Tindie

Avatar

Bot Thoughts LLC

878 orders since Nov 21, 2012

Centennial, CO, United States of America

Ships from United States of America.

View Store

*** Apologies; I am taking an extended break ***

Overall Rating:

Review Breakdown

5
17 4
11 3
5 2
1 1
0

Average Ratings

Product: (4.74)

Documentation: (4.24)

Shipping: (4.68)

Communication: (4.47)

All Reviews

Bozhidar | Nov. 10, 2021

Amazing

For Turntable Strobe

Very useful and practical. Good engineering. Totally worth it. Shipping is fast with good packaging.

Bob | Oct. 29, 2021

Excellent basic function; could use "finishing touches"

For Turntable Strobe

What I mean by basic function is the strobe works, is effective and useful and well worth its price.

For finishing touches I mean:
A. for use as it is currently embodied, some kind of casing, wrap, or cover so the circuitry is not exposed would be highly desirable as an option. Obviously this would be quite small, but some kind of small plastic sleeve/box would serve, and could be sold as an extra.

B. for an alternative use case, where installation in a turntable is the thing, providing the possibility for external power and "remoting" the LED would be ideal. Also in this case some mounting scheme would be needed to hold the PCB in place; either holes in the corners or some alternative arrangement.

Cheers

Bradley | Feb. 4, 2020

Great strobe.

For Turntable Strobe

Well packaged — nice strobe, and a very economical necessity for my Pioneer PL600 direct drive which has no platter strobe or pitch control. This will aid my fine tuning of the internal pots to calibrate the speed.

Daniel | Sept. 2, 2017

Decent Breakout Board

For ATtiny84 development board

The board breaks out all of the pins; exactly what would be expected. The only issue that I had was that the JTAG port is close enough to the processor that it had some slight mechanical interference with the JTAG adapter. I took some sandpaper to the JTAG adapter's connector and now there is no interference.

Gregory | June 27, 2017

Easy to assemble and works well.

For ATtiny84 development board

I got both the ATtiny 84 and the ATtiny85 development boards. Both work well. They were easy to assemble. However, if your eyes are on the older side, then you may want to get the assembled version (if available). By their nature, you are soldering some small components.

After identifying the pins on the SPI connector and connecting a ISP device (USBASP or Arduino as ISP), one can easily burn a "boot" loader or application sketch. I found with the raw devices that one has to "burn" a boot loader to ensure the Arduino ISP timing functions work properly. The Arduino IDE "burns" a generic boot loader to the raw ATtiny84 (or 85). The Arduino IDE generic boot loader does not support programming by a serial or USB connection. But, it does work. With the generic boot loader, one needs to use a SPI connection. The raw devices have this SPI functionality built in.

The documentation does cover assembling the board. It needs to have diagram showing the SPI pin locations. This is not a major problem, if one has Volt Ohm meter to to determine the pins.

I am happy that I got these boards. They work well and come quickly in the mail

Guy | May 3, 2017

What you need

For Turntable Strobe

The item does what it should, and it's in a nice little package. Good stuff. Well worth the low price.

Donald | April 15, 2017

Audiophile on a budget.

For Turntable Strobe

This little strobe should be next to the turntable of every audiophile out there. I like the built-in strobe that came with the turntable, but it is hard to see unless your head is over the LP and you are looking straight down on it. With this strobe and even a paper cut-out disk, you will be able to see the accuracy of your turntable's speed clearly and easily. And the price only makes it an even sweeter deal.

Stan | Feb. 11, 2017

Very Good

For ATtiny84 development board

Only tip: Solder the IC holder before soldering the pin headers. I learnt that the hard way. :) Nice product

Richard | Jan. 28, 2017

Time Saver

For eeZee Switch w/ debounce, pullup/pulldown; 6 in 1

Great idea and fine implementation. Saves a lot of time setting u circuits for testing. Eliminates lots of problems by giving a reliable setup.

Daniel | Nov. 2, 2016

Simple Perfection

For Turntable Strobe

In a market filled with companies looking for ways to part us from more of our money - with unnecessarily complicated equipment, loaded with "flair" and "features" that sound critical but which never get used - it was such a pleasure to find this amazingly simple, amazingly reliable little turntable timing strobe that does the one and only thing it ought to... for a price that reflects that true simplicity.

Yeah, you put in the battery, point it, push the button and the light comes on. Oh, and the 60hz timing is dead on.

Why on earth anyone would buy anything else is beyond me.

Daniel | Nov. 2, 2016

Simple Perfection

For Turntable Strobe

In a market filled with companies looking for ways to part us from more of our money - with unnecessarily complicated equipment, loaded with "flair" and "features" that sound critical but which never get used - it was such a pleasure to find this amazingly simple, amazingly reliable little turntable timing strobe that does the one and only thing it ought to... for a price that reflects that true simplicity.

Yeah, you put in the battery, point it, push the button and the light comes on. Oh, and the 60hz timing is dead on.

Why on earth anyone would buy anything else is beyond me.

(It only gets less than amazing results in documentation because it doesn't need any and I really can't judge the communication because I didn't need any).

