Links
UAVs
Team Melbourne at the 2009 UAV Outback Challenge
Proudly sponsored by Millswood Engineering
- Aerosonde: The venerable and oft-copied UAV from down-under. Now owned by AAI, a subsidiary of Textron.
- AttoPilot International: Sole distributor for Attopilot.
- Attopilot Users Group: Gary Mortimer's excellent Attopilot resource.
- Cloud Cap Technology: Autopilots, stabilized camera systems and IMS (inertial measurement sensors). Recently purchased by Goodrich.
- Currawong Engineering: Fuel injection systems, stabilised camera gimbals and small engine dynamometers for UAVs.
- DIY Drones: Amateurs UAVs, contests, resources and more.
- UAV Outback Challenge: Rescue Outback Joe and collect AU$50,000!
- AusUAV: The home of Team Telemaster, top finalist in the Search and Rescue Challenge 2008, possibly returning for another crack at the title in 2010.
- MelbourneUAV: The home of Team Melbourne, winner of the documentary challenge 2009 and equal top finisher in the Search and Rescue Challenge 2009. Proudly sponsored by Millswood Engineering.
Electronics
- CapSite 2007: The best capacitor site on the net; a true work of obsession.
- Digikey, Farnell, Mouser, RS: Everyone's favourite electronic component distributors.
- FindChips.com: Do a part number search of 20 distributors all in one go.
- Pololu Robotics & Electronics: Robot kits, robot parts, and robot electronics.
- SparkFun Electronics: Microcontrollers, development boards, and bits to build stuff with.
Semiconductors
- Analog Devices: The name pretty much says it all.
- Fairchild Semiconductor: Power, signal, logic, opto, etc.
- Infineon Technologies: Spun off from Siemens in 1999.
- Linear Technology: Power management, signal conditioning, etc.
- Maxim/Dallas: Analogue, linear and mixed signal devices.
- Micrel: Analogue, linear, power, etc.
- National Semiconductor: Excellent analogue ICs with excellent datasheets.
- NXP Semiconductors: The new name for Philips Semiconductors.
- On Semiconductor: Spun off from Motorola in 1999.
- Panasonic (industrial): Active and passive devices.
- Rohm: Started life making resistors - hence the name - but now make almost everything. Impenetrable datasheets, but great products. Active and passive devices.
- STMicroelectronics: The Italians and the French making beautiful semiconductors together.
- Texas Instruments: Analogue, digital and DSPs.
- Vishay: Named after a town in Lithuania where relatives of the founders perished in the holocaust. The current home of Dale, General Semiconductor, Siliconix, Sprague, Telefunken and host of others.
Passives
- AVX: Capacitors, resistors, oscillators, etc.
- Bournes: Resistors, inductors, sensors, discretes, etc.
- Cooper Bussman: Coiltronics inductors, PowerStor supercaps.
- Kemet: The self-confessed capacitance company. Some lovely new tantalums that don't catch fire after failing.
- Murata: Capacitors, resistors, sensors, etc.
Robotics
- RoboRealm: Vision for machines. RoboRealm is a powerful robotic vision software application for use in computer vision, image processing, and robot vision tasks.
- A technical guide to building fighting robots: Suffering from a fair bit of link rot, but a treasure trove of information nonetheless. Loads of circuit diagrams for the hardware-minded.
Hardware
- Keystone: Interconnect components & electronic hardware.
- McMaster-Carr: Lots of hardware and a great website, but real sticklers for US export regulations.
- Pegasus actuators: German precision-engineered servos.
- Volz actuators: More German precision-engineered servos.
- Robert Bosch: Not just a huge corporation, Bosch is 92% owned by a charitable foundation which donates all of its profit to humanitarian causes.
Vintage aircraft, scale and full-size
- AerodromeRC: World War I and Golden Age laser cut short kits and plans for electric flight enthusiasts.
- AerodromeRC Deutschland: As above, but in Germany obviously.
- Airfield Models: For those who appreciate the art of model building.
- The Vintage Aviator: Kiwis building and restoring magnificent WWI aircraft.
Nerdy stuff
- Ball-bearing motor: The very weird and not entirely understood ball-bearing electric motor. Mike's explanation is controversial; the Huber effect is probably a better candidate.
- Dan's Data: PC hardware and gadget reviews. Awesome fun stuff.
- Homebrew CPU: A CPU made entirely from discrete 7400 series logic chips.
- Magic Pen: Highly addictive. Solutions on YouTube if it all gets too much.
- Museum of HP Calculators: Another true work of obsession.
- Simon Singh: Author of Fermat's Last Theorem, The Code Book, Big Bang and other ripping yarns.
- Tim Hunkin: Engineer, cartoonist, and creator of The Secret Life of Machines TV series.
- The Secret Life of Machines Video Archive: Download 'em all.
- Tim Robinson's Meccano Computing Machinery: Working Babbage difference engines made entirely from Meccano.
- Space Robin: Top Gear's Reliant Robin space shuttle. Also available on YouTube.
Art, graphic and web design
- Christiaan Postma's clock: Over 150 hands!
- Daniel Rozin Interactive Art: Mechanical mirrors, software mirrors, video painting, glass sculptures and proxxi prints.
- Guided by HTML Dog: HTML and CSS tutorials, references, and articles.
- Manfred Klein: Prolific font designer and creator of Klill, the font used in our logo.
- Veerle's blog: XHTML, CSS and beautiful graphic design from Belgium.
