The MagPi - July 2018

(^6) July 2018 raspberrypi.org/magpi
News
hinese outfit Elecrow’s
latest project is a briefcase
full of everything a
hardware hacker and digital
maker needs, from circuit boards
and sensors to an integrated
touchscreen display.
CrowPi crams a big bundle of
electronics into its hard-shell carry
case, and is compatible with all
versions of Pi 2, Pi 3, and Pi Zero.
The case comes in four colours:
black, purple, blue, and yellow.
The case for hacking and making
Among the fairly standard
fare such as sensors for light,
motion, and sound you will
find various readout devices,
an RFID sensor, an ultrasonic
sensor, servo interfaces, a step
motor connection, and a GPIO
LED indicator.
This panel helps debug
circuits, as Elecrow sales and
marketing manager Jarvan
explains, “The status LED
indicates when a sensor if working
C
CROWPI
FLIES PAST ITS
KICKSTARTER
CAMPAIGN GOAL
and how, [which] gives you a
better understanding of how
microelectronics work.”
Elecrow worked hard to “choose
the most common and project-
orientated sensors” to include,
Jarvan reveals, but had to “make
sure we can fit as many sensors as
possible” into the Elecrow case.
Jarvan adds, “We’ve tested a
lot of LCD screens [to] choose
the most suitable one, and even
left some space [above] for the
Raspberry Pi camera.”
Crow funding
Jarvan tells us that “the Elecrow
philosophy is ‘make your making
easier’”, and this belief isn’t just
represented in how CrowPi brings
together so much hardware, but in
its documentation too.
“We’ve been working very
hard writing those tutorials,”
says Jarvan, modifying the
documentation “hundreds of
times in order to be as simple
and understandable as possible.”
This makes CrowPi as useful
for schools and clubs as for
individuals wanting a neat kit
to develop code or hardware,
according to Jarvan.
CrowPi runs a standard
installation of Raspbian, with only
Below Plug in
the power bank
accessory and you
can use CrowPi like
a laptop or portable
hacking station