We requested SparkFun workers about their favourite piece of tech they’ve ever owned. Might be something; a sport console, a pc, and even the Motorola Razr that they had in 2007. Everybody has one thing that acquired them began asking questions on how gadgets labored, or simply one thing that holds a particular place of their coronary heart. Listed below are ours:
Sean Hollister: Exterior CD Burner
All you wanted was Limewire, a clean CD, a sharpie, and a dream.
Lauren Gregory: the TI-89 calculator
I’d’ve mentioned the floppy disk for the meme, however I’ve by no means really used one. The TI-89 was unstoppable, and I believe I miss it a lot as a result of somebody stole it from me in Physics 325 in school. The solver perform? The rugged lack of a backlight? The power to add video games? Symbolic integrals? Unparalleled piece of equipment. It was like having Python do all my math for me earlier than I knew what Python was. You may even (form of) run MicroPython on it!
Chris McCarty: The iPod Basic
It is a basic!
Rob Reynolds: My First 3D Printer
My first printer began one thing massive: I’m nonetheless designing and printing items a minimum of a number of occasions per week! I’m really listening to my printer making circles proper now, and it’s considered one of my favourite sounds 🙂
Dryw Wade: N64 and the Authentic Xbox
I’m not sufficiently old for any earlier tech 😉
Elias Santistevan: Nostromo
My first gamepad! Used one when World of Warcraft was nonetheless a brand new factor.
Nick Brogna: Packard Bell Legend 486SX
My older cousin confirmed me BASIC and wrote a easy ‘password’ program with it that 10 12 months previous me spent numerous hours taking aside and placing again collectively to attempt to perceive how pc applications work. Plus, it got here with a CVGA monitor so I might play King’s Quest in all its 4-color glory.
Madison Chodikov: Clear cellphone from the 90’s
I keep in mind going to my grandparents home and utilizing this cellphone and simply looking at it for hours, considering how cool it was to see the intricate components on the within with all of the cool colours. Undoubtedly considered one of my favourite issues we acquired from them as soon as they downsized!
Molly Rodgers: The Jurassic Park III Dino-Dex (circa 2002)
From jurassictoys.internet, “a Pokédex-style organizer that comprises detailed data and graphic animations on over 70 dinosaurs. It comes with two video games: Battle Dome wherein you go head-to-head in a fight-to-the-death in opposition to one other dinosaur and the DNA Lab which can allow you to create your individual hybrid dinosaurs. The Dino Dex can be an organizer that permits you to retailer names, cellphone numbers, notes, and there’s a calculator on there as properly.” I used to be 6 and I used this factor till it died.
John Trepke: AKG Sextett K240 4-600 Ohm late manufacturing mannequin 6 passive driver headphones
Made in Austria from the 80s. Cannot drive these with out a desktop headphone amplifier! Nonetheless have my pair and use them at SFE HQ once I really feel all audiophile like. Had these for about 15+ years. They sound higher than most trendy headphones. Being semi opened again helps with a clearer soundstage.
Susan Mayor: Apple Performa
My first pc buy from 11/18/96. I just lately discovered the receipt:
Glenn Samala: Atari 400
The primary pc I ever owned. And sure … I additionally had the tape storage machine like this one. Went to summer time college pc camp to be taught BASIC at Tempo College within the seventh grade.
Shut second for me was the Sharp Zaurus – (ZR-500) method forward of it’s time circa 1996. It had e mail performance (ableit by way of a sync perform) and had hand writing recognition. Oh – and spreadsheets on a cellular machine – thoughts blowing again within the day!
Michael Van Auken: X10 Dwelling Automation Switches and Controls
Additionally, would like to see a collection the place we take previous Archer or Heathkit kits, break down the unique components and directions, comply with up with how you can implement them utilizing trendy components and at last replace them utilizing the most recent tech, for instance an previous mild organ equipment, how you can recreate with present accessible LEDs and ICs and at last the fashionable model that makes use of a microcontroller, DSP addressable LEDs and so forth.
Bryan Hoff: The Authentic Nintendo
I had a paper route at 8 years previous, getting up at 4:30am to ship to about 80 homes. I saved up and was in a position to purchase one in 1986. Fond reminiscences of NES Baseball, Basketball, Zelda, Mike Tyson’s Punchout, and naturally Tremendous Mario!
Honorable Point out: The TI-92 Graphic Calculator AKA “The Grade Purchaser”. When these got here out, many professors didn’t perceive what they have been able to. Lots of my engineering classmates have been placing full chapters from the textual content guide into them, making all checks successfully open guide. Since lessons have been graded on a curve, college students successfully had to purchase one to stage the taking part in discipline. Therefore we dubbed it The Grade Purchaser.
Alex Brudner: GameBoy Advance/Advance SP
There’s a particular place in my coronary heart for the GBA as a result of rising up I went on a number of highway journeys and/or needed to sit in locations whereas dad and mom/siblings have been doing different issues. Nevertheless, when the SP got here out and it had a backlight, that undoubtedly modified issues for me. With the ability to play video games in darkish areas or within the automobile was an enormous profit while not having to have a devoted plug-in mild with a tiny halogen bulb in it. Undoubtedly appreciated that that they had backwards compatibility with GB/GBC too as a result of these have been a few of my favourite video games. Legend of Zelda: Oracle collection, Pokemon yellow/silver/sapphire, Megaman Battle Community 3.
Damian Lara: The Dreamcast
It was my first console ever gifted to me, it sparked my love for gaming and obsession with Sonic The Hedgehog video games. Loopy to assume persons are promoting it for a couple of hundred {dollars} in the present day!
Have something in frequent with us? What’s your favourite piece of tech you’ve got ever owned, previous or new? Tell us within the feedback!
