Altronics call this a “starter kit” but it should probably be called “the solution”! We are constantly prototyping, and there’s a million ways to do it. But the second you need to move your prototype from one desk to another, take it somewhere, or do anything other than leave it steady on the desk, it ultimately becomes a much bigger challenge than it should ever be. Once you complete the treacherous journey a few feet across a room and place your prototype back down, you usually have to then waste valuable time going through the process of figuring out what wires have been pulled out of their sockets, and what’s no longer working.
Being the innovators that they are, the good folks over at Altronics came up with a neat solution. It gets you started with a Raspberry Pi 3, a 500-hole breadboard, 40-pin GPIO expansion kit, as well as a USB adaptor and power supply. We’ve had a little play and it really makes Pi prototyping easier than ever, with stability and simplicity. Especially since Raspberry Pi GPIO pins are not labelled individually, the expansion kit provides you with a visual reference. It’ll also save you time cross-referencing and debugging. Many of us can remember the hair-pulling debugging stress, which was often a result of thinking pin 30 was in fact pin 31 (or whatever the case may be).
It also reduces the learning curve for those of us who are just getting started. The clearly labelled pin-out, which directly connects the Pi with the breadboard, drastically reduces the comprehension required to simply make sure your components or jumpers are in the right places. This is especially beneficial when you’re just starting out because the less you have to worry about, the more successful your early projects are likely to be.
The full starter kit is available from Altronics for $125, which saves you around $15 compared to if you purchase everything separately.
Using Arduino®? They have a similar kit, which includes their Funduino Uno board, breadboard, 65-piece jumper kit, power supply, and more.
Of course, if you already have all your hardware then you can just grab an acrylic base, which includes standoffs and rubber feet. Check it all out – you can thank us later.
Grab it online from Altronics: