We’ve got automatic pepper mills, pixel art, portable consoles and more this month.

Crowdfunding is a cool way for innovative products to see the light of day without the restrictions placed on in-house development at large companies. It’s also a great place to check out video games from small studios, movies, and campaigns for social good.

With all those campaigns competing for your attention, finding ones based on your interests can be tricky. Let KnowTechie do all the hard work for you with our picks of the crop for August.

So… with how many crowdfunding campaigns are out there, how do you choose what to back?

Well, I use a combination of checking out their campaign page, looking to see if any of the comments on their prior campaigns show dissatisfied backers, and also companies I’ve already had successful pledge fulfillment from.

I also tend to stick to gadget areas I know a bit about, like photography, cooking, maker tools, and writing implements. That way, I can judge whether or not the campaign’s aspirations are within reach, which adds to my decisions.

I’m also picking campaigns with some time left to run, as it’s no fun finding out about cool campaigns after they’ve finished.

So, with all of that out of the way, here are some of the crowdfunding campaigns I’ve found worthy of attention in August:

Charging cables suck. Especially the one devices come with, which often fray or break quickly. Magfast gives you a lifetime warranty on cables, so you can keep throwing them in your bag with abandon.

They come in USB-C to USB-C, or USB-C to Lightning, and come with an adapter for use with USB-A ports.

Then there’s Extreme, the power bank with three Qi Charging ports, five USB ports (Two C, three A), and enough power to jumpstart your car (with the accessory cable). Whew.

The other thing to know? Shipping will start in December now for Lux cables, as the campaign is already so successful they had to adjust their factory order. The Extreme power banks are scheduled to ship in March of next year.

Properly seasoning your meat for the bbq takes time, like anything good. It doesn’t have to come with wrist ache though, with this powered, one-touch pepper mill from Black Rain.

This crowdfunding project lets you choose from five grind sizes, fine to extra coarse. The high-torque motor does all the hard work, chewing through and spitting out 3/4tsp on fine or 1 1/2tsp of coarse pepper every five seconds. Whew, that’s spicy.

If you’ve ever wanted a dedicated device to do pixel art on, this is your time. Minbay’s Pixel Artboard is a pocketable, portable device dedicated to pixel artists. Never be far from your tools, so wherever inspiration hits you can push those pixels around.

It’s easy to forget that in the wake of the Steam Deck release, other companies have been cranking out portable Windows handsets for years.

AYANEO’s latest crowdfunding campaign, the Air, uses a 1808p OLED screen for crisp, colorful visuals. It’s powered by either the AMD Ryzen 5 5560U or the Pro model uses the Ryzen 7 5825U.

Get ready to say “cya” to joystick drift, as the Air uses the hall effect for both the triggers and joysticks. That’s when they measure the angle with magnetic fields, instead of physical parts that wear out over time. Oh, and it weighs less than the Switch OLED!

One of the things about 3D printing with filament is that you end up with layer lines. Those can be unwanted, depending on what you’re printing. It’s a laborious process to smooth them down usually, but there’s a quicker way.

Topposh has created a nebulizing polishing process, with a special blend of solvents that smooths away layer lines without deforming the model. It’s genius, really.

Tired of delivery drivers not finding your address, especially at night? Wish they could read your house number from halfway down the block?

You want an ALuminate house sign, with its tasteful illumination and brushed metal or matte black finish. Give your delivery drivers a break, and give your house the classy sign it deserves.

Physical board games are great, but what about adding some AI magic? The JOYO system consists of a flying UFO playing piece that serves as a console, arbiter of rules, and more.

The crowdfunding campaign reads hidden code on your board and pieces to determine how the rules work for your game. Play variants of Battleship, or test your memory, play fantasy adventures, chase ghosts, and more.

GPD usually makes pocketable powerhouses of ultraportable Windows laptops. Now it’s supersized its latest UMPC, the Win Max 2.

It’s got a 10.1-inch IPS screen to play on, a keyboard you can type on comfortably, and a built-in gaming controller.

It’s powered by either the 12th gen Intel i7-1260P with Xe Graphics, or the Ryzen 7 6800U with Radeon 680M, 16GB of RAM, 1 or 2TB of NVME storage, and Windows 11. Oh, and there’s an optional LTE module, for connectivity wherever, whenever.

Most e-bikes want to trim wheels, but this crowdfunding campaign for a reverse trike puts a second one at the front for smooth, stable cornering.

It’s got a 37-mile range with a 22mph max speed, tons of shock absorption, and stronger braking as it brakes on two wheels. Oh, and it unfolds in one step, in one second. That’s insane.

Turn any surface into a touchscreen computer, with this portable 4K projector. Running on Android 9.0, the Wejoy has auto focus and keystone correction, and 600 lumens of brightness.

Pair it with the rechargeable interactive pen for presentations, or play any Android game you want on the wall. The optical engine is sealed for dust proofing and heat issues are a thing of the past.

These are just a small selection of the currently-available crowdfunding campaigns this month. We’ll be back next month with more crowdfunded tech, gadgets, and toys.

Have any thoughts on this? Let us know down below in the comments or carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

Just a heads up, if you buy something through our links, we may get a small share of the sale. It’s one of the ways we keep the lights on here. Click here for more.

Maker, meme-r, and unabashed geek. Hardware guy here at KnowTechie, if it runs on electricity (or even if it doesn't) I probably have one around here somewhere. My hobbies include photography, animation, and hoarding Reddit gold.

You must be logged in to post a comment Login

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Subscribe to the KnowTechie Newsletter

The hinged setup should help the monitor find a place on more desks.

An incomparable and brilliant bulletproof vest, FURTIV is on a pursuit to protect people...

We've got Mars dust watches, coffee roasting, and more this month.

We've got pizza ovens, measuring devices, and a smart tripod head this month.

Coffee mugs, camera systems, laser engravers, and more.

From innovative VR controllers to electric wagons, March has some sweet crowdfunding campaigns to...

From telescopes to Nintendo Switch cases, there are a bunch of great campaigns in...

Robovacs, unique humidifiers, and more.

Copyright © 2022 KnowTechie LLC / Powered by Kinsta