SET UP.
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MATERIALS
[NOT SHOWN]
Wire strippers
[A] Digital camera, mini
“keychain” $10–$15 from
chain drugstores; brands
tested were Shift3, Aries
[H] Connector header,
female, 9× 1, 0.1" spacing
Digi-Key #S7042-ND, $1
[B] PICAXE-08M microcontroller SparkFun
Electronics item #COM-
08308 (
sparkfun.com), $3
[I] Breakaway headers, male
SparkFun #PRT-00116, $2
Helium, 42 cubic feet You
can have balloons filled at a
balloon supplier or a supermarket, but the supermarket
balloon person will probably
not be happy with you using
so much helium.
Wire cutters
Phillips screwdriver, small
to unscrew camera case
[J] Electrical wire, 18–20
gauge, insulated
Flathead screwdriver, small
[K] Solder
Duct tape
Tweezers
[C] PICAXE 8-Pin Proto Kit
[D] Voltage regulator,
5V, TO-220 package,
LM2940T or N TE1951
Digi-Key #LM2940 T- 5.0-ND
(
digikey.com), $2; or Mouser
Electronics #526-N TE1951
(
mouser.com), $4
[E] Diode, 1N4001
RadioShack #276-1101,
(
radioshack.com) $1
[F] Electrolytic capacitor,
22μF RadioShack
#272-1026, $1
Photograph by Ed Troxell
[G] Relay switch, 5V reed
aka reed relay. RadioShack
#275-0232, $3. RadioShack
sells 2 versions of this under
the same part number; the
cylindrical package will work,
but the box-shaped one is
too large to fit.
[L] Heat-shrink tubing
or electrical tape
[M] Battery, 9-volt
[N] Pill bottle with childproof cap large enough to
hold microcontroller and
battery
[O] Solid wire, 12 gauge
[P] Compact disc or DVD
[Q] Kite string, 150lb test,
I used Dacron Archline from
Conwin (
conwinonline.com),
200yds for $15.
[R] Small carabiner
[S] Balloons, 3'
diameter ( 3)
Try BalloonsFast
(
balloonsfast.com/
36inchlatexballoons)
$4 each
Double-sided foam tape
TOOLS
[T] PICAXE USB programming cable PICAXE
part #AXE027, SparkFun
#PGM-08312, $26. Or, with
a Windows or Linux PC, you
can save money by buying
the $15 PICAXE-08M Starter
Pack, SparkFun #DEV-
08323, which includes the
PICAXE 8-Pin Proto Kit (see
Materials list) and a serial
programming cable rather
than USB.
[NOT SHOWN]
Computer with internet
connection
Soldering equipment
Multimeter or ohmmeter
Drill and drill bits:
1", ¼"
Pliers
Scissors
Helping hands with
magnifier (optional)
Tabletop vise (optional)
83 Make:
