Pandamonium is a PCB in the shape of a Panda head with colour changing RGB LEDs for eyes. It can be worn as a badge or used a SAO. It is a kit so you will need to solder it up.

Kit Types

The kit comes in the following types:

Badge: Use the included badge pin to wear the Panda with pride!

SAO: Add to your #Badgelife with the latest 1.69BIS standard compatible Panda!

Both: Your will have to decide at some stage if your Panda is a badge or an SAO, but why not prolong that decision til later!

What is included:

All kits include the following:

• 1no. Pandamonium PCB
• 2no. RGB Flashing LEDs (Select speed from options drop down)
• 3no. 220 Ohm 0805 resistors (one is spare)

What else you get will depend on the options you select.

If you select the badge kit, the following will be included:

• 1no. Toggle switch (on/off)
• 1no. CR2032 Battery Holder (Battery not included!)
• 1no. Badge pin

If you select the SAO kit, the following will be included:

• 1no. SMD 6 pin connector (the SAO 1.69BIS connector)

If you select Both, you will get everything included in the SAO and Badge kit (please read the SAO section though)

LED Types

You can select between two types of LEDs, check out the tweets to see the difference:

• Slow changing RGB LEDs
• Fast changing/flashing RGB LEDs

If there is another type of LED you think I should be offering please let me know! I also have a few different colour standard LEDs so if there is a single colour you would prefer, message me and we'll see what we can do!

What about SAO?

There is a 1.69BIS SAO connector available for the badge, there are some things you should know about it though:

• This badge can either be used as a SAO OR be powered by a coin cell, not both. The footprint for the battery holder and the SAO connector overlap so they can not be installed at the same time.
• SAO is for power only on the badge, the other pins are not connected.
• The SAO connector is an SMD one, it is suggested to use a through hole connector, but I didn't want to give the Panda a beard.
• The power switch does not switch the power from the SAO. (This is why the switch is not included in the SAO kit)

Is it suitable for young kids?

I'm going to cover myself and say no. The PCB does use lead-free HASL, but there is plenty of risks for a young child:

• While the badge pin has a decent clasp on it, it is fairly sharp if they do get it out.
• The battery would be a choking hazard (Although it is hard to get in and out)
• The parts that are soldered on are small and could come loose too

Soldering

Time: 5/10 mins. Additional Tools Required: Tweezers Difficulty: Easy/Medium

It's a pretty straight forward board to solder up, but some of the components are SMD.

Make sure to place the LEDs on the front of the PCB! The anode of the LED (the long leg) is the inside pin of both eyes.

Be careful to not burn yourself when soldering the badge pin, it takes quite amount of heat and stays hot for a while! After soldering the badge pin, let it cool down for around 5 minutes or so.

If you don't have a tweezers, you might be better of just bridging the resistor pads with solder. The LEDs will be brighter but will work fine. (you should buy one btw!)

FAQ

• Why is the battery not included? - Batteries are a restricted item for my postal service. I don't think it's worth the risk when you should be able to pick up these batteries (CR2032) cheaply in a dollar store. Ikea also sell an 8 pack of these batteries for €1.25
• Which LED type should I get? - Obviously that is up to you but personally I prefer the slow, but the fast is definitely more "in your face"!
• Should I get the 0 Ohm resistors or bridge the resistor pads? - Again this is a personal preference but I think it's easily bright enough using the 220 Ohm resistors!