Big stuff happened yesterday and I haven’t got around to blogging it until now.

Myself, Tim Richardson and Jamie Mann (from The Pi Hut) have been working for months (Months, I tell you! Months!) to create the new CamJam EduKit. This one is a very special kit and it’s all about robotics! It has been designed from the ground up to get you started with building a robot. On Monday, the kits arrived at the warehouse!

Let me tell you what’s in the kit:

• Our special Motor Controller Board (created by 4tronix)
• 2 red-hubbed wheels (they go faster than normal ones, being red and all)
• 2 DC motors
• A battery box (with an on/off switch)
• A small breadboard
• An ultrasonic distance sensor
• A line follower sensor
• A ball caster (with screws) which acts as a ‘third wheel’
• Jumper wires to connect up the sensors to the motor controller board and breadboard
• Some 3M tape pads to stick things onto other things
• … all in a strong cardboard box.

The only things we haven’t included are 4 AA batteries (because shipping batteries is the most difficult thing in the world to do!) and a chassis. Why not a chassis? you may ask. Well, we’d like to see people come up with their own ideas! We’ve tried several ourselves – we’ve used the box the kit comes in (which is very thick cardboard and therefore very sturdy), an official Raspberry Pi case, a spare box we had lying around and we even considered a Domino’s pizza garlic bread box! The best thing about the kit, we think, is that everything comes pre-soldered. That’s right – no soldering required! This makes it particularly suitable for schools and clubs and also for those people who don’t want to risk burns using a soldering iron.

Tim has been beavering away writing the worksheets for the kit. Due to a family illness, he’s a little behind where he would want to be but he wants to make sure that the resources are perfect before we launch.

With that in mind, we expect to have them on sale at the beginning of November (exact date to be decided soon!). The price is £17 inc VAT, plus delivery. That means that for schools, who claim their VAT back, the kit comes in well under £15!

To get notified of when the kits go on sale, head over to The Pi Hut and sign up to the mailing list.

We’re really excited about the EduKit, and we hope you are too!