Tindie
Tymkrs (The Toymakers)
Overall Rating:
All Reviews
Max | June 4, 2018
Does what it says on the tin
Product does exactly what it says. This is a great tool for interfacing with the receiving end of a MIDI signal. Fits nicely into a breadboard and is easy to integrate with other circuits, or probe with a scope. Took a while to get to shipping (I think it was the last in stock and was hard to find or something. Didn't feel like normal turnaround time + I don't think it was their fault), but once it got in the mail it arrived pretty quick. They threw in their LED VU meter kit along with this one, maybe as consolation for delayed shipment, or just a fluke. Either way, it was appreciated. Both kits were well constructed and did their jobs. Documentation on their site is extremely thorough, though I would have liked to see a link directly to it on the Tindie product page. Would recommend and would buy again.
Michael | April 28, 2018
Great product from a great maker
I love the Heart Me! It's highly functional, works exactly as described. It looks great on clothes or a backpack. Not too bright, which is good considering the number of LEDs on the board. It doesn't have an on/off switch per se, so I use a small bit of plastic or paper between the battery and the holder when not in use.
Seller was very fast to send the item and provided a tracking number. I couldn't be happier. :)
Seller was very fast to send the item and provided a tracking number. I couldn't be happier. :)
James | Aug. 5, 2017
I need more
I need about 10 more of these kits, maybe up to 15. Can you get more of these, I purchased what you had!
Steven | June 26, 2017
Unimpressed
For Tymkrs Amplify Me (LM386 Amplifier Kit)
When I got my mini amp kit the resistor was missing. It took a day or two of emails to get a replacement mailed. The mail was delayed and was delivered several days after the estimated delivery date. Had there been documentation on the type of resistor I could have bought one myself.
Response from Tymkrs (The Toymakers) | Aug. 6, 2017
Hi Steven,
Our apologies for the resistor being missing - the QC folks have been appropriately notified. The datasheets are all available at http://tymkrs.com/products.html and there is a direct link on the page it is being sold on labeled "Documentation". We hope though that the amplifier works as intended!
Our apologies for the resistor being missing - the QC folks have been appropriately notified. The datasheets are all available at http://tymkrs.com/products.html and there is a direct link on the page it is being sold on labeled "Documentation". We hope though that the amplifier works as intended!
Mark | June 13, 2017
great product !
For Tymkrs Amplify Me (LM386 Amplifier Kit)
Such fun and easy to build and modify. Liked it so much I bought 3 !
See the video of what I built on Instagram.
mark-andre-santos
See the video of what I built on Instagram.
mark-andre-santos
Response from Tymkrs (The Toymakers) | Aug. 6, 2017
Thanks so much!
Tom | Feb. 19, 2017
What a great idea!!!!!
What a great kit...Our cable company kept raising the cable box prices so we decided to save some money and use these kits. They were also very easy to put together. Thank you so much!!
Roberto | Dec. 6, 2016
pretty fun to put together.
For Tymkrs Amplify Me (LM386 Amplifier Kit)
Pretty nice kit, was fun putting together, was missing the battery clip but found a replacement on amazon for. cant wait to use this for my audio projects.
Response from Tymkrs (The Toymakers) | Dec. 7, 2016
Hi Roberto,
Sorry about the missing battery clip - please let me know if I can provide a replacement as well! I hope it works well!
~Addie
Sorry about the missing battery clip - please let me know if I can provide a replacement as well! I hope it works well!
~Addie
Dan | Sept. 3, 2016
Worked out better than expected, going back to buy more
I bought this (and the IR receiver component) to talk to an amplifier in another room. I was worried that the cable might be too long, etc. I didn't like any of the commercial solutions since none of the kits fit my use case.
This kit was extremely easy to solder and the instructions are very good. I was up and running in no time, and the flexibility to adjust it while building means I can feed it 5V from the TV USB and drop the power supply, and I can also just run the receiver/transmitter at the end of small wires and make the actual intrusive/visible part of the kit much smaller. I was extremely surprised at how well everything worked the first time I plugged it in.
To make it better now I can also automate! I can put a raspberry PI on the "bus" and record the sequences/retransmit any way I want. I can have complex behavior which would be impossible to automate otherwise.
Extremely recommended! The seller also contacted me right away regarding the inventory and were very flexible in fulfilling my order. I couldn't be happier.
