making gadgets and everything in between

Monday, 8 July 2013

First Kenyan Online Electronics Store

I have been building electronics in Kenya for sometime now and the greatest challenge is getting the parts needed for the projects. A long time ago I learned how to scavenge for parts from broken electronics and repurpose them for my own projects. This however has changed due to the revolution that is taking place in the Kenyan DIY scene. Many more enthusiasts and students have access to materials, tools and information that I never had access to while learning.

Most of the components I got were discrete and hardly did I get the exact parts I wanted especially microcontrollers. As time went by I discovered the electronics shops in Luthuli avenue in Nairobi. These shops have many of the electronics parts needed to do simple projects. To successfully shop for parts here you need to know the street names of some of the components to get to buy them else you leave without them for lack of proper "street"communication. For instance a potentiometer is called "volume" which is only one of the many applications of this device as a volume control knob in audio electronics. This is partly due to the fact that some of the people selling these parts do not even have an idea what they are selling.

One of the shops though, Masimo electronics, stocks most of the parts a DIYer would love to have from microcontrollers to the peripherals but the problem is the pricing. Do not be surprised to find an arduino duemilanov going for Ksh 15,000 or a 3mm led going for Ksh15 which is way too high. This makes me think that most of their components are overpriced and it is quite discouraging that they are taking advantage. To add insults to an injury they do not have an online shop or even a catalog which the customers can even browse or windowshop for parts. Time has come for businesses to go digital but these guys have a long way to go.

Long we had waited for this scenario to change and it did when nerokas, a kenyan online electronics store was established. This is the one stop shop for all the parts an electronics DIYer would need. From the famous arduino to microcontrollers, from the raspberry pi to leds,GSM modules and many other electronics parts. You can place your order in the morning, pay via m-pesa and get your package the same day within Nairobi or get the package delivered by a courier of your choice if you are outside Nairobi. And to crown the cake, their prices are very friendly.

Whether you are building electronics projects for fun or a school project, head straight their website, or visit their facebook page for a glimpse of what they stock and am sure you will be amazed.

Lets build this Engineering momentum together by promoting our one of our own as we gear up towards vision 2030!

If I can get it in Kenya, why import?

Electronics tutorials coming soon! watch this space.

Sunday, 23 June 2013

Innovate Kenya Camp at Maseno School

I have always wanted to inspire the youth especially those in high schools because they are basically at the tipping point in their lives where my small input might be just what is required to tip the balance to a favourable future.Therefore last weekend when a friend of mine from Innovate Kenya invited me to their innovation camp at Maseno School, I was more than willing to attend. Innovate Kenya is a nationwide innovation competition that involves high school students designing solutions for problems facing their communities. A total of ten projects were selected by judges to enter the final level where a prototype solution will be implemented by the students in the next five weeks. The prototyping of the ten finalist projects is made possible by funding from Innovate Kenya.

The finalists received mentorship on how to move their ideas forward into the prototyping stage. To top it up the students were taken through the wallet project to enhance their design skills.

I also had the chance to meet Maxwell Collins who has designed an electronic voting machine using parts scavenged from scrap electronics. The 2007/2008 post election skirmishes that almost paralysed Kenya inspired him to design a system where human error and manipulation is eliminated to ensure peaceful voting and tallying.

They say pictures are worth a thousand words, see for yourself below.....