If you've ever wanted to be able to add easy USB interfacing to your electronic circuits, the Phidgets USB modules might just be what you need.

How cool are these?

The Phidgets are various USB interfacing modules that let you connect pots, sliders, switches, temp sensors, force sensors, and all sorts of other things to your computer. Using these modules, you can easily build simple circuits and control them with software written in your own preferred language. They'd be perfect to use with one of the very small PC104 format computer boards if you needed a higher-powered embedded machine.

Besides the various input and output modules, there is a master control board which acts as a sort of hub and collector. This module is what plugs directly into your computer. The sensor/option boards then plug into the hub.

It's a simple way to build some basic control or data collection circuits -- almost like a building-block system but for sensors. The entire everything-is-included Phidgets starter kit is only $250 CAD. However, there is a full assortment of other goodies available one-by-one, such as a 16 input/16 output board, servo controllers, and much more. Check it out!