This kit was extremely easy to solder and the instructions are very good. I was up and running in no time, and the flexibility to adjust it while building means I can feed it 5V from the TV USB and drop the power supply, and I can also just run the receiver/transmitter at the end of small wires and make the actual intrusive/visible part of the kit much smaller. I was extremely surprised at how well everything worked the first time I plugged it in.
To make it better now I can also automate! I can put a raspberry PI on the "bus" and record the sequences/retransmit any way I want. I can have complex behavior which would be impossible to automate otherwise.
Extremely recommended! The seller also contacted me right away regarding the inventory and were very flexible in fulfilling my order. I couldn't be happier.
Response from Tymkrs (The Toymakers) | Sept. 3, 2016
Great! We're using it ourselves for our own systems and am glad it's working for you! I'm working on getting more stock in the next couple of weeks so keep your eyes peeled!
Dan | Sept. 3, 2016
Amazing product, did everything and some - buying more.
For IR Receiver Kit
I bought this (and the IR transmitter component) to talk to an amplifier in another room. I was worried that the cable might be too long, etc. I didn't like any of the commercial solutions since none of the kits fit my use case.
This kit was extremely easy to solder and the instructions are very good. I was up and running in no time, and the flexibility to adjust it while building means I can feed it 5V from the TV USB and drop the power supply, and I can also just run the receiver/transmitter at the end of small wires and make the actual intrusive/visible part of the kit much smaller. I was extremely surprised at how well everything worked the first time I plugged it in.
To make it better now I can also automate! I can put a raspberry PI on the "bus" and record the sequences/retransmit any way I want. I can have complex behavior which would be impossible to automate otherwise.
Extremely recommended! The seller also contacted me right away regarding the inventory and were very flexible in fulfilling my order. I couldn't be happier.
This kit was extremely easy to solder and the instructions are very good. I was up and running in no time, and the flexibility to adjust it while building means I can feed it 5V from the TV USB and drop the power supply, and I can also just run the receiver/transmitter at the end of small wires and make the actual intrusive/visible part of the kit much smaller. I was extremely surprised at how well everything worked the first time I plugged it in.
To make it better now I can also automate! I can put a raspberry PI on the "bus" and record the sequences/retransmit any way I want. I can have complex behavior which would be impossible to automate otherwise.
Extremely recommended! The seller also contacted me right away regarding the inventory and were very flexible in fulfilling my order. I couldn't be happier.
Jesse | July 4, 2016
Convenient kit
Simple but convenient kit. Was just going to buy all of these parts separately but then found this kit. Documentation is only on their website, and is ok. Using for reading raw MIDI data. Check out Bent-Tronics.com to see this product in use (soon).
Response from Tymkrs (The Toymakers) | July 4, 2016
Thanks Jesse - glad it's working for you! Looking forward to your project and feel free to let us know what additional information you would have liked to see in the documentation.
Dirk | June 6, 2016
Xlnt way to get started with MIDI in with minimum fuss.
I have done MIDI out with Propellers before to play synthesizers, but hadn't tackled MIDI in until now, as I've been a little intimidated by trying to parse a serial in data stream. I had breadboarded up MIDI interfaces for MIDI out, but when I saw these little guys, it was a no-brainer. Yup, had to have those (o:
Just to help with the software, the demo is great, but one note (no pun intended). The demo works great, but only "sees" a MIDI off message. To send a "note off" many MIDI controllers only send a MIDI "note on" with a velocity (equivalent to volume) of zero, which effectively shuts the note off. I scratched my head for a sec when I wasn't seeing a note off in the terminal program from my Oxygen 8 keyboard controller until I realized what was happening (o:
Great product with excellent software example to get you up and going right away!
Thanks much for this time-saving kit!
Just to help with the software, the demo is great, but one note (no pun intended). The demo works great, but only "sees" a MIDI off message. To send a "note off" many MIDI controllers only send a MIDI "note on" with a velocity (equivalent to volume) of zero, which effectively shuts the note off. I scratched my head for a sec when I wasn't seeing a note off in the terminal program from my Oxygen 8 keyboard controller until I realized what was happening (o:
Great product with excellent software example to get you up and going right away!
Thanks much for this time-saving kit!
Response from Tymkrs (The Toymakers) | June 7, 2016
Thank you for your kind words and glad you're enjoying the kit! Here's to many more MIDI and Propeller adventures!!
Subesh | May 14, 2016
Awesome its arrived on time. Thank you
I love your product. Thank you so much thank you Thank you so muchThank you so muchThank you so muchThank you so muchThank you so muchThank you so much
Response from Tymkrs (The Toymakers) | May 14, 2016
Haha - glad it did! You're welcome! :)
Doug | April 24, 2016
Great!
