Premier Farnell, the Development Distributor, is making it easy to find the perfect gift for even the hardest to shop for engineer this holiday season with handpicked gifts for engineers of all ages and abilities, from those with decades of experience to those just starting out.

“Picking out the right gift for the engineer on your list need not be a stressful time,” says Ankur Tomar, Technical Marketing Manager at Premier Farnell “Premier Farnell aims to simplify the gift-giving process by making it easy for shoppers to delight engineers, develop their skills, and turn their ideas into reality. Whether you’re shopping for a gadget collector, budding engineer, hobbyist, or professional, Premier Farnell is one-stop-shop for finding something they’re sure to love.”

Fun gifts for the young engineer:

• CODEBUG Development Board: A fun, engaging entry-level introduction to the world of coding, physical computing and electronics that’s shaped like a ladybug.
• micro:bit wear:it Development Kit: Build it, code it and wear it! This kit includes everything young engineers need to power their first wearable technology project. The versatile micro:bit enclosure is designed for mobile applications and can be used with a wrist strap, keyring or lanyard.
• MARTY the Robot: A fully programmable, Wi-Fi enabled robot who can walk, turn, dance and react to his environment. This educational kit is great for kids, makers and educators.

Essential kits for every maker, designer and engineer:

• Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+ Starter Kit: A complete kit including power supply, enclosure and SD card to get started developing with the latest Raspberry Pi.
• Raspberry Pi Desktop: A revolutionary set of accessories to convert your Raspberry Pi into a functional desktop computer with Wi-Fi, Ethernet, Bluetooth, Real Time Clock, Camera and SSD. The new Pi Desktop displays to an HDMI interface for an authentic PC experience.
• Creality CR-10S 3D Printer: A low cost solution to 3D printing for any maker or hobbyist.

Tools and accessories for the maker who seems to have it all:

• Raspberry Pi Camera Board: An image sensor custom designed to add-on to the Raspberry Pi. Perfect for any projects that require the capturing of images with Raspberry Pi.
• Matrix Voice: An open-source voice recognition platform for the Raspberry Pi that provides developers with the opportunity to integrate custom voice & hardware-accelerated machine learning technology right onto the silicon.
• Bitscope Oscilloscope & Logic Analyzer: A full featured mixed signal oscilloscope, test and measurement system that is perfect for an experienced maker or engineer.

Newark element14, the Development Distributor, is making it easy to find the perfect gift for even the hardest to shop for engineer this holiday season. Featuring more than 30 unique products, Newark element14’s Holiday Gift Guide includes a range of developer kits and other tools for engineers of all ages and abilities, from those with decades of experience to those just starting out.

“Picking out the right gift for the engineer on your list need not be a stressful time,” says Becky McMorrow, Head of Marketing at Newark element14. “Newark element14 aims to simplify the gift-giving process by making it easy for shoppers to delight engineers, develop their skills, and turn their ideas into reality. Whether you’re shopping for a gadget collector, budding engineer, hobbyist, or professional, our gift guide is a one-stop-shop for finding something they’re sure to love.”

Fun gifts for the young engineer:

• CODEBUG Development Board: A fun, engaging entry-level introduction to the world of coding, physical computing and electronics that’s shaped like a ladybug. Price: $16.60
• micro:bit wear:it Development Kit: Build it, code it and wear it! This kit includes everything young engineers need to power their first wearable technology project. The versatile micro:bit enclosure is designed for mobile applications and can be used with a wrist strap, keyring or lanyard. Price: $26.67
• 3D Printing Pen: Children ages 8 and up can bring their ideas to life with a pen that takes heated plastic that cools into the shapes they design, allowing them to draw 3D objects in mid-air. Price: $39.99

Essential kits for every maker, designer and engineer:

• Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+ Starter Kit: A complete kit including power supply, enclosure and SD card to get started developing with the latest Raspberry Pi. Price: $64.99
• Raspberry Pi Parts Kit: Includes all the essentials for electronics design: 12 LEDS, PIR sensor, photo resistor, buzzer, tactile button, GPIO reference board, breadboard, temperature sensors, screw terminal block, 30 jumper wires, capacitor and ohm resistors. Price: $18.70
• Creality CR-10S 3D Printer: A low cost solution to 3D printing for any maker or hobbyist. Price: $489.00

