Program the Raspberry Pi Anywhere with the Portable Ezblock Pi Companion Board

STEM-based electronics company SunFounder has launched a new Raspberry Pi HAT that makes it easy to program the board anywhere using a mobile app with a simple drag-and-drop coding interface. The Ezblock Pi is designed for IoT applications and features an STM32 microcontroller outfitted with a Cortex-M4 MCU and Bluetooth 4.0 (LE) for wireless projects.

According to SunFounder, the Ezblock Pi is “a multitasking magical extension board that allows you to bring your ideas to life spontaneously. An instant and mobile way to transfer codes, debug programs and control your projects wirelessly and seamlessly. Quick, mobile, and powerful.” What’s more, the Ezblock Studio app enables you to perform component simulations of your designs, and visualize the results before building even begins.

The Ezblock Pi sports the same pinout headers as the Raspberry Pi, which acts as a pass-through for any add-on modules, and includes access to GND, analog, PWM, 3.3V, 5V, SPO, and digital pins. SunFounder has also added user-defined and reset buttons, as well as status LEDs. On the software side, the Ezblock Studio app integrates a hardware simulator, debugger, IoT panel, and customizable remote controller for quick, efficient prototyping.

SunFounder is currently crowdfunding the Ezblock Pi on Kickstarter in kit form starting at $35, which consists of the HAT, case, handbook, and 15 add-on modules — including a potentiometer, photoresistor, and sound sensor. There’s also an IoT kit for $74 with 16 modules (additional sensors, joystick, and LED modules), and an advanced pack for $119 that comes with everything from the first two kits, plus a Raspberry Pi 3 B+ and Pi Mobile robotic car.