Adafruit debuts Circuit Playground: a show teaching kids about electronics

<div dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;" trbidi="on"><div dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;" trbidi="on"><div class="image-container" dir="ltr" style="text-align: center;"><img alt="DNP Adafruit debuts Circuit Playground, a show to educate kids about electricity" data-src-height="317" data-src-width="619" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/04/adabot.jpg" /></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;">Programs have a certain magic power over littluns, sending them into a trance-like state and then having them beg for merchandise afterwards. The perpetual tinkerers over at Adafruit don't expect you to <i>catch 'em all</i>, though, and have debuted their own show called <i>Circuit Playground</i> -- an educational YouTube series teaching kids about electronics. In the first episode, we learn all about Amperes and are introduced to our hosts: a free-willed human and ADABOT, a charming puppet presenter (just don't tell <i>them</i> that). Following the letters of the alphabet, expect 25 more installments and, if the intro sequence is any indication, a bunch of component-based characters to keep the sprogs interested. If you need 3 minutes and 50 seconds of peace and quiet, or just want to brush up on the basics yourself, head past the break for the first episode. Next time on <i>Circuit Playground</i>: "B is for Battery."</div></div><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/exlRjDKHGRg?feature=player_embedded" width="640"></iframe></div>

Adafruit debuts Circuit Playground: a show teaching kids about electronics

Programs have a certain magic power over littluns, sending them into a trance-like state and then having them beg for merchandise afterward...

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Makerbot and Adafruit selling special edition 3D printer: Raspberry Pi, other kits included

<div dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;" trbidi="on"><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"> <img alt="Makerbot and Adafruit selling special edition 3D printer: Raspberry Pi, other kits included" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2012/09/img4426.jpg" /></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;">We honestly hadn't given it much thought, but now that it's been brought to our attention, Makerbot and Adafruit really do make an awesome duo. Think about it: one makes 3D printers, the other sells Arduino boards and pretty much everything else a tinkerer could possibly want. So it makes sense that the two companies are teaming up on something: we just word they've started selling a limited edition version of Makerbot's Replicator 2 3D printer, which will come bundled with three DIY kits you'd normally buy on a site like Adafruit. These include the Raspberry Pi, which you all know very well, along with the Timesquare DIY Watch Kit and MintyBoost, the open-source hardware charger.</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"> You might wonder why someone might need all that in one box, but the idea is that you can use the printer to create the sorts of custom parts that don't necessarily come with the kits -- something like a band to go with your Timesquare watch, or a case for the MintyBoost. All told, you'll need $2,296 before you can make this your next impulse buy. Don't get too put off by the price, though -- the Replicator 2 by itself would cost $2,199 without any kits included.</div><div class="open" dir="ltr" id="pr_box" style="text-align: left;"> <div id="pr_box_button">Hide Press Release</div><div id="pr_text"> MakerBot® Partners with Adafruit<br /> Limited Edition MakerBot® Replicator® 2 Desktop 3D Printer Offers Custom Build-Plate and three Adafruit Kits – Available Through Adafruit.com and Adafruit kits at the MakerBot Store<br /> Brooklyn, N.Y., March 7, 2013 – MakerBot and Adafruit have joined together to bring the latest technology to electronic and 3D printing enthusiasts throughout the United States with a unique partnership offering a Limited Edition MakerBot® Replicator® 2 Desktop 3D Printer with special Adafruit kits inside. The Limited Edition MakerBot Replicator 2 Desktop 3D Printer will come with three of Adafruit's most popular kits – the Timesquare DIY Watch Kit, the MintyBoost® Kit, and Adafruit's most popular Raspberry Pi®. The Limited Edition Adafruit MakerBot Replicator 2 Desktop 3D Printer will be available beginning March 14, 2013, online at Adafruit.com and the MakerBot Store in New York City will offer the three Adafruit kits as companion accessories.<br /> "Adafruit has always been a company that offers creative and engaging products and we are excited to be able to partner with them to offer the Limited Edition MakerBot Replicator 2 Desktop 3D Printer," noted Bre Pettis, CEO of MakerBot. "To be able to create this very cool offer with some of Adafruit's most popular products, is so cool for me. It's like coming full circle, as I've been a big fan of Adafruit products for a long time, but this makes it even more awesome than I could have originally imagined."<br /> "Adafruit is thrilled to be able to partner with MakerBot and 3D printing with this Limited Edition offering," said Limor "Ladyada" Fried, Adafruit Industries founder. "We were one of the first early adopters of 3D printing and it's exciting to now be able to partner with a growing company like MakerBot and provide both of our customers a product they can explore, build, print, and have fun with."<br /> The Limited Edition MakerBot Replicator 2 Desktop 3D Printer will be sold on Adafruit.com and will come with a custom Adafruit MakerBot build-plate and three of Adafruit's most popular kits including: Tiimesquare DIY Watch Kit ($29.95); MintyBoost® Kit ($19.50); and the Raspberry Pi ($39.95). These three kits are perfect companions to the MakerBot Replicator 2 Desktop 3D Printer, as they all require custom items to hold the electronics, which can all be 3D printed on a MakerBot. The price for the special Limited Edition Adafruit MakerBot Replicator 2 Desktop 3D Printer will be $2,296.00.<br /> "You can design and 3D print your own cool watch band or watch face holder for the Timesquare Watch; 3D print a cool case for the MintyBoost phone charger; and 3D print a really fun and personalized holder for the Raspberry Pi single-board computer," noted Pettis.<br /> </div></div></div>

Makerbot and Adafruit selling special edition 3D printer: Raspberry Pi, other kits included

  We honestly hadn't given it much thought, but now that it's been brought to our attention, Makerbot and Adafruit really do make a...

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Adafruit's new Internet of Things Printer goes wireless, uses Raspberry Pi (video)

<div dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;" trbidi="on"><div dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;" trbidi="on"><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"><img alt="Adafruit's new Internet of Things Printer goes wireless, uses Raspberry Pi (video)" data-src-height="340" data-src-width="620" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/03/adafruit-internet-of-things-printer.jpg" /> </div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"> Adafruit's just outed a new Internet of Things Printer kit that's traded in its ethernet connection for WiFi. Instead of using an Arduino Uno like its wired sibling, the new DIY hardware is built with a Raspberry Pi Model B running Raspbian Linux. Programmed in Python, the software on the box wields the Python Imaging Library, which gives folks flexibility when it comes to typography and graphics, and can leverage the language's raft of libraries. If you're not in the mood for coding, however, the contraption brings a few sample applications that'll print out daily weather reports, sudoku puzzles, tweets and images on 2.25-inch wide receipt paper. The project rings up at $189 -- $100 above its predecessor -- but it isn't up for sale quite yet.</div></div><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/pqx7WjyOibg?feature=player_embedded" width="640"></iframe></div>

Adafruit's new Internet of Things Printer goes wireless, uses Raspberry Pi (video)

   Adafruit's just outed a new Internet of Things Printer kit that's traded in its ethernet connection for WiFi. Instead of using ...

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