Tan Tran came up with a cheap substitute for aluminum standoffs: nylon tubing. Polyethylene does a decent job too, and can be had for under $.10 a foot at your local hardware store. The 1/4″ OD (outside diameter) stuff shown in these pics accommodates up to #8 size screws. 
"Essentials" Tool Kits Now Available
We put together some of our favorite tools into kits that make up the essential tools for getting started, or contain everything needed to setup shop in a new workplace or research lab.
Mercury Tilt Switch – Old School Accelerometer
Rummaging through the ubiquitous box of random stuff, I pulled out a mercury tilt switch, which were / are used in vending machines, thermostats, and construction equipment to detect tilt. The liquid drop of mercury conducts current when it bridges two contacts at one end, and, according to wikipedia, can operate millions of cycles since there’s no wear. Anyone know the right way to dispose of these?
Arduino Multiplexer Stribe Shield
The stribe shield lets you read in up to 13 analog channels into an arduino diecimila or duemilanove. It’s based on the analog multiplexer CD4051 chip, and was originally made to simplify connections to our Stribe1 touch display strips. We’re also releasing a double and quad base that can be used to mount either 2 or 4 Stribe1s along with an arduino.
