Time travel Tuesday #timetravel a look back at the Adafruit, maker, science, technology and engineering world


Road? Where we’re going, we don’t need roads. – Dr. Emmett Brown.
Here’s a look back at the maker world and beyond!


2003 – Fairbanks, Alaska Gets A Battery Backup

50f720448ded3.image
Ten years ago today, Fairbanks, Alaska ceased being in such a shifty spot (at least from a power perspective) when the largest battery on the planet was connected to its power grid, providing back-up power to greater Fairbanks, Alaska in America’s geographically largest but least densely populated state. Because of its consistently sub-zero winter temperatures, normal power production-and-delivery methods could not be relied upon, and Fairbanks suffered dangerous winter blackouts every 2 to 3 years. The super battery is large enough to provide power to the city’s 12,000 residents while the backup diesel generators are started up to fill in for the frozen power plants. And you thought your winter was rough?


1893 – Zipping Up the 19th Century

judson-1
Whitcomb Judson filed for a patent for a “traveling locker,” today known as a “zipper” (at least that’s what WE call it) and with help from his friend Lewis Walker showed it off at the 1893 Columbian World’s Exposition in Chicago, where it caught on like wildfire. Though Elias Howe, the inventor of the sewing machine, had received a patent some 42 years earlier for the same device (though he called it an “Automatic, Continuous Clothing Closure”) because he didn’t market it, it is Judson who is widely recognized as the inventor.


1831 – Faraday Makes a Transformation in A Land Faraway, Darwin + the HMS Beagle Get Together

HMS Beagle in Sydney Harbour 1838Faradays_transformer
On the very same day, 181 years, 11 months and 28 years ago (August 30, 1831) Michael Faraday made his first demonstration of an electrical transformer and Charles Darwin wrote a letter agreeing to an unpaid position as a naturalist aboard the HMS Beagle.


Adafruit publishes a wide range of writing and video content, including interviews and reporting on the maker market and the wider technology world. Our standards page is intended as a guide to best practices that Adafruit uses, as well as an outline of the ethical standards Adafruit aspires to. While Adafruit is not an independent journalistic institution, Adafruit strives to be a fair, informative, and positive voice within the community – check it out here: adafruit.com/editorialstandards

Join Adafruit on Mastodon

Adafruit is on Mastodon, join in! adafruit.com/mastodon

Stop breadboarding and soldering – start making immediately! Adafruit’s Circuit Playground is jam-packed with LEDs, sensors, buttons, alligator clip pads and more. Build projects with Circuit Playground in a few minutes with the drag-and-drop MakeCode programming site, learn computer science using the CS Discoveries class on code.org, jump into CircuitPython to learn Python and hardware together, TinyGO, or even use the Arduino IDE. Circuit Playground Express is the newest and best Circuit Playground board, with support for CircuitPython, MakeCode, and Arduino. It has a powerful processor, 10 NeoPixels, mini speaker, InfraRed receive and transmit, two buttons, a switch, 14 alligator clip pads, and lots of sensors: capacitive touch, IR proximity, temperature, light, motion and sound. A whole wide world of electronics and coding is waiting for you, and it fits in the palm of your hand.

Have an amazing project to share? The Electronics Show and Tell is every Wednesday at 7pm ET! To join, head over to YouTube and check out the show’s live chat – we’ll post the link there.

Join us every Wednesday night at 8pm ET for Ask an Engineer!

Join over 36,000+ makers on Adafruit’s Discord channels and be part of the community! http://adafru.it/discord

CircuitPython – The easiest way to program microcontrollers – CircuitPython.org


Maker Business — “Packaging” chips in the US

Wearables — Enclosures help fight body humidity in costumes

Electronics — Transformers: More than meets the eye!

Python for Microcontrollers — Python on Microcontrollers Newsletter: Silicon Labs introduces CircuitPython support, and more! #CircuitPython #Python #micropython @ThePSF @Raspberry_Pi

Adafruit IoT Monthly — Guardian Robot, Weather-wise Umbrella Stand, and more!

Microsoft MakeCode — MakeCode Thank You!

EYE on NPI — Maxim’s Himalaya uSLIC Step-Down Power Module #EyeOnNPI @maximintegrated @digikey

New Products – Adafruit Industries – Makers, hackers, artists, designers and engineers! — #NewProds 7/19/23 Feat. Adafruit Matrix Portal S3 CircuitPython Powered Internet Display!

Get the only spam-free daily newsletter about wearables, running a "maker business", electronic tips and more! Subscribe at AdafruitDaily.com !



No Comments

No comments yet.

Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.