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January 15, 2013
SPARKFUN ELECTRONICS TEACHES SURFACE MOUNT SOLDERING SKILLS WITH POPULAR ‘SIMON SAYS’ MEMORY GAME KIT
Course offers hands-on education for people to learn techniques for soldering surface mount components
WHO: SparkFun Electronics’ Department of Education
(http://www.learn.sparkfun.com)
SparkFun Electronics (http://www.sparkfun.com) is a provider of parts, knowledge and passion for electronics creation. Its products and resources are designed to make the world of electronics more accessible. SparkFun also offers classes and a number of online tutorials designed to help educate individuals about the wonderful world of embedded electronics. For more information about SparkFun’s educational initiatives, please visit Learn.Sparkfun.com.
WHAT: The Surface Mount Device (SMD) Soldering Class is SparkFun’s very popular course that teaches SMD soldering to anyone who thinks they can’t possibly solder those little pins. SparkFun’s Education team will provide all the tools, irons, solder, parts and seats for 20 to 30 students. Attendees will be soldering the ever-popular SMD Simon Kit (https://www.sparkfun.com/products/10935?) together and will have a functioning Simon Says memory game to take home at the end of the workshop.
There is a minimum age requirement of 15 years old and it is highly recommended that students have a strong background in soldering, as basic soldering skills will not be covered. Time permitting, SparkFun’s instructors may even be able to show attendees some advanced tips and tricks (flux, wicking, hot-air rework, etc.).
WHERE: SparkFun Electronics
6175 Longbow Drive
Boulder, CO 80301
303-284-0979
WHEN: January 16, 2013
6 p.m. – 10 p.m. MST
https://learn.sparkfun.com/events/24
CONTACT: For more information on SparkFun Electronics, or to schedule an interview with SparkFun’s education team, please contact Jeremy Douglas at Catapult PR-IR (303) 581-7760, ext.16 or jdouglas@catapultpr-ir.com.
December 20, 2012
SparkFun Electronics Selected as a Best Place to Work in Denver and a Top Job Creator in Colorado
SparkFun Receives Awards from the Denver Business Journal and Inc. Magazine
BOULDER, Colo., December 19, 2012 — SparkFun Electronics (http://www.sparkfun.com), a provider of parts, knowledge and passion for electronics creation, was recently honored with two awards that underscore the company’s continued growth and workplace culture. The first was from the Denver Business Journal which named SparkFun as one of the top places to work in the Greater Denver Area (http://www.bizjournals.com/denver/print-edition/2012/11/16/best-places-to-work-how-the-process.html?page=all). The second award came from the Inc. Magazine, which recognized SparkFun in its inaugural class of Hire Power honorees — businesses that are adding jobs and rebuilding the economy.
Denver Business Journal named SparkFun as number seven in its list of best places to work in the Denver area among companies with more than 135 employees. Inc. Magazine ranked SparkFun sixth among the nation’s Top 10 Job Creators in the Consumer Products and Services category (http://www.inc.com/hire-power/list/industry/consumer-products-services) and ninth in the Top 10 Job Creators within Colorado category (http://www.inc.com/hire-power/list/state/co).
“SparkFun is very humbled to receive these recognitions,” said SparkFun director of marketing AnnDrea Boe. “These awards represent the power of the DIY community which has allowed us to continue to grow. We are now looking toward the future – particularly, in the field of education. 2013 is shaping up to be another fantastic year.”
To learn more about SparkFun Electronics, please visit http://www.sparkfun.com or to see some of what makes SparkFun a unique workplace, visit (http://www.sparkfun.com/news/876).
About SparkFun Electronics
Founded in 2003, SparkFun shares its passion by providing parts, knowledge, and innovation for those looking to explore the world of embedded electronics. It helps anyone discover their inner inventor and enables individuals to create their own electronics projects.
SparkFun currently offers more than 1,800 products, ranging from simple components, like capacitors and resistors, to GPS units and Bluetooth modules. The company employs 135 people and is based in Boulder, Colorado.
Find SparkFun on Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, YouTube, Vimeo and Google+.