Tools and accessories for the maker who seems to have it all:

• Raspberry Pi Camera Board: An image sensor custom designed to add-on to the Raspberry Pi. Perfect for any projects that require the capturing of images with Raspberry Pi. Price: $30.23
• Matrix Voice: An open-source voice recognition platform for the Raspberry Pi that provides developers with the opportunity to integrate custom voice & hardware-accelerated machine learning technology right onto the silicon. Price: $58.88
• Bitscope Oscilloscope & Logic Analyzer: A full featured mixed signal oscilloscope, test and measurement system that is perfect for an experienced maker or engineer. Price: $145.00

To see all of the products featured in the Newark element14 Holiday Gift Guide, visit www.newark.com/holidaydeals

Premier Farnell, the Development Distributor, is helping to create the next generation of digital engineers by providing kits and support to help youngsters to learn the fundamental skills of coding. The company offers one of the widest range of educational aids targeted at tomorrow’s coders and application developers including products such as Codebug, BBC micro:bit, Raspberry Pi and the newly launched Arduino CTC101 classroom kit.

“Digitally based industries across the globe face an ongoing skills shortage in coding. This has led to an increase in the development of educational programmes that provide children with access to coding skills through hands-on learning, helping tackle these challenges for the future”, says Peter Wenzel, Global Head of Software and Single Board Computing for Premier Farnell: “At Premier Farnell, the combination of our exclusively manufactured boards such as the BBC micro:bit and Codebug, and successful manufacturing partnerships with other suppliers including Raspberry Pi and BeagleBoard, mean that we can offer one of the most comprehensive ranges of educational boards on the market.”

“Physical computing provides real solutions for engaging the younger generation in technology, giving them the opportunity to design and create physical devices that they can use in their day to day lives, whilst learning important skills”, adds Jonathan Smith, Head of Education at Premier Farnell: “Problem solving and computational thinking are key skills that our children will need when they leave education. This is where physical computing, including learning to code with devices such as CodeBug and the BBC micro:bit, can help in the teaching process.”

Key products suitable for coding education at different ages are:

• The Codebug is a small coding device for students age 7+. Shaped like a ladybird, CodeBug provides a fun and engaging way to build interactive devices. The device incorporates 25 LED lights, 2 control buttons, and 6 ‘legs’ which can be used to connect croc-clips, banana plugs or even sewn to. Ideas to get started with the Codebug can be found on the element14 community at https://www.element14.com/community/docs/DOC-78413/l/10-codebug-projects-in-10-days BBC micro:bit was developed to teach students from age 11+. Measuring 4cm by 5cm, it is available in a range of colours and designed to be fun and easy to use. Similar to the Codebug, it can be coded with no prior knowledge of computing although has more extensive functionality such as motion detection, a built-in compass and Bluetooth technology to test young coders as they develop their skills, exposing them to technology which existing in the world around them. Ideas to get started with the BBC micro:bit can be found on the element14 community at https://www.element14.com/community/community/stem-academy/microbit/blog/2016/05/26/10-bbc-microbit-projects-in-ten-days.
• Premier Farnell has also recently launched several add-ons for the BBC micro:bit that help to build fun and support into learning to code. These include the mi:node, which is designed to teach youngsters the basics of IoT mechanics as interconnectivity becomes part of their everyday lives, and the MBIT-WEARIT- Development Kit, a versatile micro:bit enclosure specially designed to build mobile applications that can be used with a wrist strap, keyring or lanyard.
• Within Arduino’s wide range of education products stocked by Premier Farnell is the Arduino CTC101 classroom kit: a modular program aimed at teaching students, aged 13 to 17 years, the foundations of programming, electronics, and mechanics through a series of playful, well-documented projects and easy-to-assemble experiments.

“At Premier Farnell we’re passionate about supporting engineering and electronics in education”, continues Peter Wenzel:” We’re not alone though - the world’s leading technology companies such as Microsoft, Google and Samsung are also working to address an industry-wide challenge to develop more electronics engineers by creating content, courses and platforms built around the products we manufacture and supply. The range of boards and ancillary products available from Premier Farnell is backed up by guidance and support through online resources available from the STEM Academy and the widely used element14 Community which has over 500,000 members and is the largest forum of its kind in the engineering, student and maker community.”