Jason | June 13, 2016

Just what I needed! Great little breakout

For ATtiny841 development board

Very clean little breakout for the ATTiny841, which has two hardware UARTs - great for communication projects!

Assembly looks very professional.

*When ordering with the 20Mhz xtal, keep in mind that is technically "over-clocking" the ATTiny841, which is no problem at all - after some quick googling, I was able to have the correct oscillator settings configured in the chip, using Atmel Studio.

Thanks again!

Paras | June 8, 2016

Good Product almost exactly what i am looking for.

For Turntable Strobe

I bought it to replace my turntables neon bulb strobe light to change with LED. here is the end result https://youtu.be/rolkUye2C58 . The seller also helps me to run 4 led with it at full power. the only con i can say is that i got the later revision of the PCB which also have Dickson charge pump implemented to make LED glow bright when using with 3v cell which is interfering with frequency. Bypassing dickson charge pump by connecting +terminal directly to LED giving the accurate frequency.
Avatar
Response from Bot Thoughts LLC | June 8, 2016
I'm glad to hear it worked! When I get some time I will build a standalone version that omits the charge pump and incorporates the multiple LED driver circuit I suggested. Thanks and nice deck!

Horst | May 5, 2016

Good Product

For Turntable Strobe

Good product, does exactly what it is meant to do. However, shipping costs if you don't live in the States makes it expensive.

Graham | March 16, 2016

Highly recommended, do not hesitate.

For Turntable Strobe

I have been trying to buy a reasonably priced, accurate turntable strobe, in the UK, for a considerable time. I was fortunate enough to come across the Bot Thoughts strobe by chance, on the Internet.
Easy purchase was followed up next day by confirmation of despatch and a great 'thank you' for my purchase.
Three days later the strobe arrived in UK from the States and within 5 minutes my Linn LP12 was perfectly set up for speed.
This is a first class piece of kit, incredibly cheap and well made. No fancy cases or packaging, just something that works, with an anti-static bag to keep it in. Too easy, it recommends itself, well done!

Peter | Dec. 24, 2015

Great breadboard accessory, makes getting power simple

For 5V/3.3V USB Breadboard Power Adapter

This is a very simple module, yet makes developing projects on a breadboard so much simpler. Simply insert this into the power-bus rails of your breadboard, and you have either a 3v3 or a 5v power source, via a standard mini usb connector. So you can either use your computers USB ports, or any of the USB wall power adapters or external battery packs. And you can also use the voltage-selector jumper as a power switch ;) Simple, but effective.

Reza | Dec. 11, 2015

Great product and service

For ATtiny841 development board

Bought a number of these boards for a project, all arrived on time and functioned as advertised. Needed additional information and the response was immediate and courteous.

Reza | Nov. 12, 2015

Great product done Well!

For ATtiny85 / ATtiny13 development board

Nice and minimum amount of hardware necessary. Made bringing my idea to life easy. Highly recommended.

Ronald | Sept. 29, 2015

Turntable strobe

For Turntable Strobe

Works perfect with a strobe disc.
Simple and good device to check the turntable speed , recommended !!!!

Joshua | Sept. 22, 2015

Probably the best stand-alone strobe available.

For Turntable Strobe

The problem with the Vinyl world is that you need some way to adjust the speed of your motor to get the best playback quality, and all of the specialty companies charge absurd amounts of money for their strobes. This was the only fully assembled solution I ran across that was reasonable, and it works just as well as an Allnic I had the chance to try. Yes, you have to hold the button the whole time, and yes, the PCB isn't comfortable to hold, but it's less than $20.

John | July 29, 2015

An Audiophile Essential!

For Turntable Strobe

What can I say? The best value for money - and most effective! - upgrade for my turntable I've ever purchased! Allows exceptionally precise adjustment of turntable speed. Fast shipping too. Extremely happy with the Turntable Strobe and would (and will!) recommend it to anyone interested in getting the best out of their deck, without having to pay for some stupidly priced audiophile-branded alternative.
The only way this could be improved is by having a dedicated housing made for it to avoid any damage to the chips. But that would then raise the cost too of course ;)
As it stands, an absolute & genuine bargain! Thanks Michael :)

Irving | July 27, 2015

This is exactly what you need!

For Turntable Strobe

Exactly what I needed. Would definitely recommend to friends and strangers alike. Great price. Very pleased, thanks.

Daniel | April 6, 2015

Great product, works as expected

For ATtiny841 development board

I needed a breakout board for developing a product based on the ATtiny processors. I didn't know the final pin count so I chose this board as one that will definitely have enough pins for my requirement. A big part of my decision to use this board was the ISP header in place and the reset switch already on the board. I also want to use the internal oscillator and the option to order without the crystal suited me perfectly.

I replaced the CPU three times on one of the PCB's because I kept discovering new ways of bricking the processor. I'm glad to say that the PCB is still in perfect condition where I replaced the CPU.

Overall it is a high quality product. A few pieces of example code for using the on-chip peripherals would be a great addition. Once I have finished my development I will share my code to drive the ADC. The photo shows the board on my hand built test board for my product with the Atmel ICE plugged into the ISP connector.

