The Ampli-tie in action. (via adafruit)
Adafruit Industries, founded in 2005, has been supplying the Do-It-Yourself (DIY) community with the necessary components and parts for projects of all skill levels since Limor “Ladyada” Fried began her venture. In addition, they also provide kits to create unique projects that can be helpful for learning about electronics or just fun to create. For example, on Adafruit you can find a section for young engineers which features kits such as snap circuits for the very beginners, or for the more advanced tinkerers, starter packs for Arduino or Parallax microcontrollers.
On the website you can also find all types of help and support for creating projects. Almost every week there are new tutorials that are posted to assist in building projects. One of the most recent tutorials involves creating a tie with LEDs that is sensitive to sound. Dubbed, the LED Ampli-tie, this project allows an enthusiast to create a neck tie with LEDs which act as a Volume Unit (VU) meter. All the products and necessary components, along with instructions to create the project, are available through Adafruit, with the exception of the tie.
At the heart of the project is the FLORA, a wearable, Arduino compatible, electronic platform. This small platform (1.75” diameter) is designed to be integrated into clothing or fabric and can handle large amounts of LEDs. It is also beginner friendly with on board diodes and regulators to prevent damage from connecting batteries backwards or batteries with too much power. Furthermore, the project uses a few more of Adafruit's custom products. Flora NeoPixels are the LEDs that are attached to the tie and a microphone amplifier breakout board is used to pick up incoming sound. After a little sewing, with conductive threading, of course, you can also be ready to light up the room with a very unique tie.
Adafruit is the one stop shop for any wearable electronic projects you may have. With that said, it is also definitely worth checking out for other various pieces. Browsing through the site, you may find something that is perfect for a project you may have thought of, but never started, or you may come across something that will spark a new idea in your head. Since creating her business in 2005, Limor’s Adafruit has now grown to over 45 employees and has been the recipient of various awards. She was recently awarded Entrepreneur magazine's Entrepreneur of the Year award and was the first female engineer to be featured on the cover of Wired magazine.
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