Robust I/O expansion board
- Register interest now for shipping in the New Year
- Free educational tools and learning material designed by the University of Manchester to assist teachers in the classroom
- Full documentation, software downloads and tutorials hosted on the element14 community
LONDON – 12 November 2012 – element14, the first collaborative community and electronics store for design engineers and electronics enthusiasts and a part of global electronics distributor Premier Farnell [LON:PFL], today announce an exclusive deal with PiFace Digital, a new easy to use board that allows the Raspberry Pi to control and sense physical devices such as lights, motors and sensors. The new board is targeted at beginners of all ages. It is hoped to appeal to schoolchildren, in particular the 7-16 year age bracket and includes a range of learning materials designed by the University of Manchester aimed at making the device easy for teachers to use in the classroom.
Designed and manufactured in the UK, PiFace Digital will be part of a family of accessories that add extra functionality and capability to the hugely popular Raspberry Pi computer. PiFace Digital is available as an assembled I/O expansion board and stacks on top of the Raspberry Pi to let users make easy screw-terminal connections to control real-world devices such as motors and solenoids and read basic sensors and switches. Customers can pre-register their interest now on the PiFace Digital pre-registration page with shipping due to commencing in the New Year.
PiFace Digital is the brainchild of British inventor and designer Dr Andrew Robinson and was created to inspire a future generation of engineers to support an outreach programme at the School of Computer Science at The University of Manchester. True to its roots, PiFace Digital shares the values of the Raspberry Pi and aims to enthuse children to learn about programming and electronics. Its ease of use and £20 price make it a perfect educational tool. The learning materials and class tutorials designed by the University of Manchester support teachers and lecturers to overcome the obstacles of developing lessons for use with the board. The companion book ‘Raspberry Pi Projects’ supports PiFace Digital providing practical guidance, background knowledge and inspiration for fun projects.
“I grew up playing with and programming the computers of the 1980’s and this is a skill which has largely disappeared from classrooms today”, said Dr Andrew Robinson, of School of Computer Science, Manchester University. “Most importantly PiFace Digital is about having fun with computers. Being able to control a physical device brings computing to life and adds real world relevance. The simple design of PiFace Digital means that even young children can get set up and be flashing lights in seconds.”
“The global interest surrounding Raspberry Pi has been phenomenal,” said Mike Buffham, Global Head of EDE at element14. “Raspberry Pi is bringing coding back to the mainstream and custom built accessories such as the PiFace Digital provides a crucial stepping stone. This exclusive agreement will allow us to provide enhanced functionality and an even better experience for the 10,000’s of dedicated Pi enthusiasts and students who are eager to learn electronics.”
PiFace Digital will be demonstrated at Electronica 2012 on the Farnell element14 stand (A5.558) alongside the new and improved double memory Raspberry Pi. Dr Andrew Robinson will also be available on stand on Wednesday 14th – Friday 16th November.
About element14
Launched in June 2009, element14 is the first information portal, collaborative community and electronics store specifically built for electronic design engineers. The community recently unveiled its element14 knode, a unique automated platform that enables engineers to quickly research, design, develop and prototype in a single, intelligent environment. element14 is an innovative offering from Premier Farnell plc (LSE:pfl), FTSE 250, a leader in multi-channel electronics distribution trading throughout Europe (Farnell), the Americas (Newark) and Asia Pacific (element14). The company had group sales of £973.9m and underlying profits of £104.6m last year.
About Premier Farnell
Premier Farnell plc (LSE:pfl) is a global leader in high service distribution of technology products and solutions for electronic system design, maintenance and repair. Its differentiated proposition includes 29 local language transactional websites, and the critically important element14 Community for design engineers – an industry first (www.element14.com). With sales last year of £973.1m and underlying profits of £104.6m the Group distributes its comprehensive portfolio of products and services throughout Europe, North America and Asia Pacific, supported by a global supply chain of over 3,500 suppliers and an inventory profile developed to anticipate and meet its customers’ needs.
While global in scope, Premier Farnell recognises the individual needs of each market and has continued to internationalise its model accordingly. It trades locally as Farnell in Europe, Newark/element14 in North America and Mexico and Farnell Newark in Brazil. Across Asia Pacific the business trades as element14.
About PiFace Digital
PiFace Digital is developed by OpenLX SP Ltd. OpenLX SP Ltd. is a social enterprise that offers opportunities through technology and seeks to improve education across all aspects of the digital landscape. Offering consultancy, product and system development, education and engagement, it has a wealth of experience developing embedded systems, IT infrastructure and custom solutions. OpenLX SP Ltd also has a proven track record of delivering engaging events, programmes and educational experiences.
