element14.com, the community for engineers, has published new content to support engineers, makers and educators on the launch of the new Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+. With over 500,000 members, more than 260,000 unique visitors to Raspberry Pi content alone each month* and active forums, the element14 community has become part of an essential network of support that has helped make the Raspberry Pi an outstanding success.

New content, published today includes:

• Mobile GPS Treasure Hunt Project with the Raspberry Pi Model 3 B+: element14 community member, Les Pounder has created a “Mobile Treasure Hunt Game” which uses the Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+, Official 7” Touchscreen Display and a Microstack GPS module. This fully portable Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+ project will allow users to mark the location of treasure on the onscreen map and allow others to hunt it down using the projects GPS features. Full build instructions can be found on the element14 community.

• Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+ Bench Test: element14 colleagues have put the new board through its paces looking at power usage, CPU (Central Processing Unit), memory system, RAM, Ethernet speed, networking speed and temperature. Full benchtest results can be found here.

Other new content includes the Raspberry Pi Model 3 B+ unboxing video, GPIO Pin-Out Diagram, Frequently Asked Questions and technical specifications, and an introduction to the new official Raspberry Pi Power over Ethernet (PoE) HAT.

Dianne Kibbey, Global Head of Community and Social Media for the Premier Farnell says: “The Raspberry Pi has been a driving force in the maker market since it was launched in 2012. We have seen incredibly exciting projects created by element14 community members, as they have learnt, experimented and developed ideas with the support of their community peers. As we launch the Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+ we are providing our members with new content to get them started, and help them upgrade their projects. I am excited to see what our members make next.”

To access content about the new Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+ visit the element14 community.

Premier Farnell, the Development Distributor, shares insight from customers using the Raspberry Pi on the launch of the new Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+. Feedback from customers demonstrates growing adoption of the Raspberry Pi for volume production and its suitability for professional design into an end product; examples include controllers for prepaid TV sets in hospitals and advertising screens in cinemas to lift monitoring systems in smart buildings.

Premier Farnell customers choose the Raspberry Pi over other Single Board Computers in the market because of its strong quality vs price point, the stability of the product over time, powerful processing capabilities, ease of use, and reliable sourcing. Customers also cited the quality of support and documentation available on the element14 Community and other forums as a key factor in their choice, with support available “far better than any other proprietary board”.

Existing professional users have expressed faster CPU, onboard eMMC, Power over Ethernet, dual band wireless LAN and a commitment to manufacture for an extended period as wishes for the next model. The Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+, launched today, delivers on these wishes:

The board also importantly retains the same mechanical footprint and pin out as both the Raspberry Pi 2 Model B and Raspberry Pi 3 Model B easing upgrade to this faster, more capable board and reducing potential costs related to redesign.

Other functionality enhancements which enhance suitability for embedded applications, include improved thermal management and faster ethernet. The Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+ also comes with modular compliance certification, allowing the board to be designed into end products with significantly reduced wireless compliance testing saving both time and money.

Eben Upton, CEO, Raspberry Pi Trading said: “The launch of the Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+ is about providing industry with a board that is perfectly suited for use in embedded products. The Raspberry Pi has already proven itself to have strong stability, high quality and ease of use combined with an attractive price point for all markets. This supercharged Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+ takes it one step further, easing compliance certification, reducing cost and time to market and all at the same price of $35, making it perfect for all applications”

Peter Wenzel, Global Director of Raspberry Pi, Single Board Computers, and Software for Premier Farnell added: “As we speak to customers about how they use the Raspberry Pi, the growing demand for the board for use as an embedded product in professional applications is becoming increasingly evident. As the leading manufacturer and distributor of the Raspberry Pi with a broad ecosystem of professional Raspberry Pi accessories and design and manufacturing services, we support our professional design customers at every stage of their journey. The new Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+, jam packed with features for professional use, means our customers can now bring their products to market faster, and with fewer resources, than ever before.”

The full specification of the Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+ can be found linked below.

Premier Farnell will be hosting a live ‘invite only’ webinar on the element14 community. The webinar is specifically targeted at customers using or planning to use the Raspberry Pi for professional use. The webinar will be available for all members to watch afterwards.

The Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+ is available to buy from Farnell element14 in Europe, element14 in APAC and Newark element14 in North America.

Notes to editors

The new official Power over Ethernet add-on board for Raspberry Pi will be available to buy from Premier Farnell from summer 2018.

A downloadable word file of this release is available on the left of the page.

Premier Farnell, the Development Distributor, has named the top bestselling Raspberry Pi accessories from the last year that helped its community of makers, designers and engineers develop pioneering projects based on the extremely popular credit-card sized computer. These top Raspberry Pi accessories include cameras, displays and controllers that transform the way makers of all ages, levels and professions experience the endless possibilities of developing new technology projects with Raspberry Pi.

“The Raspberry Pi is one of the great building blocks for makers today and can be found in the modern day tool shed of just about every maker, designer and engineer,” said Dianne Kibbey, Global Head of Community and Social Media for the element14 community. “Our community is always eager to push the boundaries of design and innovation, and we’re proud to offer so many great Raspberry Pi accessories, and share the creative ideas and inspiration of their fellow community members’ projects, to help them do just that.”

Here are the top Raspberry Pi accessories from Premier Farnell, along with examples of innovative projects that element14 community members have created with them:

• Cameras: At just 25mm x 35mm x 9mm, the tiny size of the official Raspberry Pi camera modules from Premier Farnell provides flexibility for applications including low-light photography (NoIR Camera), drones, CCTV, school projects and more. element14 community members have used cameras with Raspberry Pi boards to create everything from a Raspberry Pi visual Theremin, an electronic musical instrument that can be played without physical contact, to a new security camera that is able to differentiate between a stranger in the yard and a car driving past a road.
• Display: The official Raspberry Pi 7” Touchscreen Display can be used to make Internet of Things (IoT) devices with a visual display. It enables a range of educational software and programs available on the Raspberry Pi to become touch enabled, making learning and programming easier than ever on the Raspberry Pi. With the Display, element14 community members have been able to build a connected picture frame, Pi alarm clocks, a plant health camera to keep an eye on favorite florae, and even a mobile media center.
• PiFace: PiFace Control & Display is a plug and play device that allows makers to use and control Raspberry Pi without a keyboard, mouse or monitor, saving space and power while still providing a simple, yet capable, interactive user interface. With PiFace, designers can detect the state of a switch, for example from a door sensor, a pressure pad or any number of other switch types. One element14 community member recently used the Pi Face to create a remote horse feeder system.
• Sense HAT: When the Sense HAT is added to the Raspberry Pi board, it enables makers and designers to control the same “Astro Pi” hardware used in space. It has multiple integrated circuit based sensors that can be used for boundless projects, including those on the international space station. element14 community members have used Sense HAT to create numerous experiments, applications, and games. They’ve built everything from a working weather station to a thermal imaging system.

Premier Farnell is the leading supplier of Raspberry Pi boards globally, and the Premier Farnell group has sold more than 10 million since it was first launched. Premier Farnell designs and manufactures Raspberry Pi accessories that help makers get the most out of this easy-to-use board, while the element14 community further supports the ecosystem by providing users with ideas and inspiration for getting the most of the technology.

