When you see $125 off something you probably assume it cost several times that to start with. Nope, this drastic discount leaves just $25 plus shipping. Use coupon-code: 2JLP-R4XRT3 when ordering the little rover. There’s a quick video snippet of it embedded after the break.
What you’ll get is a Stellaris ARM Cortex-M3 microcontroller on a board with a bunch of goodies.
- MicroSD slot
- USB host and device connectors
- I2C audio with speakers
- Ethernet connector
- 96×6 OLED display
- Motors
- Optosensors
- Bump detectors
As always, we want to hear about the hacks you come up with once you have this little guy in hand.
[update, the code is now expired]
[final update — Someone from TI explains what is going on.]
—- from the comments.
As some posts already note, the coupon code is only available to ESC Boston attendees. That said, we’re psyched about all of your interest and understand there seems to have been some confusion, so TI plans to fulfill all of the finalized orders to date. We’re working on some logistics in getting the code up and running again for ESC Boston attendees, but proof of ESC registration will be required. Stay tuned.
We hear you about the e-store and are working as quickly as possible to avoid issues in the future. Thanks for your patience.
Bottom line – we’re glad to see the excitement around EVALBOT and look forward to checking out your projects! We encourage you to share them on our e2e Forums at http://e2e.ti.com/
-Jean Anne Booth, Texas Instruments
——-
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQPyZPQcyKI]
[Thanks GDM]
Okay, so a bunch of us just ordered a Stellaris Evalbot. It would be nice if someone started up a community site specifically catering to owners of this toy. That or making a subforum on an already popular forum with a similar topic!
So all your orders finally went through! This has to be the best loss leader I have ever witnessed! Will your order be honoured? Do they have this many in stock? I see complaining on the horizon!
got one yesterday beat a bunch of people here order number 6217
Here you go, I’ve set up a temporary proboards site for the Evalbot, if it goes places I’ll see about migrating it.
http://ti-evalbot.proboards.com
Get posting!
The coupon code for $25, was a promotion given out at ESC-Boston a couple weeks ago. The code is single use, and only good for 1 item.
I bet many of the people that said the got theirs either didn’t notice the price, or the order gets rejected.
But good luck. I got mine in hand, from the code I got at the event.
@ Phil
Thanks, I’m in for now… Hope it doesn’t take too long for the bot to get shipped to russia.
The coupon code you’ve entered has expired.
#6208
nice one hackaday
I’ve posted all of the links found in these comments on the new bboard:
http://ti-evalbot.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=general&action=display&thread=2
Its cool!
Sweet!
Joined Up!
the book that goes with this is $89 with nothing included
http://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/Texas-Instruments/EKB-UCOS3-BOOK/?qs=sGAEpiMZZMtrp8KM8mwNAo%2FKS9O4%252bTWGjHHktN7XehY%3D
List of some of the chips on board:
TPS211x power multiplexer
TPS715xx LDO voltage regulator
TLV700XX LDO regulator
DRV8800/8801 H-Bridge Motor Driver
TPS71085 DC-DC converter
TPS6107x boos converter
TLV320AIC3107 low power stero codec
TS3USB30 USB2.0 switch
LM3S9B92 microcontroller
Dam missed out here :(
I placed a phone call to TI. The coupon officially expired on the 1st of October.
> I placed a phone call to TI. The coupon officially expired on the 1st of October.
err… What? So all the HaD effect we caused was for nothing?
@snander
Hopefully you didn’t convince them to cancel our orders…
If you got pre-authed for $25 then you are okay. No information was available on qty in stock . Lead time on next shipment is last week of October.
Maybe just in time for my robotic Halloween jack o lantern dog chaser !
I doubt they want to make a fuzz by canceling the hackaday orders. TI just try to get a “buzz” with stuff like a 430 launchpad they are practically giving away.
If they have any brains, they honor the evalbot orders that went trough. :)
The coupon code you’ve entered has expired.
Sheet… i wanted one so much!
As some posts already note, the coupon code is only available to ESC Boston attendees. That said, we’re psyched about all of your interest and understand there seems to have been some confusion, so TI plans to fulfill all of the finalized orders to date. We’re working on some logistics in getting the code up and running again for ESC Boston attendees, but proof of ESC registration will be required. Stay tuned.
We hear you about the e-store and are working as quickly as possible to avoid issues in the future. Thanks for your patience.
Bottom line – we’re glad to see the excitement around EVALBOT and look forward to checking out your projects! We encourage you to share them on our e2e Forums at http://e2e.ti.com/
-Jean Anne Booth, Texas Instruments
unfortunatly if they have confirmed your order and price and you have sent payment they HAVE to honor it BY LAW as you have enterered into a purchasing agreement. I think any atempt to withdraw from this would simply cost more than any losses they may have for selling 1000 of these for 25 USD
I think they have leeway in that they don’t charge you until they ship. Either way, I don’t see them realistically pulling the orders.
well im 90% sure the money has already eft my card so fingers crossed :)
Damn!!!
Missed : coupon code expired !!!
Does anyone know if it will be another code for this evalbot ??
Man, I would love to know how many of these they sold since this write-up was posted.