For Tymkrs Amplify Me (LM386 Amplifier Kit)
This amp works great on small 8 ohm speakers. It was easy to put together thanks to the YouTube video. It would be nice to have a PDF diagram too.
Response from Tymkrs (The Toymakers) | April 24, 2016
Thanks Doug! Glad it worked well for you! Feel free to check out the datasheet located on http://tymkrs.com/products.html or specifically http://tymkrs.com/datasheets/amplify-me.pdf for the PDF datasheet :)
Ronald | Jan. 20, 2016
Just what I needed for my cosplay!
For Tymkrs Blink Me
I was looking for a blinking led kit to use for my R.O.B. the Robot cosplay (remember that old Nintendo accessory), and I came across this. Between the simplicity & modest price, I was interested & got it. Now, it's been a very, very long time since I did any sort of soldering project, so I had my concerns, but like I said earlier, the simplicity of this project, not to mention the build video, was a great help.
At the end of it all, I have a bright enough blinking led that is sure to make my R.O.B. really pop, and I'll be sure to buy more from these people in the future.
At the end of it all, I have a bright enough blinking led that is sure to make my R.O.B. really pop, and I'll be sure to buy more from these people in the future.
Response from Tymkrs (The Toymakers) | Jan. 22, 2016
Thanks so much for your kind review! Let us know if we can help you with any customized project as well!
Michael | Nov. 29, 2015
If your circuit board needs heart surgery...
If your circuit board needs heart surgery, trust your friends at Tymkrs to complete the job successfully! Great engineering, Great product! Trust these surgeons!
Response from Tymkrs (The Toymakers) | Nov. 29, 2015
Thank you! Glad you liked it :D
Harry | Sept. 19, 2015
Tymkrs Amplify Me (LM386 Amplifier Kit)
For Tymkrs Amplify Me (LM386 Amplifier Kit)
Thank you for your survey. I have yet to get the amp working; there were no directions with the parts. Harry Byron
Response from Tymkrs (The Toymakers) | Sept. 19, 2015
Hi Harry,
Please look to http://tymkrs.com/products.html. There is also a direct link to documentation on the page where we sell the item. Thanks!
Addie
Please look to http://tymkrs.com/products.html. There is also a direct link to documentation on the page where we sell the item. Thanks!
Addie
Nathan | June 8, 2015
Great kit, puts out a surprisingly good sound
For Tymkrs Amplify Me (LM386 Amplifier Kit)
For someone who had never wielded a soldering iron before, this kit was a great starter - managed to assemble a working circuit with no foul language. Kit is now stuffed into a cigar box and sounds sweet.
Response from Tymkrs (The Toymakers) | June 8, 2015
Rockin! Glad you were able to make a cigar box amplifier!!
Dan | March 2, 2015
A nice little product that fits a need
I do a lot of DIY midi circuits and midi design. There's really no product that I could find that fits neatly on a breadboard. Sparkfun has a nice combo Midi In/out/thru but it's not breadboard friendly. Price on the Tymkrs unit is reasonable too. I bought 2 actually...one for the breadboard and one for incorporating into a product. The pcb is about as small as one can make it with thru-hole components and is ideal for my application where space is a premium. Good job guys!
Response from Tymkrs (The Toymakers) | March 2, 2015
Hi Dan,
Thanks so much for your kind review and glad you were able to make use of this product! Please let us know if there are any other MIDI needs that we can help with. Thanks again!
Addie of Tymkrs
Thanks so much for your kind review and glad you were able to make use of this product! Please let us know if there are any other MIDI needs that we can help with. Thanks again!
Addie of Tymkrs
Dan | March 2, 2015
Great little product for Midi DIYers
I do a lot of DIY midi circuits and midi design. There's really no product that I could find that fits neatly on a breadboard. Sparkfun has a nice combo Midi In/out/thru but it's not breadboard friendly. Price on the Tymkrs unit is reasonable too. The pcb is about as small as one can make it with thru-hole components and is ideal where space is at a premium. Good job guys!
Eric | Feb. 2, 2015
Great little amp kit!
For Tymkrs Amplify Me (LM386 Amplifier Kit)
This kit is fantastic and a ton of fun! Everything required is included except the speaker and those are easy to find from online sources or in discarded or unused radios and stereo equipment around the house.