Daniel

Howard | Feb. 25, 2015

Accuracy spec error

For Turntable Strobe

Stated accuracy in terms of percent and in terms of frequency deviation don't jibe.

Spec states accuracy of "0.005% or 0.03 Hz" but 0.005 percent of 60 Hz =0.003 Hz, and 0.03 Hz would mean an accuracy of 0.05%.
Which is it? And from what are you stating this accuracy? Is it from the spec of a quartz crystal you are using?
Avatar
Response from Bot Thoughts LLC | March 2, 2015
Howard, thanks for pointing out my goof. The correct spec is 0.005% (0.003Hz at 60Hz).

I've updated the project description and documentation wiki to fix the goof and add detail on the accuracy spec.

After measuring every strobe I've produced so far with a Saleae Logic analyzer, all have measured within 0.005%.

The crystal specs at +-30ppm at 25C or +-0.003% which is 0.006% total. I confess I misread the spec as 30ppm absolute and so I have updated the description to use the cyrstal specs rather than my measurements.

Thanks again,
Michael

Paul | Jan. 4, 2015

Essential for breadboard-based experimentation

For ATtiny841 development board

This board is great for anyone wanting to try out the new ATtiny841 with its much-expanded set of peripherals over the previous ATtiny84. As Atmel don't make the tiny841 in a DIP form factor, a board such as this is essential if you want to actually put it on a breadboard to play around with it.

While you could just use any old 14-pin SOIC-to-DIP adapter, this board in particular is built specifically for the chip and comes with decoupling cap, reset button and most importantly the ISP connector header allowing you to reprogram the chip in-place on the breadboard, thus speeding development time even further.

Also the silk-screen printing shows the pin names in their original Atmel naming scheme, making it easy to identify the pins inplace without having to constantly be cross-referencing against the datasheet. Useful when hooking up the wiring on your breadboard.

Jay | Dec. 1, 2014

Another fine innovative product from BOT

For eeZee Switch w/ debounce, pullup/pulldown; 6 in 1

I bought the LED's also. Both ease the clutter on my breadboard. Very handy & useful.
Keep it up!

Martin | Nov. 24, 2014

Nice product + outstanding support and customer service!

For Robot Manual Override

Well-made board that simply does what it is designed for. High quality PCB and plating.

Liam | Nov. 3, 2014

Great item A+

For Turntable Strobe

Worked first time to set up turntable, very accurate and easy to use. For the price and what it does I am very happy with it.

Robert | Oct. 29, 2014

No instructions and missing parts

For Turntable Strobe

First I didn't know that this was a kit. The web site shows a constructed product. What I got was a small board, a LED, and a few post for something. There are no instructions showing how to assemble it.
There is no switch (shown on web site photo) and there is no battery clip/holder (also shown on web site photo).
I can solder and I can find a switch, but the ad is misleading.
11/5/14 FOLLOW UP ON THIS POST.
Michael not only went out of his way to email me back but shipped the correct unit to me, even though I was not checking my email account and had not responded to his reply. His level of service and customer commitment is over the top!!
The assembled unit I got worked perfectly and he even sent a pre paid shipping label to return the first order. I would not hesitate to do business with him again. Thanks Michael !
Avatar
Response from Bot Thoughts LLC | Oct. 29, 2014
Robert, several minutes ago, I sent you a message indicating that I would be happy to exchange the mountable module you ordered for a handheld strobe which is what you meant to order.

I apologized (and still apologize) for the confusion. There are two versions of the strobe and I will make that more obvious for future customers.

Meanwhile I will do whatever needs to be done to make you satisfied. I'll contact you further about that.

I wished you'd given me a chance to respond before leaving this feedback. I am just one guy with a day job that I like to keep so responding to email within a couple of hours during business hours isn't always feasible.

Timothy | Sept. 25, 2014

What More Can I Add

For ATtiny85 / ATtiny13 development board

Simplicity at it's finest. All the rest of the reviews say it all.

Travis | Sept. 24, 2014

I love it!

For ATtiny85 / ATtiny13 development board

Worked out great for development in breadboard and programming Attiny13 with Arduino. Now I have to order some attiny's with a bit more memory!

Patrick | Sept. 11, 2014

Simple, useful.

For 5V/3.3V USB Breadboard Power Adapter

I thought I'd already reviewed this... but this little tiny thing has become one of the breadboard parts I use all the time. If you're already powering your breadboard from a wall wart or a computer power supply or something, you might think, "I'm fine as is." But what I like about this is how I can without a second thought get power from anywhere I can plug in my phone. People, if you own a breadboard, just pick one up. We've been using USB for 15 years, it's ubiquitous, and this device slides right into its own useful niche.

Alnoor | Sept. 1, 2014

16MHz crystal and caps breakout board

For Crystal and caps breakout board

This helps me for quick breadboard wiring. less wires on the breadboard.

Alnoor

John | Aug. 28, 2014

Does just what it says

For Turntable Strobe

Nice, simple, accurate turntable strobe. I checked in comparison to an existing turntable strobe and it was dead on. Email support very helpful.
Page 1 of 2
Cookies help us deliver our services. By using our services, you agree to our use of cookies. Learn more.