To learn more about these Raspberry Pi accessories and to see all of the Raspberry Pi accessories available from Premier Farnell, please visit https://www.element14.com/community/community/raspberry-pi.

element14.com, the community for engineers, has launched a new Design Challenge called “Bluetooth Unleashed.” This latest challenge encourages designers and engineers to uniquely showcase the power of Bluetooth technology by building a prototype using one of ten top selling Bluetooth development boards and underscores the commitment of  Premier Farnell, the Development Distributor, to drive innovation and be a champion for makers and makers.

The Bluetooth Unleashed Design Challenge from Premier Farnell asks challengers to submit a project idea that harnesses the power of Bluetooth to inspire creativity and imagination. Projects can focus on anything from tracking pets, to multiplayer games and home automation. Challengers are encouraged to think creatively about how Bluetooth can be used to solve the problems facing them today.

“As connected devices continue to permeate our lives, we’re looking for innovative new project ideas that push the boundaries of Bluetooth technology,” said Dianne Kibbey, Global Head of Community and Social Media for the element14 community. “Through the Bluetooth Unleashed Design Challenge, we’re excited to see how designers, engineers, makers and even parents apply the limitless power of Bluetooth technology to improve our world.”

Designers can apply to participate in Bluetooth Unleashed today through March 21. On March 27, up to 20 challengers will be chosen to build their projects using selected products, including one “Hero” Board and a $150 credit to be used at Premier Farnell. The challengers will have 11 weeks to build their projects, and develop 10 blog posts sharing their progress with the element14 community. Entries will be judged by a panel of judges from Premier Farnell, Avnet, and the element14 community on originality, innovation and technical merit.

The first, second and third place winners for the ‘Bluetooth Unleashed’ design challenge will receive $2,000, $1,500, and $1,000 credits, respectively, at Newark element14 in North America, Farnell element14 in Europe and element14 in APAC.

Bluetooth Unleashed design challenge finishers will receive a signature finisher prize pack that includes a PocketBeagle® from BeagleBoard.org ®, Tenma Fume Extractor, Tenma Soldering Station and an element14 community backpack.

To learn more about the Bluetooth Unleashed Design Challenge, please visit www.element14.com/bluetoothunleashed

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Premier Farnell, the Development Distributor, is committed to providing the latest in embedded solutions; stocking an extensive range of products from leading suppliers such as Cypress, Xilinx and NXP as well as an exclusive range of development kits created by its technology brand, element14.

With over 2,500 development kits and accessories in stock, customers can access daughter boards and modules, primary platform development kits, single board computers and development kit accessories such as adaptors, circuit racks, enclosures and sensor kits, all with same day dispatch.

Premier Farnell also works with partners to bring exclusive development kits to customers, helping them get started with new technologies, reduce design time and accelerate time to market.

Premier Farnell's top picks for embedded solutions include:

• Cypress PSoC 6 BLE Pioneer Kit: The perfect way for engineers to get started with next-generation IoT Designs using the new PSoC 6 MCU, which is purpose-built for the IoT. The PSoC 6 MCU is an IoT game changer which eliminates the need for designers to choose between high performance and low power in their IoT project development. The PSoC 6 delivers both, plus the security that next-generation IoT devices demand - all on the famous PSoC programmable fabric.

• Xilinx® All Programmable Devices: Xilinx All Programmable devices provide the designer with a flexible route to system implementation. The blank canvas of the device can quickly be configured by using advanced development tools and libraries to produce a product that does exactly what is needed, providing a faster time to market. By integrating multiple functions in a single device there is a reduced Bill of Materials, making savings in both purchasing and manufacturing.

• Raspberry Pi IoT Learner Kit:  Developed in collaboration with IBM, the kit provides an end-to-end learning solution for makers, hardware and software developers and students looking to get started with IoT development. Built around the Raspberry Pi3 and Raspberry Pi sense hat, the kit can be used in conjunction with IBM’s Coursera course: “A Developer`s Guide to Internet of Things (IoT)” to learn the skills required for IoT development, create projects and bring innovative projects into commercial application.

Premier Farnell is joining Avnet Silica on stand at Embedded World 2018, 27^th February to 1^st March. Visitors to the Premier Farnell booth at the Avnet Silica stand will be able to demo the Raspberry Pi IoT Learner Kit and preview the element14 Development Kit for the Texas Instruments SimpleLink™ Sub-1 GHz Sensor to Cloud Linux® Gateway.

• Development Kit for TI SimpleLink™ Sub- GHz sensor to Cloud Linux® Gateway: Exclusive to Premier Farnell, the kit provides an end-to-end tool to enable a Sub-1 GHz sensor network with an Internet of Things (IoT) gateway and cloud connectivity. The element14 SimpleLink™ Sub-1GHz Sensor to Cloud Linux Industrial Gateway development kit allows developers to get to market faster with an out-of-the-box, end-to-end solution enabling an easy cloud connection for sending and receiving long-range sensor data while maintaining a robust link. The kit contains all the components needed to create a full sensor network, including a gateway design based on the BeagleBone® Black, the BeagleBone Wireless Connectivity Cape, and the TI SimpleLink™ dual-band CC1350 wireless MCU LaunchPad™ development kit acting as the MAC co-processor.

Simon Meadmore, Global Head of Semiconductors and SBC at Premier Farnell said: “As the Development Distributor, we are focussed on providing our customers with the support they need to get their products to market quickly. One way in which we do this is by providing access to the latest embedded devices, all in stock and all available for same day dispatch, supporting design engineers wherever they are on their journey, as they learn, innovate, optimise and bring their products to market.”

To view Premier Farnell’s extensive range of embedded development kits and accessories visit Farnell element14 in Europe, Newark element14 in North America and element14 in APAC.

To see demos of the Raspberry Pi IoT Learner Kit and element 14 Development kit for the TI SimpleLink™ visit Premier Farnell at the Avnet Silica Stand located in Hall 1, stand 1-370 at Embedded World.

Premier Farnell, The Development Distributor, is now stocking the LDH400P Electronic Load from Aim TTi, manufacturers of advanced electronic test and measurement equipment and laboratory power supplies, specifically for electronic design engineers.

The LD series features electronic loads which are suitable for testing and characterising a wide variety of DC power sources. They can be used to investigate the behaviour of many different types of power source, such as: PFCs, batteries, solar cells and electronic power supply units. Wide voltage/current range, multiple operating modes and built-in transient generators also give users versatility to offer test solutions from the design laboratory through to the component test area.

As LDH400P load inputs are rated to CAT II (300V), direct testing of PFCs and main connected power supplies can be done without the need for an isolation transformer, saving bench space and cost.

Key features include:

• Versatile solutions for direct testing of DC power sources and PFCs

• Constant current, resistance, conductance and power modes

• Wide voltage and current range, 10 to 500V and 0 to 16A

• 400 watts continuous dissipation at 28°C (360W at 40°C)

• High resolution and accuracy for level setting

• Built-in transient generator with variable slew

• Current monitor output for waveform viewing

• Variable drop-out voltage for battery testing

• High resolution backlit graphic LCD with soft key control

• Analogue remote control of levels and TTL control of on/off and transient switching

• Front and rear input terminals

• Load inputs rated to CAT II (300V)

• Full bus control via USB, RS232, GPIB and LXI compliant LAN interfaces

The Aim TTi LDH400P Electronic Load is now available to buy from Farnell element14 in Europe, Newark element14 in North America, and element14 in Asia Pacific.