While the circuit is simple enough that I am sure most with a little bit of knowledge and experience could put it together without the kit, the kit is so convenient and so well priced there is little reason to do so. I have purchased and assembled several of these to use as guitar and mp3 player amplifiers both for my own use and to give as gifts. My grade school age son even learned to solder using this kit and enjoys that he can make use of the end product.
It is worth noting that no documentation is included with the shipment but it is all available online. The documentation is clear and sufficient to successfully and easily assemble the kit.
While the circuit is simple enough that I am sure most with a little bit of knowledge and experience could put it together without the kit, the kit is so convenient and so well priced there is little reason to do so. I have purchased and assembled several of these to use as guitar and mp3 player amplifiers both for my own use and to give as gifts. My grade school age son even learned to solder using this kit and enjoys that he can make use of the end product.
It is worth noting that no documentation is included with the shipment but it is all available online. The documentation is clear and sufficient to successfully and easily assemble the kit.
Response from Tymkrs (The Toymakers) | Feb. 2, 2015
Hi Eric,
Thanks so much for your kind review - we're so glad your son was also able to learn how to solder using the kit. We love to hear stories like that! We'll take your comment on documentation into consideration, hopefully within the next year we'll come out with something a bit more user friendly!
Kindest Regards,
Addie
Thanks so much for your kind review - we're so glad your son was also able to learn how to solder using the kit. We love to hear stories like that! We'll take your comment on documentation into consideration, hopefully within the next year we'll come out with something a bit more user friendly!
Kindest Regards,
Addie
Shawn | Jan. 8, 2015
great product
For Tymkrs Amplify Me (LM386 Amplifier Kit)
Easy to assemble. Sounds good
Response from Tymkrs (The Toymakers) | Jan. 8, 2015
Perfect :) Glad it worked out for you!
Charles | Jan. 2, 2015
good stuff...
For Tymkrs Jack Me
I don't know why I am writing a review; it's kind of a no-brainer but this is a very handy tool for my bench. I highly recommend buying these sorts of bench tools even if you don't quite have a use for it yet. You'll end up needing it and be thankful you had it around as am I. This will end up getting put into a project and I'll happily order more. It works well, no surprises and shipping was lightning fast. Thanks!
Yves | Nov. 6, 2014
Doug | Oct. 30, 2014
A fun easy project.
I like the project so well I am buying a second one and modifying it ti better suit my needs. The red LEDs detracted from the effect I wanted and I am going to try amber and white mixed with higher output LEDs. I placed the module in the bottom of a new Kerosene lamp after removing the wick. The LEDs are in the slot where the wick would be. I used tissue paper to diffuse the light. I want to change to 3 AA batteries so they can be charged by a nano-hydro waterwheel (http://tigermountainsprings.net/) on one of our creeks. I may add a light sensor so it is only on at night. I will also add some 1 Watt LEDs separate from the module that will activate on movement.
Charles | Oct. 15, 2014
Easy to assemble MIDI IN port
Sturdy, easy, no prob. Simple kit to add midi input to most anything.
Charles | Oct. 11, 2014
A pretty useful bench tool!
I bought this board as a status indicator for a project I'm building. It seems I'll have to order more when they have them re-stocked. These things are very useful for all sorts of things. You can use them to drive other things, throw a 90 deg SIP on them and pop them into a breadboard. A great 8-bit status tool! I recommend this board if you into programming micros.
Fabio | Oct. 1, 2014
Beer can amp
For Tymkrs Amplify Me (LM386 Amplifier Kit)
Hi everyone
I made a nice beer can amp for my iPod and also for guitar!
It sounds great!!
Thanks :)
Fabio
I made a nice beer can amp for my iPod and also for guitar!
It sounds great!!
Thanks :)
Fabio
Response from Tymkrs (The Toymakers) | Oct. 1, 2014
Awesome Fabio! Glad it worked out!! Let me know if you have a link to the project/pictures and I can put them up as examples :)
Adam | Aug. 22, 2014
Exactly what I was hoping for!
I love the cheap led tea lights you can buy everywhere else, but they're not bright enough to produce the light you'd expect from a candle. This simulator does the trick! Not only was it fun to build, but it worked exactly as shown in the videos with no tweaking. I'm using mine in a scarecrow with a jack-o-lantern head for Halloween, and even though the head is larger than an average pumpkin, it fills the whole thing with fire light! I ground the rounded lens off the LEDs with a dremel so they'd be less focused, and it really helped spread the light around. The only thing I might change is swapping out the red LEDs for a more realistic candle flame color, but I do like the subtle change between the two colors that helps sell the flicker effect. I will be back for more! :)
Response from Tymkrs (The Toymakers) | Aug. 28, 2014
Awesome! Glad you liked it :D
Alessandro | July 22, 2014
Excellent work, great assembly, well done!
