Farnell, the Development Distributor, is now stocking Kitronik products; an exciting range of accessories for micro:bit, Arduino and Raspberry Pi, perfect for educators, students, makers and hobbyists.

Kitronik products encourage imagination and creativity when used in conjunction with the latest generation of open-source programmable computer boards. The kits and accessories enable interaction between programming and hardware, making them ideal for developing computational thinking skills in younger students. This new partnership with Kitronik enhances Farnell’s range of products for education and builds upon its position as the exclusive manufacturer and distributor of the BBC micro:bit, the largest manufacturer and distributor of Raspberry Pi boards and major stockist of Arduino boards.

Kitronik products can be used to support STEM education in classrooms and after school clubs and seek to engage and inspire students of all abilities to further their knowledge of electronics, coding and design. Farnell stocks everything required to get started in physical computing for both education establishments and independent coding clubs.

Kitronik products and accessories for the micro:bit in stock at Farnell include:

• The Inventors Kit  provides an introduction to programming and hardware interaction and contains everything required to carry out ten experiments with the micro:bit, using LEDs, motors, light sensors and capacitors. The kit includes an easy to follow tutorial book and no programming experience or soldering is required. Circuits can be completed in minutes.

• The MOVE mini buggy kit provides a fun introduction to robotics making a two-wheeled robot that is suitable for autonomous operation. It is perfect for remote control projects via Bluetooth applications or control using a second micro:bit. Five RGB individually addressable Zip™ LEDs are included which can be used as indicators, and a pen can be attached to the robot to draw shapes. Kitronik’s custom code blocks for the Servo:Lite motors are available to make the task of coding as quick and painless as possible.

• The Kitronik: GAME ZIP 64 is the ultimate retro gaming accessory for the BBC micro:bit. It has been designed to be an all in one hand-held gaming platform, which includes a built-in, 64 (8x8) individually addressable full colour Zip™ LED screen. It features on-board sound, four directional buttons, two fire buttons, haptic feedback, and breakout points so that shoulder buttons or I2C devices can be added. All of these features are fully programmable and breakout points are available to allow for the use of larger LED screens.

Courtney Kennedy, Technology Solutions Marketing Manager at Farnell says “The addition of Kitronik further broadens our existing wide range of open-source educational and STEM products. The Kitronik range provides educators with new and creative ways to inspire students to get involved in physical computing, providing easy access to devices that enable them to promote the development of key skills such as computational thinking.”

Farnell’s support for the development of the next generation of electronics engineers includes free resources, including lesson plans, project ideas and more, available on the Farnell website. Farnell has a broad range of products within its product range that promote learning about physical computing, an important way for children to develop computational thinking and team working skills.

The Kitronik products and accessories for micro:bit, Arduino and Raspberry Pi are available from Farnell in EMEA, Newark in North America and element14 in APAC.

element14.com, the online community for engineers, has announced the launch of their latest STEM initiative, the Summer Code Club Challenge, in association with educational project kit developers Kitronik.

Following the success of last year’s Great micro:bit giveaway – which inspired creative design projects from educators in locations including Chile, Romania, New Zealand and Canada – the Summer Code Club Challenge aims to empower parents, teachers and STEM ambassadors to set up summer code clubs in their local communities, helping young people access coding and digital literacy resources and support while schools are closed.

Anyone who runs or would like to run a code club between the months of June and August 2019 can submit an application detailing when, where and how they plan to run their local club. Successful applicants will be provided with micro:bit club packs and Kitronik Inventor Kits containing all the equipment and resources needed to run a full curriculum of simple projects and experiments.

In addition, participating clubs will be challenged to come up with a simple interactive game using the resources provided. At the end of the summer, a panel of expert judges will select one creative gaming project to be awarded a batch of ten Raspberry Pi model B+ Starter Kits, worth around $500 at RRP.

Dianne Kibbey, Global Head of Community and Social Media for the element14 Community, said: “Volunteer-run code clubs are an invaluable resource for young people who wish to develop their knowledge of electronics and digital literacy.”

“After our last education initiative involving the micro:bit inspired so many incredible projects from our members around the world, we are excited to build on this success and empower our members to run code clubs in their local communities with the help of our partners at Kitronik.”

Kevin Spurr, Sales and Marketing Director at Kitronik, added “As a company that specialises in developing electronic project kits, supporting coding opportunities for young people is at the heart of what we do as a business.”

“Our Inventor Kits were designed to make learning with micro:bit creative, accessible and fun for all ages. We’re delighted to be supporting our partners at the element14 Community in this initiative to share our kits with STEM clubs around the world.”

Applications for the Summer Code Club Challenge are open now and will close on Friday 31^st May. Applicants simply need to register an account at the element14 Community and leave a comment underneath the announcement post detailing where and when they’d like to run their club, and how many students they’d anticipate taking part. Established code clubs are welcome to apply.

For more information including full terms and conditions, visit https://www.element14.com/community/community/stem-academy/microbit

To register to become a member of the element14 Community, visit http://www.element14.com/

To find out more about the micro:bit and resources available visit Farnell in Europe, Newark in North America and element14 in Asia Pacific.