Premier Farnell, the Development Distributor, is now stocking the new PocketBeagle® from BeagleBoard.org ®, an ultra-tiny-yet-complete open-source USB-key-fob computer. PocketBeagle® is an incredibly low cost, simple to use Linux based board, making it the ideal development board for beginners and professionals alike.

For users getting started within Linux, the element14 community has introduced a new web series featuring Felix Gardner from the popular “The Ben Heck Show”. In the series, “sudo Sergeant”, Linux enthusiast Felix walks viewers through the basics of Linux, from ‘what is an operating system?’ to permissions and account management, getting them started in a series of easy to digest 3 minute videos.

PocketBeagle® is an ideal development board for the experienced maker and developer or someone starting out with Linux based programming. It has an Octavo Systems OSD3358 1GHz ARM® Cortex-A8 on board with 512MB DDR3 RAM, Integrated power management and 2×32-bit 200-MHz programmable real-time units (PRUs).

Summary of Technical Specifications:

• Based on new Octavo Systems OSD3358-SM 21mm x 21mm system-in-package that includes 512MB DDR3 RAM, 1-GHz ARM Cortex-A8 CPU, 2x 200-MHz PRUs, ARM Cortex-M3, 3D accelerator, power/battery management and EEPROM
• 72 expansion pin headers with power and battery I/Os, high-speed USB, 8 analog inputs, 44 digital I/Os and numerous digital interface peripherals
• microUSB host/client and microSD connectors

The PocketBeagle is available to buy from Farnell element14 in Europe, forthings.io in UK & Ireland, Spain, Denmark, Finland and Sweden, Newark element14 in North America and element14 in APAC.

You can watch element14’s sudo Sergeant web series on the element14 community.

element14.com, the world’s largest electronic design community, today announced the winners of its annual Community Awards. The top innovations and boundary-pushing designs are featured in six winning categories: Member of the Year, Community Project of the Year, New Product of the Year, RoadTester of the Year, Top Project14 of the Year, and Top Ben Heck Submission. This latest recognition program from Premier Farnell, the development distributor, highlights the company’s commitment to fostering innovation and being a champion for makers as they use technology to change the world for the better.

“With over half a million members around the world, our element14 community provides the opportunity for engineers, makers, and startups from across the globe to collaborate on amazing projects every day. The winners of the 2017 Community Awards represent the community’s most innovative minds and projects,” said Dianne Kibbey, Global Head of Community and Social Media. “All of the nominees and the entire community are developing the most unique projects. We celebrate their achievements and look forward to the accomplishments of the community in 2018.”

The winners of the element14 2017 Community Awards are:

• Member of the Year – Douglas Wong – An integral part of the element14 community, Douglas frequently joins discussions to assist other members with their engineering problems. He also is no stranger to winning element14 awards: Douglas won the Safe and Sound Design Challenge in 2017 with a set of wearable sensors designed to alert workers to environmental hazards they wouldn’t otherwise be able to see. He also was one of the top winners in the IoT on Wheels Design Challenge and submitted numerous high quality RoadTest reviews of new products.

• Community Project of the Year – Invisible Hazardous Environmental Factors Monitoring System by Douglas Wong – Designed by our Member of the Year, this wearable system can alert a worker in a potentially hazardous environment to dangers like carbon monoxide, radon, excessive microwave radiation, and more. The element14 community was especially impressed by how polished and functional Douglas's designs were for a prototype product, in addition to the wide range of risk factors that the wearer of the device would be alerted to.

• New Product of the Year – Texas Instruments DLP Pico Display Projector EVM – There were many interesting new items on the market in 2017, but the element14 community ultimately voted for the new entry by Texas Instruments as the favorite. This new evaluation module brings a wide array of possibilities for designers to build new displays that are portable. It also interfaces with the popular BeagleBone Black development board to make it user-friendly, so designers and makers can get their ideas up and running.

• RoadTester of the Year – Shabaz Yousaf – Shabaz is a strong contributor to many element14 programs, and in 2017 his RoadTest reviews were truly exceptional. For RoadTests, new products from top suppliers are given to community members who then write practical reviews of the products. Shabaz consistently wrote detailed, informative reviews about several products, including a kit for designing wireless power systems, an insulation tester, a digital multimeter, and more.

• Top Project14 of the Year – Cyclops-1000 by Shabaz Yousaf – Project14 is a new program launched in 2017 that challenges element14 community members to build projects that are less time-intensive than those found in the element14 Design Challenges. Submissions are based around a theme that rotates monthly and is chosen by community members. The voting for this category was the closest by far, and while all of the submissions showcased the skills of our community, Shabaz Yousaf’s low-cost, DIY tool for measuring rotational speed was voted the winner, for creating a useful project that was a great exercise for gaining new skills or sharpening old ones.

• Top Ben Heck Submission – Three Core Builds - Mini Pinball Game, Super Glue Gun, Hex Game – The winners for this season of The Ben Heck Show were three core builds: Ben's ultimate glue gun, a mini pinball kit, and a hex game prototype that can be used to learn soldering and binary or hexadecimal arithmetic. This was a standout season, where the team completed a portable Nintendo 64 and tested a classic arcade game to confirm whether its world record is legitimate, but these three core builds were still the fans' favorites.

To learn more about the 2017 Community Awards, visit https://www.element14.com/community/docs/DOC-88265/l/the-element14-community-2017-member-awards.

element14.com, the world’s largest electronic design community, has announced the winners of its ‘IoT on Wheels’ design challenge, sponsored by STMicroelectronics. The contest demonstrates the impact of IoT-connected transportation solutions through original prototypes created by element14 community members, exemplifying the critical role technology plays in making transportation safer, smarter and more efficient. This latest design challenge from Premier Farnell, the development distributor, underscores the company’s commitment to drive innovation and be a champion for makers as they use technology to change the world for the better.

Over the course of 11 weeks, the participants focused on design, research, prototyping, coding and testing their IoT-connected transportation solutions and posted frequent blog posts throughout the process on their element14 project pages. To help build their projects, each participant received a complimentary kit from STMicroelectronics containing the STM32 Nucleo MCU development board along with a sensor expansion board, Bluetooth LE expansion board, and WiFi expansion board. The top three winners are:

• Grand Prize Winner – Traffic Predictor and Auto Pilot by Dixon Selvan – A traffic scanner using sonar technology, the device saves and uploads traffic data and uses the information to help people “avoid traffic like a bat.” As part of his design, Selvan created a motorized servo rig to attach to his motorbike that holds the sonar and STM32 Nucleo board steady as he zooms through open roads.

• Runner Up – Konker Connection by Douglas Wong – To make off-roading motorbiking adventures safer, Wong used the STM 32 Nucleo to monitor his GPS location, the position of his bike and the resonance sound of the gas tank to determine how much gas remains. As part of his design process, Wong used 3D printing on a curved gas tank and reverse engineered some of the Nucleo pin outs.