Excellent work, great assembly, well done!
For hobbies I made a 12-lead electrocardiograph, now I want to try to connect it to this trinket to synchronize the analysis of the path with the Heart Me like a funny display ..
It may be that I will need to ask you some more details or source codes: P
At the moment just many thanks!
For hobbies I made a 12-lead electrocardiograph, now I want to try to connect it to this trinket to synchronize the analysis of the path with the Heart Me like a funny display ..
It may be that I will need to ask you some more details or source codes: P
At the moment just many thanks!
Response from Tymkrs (The Toymakers) | July 22, 2014
Thank you very much - I'm glad you like it! You may like our second iteration which we are currently prototyping which includes auscultation and palpation :D
James | June 18, 2014
Looks Great
The LED Candle Simulator was easy to build and solder using the instructions provided on instructables. Worked first time and it looks great. I am new to soldering but was able to put it together without issue. Only question I hand in construction was in regards to R2 but that slot wasn't used.
Charles | April 8, 2014
MIDI Out Interfect
When I saw the Tymkrs put out the MIDI Out board I immediately purchased a board. I was looking for one and I know the product line the tymkrs put out is quality and I've never had any issues with any of their products. The kit came and the board came with some nice mounting holes; another winner for sure.
Response from Tymkrs (The Toymakers) | April 8, 2014
Thanks Chas ^_^ Glad you liked it! Let us know when you have a project with it and we can post it up as additional documentation!
Charles | March 8, 2014
quick way to ditch the last stage of your audio project.
For Tymkrs Amplify Me (LM386 Amplifier Kit)
I have built a weather radio and instead of building my own protoboard with LM386 and speaker, etc... I decided to pick up two of these. One for the project and an extra just in case I liked it! ;) Note: they have directions on their website but I didn't follow them so my notes may have already been covered?
The board went together fine, I flipped my potentiometer to other side of the board (compared to their photo) from this photo because it fit better with the LM386 +8pin socket.. this worked out great. I also ditched the 1/4 jack and secretly hope they come out with a 1/8th (3.5mm) version of this board. I wired my circuit in directly to board. Finally, I noticed that if I used this amp on a 5V circuit that was powered by grounded mains (testing through a number of power supplies) the audio was scratchy; with the 9V battery *INCLUDED* (who does that anymore!?) the project worked great and sounded as you'd expect. I'll be adding these to my wishlist of project "helpers". Great product tymkrs!
The board went together fine, I flipped my potentiometer to other side of the board (compared to their photo) from this photo because it fit better with the LM386 +8pin socket.. this worked out great. I also ditched the 1/4 jack and secretly hope they come out with a 1/8th (3.5mm) version of this board. I wired my circuit in directly to board. Finally, I noticed that if I used this amp on a 5V circuit that was powered by grounded mains (testing through a number of power supplies) the audio was scratchy; with the 9V battery *INCLUDED* (who does that anymore!?) the project worked great and sounded as you'd expect. I'll be adding these to my wishlist of project "helpers". Great product tymkrs!
Response from Tymkrs (The Toymakers) | March 9, 2014
Good idea re: 3.5mm - I'll see what I can do :) Thanks for your review and hope it helps with your project!!
Emile | Dec. 17, 2013
Have an electrical guitar? Want a fun little amp? Get this
For Tymkrs Amplify Me (LM386 Amplifier Kit)
I've needed an amp for far too long, and that is when I found this little kit. It's pretty cool. Got it set up in a few minutes, connected a little speaker I had lying around from a kit bought who knows how long ago. Popped in the battery and it came right to life. Grabbed the guitar, and bam neat little amp. For a kids project, this is one of the best. Super easy to assemble, instructions are on the documentation link. Overall a fun project - the next step is getting a solid speaker to connect it to. Really want to hear this baby sing!
Response from Tymkrs (The Toymakers) | Dec. 18, 2013
Awesome! Glad assembly went well for you! Let us know when you have a recording of your guitar solo :D
Kevin | Nov. 18, 2013
Cool little amp project.
For Tymkrs Amplify Me (LM386 Amplifier Kit)
Very easy to assemble and has a very crunchy sound when put through the proper speaker. Thanks for the great customer service.
Response from Tymkrs (The Toymakers) | Dec. 9, 2013
Awesome :) Glad you like it!!
