitPython List

CircuitPython on Reddit https://www.reddit.com/r/circuitpython/

ASK AN ENGINEER 10/21/2020 LIVE! 8PM ET TONIGHT! @adafruit

ASK AN ENGINEER 10/21/2020 LIVE! 8PM ET TONIGHT! – Video.

New Products 10/14/2020 Featuring Adafruit Grayscale 1.5″ 128×128 OLED Graphic Display – STEMMA QT / Qwiic! (Video)

New Products 10/14/2020 Featuring Adafruit Grayscale 1.5″ 128×128 OLED Graphic Display – STEMMA QT / Qwiic! (Video)

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• AdaBox: Curated Adafruit products, unique collectibles, and exclusive discounts (0:06)
• CircuitPython 6 Poster (1:13)
• Coming Soon! BBC micro:bit v2 (1:23)
• 3x AA Battery Holder with On/Off Switch and 2-Pin JST (5:46)
• PPE “The Works” Pack – All In One Protective Equipment Kit (7:03)
• Black LED Diffusion Acrylic Panel – 10.2″ x 5.1″ – 0.1″ / 2.6mm thick (8:22)
• FeatherS2 – ESP32-S2 Feather Development Board (9:33)
• Adafruit Grayscale 1.5″ 128×128 OLED Graphic Display – STEMMA QT / Qwiic (12:23)

Adafruit Top Secret! (Video October 14, 2020) #AdafruitTopSecret #CircuitPython #Adafruit #FromTheVault @Adafruit

A secret look ahead from Adafruit in New York!

Broadcast October 14, 2020

Adafruit broadcasts the weekly ASK an ENGINEER video show and this is the segment (from the vault) on items or concept products that may/might/could be introduced into the Adafruit store in the future (or not)! It’s not out yet, so please don’t ask questions or ask when it’ll be available.

You may keep an eye on the Adafruit new products list to see what has been put in the store or that may be coming soon.

Check out the latest video above!

Check out the Adafruit store for all the great products that are available (Adafruit is open and shipping!)

And for coming soon products, you can sign up to be notified when they are in stock.

Join us on Discord for news, help, and community – over 25,000 strong and growing! https://adafru.it/discord/

The Python on Hardware weekly video #CircuitPython #Python #Adafruit @Adafruit

Python on hardware news and events for this week!

Episode 102 (October 14, 2020)

This is our weekly video-newsletter-podcast!

Ladyada and PT provide this week’s video on Python on hardware news and events.

The news comes from the Python community, Discord, Adafruit communities and more. It’s part of the weekly newsletter we do, with more than 8,159 readers!

Our entire playlist of Python on hardware videos is at http://adafru.it/pohepisodes

---

Also available – our Email Newsletter: Python on Microcontrollers

Sign up for the newsletter here: https://www.adafruitdaily.com/. No spam, no ads, your email address is never sold, opt out of everything quickly if desired.

The current newsletter post and the archives, 3 years worth! https://www.adafruitdaily.com/category/circuitpython/

Find out more about CircuitPython at https://CircuitPython.org/

See all the information on CircuitPython on the curated Awesome CircuitPython List

CircuitPython on Reddit https://www.reddit.com/r/circuitpython/

ASK AN ENGINEER 10/14/2020 LIVE! 8PM ET TONIGHT! @adafruit

ASK AN ENGINEER 10/14/2020 LIVE! 8PM ET TONIGHT! – Video.

New Products 10/9/2020 Featuring Adafruit 9-DOF Orientation IMU Fusion Breakout – STEMMA QT / Qwiic! (Video)

New Products 10/7/2020 Featuring Adafruit 9-DOF Orientation IMU Fusion Breakout – STEMMA QT / Qwiic! (Video)

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• AdaBox: Curated Adafruit products, unique collectibles, and exclusive discounts (0:07)
• Coming Soon! Adafruit Metro ESP32-S2 (0:30)
• DYNAMIXEL Motor – AX-12A (2:12)
• Launchpad Breakout Board for micro:bit and Adafruit CLUE – by Mission Control Lab (5:18)
• Spade Quick Connector Kit – 6.3mm / 4.8mm / 2.8mm (6:27)
• Adafruit 9-DOF Orientation IMU Fusion Breakout – BNO085 (BNO080) – STEMMA QT / Qwiic (8:50)

Adafruit Top Secret! (Video October 7, 2020) #AdafruitTopSecret #CircuitPython #Adafruit #FromTheVault @Adafruit

A secret look ahead from Adafruit in New York!

Broadcast October 7, 2020

Adafruit broadcasts the weekly ASK an ENGINEER video show and this is the segment (from the vault) on items or concept products that may/might/could be introduced into the Adafruit store in the future (or not)! It’s not out yet, so please don’t ask questions or ask when it’ll be available.

You may keep an eye on the Adafruit new products list to see what has been put in the store or that may be coming soon.

Check out the latest video above!

Check out the Adafruit store for all the great products that are available (Adafruit is open and shipping!)

And for coming soon products, you can sign up to be notified when they are in stock.

Join us on Discord for news, help, and community – over 25,000 strong and growing! https://adafru.it/discord/

ASK AN ENGINEER 10/7/2020 LIVE! 8PM ET TONIGHT! @adafruit

ASK AN ENGINEER 10/7/2020 LIVE! 8PM ET TONIGHT! – Video.

New Products 9/30/2020 Featuring Icarus IoT Board! (Video)

New Products 9/30/2020 Featuring Icarus IoT Board! (Video)

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• Ultra-Fine Stranded Wire Spool – 10 meters – Various AWG – Black (0:28)
• Ultra-Fine Stranded Wire Spool – 10 meters – 34AWG – Black (0:28)
• Ultra-Fine Stranded Wire Spool – 10 meters – 32AWG – Black (0:28)
• Ultra-Fine Stranded Wire Spool – 10 meters – 30AWG – Black (0:28)
• Ultra-Fine Stranded Wire Spool – 10 meters – 36AWG – Black (0:28)
• 64×64 RGB LED Matrix – 3mm Pitch – 192mm x 192mm (2:43)
• SMT Socket – Wide SOIC-16 (4:53)
• SMT Socket – Wide SOIC-8 (200mil) (4:53)
• 1.25mm Pitch 3-pin Cable Matching Pair – 40cm long – Molex PicoBlade Compatible (7:29)
• 1.25mm Pitch 4-pin Cable Matching Pair – 40cm long – Molex PicoBlade Compatible (7:29)
• RCA NTSC or PAL or S-Video Input to USB 2.0 Capture Adapter (8:16)
• Icarus IoT Board – nRF9160 (10:02)