We requested SparkFun workers about their favourite piece of tech they’ve ever owned. Might be something; a recreation console, a pc, and even the Motorola Razr that they had in 2007. Everybody has one thing that bought 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 might’ve stated the floppy disk for the meme, however I’ve by no means truly used one. The TI-89 was unstoppable, and I feel I miss it a lot as a result of somebody stole it from me in Physics 325 in faculty. The solver operate? 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’ll be able to even (type of) run MicroPython on it!

Chris McCarty: The iPod Traditional

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 every week! I’m truly listening to my printer making circles proper now, and it’s one in every 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My older cousin confirmed me BASIC and wrote a easy ‘password’ program with it that 10 12 months outdated me spent numerous hours taking aside and placing again collectively to attempt to perceive how pc packages work. Plus, it got here with a CVGA monitor so I may play King’s Quest in all its 4-color glory.

Madison Chodikov: Clear telephone from the 90’s

I bear in mind going to my grandparents home and utilizing this telephone and simply gazing it for hours, considering how cool it was to see the intricate elements on the within with all of the cool colours. Undoubtedly one in every of my favourite issues we obtained from them as soon as they downsized!

Molly Rodgers: The Jurassic Park III Dino-Dex (circa 2002)

From jurassictoys.web, “a Pokédex-style organizer that accommodates 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 is able to allow you to create your individual hybrid dinosaurs. The Dino Dex can also be an organizer that allows you to retailer names, telephone 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 and not using 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 gadget like this one. Went to summer season faculty pc camp to study BASIC at Tempo College within the seventh grade.

Shut second for me was the Sharp Zaurus – (ZR-500) means forward of it’s time circa 1996. It had e mail performance (ableit by means of a sync operate) and had hand writing recognition. Oh – and spreadsheets on a cellular gadget – thoughts blowing again within the day!

Michael Van Auken: X10 Dwelling Automation Switches and Controls

Additionally, would like to see a sequence the place we take outdated Archer or Heathkit kits, break down the unique elements and directions, comply with up with how you can implement them utilizing trendy elements and eventually replace them utilizing the newest tech, for instance an outdated gentle organ equipment, how you can recreate with present accessible LEDs and ICs and eventually the fashionable model that makes use of a microcontroller, DSP addressable LEDs and many others.

Bryan Hoff: The Authentic Nintendo

I had a paper route at 8 years outdated, getting up at 4:30am to ship to about 80 homes. I saved up and was capable of purchase one in 1986. Fond recollections 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. A lot of my engineering classmates have been placing full chapters from the textual content e-book into them, making all checks successfully open e-book. Since lessons have been graded on a curve, college students successfully had to purchase one to degree the taking part in area. 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 plenty of highway journeys and/or needed to sit in locations whereas mother and father/siblings have been doing different issues. Nevertheless, when the SP got here out and it had a backlight, that undoubtedly modified issues for me. Having the ability to play video games in darkish places or within the automobile was an enormous profit without having to have a devoted plug-in gentle 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 sequence, 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 suppose individuals are promoting it for just a few hundred {dollars} at present!

Have something in frequent with us? What’s your favourite piece of tech you’ve got ever owned, outdated or new? Tell us within the feedback!