###
Press Contact:
Jeremy Douglas
Catapult PR-IR
303-581-7760 ext. 16
jdouglas@catapultpr-ir.com
November 29, 2012
SparkFun Electronics Launches Kickstarter Campaign for National Education Tour
Company will use funds for the integration of relevant, hands-on computer science education tools into classrooms across the nation
BOULDER, Colo., November 21, 2012 — SparkFun Electronics (http://www.sparkfun.com), a provider of parts, knowledge and passion for electronics creation, is embarking upon a nationwide education tour in 2013 and is leveraging the power of the popular Kickstarter fundraising platform to secure funding for the initiative. SparkFun’s Kickstarter campaign (http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2112812006/sparkfun-national-tour) runs Tuesday, November 20, to Wednesday, December 19, with a goal of raising at least $150,000 necessary for covering the cost of transportation, equipment and staff for the company’s 50-state education tour. SparkFun’s Department of Education (http://learn.sparkfun.com) looks to build upon the success of two coastal education tours it conducted in 2012 by continuing to ignite the passion for learning, playing and creating in learning centers across the U.S.
The tour will bring a mobile education unit to every state in the nation to provide training, tools and information to both educators and their students. SparkFun’s Department of Education will provide highly-trained instructors and a full-day class, as well as donate a special edition SparkFun Inventor’s Kit Lab Pack (https://www.sparkfun.com/products/10900) — $1,250 worth of tools, curriculum and equipment — to facilitate access to electronics education within schools at every skill level.
The tour will provide teachers nationwide with the ability to introduce current, relevant technology and programming concepts into their classrooms. SparkFun hopes that by providing access to these tools, interest and education in the areas of Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics (STEAM) will improve in all age groups.
SparkFun Electronics is founded on a core idea of sharing ingenuity. Utilizing Kickstarter in a new way – to promote a way of thinking as opposed to a product – will provide an avenue to spread the company’s embodiment of the open source ideology, and its leaders’ passion for education.
“The thing we didn’t expect from teaching is that it’s not a one-way street; the ‘Wow!’ moment goes both ways,” said SparkFun CEO Nathan Seidle. “We see students’ minds blown time and time again, and we get utter joy from it. We are slightly addicted to that moment when the light bulb turns on for someone.”
More information on the national tour and the Kickstarter campaign can be found on the company’s site (http://www.sparkfun.com/news/1009) or through the campaign’s Kickstarter page (http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2112812006/sparkfun-national-tour).
About SparkFun Electronics
Founded in 2003, SparkFun shares its passion by providing parts, knowledge, and innovation for those looking to explore the world of embedded electronics. It helps anyone discover their inner inventor and enables individuals to create their own electronics projects.
SparkFun currently offers more than 1,800 products, ranging from simple components, like capacitors and resistors, to GPS units and Bluetooth modules. The company employs 135 people and is based in Boulder, Colorado.
Find SparkFun on Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, YouTube, Vimeo and Google+.
###
Press Contact:
Jeremy Douglas
Catapult PR-IR
303-581-7760 ext. 16
jdouglas@catapultpr-ir.com
October 19, 2012
SparkFun and Parallax Join Forces for One-Time Class
SparkFun’s Education Team to teach eTextiles Workshop at Parallax Headquarters
ROCKLIN, Calif., October 19, 2012 — SparkFun Electronics (http://www.sparkfun.com), a provider of parts, knowledge and passion for electronics creation, and Parallax, designer and manufacturer of microcontroller development tools and small single-board computers, are pleased to announce their first ever collaborative effort – a LilyPad eTextiles class taught by SparkFun employees at Parallax Headquarters.
The idea of the class came about in August 2012, when SparkFun invited Parallax President Ken Gracey and Chief of Engineering Jessica Uelmen to visit SparkFun and present information about the Parallax Propeller Chip. Afterwards, Gracey and Uelmen reciprocated the invite and asked if SparkFun had interest in hosting a workshop at the Parallax facility in California. The answer was a resounding “yes!”
“We’re excited to offer something new to the Sacramento community,” said Uelmen. “eTextiles is a field we haven’t explored much and we are very interested in learning more about it. Working with SparkFun is something we have been looking forward to.”