• Third Prize – Smart Drive by Sergey Vlasov – An open, public, Big-Data project to collect "red flag warnings" like emergency breaking or crash detection that would be logged and quickly shared with other drivers in close proximity to an accident.

Dianne Kibbey, Global Head of Community and Social Media, element14 said: “We were blown away by all of the innovative designs the element14 community came up with for the ‘IoT on Wheels’ challenge and how they all showcased the integral role the Internet of Things plays in transportation. When we think about IoT, many of us just think about smart homes and wearables, but it is also playing a major role in making transportation safer and more efficient by making connected cars a reality.”

‘IoT on Wheels’ is the latest of the four design challenges held this year by the element14 community and Premier Farnell, which have all highlighted the ongoing role the community plays in driving innovation forward. The judges included element14 top member, Rachael Peterson, experts from STMicroelectronics and Loughborough University’s Wolfson School of Mechanical, Electronic, and Manufacturing Engineering.

To learn more about the ‘IoT on Wheels’ Design challenge, visit https://www.element14.com/community/community/design-challenges/iot-on-wheels

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Premier Farnell, the Development Distributor, has announced the availability of the Cypress PSoC 6 BLE Pioneer Kit, the perfect way for engineers to get started with next-generation IoT Designs using the new PSoC 6 MCU, which is purpose-built for the IoT, from Cypress Semiconductor Corp.

“The PSoC 6 MCU is an IoT game changer which eliminates the need for designers to choose between high performance and low power in their IoT project development”, says Simon Meadmore, Global Head of Semiconductors for Premier Farnell: “PSoC 6 delivers both, plus the security that next-generation IoT devices demand - all on the famous PSoC programmable fabric.”

The PSoC 6 MCU solves the challenge of emerging IoT devices that require high-performance processing and low power consumption without any trade-offs. It bridges this gap that exists between power-hungry application processors and low-performance single-core MCUs, in addition to providing the critical security features demanded by the IoT.

The PSoC 6 MCU architecture includes dual-core Arm® Cortex®-M4 and Cortex®-M0+ processors to deliver high-performance processing and power efficiency, built on an ultra-low-power 40 nm process technology with dynamic voltage and frequency scaling for extended battery life and an industry-leading current consumption of 22 µA per megahertz in active power modes.

The system also offers best-in-class flexibility with software-defined peripherals and multiple connectivity options, plus an integrated, hardware-based Trusted Execution Environment (TEE) with secure data storage.

The PSoC 6 BLE Pioneer Kit enables engineers to quickly get up and running with the PSoC 6 MCU and minimise time-to-market for IoT devices. It is an Arduino compatible, easy-to-use development platform with various peripherals such as BLE connectivity and Cypress’ CapSense® capacitive-sensing technology. The board features Cypress’ EZ-PD™ CCG3 USB-C controller for USB power delivery and an E-ink display add-on shield (CY8CKIT-028-EPD) to prototype a variety of different IoT application.

In addition, the kit is supported in the new PSoC Creator 4.2, which is an integrated development environment that enables concurrent hardware and firmware editing, compiling and debugging of PSoC systems. Applications are created using schematic capture and over 150 pre-verified, production-ready peripheral components.

The PSoC 6 BLE Pioneer Kit is available to buy from Farnell element14 in Europe, Newark element14 in North America and element14 in Asia Pacific.

Premier Farnell, the Development Distributor, is celebrating the sale of its 10 millionth Raspberry Pi, less than six years after it first began producing Raspberry Pi computers. Premier Farnell now sells over 50,000 Raspberry Pi computers each week to makers, industry and education across the globe.

Premier Farnell has been working with the Raspberry Pi Foundation since the launch of Raspberry Pi 1 Model B in 2012 and has a global agreement for the manufacture, distribution and exclusive customisation of the Raspberry Pi.

Chris Breslin, SVP Product for Premier Farnell said:  “We are delighted to be celebrating this significant achievement – both as a business and for Raspberry Pi. This small computer, originally developed to support education and learning, has outstripped everyone’s expectations over the years - now used by education and makers as well as in professional applications and industry. This performance has only been made possible by our dual manufacturing strategy, and close collaboration with both the Raspberry Pi Foundation and our global network of resellers – we look forward to the next phase of our journey with Raspberry Pi.”

Eben Upton, CEO of Raspberry Pi Trading added: “With every year we seem to take the Raspberry Pi, and its users, on another great adventure. I am delighted that so many people have taken the Raspberry Pi into their homes and businesses, learning to code, and integrating the Raspberry Pi into their broader technology solutions. I would like to share my congratulations with the team at Premier Farnell as they reach this milestone.”

In celebration of the this major milestone, Premier Farnell is offering a 10% discount on a range of the favorite accessories for the Raspberry Pi, helping makers and design engineers make even more with their boards. This includes the recently launched element14 Pi Desktop which enables users to convert their Raspberry Pi into a desk top computer, and the Raspberry Pi Sense HAT which was launched into space on the Astro Pi mission.

Customers can buy their favorite accessories for the Raspberry Pi at a 10% discount by visiting Farnell element14 in Europe, Newark element14 in North America and element14 in APAC.

Premier Farnell, The Development Distributor, is today introducing a new range of value test and measurement products from Rohde and Schwarz. The products include a number from Hameg Instruments GmbH, which it recently integrated into its Test and Measurement Division and will be sold under the Rohde and Schwarz brand.

• The R&S®RTB2000 Oscilloscope has a 10" touchscreen display and the 10bit ADC gives the user the finest resolution in the market. The 10MSample Memory means it can be in-use 100 times longer than traditional oscilloscopes.

• The R&S®FPC1000 Bench Spectrum Analyser, a new entry spectrum analyser is fully frequency upgradeable with uncompromised RF performance, 2.6 times more display resolution than other brands, high measurement resolution down to 1Hz bandwidth and ease of virtual control with the built-in wifi module (Android/IOS app).

• The R&S®Spectrum Rider FPH is a versatile, user-friendly, light weight, hand held instrument available in a number of models with frequencies ranging from 5kHz - 4GHz.It features long battery life, capacitive touch screen and a keypad with backlight.

• The R&S®FSC Spectrum Analyzer is a compact, cost-efficient solution that offers all the essential features of a professional spectrum analyzer with Rohde & Schwarz quality. It covers a wide range of applications from simple development tasks to production, or can be used for training RF professionals.

• The R&S®SMC100A RF and Microwave Signal Generator is a flexible and versatile instrument with outstanding signal quality covering the frequency range from 9 kHz to 1.1 GHz or 3.2 GHz. Output power is > +17 dBm and all important functions (AM/FM/φM/pulse modulation) are already integrated in the instrument.

James McGregor, Global Head Test, Tools and Production Supplies at Premier Farnell said: “We have built a strong relationship with Rohde and Schwarz and this new range of value instruments complements our existing test and measurement offering. As the Development Distributor, Premier Farnell offers one of the industry’s broadest ranges of test and measurement equipment and the introduction of this new value range is ideal for small start-ups, engineers for whom price is a factor and education organisations.

