If you’re new to the world of hardware, don’t panic–the Spark Maker Kit with Core has everything you need to level up from hacker zero to hardware hero. In addition to one shiny new Core, the Spark Maker Kit includes all the components and accessories you need to start building simple Internet-enabled projects.
The kit comes in a super-neat project carrying case so you can put tidy up your toys when you’re done playing. Resistors, capacitors, sensors and more are included, along with the Core.
The Spark Core is a complete Wi-Fi enabled development platform for creating connected devices with ease. Please note, this is not truly Arduino-compatible – Their IDE works with many Arduino examples and there have been libraries that are ported to the STM processor on board but even though they say ‘Arduino-compatible’ we would classify it more like “Arduino-like programming language”
The Spark Core is small, low power, and does all the heavy WiFi lifting, but will still let you do all kinds of tinkering to get your IoT project up and running. There’s a backend website platform ‘cloud’ that will let you send and receive data so, rather than having to access everything from your local network or trying to figure out how to tunnel into it, the Spark Core connects out to the Spark.io network for seamless connectivity. You can always set up your own protocols if you want, but you don’t have to. And that’s kind of the point! The Spark Core ships hooked up the cloud, so you can worry about your things and how they integrate, instead of worrying about getting the cloud to work. There’s a lot more info on the Spark website.
Adafruit publishes a wide range of writing and video content, including interviews and reporting on the maker market and the wider technology world. Our standards page is intended as a guide to best practices that Adafruit uses, as well as an outline of the ethical standards Adafruit aspires to. While Adafruit is not an independent journalistic institution, Adafruit strives to be a fair, informative, and positive voice within the community – check it out here: adafruit.com/editorialstandards
Stop breadboarding and soldering – start making immediately! Adafruit’s Circuit Playground is jam-packed with LEDs, sensors, buttons, alligator clip pads and more. Build projects with Circuit Playground in a few minutes with the drag-and-drop MakeCode programming site, learn computer science using the CS Discoveries class on code.org, jump into CircuitPython to learn Python and hardware together, TinyGO, or even use the Arduino IDE. Circuit Playground Express is the newest and best Circuit Playground board, with support for CircuitPython, MakeCode, and Arduino. It has a powerful processor, 10 NeoPixels, mini speaker, InfraRed receive and transmit, two buttons, a switch, 14 alligator clip pads, and lots of sensors: capacitive touch, IR proximity, temperature, light, motion and sound. A whole wide world of electronics and coding is waiting for you, and it fits in the palm of your hand.
Have an amazing project to share? The Electronics Show and Tell is every Wednesday at 7:30pm ET! To join, head over to YouTube and check out the show’s live chat and our Discord!
Python for Microcontrollers – Adafruit Daily — Python on Microcontrollers Newsletter: Open Hardware is In, New CircuitPython and Pi 5 16GB, and much more! #CircuitPython #Python #micropython @ThePSF @Raspberry_Pi
EYE on NPI – Adafruit Daily — EYE on NPI Maxim’s Himalaya uSLIC Step-Down Power Module #EyeOnNPI @maximintegrated @digikey