The ProtoSnap LilyPad Development Board (https://www.sparkfun.com/products/11262) is designed to get students started in the world of eTextiles. Combining SparkFun’s LilyPad Simple Board with other LilyPad components – a buzzer, a vibration motor, a temperature sensor, a button, a switch, five LEDs, a light sensor, and an RGB LED – the LilyPad Dev Board lets students dive right into wearable electronics. When they’ve learned how to program the LilyPad Arduino Simple Board, they can break apart the components and explore the power of the LilyPad platform.
“Working with Parallax on this class was an easy decision to make,” said AnnDrea Boe, director of marketing at SparkFun. “Parallax and SparkFun have a great working relationship and we both have the same goal of enabling the DIY electronics community. We hope this class will inspire people to venture into the world of wearable technology.”
The class will take place on October 24th at Parallax Headquarters in Rocklin. For more information or to sign up, please visit (https://learn.sparkfun.com/events/23).
About SparkFun Electronics
Founded in 2003, SparkFun shares its passion by providing parts, knowledge, and innovation for those looking to explore the world of embedded electronics. It helps anyone discover their inner inventor and enables individuals to create their own electronics projects.
SparkFun currently offers more than 1,800 products, ranging from simple components, like capacitors and resistors, to GPS units and Bluetooth modules. The company employs 135 people and is based in Boulder, Colorado.
Find SparkFun on Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, YouTube, Vimeo and Google+.
###
Press Contact:
Jeremy Douglas
Catapult PR-IR
303-581-7760 ext. 16
jdouglas@catapultpr-ir.com
September 11, 2012
SparkFun Engineer to Speak at 2012 Open Hardware Summit
Conference provides a forum for community discussion surrounding the burgeoning open source hardware movement
BOULDER, Colo., September 11, 2012 — SparkFun Electronics (http://www.sparkfun.com), a provider of parts, knowledge and passion for electronics creation, is honored to announce Engineer Mike Hord’s presentation at the 2012 Open Hardware Summit (http://summit.oshwa.org/). Taking place on September 27th in New York, N.Y., the third annual conference is a venue to discuss and draw attention to the rapidly growing open source hardware community.
A vocal advocate of the open source approach since its beginnings, 2012 marks SparkFun’s second year contributing speakers to the summit’s lineup, and its third year as a major sponsor of the summit. Hord’s talk will focus on the challenges facing the open source community when adhering to FCC regulation. Hord will address the need to take frequency usage regulation seriously in order to legitimize this facet of the open source hardware movement.
“My talk is an attempt to dispel some of the more rampant myths and misconceptions surrounding the legalities of OSHW in the United States with respect to FCC authorization to sell,” Hord said. “In short, we have legal obligations to meet before we can sell certain products, as well as obligations to our customers and the community at large to preserve and protect the radio spectrum that we all increasingly rely on for our work and play.”
The summit is organized by the Open Source Hardware Association (http://www.oshwa.org/), which was founded in 2012 to promote and raise awareness and understanding of the open source hardware ideology. Speakers at the summit include world-renowned leaders from industry, academia and the DIY community. Talks will cover a wide range of subjects from electronics and mechanics to related fields such as digital fabrication, fashion technology and self-quantification devices. Discussions and panels will focus on, but are not limited to, education, manufacturing, design, business and law.
Open source hardware is a physical good whose design is made publicly available so that anyone can study, modify, distribute, make or sell the hardware based on that design. Ideally, open source hardware uses readily available components and materials, standard processes, open infrastructure, unrestricted content and open-source design tools to maximize the ability of individuals to make and use hardware.
The majority of SparkFun’s products — notably Arduino and all SparkFun breakout boards — are open source, and the company’s Department of Education (http://www.learn.sparkfun.com) hosts tutorials and curriculum contributed by the community and based on a dedication to sharing ingenuity.
About SparkFun Electronics
Founded in 2003, SparkFun shares its passion by providing parts, knowledge, and innovation for those looking to explore the world of embedded electronics. It helps anyone discover their inner inventor and enables individuals to create their own electronics projects.
SparkFun currently offers more than 1,800 products, ranging from simple components, like capacitors and resistors, to GPS units and Bluetooth modules. The company employs 135 people and is based in Boulder, Colorado.
Find SparkFun on Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, YouTube, Vimeo and Google+.