“To provide additional value to our customers we also offer calibration services to ensure the accuracy of your equipment. This covers pre-calibration of electronic, physical and dimensional test and measurement equipment and products.”

The Rohde and Schwarz test and measurement range is available from Farnell element14 in Europe, Newark element14 in North America and element14 in Asia Pacific.

Premier Farnell, The Development Distributor, is today announcing availability of the National Instruments LabVIEW Home Bundle, making the successful graphical programming platform LabVIEW available to students, makers and hobbyists for the first time.

LabVIEW (Laboratory Virtual Instrument Engineering Workbench) is already used by millions of engineers and scientists to increase productivity when building measurement and control systems. It differs from traditional programming languages such as C, C++, or Java, which are programmed with text by facilitating visual programming. LabVIEW can be used for problem solving, data acquisition and analysis, instrument control, automated testing and validation, and prototyping. The graphical programming syntax makes it simple to visualize, create, and code engineering systems, accelerating the productivity of engineers and scientists by reducing test times and delivering business insights based on collected data.

With the LabVIEW Home Bundle, students, makers and hobbyists can now also benefit from visual programming, removing the need to write lines of code and worry about semi-colons and syntax. The LabVIEW Home bundle brings together the LabVIEW Full Development System with LabVIEW Control Design and Simulation Module, LabVIEW MathScript RT Module and LabVIEW Application Builder Module. Users benefit from accelerated development through simple drag-and-drop interaction to create programs called virtual instruments (VIs), connecting terminals, functions, constants, and structures with wires on a block diagram and other applications in a single environment.

Peter Wenzel, Global Software Product Line Manager, Premier Farnell, said:

“As the Development Distributor, Premier Farnell brings our customers closer to the world’s leading software companies to support their design journeys. The introduction of the LabVIEW Home Bundle makes professional grade software accessible to students, makers and hobbyists, giving them access to the same tools that are used by professional engineers. We are actively encouraging the next generation of design engineers, supporting them as they develop, with our industry leading portfolio of embedded, PCB, and mechanical software and technical expertise available on the element14 Design Center.”

All of the main categories of design software are available on the element14 Design Center including integrated development environments & compilers, operating systems and middleware, EDA software, mechanical design software and test & simulation software. Additionally, the Design Center provides customers with a streamlined software selection and purchasing experience with free software trials and multiple delivery options, including instantaneous eDelivery.

The National Instruments LabVIEW Home Bundle is available from Farnell element14 in Europe, Newark element14 in North America and element14 in APAC. For more information please visit www.element14.com/labview.

Premier Farnell, The Development Distributor, is now shipping the Infineon 24V Protected Switch Shield and the Low-Side Switch Shield both for Arduino.

The 24V Protected Switch Shield is a power switch evaluation board compatible with Arduino microcontroller boards and Infineon’s XMC™ microcontroller kits using the Arduino form factor. It provides fast and inexpensive prototyping of 24V load driving, making it ideal for use in applications such as truck bulbs, car bulbs, valves, motors, relays, capacitors, and LEDs.

The shield is equipped with three PROtected high-side power MOSFETs out of the PROFET™+ 24V family, offering five 24 V channels in total. The power switches are controlled via the INx (input) pins. The PROFET™+ 24V devices also provide a sense current at the IS pin, which can be enabled via the DEN (Diagnosis ENable) pin. For the two channel devices the sensed channel is selected via the DSEL (Diagnosis SELect) pin. For each device the sense signal (IS) is connected to an own ADC channel of the microcontroller.

Infineon’s PROFET™+ 24V protected high-side switches drive resistive, capacitive and inductive loads with either a PWM of up to 400Hz or DC. It includes a driver circuit with logic level inputs, as well as load diagnosis with current sense capability and over temperature shut down with latch behaviour providing protection against over temperature, over current and ESD. This shield can handle 8 ~ 36V nominal input voltage (max. 5 ~ 48V) and a nominal current up to 5A per channel restricted due to PCB (nominal current: 7 A).

The Low-Side Switch Shield from Infineon consists of three BTF3050TE low-side switches of the HITFET™+ family providing three independent power channels that can be controlled via the input pins. The shield is compatible with microcontroller boards using the Arduino form factor and supports fast and easy prototyping of applications with BTF3050TE. With a nominal load current of 3A the BTF3050TE is able to drive resistive, inductive and capacitive loads. Furthermore the smart low-side switch provides diagnosis and protection features against items such as over temperature shut down with auto restart behaviour and double current limitation for inrush current. It also includes a latched and stable fault signal which is independent of the input pin. The Low-Side Switch Shield has a driver circuit with logic level inputs and can be driven with PWM up to 14 kHz (10% duty cycle) and with a 50 mΩ single channel switch, nominal battery voltage range from 8 ~ 18V and a nominal load current of 3A (typ.) DC this switch provides a fast and inexpensive way of prototyping for a wide range of applications.

The shields are available from Farnell element14 in Europe, Newark element14 in North America and element14 in APAC. Please visit the element14 Community for more information on the Infineon 24V Protected Switch Shield and the Infineon Low-Side Switch Shield.

Premier Farnell, The Development Distributor, is renowned for its industry leading design and technical knowledge and the ability to provide consistent and reliable support to customers with differing design needs, as their projects move from concept through to design. Premier Farnell understands that every design process is different and as such provide a wide range of support through a variety of different channels. Following on from the success of the initial ‘Essential Design Tips for Engineers’ book, Premier Farnell have developed a second book focussing purely on Embedded Design.

As a world leading source of products, support and exclusive manufacturing partnerships, Premier Farnell is perfectly placed to support designers with their embedded projects. With the embedded space still seeing rapid expansion, the demands on single board computing functionality is also rising. In recognition of this, AVID and Embest, as part of the Premier Farnell group, are harnessing the power of their exclusive agreements with manufacturers to offer a customisation service for industrial and commercial applications.

Premier Farnell worked with Hilscher Gesellschaft für Systemautomation mbH in Germany to combine the Raspberry Pi with Hilscher’s network chip netX on a customised form factor to create an Edge Gateway suitable for the industrial environment. This project demonstrates the success of working with one company throughout the design and production phases. Premier Farnell offered the flexibility to create a bespoke solution which was also more cost effective than designing a board from scratch. Premier Farnell have extensive experience working with start-ups through to the largest semi-conductor manufacturers and can therefore provide full design support, especially when the project has potentially complex demands.

The latest book in the design tips series provides design engineers with project advice from an engineer’s perspective, reflecting the unique challenges faced by designers when working with embedded applications. Many members of the Premier Farnell team are engineers themselves and are ideally placed to understand the information and resources that fellow designers need.

Premier Farnell is now asking for input on their next design tips book, focussed on design tips for makers. Premier Farnell and the element14 community are asking makers across the globe to contribute tips to be included in the book. Anyone interested in submitting their own design tip should visit the element14 Community.

element14, the Development Distributor, has announced the release of the New Autodesk EAGLE, which combines power, accesibility and affordability.

The powerful, yet easy to use, PCB Design Software is a comprehensive Schematic, PCB and collaboration tool with a new routing engine, ultra-precise selection, and easy circuitry reuse. Engineers can use Autodesk EAGLE to deliver integrated ECAD/MCAD for designing smart products.

