Adafruit 3D Printed LED Coat Buttons: The Brightest Buttons to Button

Make your clothes stand out with these LED-equipped and 3D printed buttons. Electronics shop Adafruit shared this project last January to help keep folks visible in snowy winter nights, but unless it’s always bright and sunny where you are then you’ll still find a use for these buttons.

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Aside from the 3D printed button cases, the main components of this device are the GEMMA electronic board and the Flora NeoPixel RGB LEDs. Watch the video to find out how to put them together.

As always you can find instructions and links to all components on Adafruit’s website. I’m sure you can make the electronics fit in other 3D printed cases, like a replica of Iron Man’s arc reactor.

Image by Noe & Pedro Ruiz

[via Adafruit via Gadgetify]

Griffin PowerMate Bluetooth for OS X: Twist & Scrub

According to Griffin, its PowerMate knob and button gained a “dedicated user base.” I don’t know whether that’s one thousand or one million users, but apparently that base is dedicated enough that Griffin was compelled to release an update to the PowerMate Bluetooth, which now connects to OS X 10.8+ computers via NFC. Just kidding. It uses Bluetooth. I was testing you. You passed.

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Out of the box, you can use the PowerMate Bluetooth to adjust the volume or mute your Mac. It also has preset controls for iMovie and Garageband. But it also comes with a companion software where you can add commands for various programs and manage multiple units. Griffin also gave a few instances where the device was hacked. People used it as a MIDI controller, as a gaming display and an audio visualizer. Mike Flaminio checked out the PowerMate Bluetooth at the 2014 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES):

The PowerMate Bluetooth will be available this summer for $60 (USD). Honestly I think the Palette will get you more bang for your buck, but if you really want a wireless setup then the PowerMate Bluetooth may be what you’re looking for.

[via Griffin]