@matbed
I’m more than 600 orders behind you at ~6400 and mine has not been charged yet. If the order numbers are sequential, then judging by an unrelated order I placed through them on the 3rd, they have probably sold 1500 of these units in 2 days. I’ll bet damn near anything that many of us will wait a month or more to get them!
Oh, also, congratulations HaD – The aftermath of this post is a pretty freakin’ good demonstration of the popularity of your site. Keep up the good work ;)
hackaday effectively crashed texas instruments website today 10-5-2010
Btw, really wonder if they will put up some stats about how their server handled that… like sparkfun did.
kyle.macdonald@gmail.com
Missed out on this deal. Where do people find these coupons?
They didn’t charge for the orders, they did a pre-auth which is different. A pre-auth counts against your credit limit but no funds have been moved from your actual account. Hotels do this a lot where they pre-auth for an amount much higher than the room fees in case of damages they have reserved that amount, then when you check out they bill the actual amount and release the rest back to your credit account.
TI does this because if there is a problem they can cancel the hold and do not have to issue credits. Its easier for the book keeping that way because no actual money changed hands.
Most banks allows 72 hours for a merchant to finish a transaction before they return the funds to the credit limit.
Did anybody get a shipping date or a backorder confirmation from TI yet? I only got the initial order confirmation, and it says there that i would get another email within 24 hours….
Okay, fine. So if I have not been at ESC, Boston they will just cancel the order? Crap.
@cgmark – They’re “not allowed” to pre-auth for significantly more than what they intend to charge any more. For some value of “not allowed” based on how much you’re willing to pay in penalties.
@Necromant – I’m pretty sure “so TI plans to fulfill all of the finalized orders to date” means that if you ordered prior to that comment, you will get your ‘bot.
Nice to read that Jean Anne Booth found her to HaD :)
Welcome and thank you for the heads up!
@Zotty Indeed!
Supporting the community through available documentation and tutorials, hobbyist focused eval kits (MSP430 Launchpad is a great example), and open tools can go a long way towards design wins. I had a good time doing the Circuit Cellar DesignStellaris competition, and since then I’ve been lobbying pretty hard for my employer to use their micros in the next redesign of our product.
@TJ – Hm, well let’s hope I will. After reading it once again it finally was clear to me… Looks like a bit two much caffeine for my brain in two days.
Please note: ESC Boston attendees received a special coupon for a highly discounted EVALBOT. We’ve had to temporarily discontinue use of the coupon code – in your order, use of the code will result in a “this coupon is expired” response. Full price orders are still available. We expect to re-enable use of the ESC Boston coupon code by October 11th, and the coupon code expiration date will be extended by the amount of time that we had to discontinue its use. When re-enabled, the code will be accepted only for ESC Boston attendees and orders will be validated against the ESC Boston attendee list.
WTF TI??? I got an email last night requesting my company name, which i immediately replied with it. Today I get a cancellation notice email. WTF???
on the page of the evalbot
Please note: ESC Boston attendees received a special coupon for a highly discounted EVALBOT. We’ve had to temporarily discontinue use of the coupon code – in your order, use of the code will result in a “this coupon is expired” response. Full price orders are still available. We expect to re-enable use of the ESC Boston coupon code by October 11th, and the coupon code expiration date will be extended by the amount of time that we had to discontinue its use. When re-enabled, the code will be accepted only for ESC Boston attendees and orders will be validated against the ESC Boston attendee list.
FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU
I was at ESC Boston and received the uC/OS-III book along with an official coupon for the kit.
I’m not going to have time to use this so if anyone would like it, it’s yours. All I as is that you pay shipping.
contact me at:
ajcrm125@gmail.com
If I don’t reply then assume the items have a new owner.
Thanks.
Spoken for.
Thanks!
“so TI plans to fulfill all of the finalized orders to date.”
I wonder what she means exactly by “finalized order.” I was lucky enough to complete an order and received a confirmation e-mail. I hope that counts as a finalized order.
Yes, a “finalized order” is one in which you received a confirmation email. We are scheduling all those orders at the moment – and it will take us a few days to do so. We appreciate your patience and your interest!
Thanks for at least honoring the orders that were confirmed.
But those of us who didn’t get confirmed got ripped off. TI is at the top of my “bad guy” list now!
Since some TI officials seems to read here.
Save the souls of all those poor HaD fellows who wasn’t able to place an order and announce a HaD
coupon.
Come on, help people who can easily make this into a success. Many of the readers here are talented hackers which will come up with crazy innovative use of the platform, however, many are also talented bloggers and otherwise “multiplicators”. Finally, some of us sits on chairs with the power to decide for course materials for universities and school classes.
I guess you can see easily that a HaD coupon would become easily the most effective PR campaign you ever ran (it will cost you less then a single day on a trade fair and it addresses much more potential customers).
Consider to change orders placed already by HaD-people to the new HaD-coupon to clean up the mess…. and just as a little side note… if you are going to release a HaD coupon, well, ask your IT stuff to upgrade your webservers first and observe them carefully. You know just in case…
Finally, if you do so, don’t forget to credit HaD.
I feel bad, hope they don’t loose too much money over it