Matt Berggren, Director Autodesk Circuits, EAGLE, Tinkercad said: “As part of the Autodesk family I am very excited for the future of EAGLE. We have a bigger, stronger development team which in turn means we can make improvements more regularly, to keep you ahead of the technology curve.”

EAGLE will now be available through element14 as an annual subscription in either standard or premium versions. This opens up the possibility for consistently free updates, dedicated support through Autodesk and budgeting options for monthly or annual pricing.

Peter Wenzel, Global Software Product Line Manager, element14 commented: “As the largest global EAGLE distributor, the New Autodesk EAGLE strengthens our position as the destination for the latest engineering software for electronics and industrial engineers alike. Our customers have anxiously awaited a new release of this product. From a broad set of new features to subscription licensing transition our customer’s patience has paid off as the evolution of the product takes a significant step forward.

“As the Development Distributor, element14 brings our customers closer to the world’s leading software companies to support their design journeys. The New Autodesk EAGLE will enhance element14’s portfolio of embedded, PCB, and mechanical software available on the element14 Design Center."

All of the main categories of design software are available on the element14 Design Center: integrated development environments & compilers, operating systems and middleware, EDA software, mechanical design software and test & simulation software. The Design Center provides customers with a streamlined software selection and purchasing experience with free software trials and multiple delivery options, including instantaneous eDelivery.

Autodesk EAGLE is available from Farnell element14 in Europe, Newark element14 in North America and element14 in Asia Pacific.

Premier Farnell, the development distributor, is the first to stock Alpha Wire’s new range of connectivity products, Alpha Connect. The range offers an end-to-end solution for connecting sensors and actuators on the factory floor, ensuring safe and reliable communication in industrial environments while decreasing downtime and increasing productivity.

Alpha Connect includes flexible cordsets, passive distribution boxes, field attachable connectors, receptacle connectors, and splitters for an all-in-one solution featuring Alpha Wire's industry-trusted wire and cable products.

Dave Beck, Global Head of Product Management - Interconnect at Premier Farnell, said:

"We are excited about the opportunity for this new investment in inventory. Alpha Wire is a global leader in high-quality, premium-grade products, such as Xtra-Guard® hazard-matched performance cables, and this additional development will enable us to offer our customers an all in one solution for their interconnectivity needs."

Kristen Elwell, Senior Product Manager at Alpha Wire said:

“Alpha Wire is pleased to partner with Farnell element14 in offering the Alpha Connect line. The addition of this product range allows Farnell element14 to provide the full Alpha Wire product portfolio to our global customer base.”

The Alpha Connect range is part of the breadth of components, hardware and tools to support engineers through the research and design process which makes element14 the development distributor.

The Alpha Connect range is available from Farnell element14 in Europe, Newark element14 in North America and element14 in Asia Pacific.

Avnet, Inc. (NYSE: AVT), a leading global technology distributor, today announced the promotion of Graham McBeth to the role of president of Premier Farnell Plc, effective immediately. McBeth will report directly to Gerry Fay, president, global business units, Avnet. In his new role, McBeth will be responsible for the strategic direction, day-to-day operations and performance of Premier Farnell.

McBeth, who most recently served as President of Avnet Abacus, the Avnet business specializing in interconnect, passive and electromechanical (IP&E) products throughout Europe, replaces Premier Farnell’s interim President Steven Webb. Webb, a 16-year veteran of Premier Farnell, has played an integral role during the last several months in overseeing Premier Farnell’s integration into the Avnet organization. He will remain with the company until January 31, 2017, to assist in the leadership transition.

“Graham is an accomplished leader who knows how to win in the market. With his strong commitment to team building, Graham grew the Avnet Abacus division into one of the most well-respected IP&E businesses in Europe,” said Fay. “His deep understanding of Avnet’s global business will enable Graham to serve as a great bridge for the Premier Farnell team, its customers and suppliers.”

“Since Avnet first announced its intent to acquire Premier Farnell, I recognized what a tremendous opportunity this would be to advance Avnet’s strategy of providing customers with a differentiated digital experience throughout the entire product lifecycle,” said McBeth. “This is the start of an exciting new chapter for both Avnet and Premier Farnell and I am thrilled to have the chance to help drive further success for our organization and our design and supply chain partners.”

A native of Scotland, McBeth is a results-oriented leader with extensive industry experience. He graduated from Glasgow University in 1984 and spent 11 years at National Semiconductor in a variety of roles, from product marketing to distribution and sales management. McBeth joined Abacus Group Plc in 1995, was appointed to the main board as technical director in 1997, and later became group managing director of Abacus with responsibility for the company’s sales and marketing strategy. In 2009, following the acquisition of Abacus Group by Avnet, McBeth became president of Avnet Abacus and led the IP&E specialist to a top position in the European market.

Headquartered in Leeds, United Kingdom, Premier Farnell is a global distributor of electronic components that utilizes a digital platform to provide innovators and engineers with the latest products, services and development software. Avnet offered to acquire Premier Farnell in July 2016 and completed the acquisition in October 2016.

Follow Avnet on Twitter: @Avnet

Connect with Avnet on LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/avnet

Connect with Avnet on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AvnetInc

“The combination of Premier Farnell with Avnet’s components business will create a truly unique distribution model that supports customers at every stage of the product lifecycle. By pairing our deep expertise in large volume broadline distribution with Premier Farnell’s specialization in proof of concept and design, we can offer true end-to-end solutions that accelerate a customer’s time-to-market and moves their products seamlessly from prototype through to volume production,” said William Amelio, Chief Executive Officer of Avnet. “As technology reaches deeper into more products and innovation proliferates through the internet of things, the ability to reach a wider base of engineers earlier in the design process will be critical to our future growth and success.”

Headquartered in Leeds, United Kingdom, Premier Farnell is a global distributor of electronic components that utilizes a digital platform to provide innovators and engineers with the latest products, services and development software. The company supports a registered community of more than 430,000 members in 36 countries with multi-channel sales and marketing resources that combine traditional field sales and contact resources with innovative ecommerce interfaces.

Over 3,800 connectors from Multicomp are available for same day dispatch, and include AV, circular, D Sub, I/O, Industrial, modular, PCB, RF/coaxial and USB connectors. The new Multicomp products include:

• The latest NGFF miniature RF connector technology on SMA/RPSMA RF antenna pigtail cables
• A large selection of IP67 waterproof panel-sealed RF antenna pigtail cables
• A contact-sealed IP67 SMA/RPSMA RF antenna pigtail cables; even when an antenna is not connected and the SMA/RPSMA connector is 'open'
• Innovative RF cable assembly - Antenna Autoswitch integrated in an SMA panel RF antenna interface - which makes retro-fitting antenna auto-switching in to electronic designs quick and simple, and keeps the RF switch away from sensitive electronics on the PCB
• Tamper-secure rear-lock IP67 waterproof panel-sealed RPSMA/SMA RF antenna pigtail cables
• Double-screened RF antenna pigtail cables help solve RF design noise problems
• new colour cable management for popular SMA-U.FL RF Antenna pigtail cable assemblies

Multicomp connectors and cable are available at Farnell element14 in Europe, newark element14 in NA and element14 in APAC.