###
Press Contact:
Jeremy Douglas
Catapult PR-IR
303-581-7760 ext. 16
jdouglas@catapultpr-ir.com
August 29, 2012
SPARKFUN E-TEXTILE SPECIALIST HOSTING TWO PANELS AT DRAGON*CON MULTI-MEDIA CONVENTION
Discussions will cover integrating electronics into costuming and props
WHO: Dia Campbell
E-Textile Specialist
SparkFun Department of Engineering
Dia Campbell, SparkFun’s e-textile specialist, has attended Dragon*Con for 12 years. Her interest in the emerging technologies of e-textiles began several years ago, when a chance discovery of SparkFun’s annual Free Day enabled her to try her hand at combining tech and craft and, ultimately, make a career out of e-textiles. Now our resident e-textiles expert, she teaches classes at SparkFun headquarters and has run workshops for a wide range of students around the country. She also generates tutorials for SparkFun’s Department of Education, and is a leading developer of our e-textiles product line. This year marks Campbell’s second year hosting panels at Dragon*Con.
SparkFun Electronics (http://www.sparkfun.com) is a provider of parts, knowledge and passion for electronics creation. Its products and resources are designed to make the world of electronics more accessible. SparkFun also offers classes and a number of online tutorials designed to help educate individuals about the wonderful world of embedded electronics. For more information about SparkFun’s educational initiatives, please visit Learn.Sparkfun.com.
WHAT: “Electronics in Costuming” Panel
“Electronics in Costuming,” hosted by Campbell and Daniel Valdez, will cover LEDs, EL wire, Arduino boards, servos and smoke cartridges. Campbell and Valdez will discuss different methods and resources for safely adding special effects to your costume.
“Gadgetry: Incorporating Light, Sound and Motion into Props” Panel
“Gadgetry: Incorporating Light, Sound and Motion into Props,” will be hosted by Campbell, Chip Malinowski, and Daniel Valdez, and moderated by Stephen Taylor. They will foster a discussion of the best methods to incorporate electronics in prop planning and building.
Dragon*Con is an annual convention held in Atlanta, Georgia, for multi-media and popular culture that focuses on science fiction and fantasy, gaming, comics, literature, art, music and film.
WHERE: Dragon*Con 2012
Atlanta, GA
WHEN: “Electronics in Costuming”
Saturday, September 1 from 4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. Eastern
“Gadgetry: Incorporating Light, Sound and Motion into Props”
Sunday, September 2 from 5:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. Eastern
Dragon*Con runs August 31 – September 3, 2012
CONTACT: For more information on SparkFun Electronics, or to set up an interview, please contact Jeremy Douglas at Catapult PR-IR (303) 581-7760, ext. 16 or jdouglas@catapultpr-ir.com.
August 27, 2012
SparkFun To Start Shipping MaKey MaKey Kits
MaKey MaKey, ‘The Invention Kit for Everyone’ makes electronics exploration easy
BOULDER, Colo., Aug. 27, 2012 — SparkFun Electronics (www.sparkfun.com), a provider of parts, knowledge and passion for electronics creation, is now shipping the MaKey MaKey, a new product that invites everyone to be an inventor.
MaKey MaKey was designed by MIT graduate students Jay Silver and Jay Rosenbaum and was SparkFun’s first product sold through the crowd-funding website Kickstarter (http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/joylabs/makey-makey-an-invention-kit-for-everyone?ref=live). With a modest goal of raising $25,000, more than $550,000 was invested by people all over the world looking to get their hands on this new innovative product.
The MaKey MaKey is an invention kit that encourages everyone to discover creative new ways to interact with computers. It allows users to create inventions using almost any everyday object such as a keyboard key or mouse. For example, you could replace your space key with a banana, use Play-Doh to move and click your mouse, or high-five your best friend to advance PowerPoint slides.
“The MaKey MaKey is an amazing kit because it really lowers the point of entry for beginning electronics enthusiasts,” said AnnDrea Boe, SparkFun director of marketing communications. “This kit allows users to start inventing immediately, right out of the box. It’s a fantastic way to start exploring DIY electronics.”
The MaKey MaKey uses very high resistance switching to detect when any of its 18 inputs are activated, even through materials that aren’t very conductive (like leaves, pasta or people). The MaKey MaKey communicates with your computer using the USB Human Interface Device (HID) specification which means that it can act just like a USB keyboard or mouse. In addition, the MaKey MaKey is also an Arduino-compatible platform, so users can easily re-map any of the keys, or further customize it to their needs.