Premier Farnell operates as Farnell element14 in Europe, Newark element14 in North America and element14 in Asia Pacific.

element14, The Development Distributor, is supporting the designers of today and the future with dedicated resources, initiatives, literature and product launches. element14 is the exclusive manufacturer of educational programming boards such as the BBC micro:bit and Codebug and is the official manufacturer of two of the most popular maker boards in the world, Raspberry Pi and BeagleBone Black.

With such a widely respected reputation in the Maker and Education sector, element14 focuses on promoting electrical engineering through their ongoing development of both educational and hobbyist products. To supplement learning and development, element14 provides guidance and support through online resources available from the STEM Academy and the widely used element14 forum which has over 440k members and is the largest forum of its kind in the engineering and maker community. As the Development Distributor, element14’s commitment to promoting electrical engineering is clear, introducing young people into the world of coding and enhancing the maker community through creating the latest development tools and software products.

Chris Breslin, Chief Product Officer said:

“To inspire and support designers of all ages and levels of experience, we are launching a new easy to use guide and online resource to help developers the world over select the best development boards for their projects.”

Global Head of Raspberry Pi & Single Board Computing, Claire Doyle added:

“This guide will showcase the features of a selection of development boards and provide application examples to inspire designers to create new projects, safe in the knowledge that element14 is on hand with support documentation and access to the community forum.”

During the four-day electronica show in Europe from 8-11^th November, element14 is presenting the ‘World of Electronics’ on their stand. The new development board guide will be launched on the 11^th November and will be available to visitors at the Maker and Education booth on the element14 stand and online at http://www.developmentboardselector.com. Stand visitors will also be able to get hands on with products, view demonstrations as well as see educational videos and have the chance to code and take home a Codebug.

Find out more about element14 at electronica at www.electronica.farnell.com/

element14 today announced the launch of CodeBug, a £12.50 crowdfunded nano-board designed to teach beginners the fundamentals of programming and electronics in a friendly non-intimidating way.

First announced on Kickstarter in March 2015, following 3 years of development, CodeBug has subsequently raised more than £18,000 in independent funding. Making the leap into mainstream development, CodeBug is now being launched on a global scale with the help of electronics distributor element14.

CodeBug defines a new class of microprocessor board that anyone can get results with in minutes using just a web browser. The device is programmed in a standard web browser through the innovative companion website www.codebug.org.uk with the drag and drop 'Blockly' blocks, eliminating the need for any complicated setup or drivers/software to be installed.

The website also provides interactive tutorials and resources to help users learn and improve their programming. For those more experienced users, the device also supports Python, as well as several more advanced programming languages.

Designed with beginner audiences in mind, Codebug is easy to use and tremendously versatile as a wearable, sewable, I/O rich, compact, microprocessor board. It features a Microchip 8-bit processor, a 25 LED display, micro-usb connector, 6 crocodile clip rings for easy connection to inputs and outputs and an expansion ports for I2C, SPI and UART. It is compatible with Windows, Mac and Linux, as well as other educational coding devices such as the Raspberry Pi.

Commenting on the launch, David Shen, Group Chief Technology Officer at Premier Farnell said, “Through its simplistic yet inspired design, CodeBug is opening up electronics to a whole new generation of beginners and young engineers. Having watched this product grow from a seedling idea on a Kickstarter page through to a final solution for customers, we at element14 are very proud to have been selected as the exclusive distributor of this brand in collaboration with our partner Dr. Andrew Robinson”.

“Having already helped the Raspberry Pi and PiFace receive widespread acclaim within the education sector, we’d like to believe that our international distribution network could ultimately help the CodeBug to attain similar levels of success.”

Dr Andrew Robinson, inventor of the CodeBug is keen to see it make a worldwide impact: “CodeBug is about bring technological creativity to everyone, even absolute beginners. We couldn't pick a better partner than element14 for furthering computing and electronics education by getting CodeBugs out worldwide.”

The CodeBug is available for £12.50 from Farnell element14 in Europe, Newark element14 in North America and element14 in APAC. For further information visit http://www.element14.com/codebug, or to view the original Kickstarter page visit https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/922345933/codebug/description
http://www.codebug.org.uk