Global electronics distributor element14 today announces the addition of a new NXP® low-cost development platform to its extensive portfolio of products for the Internet of Things (IoT). The FRDM-KW40Z is enabled by the Kinetis® W series KW40Z/30Z/20Z (KW40Z) family and is ideal for applications in the IoT space, including home automation, building automation and healthcare.

Built on the ARM^® Cortex^®-M0+ processor, FRDM-KW40Z features an integrated 2.4 GHz transceiver supporting Bluetooth^® Smart/Bluetooth^®Low Energy (BLE) v4.1 and/or IEEE^® 802.15.4standards. The kit contains two boards, enabling point-to-point, out of the box connectivity. Each board can be configured as a Freedom development board or as a Freedom shield for connection to a host processor.

The FRDM-KW40Z hardware is form-factor compatible with the Arduino^™ R3 pin layout, providing a broad range of expansion board options. The FRDM-KW40Z also features a highly-sensitive, optimised 2.4 GHz radio with PCB F-antenna, which can be bypassed for connection to test equipment via SMA connection, multiple power supply options, push and capacitive touch buttons, switches, LEDs and integrated sensors.

The USB-KW40Z, also added to the Farnell element14 portfolio is the same development platform as the FRDM-KW40Z, but available on a convenient USB dongle form factor. The USB-KW40Z can be used as a Bluetooth^® Smart/Bluetooth^® Low Energy and/or IEEE^® 802.15.4 packet sniffer or development board for optimal connectivity and efficiency.

The packet sniffers are essential for wireless network development, allowing over-the-air traffic monitoring, with the BLE and 802.15.4 protocols allowing the continued development of power efficient IoT applications, including BLE functionality in the health and fitness wearables. The 802.15.4 standard has been widely adopted as the premier ultra-low power, low-cost, mesh networking technology for home automation applications, with the possibility of more growth ahead due to increased adoption in commercial and industrial applications, such as lighting and building automation.

The FRDM-KW40Z (priced from £126.80) and USB-KW40Z (priced from £59.39) are available from Farnell element14 in Europe, Newark element14 in North America, and element14 in Asia.

Get more details, downloads and participate in discussions on the element14 community.

The BeagleBone Black will be manufactured by Premier Farnell’s wholly owned subsidiary Embest Technology. Embest Technology has extensive experience in the design and manufacturing of single board computers and will provide volume manufacturing capacity for the BeagleBone Black.

The kit contains a CAPTIVATE-FR2633 target MCU module, CAPTIVATE-PGMR eZ-FET with EnergyTrace™ technology and HID communication bridge, CAPTIVATE-ISO UART, I2C, and SBW isolation board, CAPTIVATE-BSWP self-capacitance demo (Out-of-Box Experience), CAPTIVATE-PHONE mutual capacitance demo with haptics and guard channel and CAPTIVATE-PROXIMITY proximity detection and gesturing demo.

The MSP430FR2633-based MCU board, a programmer/debugger board with EnergyTrace technology measures energy consumption with the TI’s Code Composer Studio™ integrated development environment (IDE), and sensor boards to evaluate self-capacitance, mutual capacitance, gesture and proximity sensing. Users can evaluate the MSP430FR2633 microcontroller with CapTIvate touch technology, which provides the highest resolution capacitive-touch solution in the market. MSP MCUs with CapTIvate technology are the industry’s lowest power capacitive touch MCUs with 10 V rms noise immunity and support for dirt-proof, glove-friendly designs.

Features and benefits of the development kit are:

Modular Design

• Different sensing panels can be attached through a common connector.
• The programming/debug logic has been split from the target MCU, unlike a typical LaunchPad which has both components on one PCB. This allows for an isolation module to be inserted between the two for testing/tuning, or for the programming/debug module to be used for in-system product development.
• The target MCU PCB features BoosterPack™ plug-in board headers, allowing it to be used as a BoosterPack for another LaunchPad™ development kit, such as the MSP-EXP432P401R LaunchPad kit.

Application Oriented

• The sensing panels included in the kit are designed to mimic real applications.
• Evaluating a new application simply involves laying out a basic 1 or 2 layer PCB with a footprint for the sensor connector, or simply laying out electrodes with copper tape and wiring them into the connector.

Easy Access to Data

• EnergyTrace technology power profiling enables capturing of power profiles without any measurement equipment.
• The HID-Bridge communications interface allows easy debug data transfer between the target and a PC over UART or I2C.

Get more details, downloads and participate in discussions on the element14 community.

The MSP CapTIvate MCU development kit is available from Farnell element14 in Europe, Newark element14 in North America, and element14 in Asia.

This launch comes shortly after element14 expanded its proposition to include software tools and the industry’s first instant e-delivery capability for customer software purchases. Combining world-class software products with the company’s full range of semiconductor components and other electronics hardware, element14 has become the destination for engineering software.

Engineers will be able to purchase software suites and packages such as TASKING immediately via all element14’s channels - including online, call centres and field sales – for immediate download.

The TASKING VX-toolset for ARM provides developers with sophisticated technology found only in the Viper compiler framework. Developers can take full advantage of the industry-leading ARM architecture with the most efficient C/C++ compiler and comprehensive debugging tools on the market today.

The Viper technology running under the hood of this development toolset allows the C compiler to generate code with the highest execution speed and level of reliability needed for tomorrow’s automotive, industrial, and telematics applications. The C compiler for ARM also features full support for industry-standard code qualifications including MISRA C and CERT C code checking, ensuring that your code will perform at the highest level of reliability.

Key features include:

• Integrated Development Environment based on Eclipse enables extensibility through third-party plug-ins.
• TASKING’s award winning Software Platform and Pin Mapper for STM32, which includes a wide range of free-to-use middleware components, like an RTOS, support for CAN, USB, TCP/IP, web servers, and much more
• Available on Windows, Linux and Mac OS X
• Fully integrated TASKING multi-core ready debugger with debug probe support for J-Link family by SEGGER, ST-LINK from STMicroelectronics, miniWiggler from Infineon, and CMSIS-DAP.
• Efficient C, C++, and EC++ compilers that conform to industry standard guidelines including ISO, CMSIS, and ARM ABI.
• Fully compatible with TASKING VX-toolsets for C166, TriCore, RH850, and Power Architecture.
• Integrated static code analysis functionality for MISRA-C:1998, 2004, 2012 and CERT C standards.
• Standard C, C++ and ANSI/IEEE-754 floating-point libraries.
• Global type checking by compiler and linker for verification of types
• Powerful assembler and linker/locator using versatile linker-script language that provides enhanced memory layout editing, data/code overlaying facilities, data/code section allocation, and automatic/user specific target memory allocation.
• Built-in extensions for improved application code efficiency and stability. Includes run-time error checking, code profiling through code instrumentation, and syntax/semantic checks.
• Easy-to-use wizards allows you to quickly configure your next project.

The toolset is available through a free trial or to purchase starting at $1,995 for a 1 year license from Newark element14 in North America, Farnell element14 in Europe and element14 in Asia Pacific.

