Adafruit accessories for Raspberry Pi now available at Newark element14

CHICAGO, Oct. 23, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Newark element14, a business of Premier Farnell (LSE:pfl) and the leading distributor of electronic components and engineering solutions in the Americas, today announced a new collaborative product partnership and distribution agreement with Adafruit, an innovative electronics educator, creator and e-tailer for makers of all ages.

(Logo:  http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110721/CG38500LOGO-b)

Newark element 14 and Adafruit are working closely to develop and distribute exciting new Raspberry Pi accessories. Adafruit will be delivering their new products and designs to Newark element14 first as their premier partner for Raspberry Pi efforts.

Available for same-day shipping, the initial Adafruit line offers accessories for the $35 Raspberry Pi mini-computer (now with 512MB), including the popular Adafruit Pi Cobbler Breakout Kit to easily "cobble" together prototypes, and the Pi Dish,which enables a Pi to be attached to a full sized breadboard. The device, cables, power supplies, peripherals and tools can be purchased at http:www.newark.com/pi.

Raspberry Pi was quickly embraced by the Maker movement, as well as by engineers and developers, when it was launched on the element14 Community in February. The Community, a recent winner of the Makey award for "best education/outreach", serves as a global hub for exclusive trainings, technical information and discussions about Raspberry Pi.

"The team and community at Newark element14 is a perfect match for our shared goal of helping to inspire and educate the next generation of engineers, makers and tinkerers," said Limor Fried, founder and engineer of Adafruit Industries.

"We salute Adafruit as one of the pioneers of the Maker movement, and we are delighted to partner with them to better serve our mutual customers," commented Jeff Uden, vice president, product management, Newark element14. "Together, we can offer electronics enthusiasts and educators even more of the technical information, community resources and the products they need to support their projects."

The Maker Movement defines a subculture of people of all ages who pursue engineering interests such as electronics, robotics and 3-D printing and support the use of open source, accessible technologies, such as Arduino.

Editor's Note: A hi-res image of the Adafruit Pi Cobbler is available at http://mkt-element-14.com/files/janice/Adafruitpc.jpg

About Newark element14

Newark element14 is a high-service distributor of technology products and engineering solutions for electronic system design, maintenance and repair. Bringing together the latest products, services, and development software, all connected to an innovative online engineering Community where purchasers and engineers can access peers and experts, a wide range of independent technical information and helpful tools. Whether researching a new technology, designing an electronic product, or looking for parts to repair an existing system, Newark/element14 is the trusted source to find the answers and parts they need to keep projects on the fast track, right from the start.

Newark element14 is the operating business of Premier Farnell plc (LSE:pfl) in North America and Mexico.

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Newark element14 Press Contact

Janice Fleisher

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773.907.5941

About Adafruit

Adafruit was founded in 2005 by MIT engineer, Limor "Ladyada" Fried. Her goal was to create the best place online for learning electronics and making the best designed products for makers of all ages and skill levels. Since then Adafruit has grown to over 32 employees in the heart of New York City. Adafruit has expanded their offerings to include tools and equipment that Limor personally selects, tests and approves. Adafruit has one of the largest collections of free electronics tutorials, open-source hardware and software to help educate and inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers. www.adafruit.com  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SpYMgScKRwk

SOURCE Newark element14