Products from the Microchip 8-bit PIC and AVR ranges of MCUs are available from Farnell element14. Customers will also get the chance to win a free copy of the book “This is (not) Rocket Science” with purchases.

Have you ever wanted to make your very own, custom cell phone? Do you love Linux and wish your phone was more open source?

Availability of the Ultra96 an ARM-based Ultra96 development board jointly created by Avnet, Xilinx, and 96Boards has been announced by Farnell element14. The development board is based on the Linaro 96Boards Consumer Edition specification, features the Zynq UltraScale+ MPSoC and provides developers with a unique and powerful environment to simplify machine learning.

A five-part webinar series is being produced by element14.com in collaboration with Arduino, the open-source electronic prototyping platform. Starting on Wednesday 19 September, the series will explore the full range of professional uses for Arduino, from prototyping and production to broader industrial and commercial applications.

New courses have been added to element14.com’s range of free DIY learning modules, to help its members develop their skills and keep up with the latest trends and innovations within the industry. The ‘Essentials’ courses take the form of simple, self-paced learning modules covering key areas such as IoT, motor control and power management.

Top prize in the Farnell element14 University IoT Challenge has been won by a University of West London (UWL) academic. Dr Ying Zhang, senior lecturer in Computer Science at the University’s School of Computing and Engineering, devised ear defenders which can dampen background noise, while amplifying important sounds such as speech and alarms or sirens.Farnee

A giveaway for educators to help get the popular BBC micro:bit coding device into the hands of more students and get teachers talking about how to use it in the classroom has been launched by element14. For many students and educators, the month of August signifies the approaching return to school, and shopping for the classroom.

Availability of the Microchip SAM L10 and SAM L11 Xplained Pro Evaluation Kits and associated MCUs has been announced by distributor Farnell element14. The devices are the industry’s lowest-power 32-bit MCUs as well as the first to offer chip-level security and Arm TrustZone Technology.

element14.com has announced the winning designs of its “Bluetooth Unleashed” Design Challenge, which included a smart doorbell, enhanced exercise bike and even a device to improve the ambiance in a room.  

A series of Tech Spotlights to be published on a bi-monthly basis has been launched by element14 to help its community of engineers learn about new topics outside of their specialty. The Tech Spotlights provide user-friendly bite-sized technical updates so that engineers can quickly broaden their knowledge on topics vital to their professional development.

A dedicated podcast dubbed ‘The Business of Engineering’ has been launched by element14. It is a monthly roundtable discussion that brings together startup leaders and entrepreneurs working in the tech sector, inviting them to share their experiences and insights on a range of industry-related topics.

Farnell element14 has added IDEC, a supplier of industrial automation and control products to its European portfolio. The launch brings more than 900 IDEC products to Farnell element14 customers in Europe, including new 16mm and 22mm industrial switches, emergency stop safety products, safety enabling switches, stack lights, panel instrumentation, relays, power supplies and laser scanners.

A webinar entitled ‘Powered by Raspberry Pi  - Industrial uses for the Raspberry Pi with Eben Upton’ has been released by element14. It is aimed at customers building the Raspberry Pi into industrial and professional applications.  Eben Upton, CEO of Raspberry Pi Trading joined the element14.com team to talk to customers about the Raspberry Pi and its use in an industrial context.  

A raft of test and measurement products have been added to the Farnell element14 line card. These include the Weller WE 1010 soldering station, the Tektronix DAQ6510 data-acquisition and logging multimeter system, the Rohde & Schwarz R&S® FPC spectrum analyser, and the R&S HMP power-supply family.

Do you have a project idea for use by someone who has a physical or mental impairment?

Klein Tools will now be available in Europe through Farnell element14 and element14 in Asia Pacific. Klein Tools are a leading manufacturer of hand tools and test instruments for the electrical, electronics and telecommunications industries. Premier Farnell already distributes the Klein Tools range in North America through Newark element14.

“Design for a Cause,” is the latest challenge set by element14.com for engineers featuring the Arduino MKR1000 development board as the key building block in assistive technology for individuals living with physical or mental impairments. element14 is launching a Design for Cause initiative on the community site to provide a creative and supportive space for makers looking to build projects with a purpose.

A six-part bi-weekly BeagleBone webinar series has been launched by element14. Presented by Jason Kridner, the co-founder and board member at BeagleBoard.org Foundation  and the element14 team,  the series provides community members with a grounding in the fundamentals of BeagleBone and will show how to have fun with BeagleBone boards.

Customers of the Xilinx Zynq UltraScale+ MPSoC family are being supported by Farnell element14 with the launch of two Texas Instruments reference design to ease the development of power solutions for customers developing innovative applications using these devices.

  The SimpleLink Sub-1GHz Sensor to Cloud Linux Gateway based on technology from Texas Instruments (TI) is now available at Farnell element14. The kit provides an end-to-end tool to enable a Sub-1GHz sensor network with an Internet of Things (IoT) gateway and cloud connectivity.