To learn more, visit, www.element14.com/tasking

Improving efficiency and passenger safety should be the top areas addressed by engineering and technology developments in the automotive sector, according to global consumer research from element14. In contrast, areas that are seeing significant funding and development, such as sensors, self-driving cars and electric vehicles, have considerably less consumer appeal.

The global study, published in a new Engineering a Connected Automotive World report, was carried out in Australia, China, France, Germany, India, the UK and North America. It shows that 56% of consumers feel technology in the automotive sector should be primarily focussed on efficiency and 53% said safety respectively. Only 7% agree the focus should be on driverless cars and 8% on sensors, for example for judging distances.

The results are more positive when looking at overall enthusiasm for driverless cars, with 44% of survey respondents saying they are of interest, more than virtual reality (41%) or gesture control (43%). Notably, this percentage rises dramatically in India and China, with 71% and 67% respectively confirming their interest in driverless vehicles.

For more information on “Engineering a Connected World” or to view the research report, visit element14.com.

Notes to Editors

* Raspberry Pi 1 models B and A are also supported, but mounting fixture locations are optimized for the more recent board layout.

element14 has unveiled the winner of its global DreamBoard initiative to find the ultimate development kit. The PC64, designed to be a learning tool for students, has been voted the winner by element14 Community members from a shortlist of 16 finalists. The design captured 67 per cent of the vote in the head-to-head final and beat more than 3,000+ brand new dev kit creations to be named the ultimate DreamBoard.

The winning board was designed by Manjuprasad Basangi, a final year engineering student from India. He created the PC64 as a learning tool for students, as well as a powerful platform for professional engineers to build and test their systems. A 64-bit processor, compatible with Linux, and an Android lollipop loaded onto an SD card maximise the potential use cases across a variety of projects.

Other features include on-board wireless connectivity, as well as GPIO pins and a variety of connectivity options to help the board communicate with the outside word and provide the option to expand where needed. The PC64 also features on-board sensors including the Magnetic Hall effect sensor, ultrasonic sensors, gyroscope, accelerometer and temperature, to support robotic and drone projects. Audio I/O provides on-board audio processing and the LVDS port and touchscreen sensor allow the board to perform as a handheld device.

Manjuprasad Basangi, the winner of the DreamBoard initiative, comments: “I am always enthusiastic about developing PCBs and custom development boards. However, the absence of technology in manufacturing industrial-grade PCBs and the lack of availability of components in India means I’ve been forced to stick with LQFP packages, which can be soldered by hand. I wanted to develop something like the Raspberry Pi or BeagleBone, but I’ve always felt discontented due to the lack of funds and technology in manufacturing. element14's "Build Your Own DreamBoard" campaign has inspired me to visualise the type of dev kit I want to make.”

The Mother H.E.N. DreamBoard was the worthy runner up. Designed by Draven Umbra from the USA, the dev kit enables a ‘Home Environment Network’ designed to sense motion, temperature, humidity, lighting and indoor air quality and control them to optimal conditions.

Launched in October 2014, the DreamBoard competition asked members of the element14 Community to develop their own “dream” dev kits using a bespoke tool to drag and drop various components onto a bare PCB. Designers had to ensure that they weren’t overloading their boards, carefully balancing power, efficiency and speed with applications and functions.

Over the course of the competition element14 received more than 3,000 submissions, then narrowed them down to sixteen finalists spanning the UK, Europe, the USA, and India. The finalists then went head-to-head, with Community members voting for their favourite contenders, culminating in an ultimate showdown between the two finalists.

Dianne Kibbey, Global Head of Community, element14, comments: “The DreamBoard competition was not only a great opportunity to test the creativity and ingenuity of the engineers from our Community, but also to gain knowledge and insights into the electronics industry as a whole. The submissions showcased an incredible array of creativity, with designs ranging from aquatic monitoring devices to hot air balloons to home automation systems.

“The DreamBoard initiative was a huge success for all those involved. We gained valuable insight to enhance our product offering and understanding of market trends and also provided our element14 Community members with the freedom to create and explore in a way that most organisations could never achieve. The DreamBoard project set out to give engineers the freedom to create, learn, and inspire and that is exactly what we achieved.”

To find out more about the DreamBoard initiative, view the Battle of the DreamBoards slideshare, showcasing the final 16, or visit: http://www.element14.com/dreamboard.

element14 has announced it is now stocking two new high-performance metalized impregnated paper series film capacitors from KEMET: the P278, Class X1, 480 VAC and the P295, Class Y1, 500 VAC.

Used primarily for electronic design engineers, these paper capacitors are the best EMI capacitors in terms of safety, reliability, overvoltage and transient handling, self-healing capability and long-term connection to the mains. They have high resistance to ionization and are more stable than any other dielectric available on the market.

The new capacitors are ideal for industrial use with pumps circulators or special high-reliability power supplies. They’re constructed of multilayer metalized paper encapsulated and impregnated in self-extinguishing material meeting the requirements of UL 94 V-0.

Typical applications for the P278 Series include worldwide use as an electromagnetic interference suppressor in all X1 and across-the-line applications. Typical applications for the P295 Series include safety capacitors for bridging of double or reinforced insulation applications requiring voltage test up to 4,000 VAC at 60 seconds. P295 Series capacitors can be left in place during this test.

Priced as low as $.58 and available with next day delivery, the KEMET P278, Class X1, 480 VAC and P295, Class Y1, 500 VAC high-performance metalized impregnated paper series film capacitors are available from Newark element14 in North America, Farnell element14 in Europe and element14 in APAC.

Premier Farnell has announced the addition of the Keysight 34465A and 34470A to its TrueVolt range of Bench Digital Multimeters.  The multimeters open up a full range of measurement possibilities with unmatched levels of accuracy, speed and resolution in both 6½ and 7½ digit models.

These new models give engineers a selection of visual representations of measurement data in multiple ways on a 4.3-inch, high-resolution color display, including advanced graphical capabilities such as trend and histogram charts, allowing engineers to get relevant information faster and document their results more easily.

Priced from £901 and available with next day delivery, both models offer three acquisition modes: continuous running for typical measurements, data logging for easier trend analysis, and digitising for capturing transients.

Both devices offer deeper memory for data storage up to 50,000 readings per second up to two million readings. It also measures very low current, having a 1 µA range with pA resolution with voltage ranges from 100 mV to 1,000 V.  The new models also offer auto calibration to compensate for temperature drift.

The TrueVolt range eliminates noise, such as from an AC component from power lines or other environmental noise such as electromagnetic interference, from the true measurement using patented analogue-to-digital converter technology.

Both models offer three acquisition modes: continuous running for typical measurements, data logging for easier trend analysis, and a digitizing for capturing transients. New capabilities include additional measurement and math functions, extended measurement ranges and advanced triggering.

Auto calibration compensates for temperature drift, allowing customers to maintain measurement accuracy throughout their workday. Both models also provide a data logging mode for easier trend analysis and a digitizing mode for capturing transients.

The Keysight TrueVolt 34456A and 34470A are both available from Newark element14 in North America, Farnell element14 in Europe and element14 in APAC.