Custom PC - UK (2021-05)

the Tynker interface. On the plus side, a single

parent account can register multiple ‘student’

accounts, each of which tracks its own progress

through the course.

The initial puzzles are solved in Tynker’s

Scratch-based drag-and-drop visual

programming environment, while a later series

of tasks for older or more experienced children

switches to MicroPython. If you’ve used a

micro:bit in the past, it’s all familiar – although

there’s no Microsoft Makecode this time.

The bundle is surprisingly expensive

though. At the time of writing, the kits weren’t

available in the UK, but in the USA, the premium

bundle, containing a HiFive Inventor board,

micro-USB cable and three crocodile-clip

jumper wires, plus a speaker, battery pack,

clever clip-together case and single-use code

to unlock the lessons, costs $74.95 (around

£66 inc VAT). Meanwhile, a planned base

bundle containing just the HiFive Inventor

board, a micro-USB cable and single-use code,

has yet to be released.

With the latest BBC micro:bit costing just

£13.50 inc VAT, that’s a big premium for the

Whittaker-voiced lessons. Plus, if you have

more than one kid in mind, there’s currently

no other way to buy a second HiFive Inventor

without picking up the entire bundle.

That said, the lessons are well put together

and engaging. Plus, when their novelty wears

off, you can write your own programs in Tynker

and MicroPython. The pin compatibility with

the BBC micro:bit opens the door to a whole

ecosystem of hardware add-ons too, but not

all libraries have been ported to the HIFive

Inventor, so double-check compatibility before

buying. More information is available from

hifiveinventor.com, along with a purchase link.

Learn Inventor, launched last year in a

fetching black finish. After signing the deal

with the BBC, SiFive took the original off

the market – and now the hardware is only

available as part of the Doctor Who bundle.

The whole package is themed around the

latest incarnation of Doctor Who, as played

by Jodie Whittaker. As well as the packaging,

each bundle comes with a single-use code

to register for an account with Tynker – a firm

providing a Scratch fork by the same name –

to run through a series of lessons based on

the show, with Whittaker’s voice acting.

It’s undeniably neat, and helps to keep

interest in the lessons. However, locking

them behind a single-use code bundled with

a hardware purchase is surprisingly stingy for

the usually egalitarian BBC, especially given

the presence of a simulated HiFive Inventor in

An Espressif ESP32 module is stuck on the back to

provide Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, but could easily run

the board solo

The case is clever, with access to the edge

connector provided via a pop-off cap at the base

ClockworkPi announces

DevTerm portable PC

ClockworkPi, the company behind the

modular GameShell (reviewed in Issue

184), has announced a follow-up product:

the DevTerm, a portable PC inspired by

the TRS-80 Model 100. The A5-footprint

DevTerm includes an ultra-wide 1,280 x

480 display and a 65 per cent keyboard

with a miniature trackball. You have the

choice of driving it from an in-house

Arm-based system-on-module, or a

Raspberry Pi Compute Module 3+.

A thermal printer module, which clips

to the top of the system, is also bundled

• just in case the device isn’t retro enough
  already. The DevTerm is available to
  order from clockworkpi.com now,
  starting at $219 (around £192 inc VAT)
  for a version where you supply your own
  Compute Module.

N EWS I N BRI EF

Compute Module.

The lessons are Doctor Who-themed

and fully voiced by Jodie Whittaker