To learn more about the MaKey MaKey visit (www.sparkfun.com/makeymakey) or (www.makeymakey.com). The regular kit is $39.95 and comes with the MaKey MaKey HID board, an alligator clip pack and a mini-USB cable. The deluxe kit ($49.95) includes everything that the basic kit does, in addition to a second alligator clip pack, a jumper wires pack and a roll of copper tape for even more possibilities. To view a fun video of the MaKey MaKey in action, visit (https://www.sparkfun.com/products/11085).
Connect with SparkFun on its social media portals and stay informed about the company’s latest news, contests and giveaways on: Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, YouTube, Vimeo and Google+.
About SparkFun Electronics
Founded in 2003, SparkFun shares its passion by providing parts, knowledge, and innovation for those looking to explore the world of embedded electronics. It helps anyone discover their inner inventor and enables individuals to create their own electronics projects.
SparkFun currently offers more than 1,800 products, ranging from simple components, like capacitors and resistors, to GPS units and Bluetooth modules. The company employs more than 140 people and is based in Boulder, Colorado.
Press Contact:
Jeremy Douglas
Catapult PR-IR
303-581-7760 ext. 16
jdouglas@catapultpr-ir.com
August 8, 2012
Denver Business Journal Names SparkFun Second-Fastest Growing Company in Denver Among Companies With $17.5 – $46 Million in Revenue
Company’s Focus on Innovation, Workplace Culture and Passion for Enabling People to Create Electronics Contributes to its Fast-paced Growth
BOULDER, Colo., Aug. 8, 2012 — SparkFun Electronics (www.sparkfun.com), a provider of parts, knowledge and passion for electronics creation, today announced it was selected by the Denver Business Journal as the second-fastest growing company among businesses in the Denver area in the Flight II category – businesses with revenues between $17.5 and $46 million (http://www.bizjournals.com/denver/news/2012/07/26/denver-business-journal-names.html).
According to the Denver Business Journal, companies were ranked based on the percentage growth of revenues for fiscal years 2009, 2010 and 2011. Each company had to report a minimum of nine months of operations in the base year of 2009. One hundred companies were included on the Top Private Companies List, and hundreds more competed, making achieving the second-fastest growth rate in the Flight II category a significant honor for SparkFun.
“We are very proud to achieve this recognition,” said AnnDrea Boe, SparkFun director of marketing communications. “It is a testament not only to the hard work of our employees, but to the tenacity and continued inventiveness of our customers. We are proud to be a representative of the growing DIY community and are honored to be amongst so many great and successful companies in the Denver area.”
Boe says that SparkFun has grown consistently since its founding in 2003 and continues to be profitable. The company currently has more than 140 employees, revenues of more than $25 million and posted 128 percent revenue growth from 2009 to 2011.
Connect with SparkFun on its social media portals and stay informed about the company’s latest news, contests and giveaways on: Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, YouTube, Vimeo and Google+.
About SparkFun Electronics
Founded in 2003, SparkFun shares its passion by providing parts, knowledge, and innovation for those looking to explore the world of embedded electronics. It helps anyone discover their inner inventor and enables individuals to create their own electronics projects.
SparkFun currently offers more than 1,800 products, ranging from simple components, like capacitors and resistors, to GPS units and Bluetooth modules. The company employs more than 140 people and is based in Boulder, Colorado.
Press Contact:
Jeremy Douglas
Catapult PR-IR
303-581-7760 ext. 16
jdouglas@catapultpr-ir.com
August 3, 2012
SPARKFUN HOSTS MICROCONTROLLERS FOR EDUCATORS CLASS
Course will provide instruction and inspiration on methods to introduce embedded electronics into schools
WHO: SparkFun Electronics’ Department of Education
(http://www.learn.sparkfun.com)
SparkFun Electronics (http://www.sparkfun.com) is a provider of parts, knowledge and passion for electronics creation. Its products and resources are designed to make the world of electronics more accessible. SparkFun also offers classes and a number of online tutorials designed to help educate individuals about the wonderful world of embedded electronics. For more information about SparkFun’s educational initiatives, please visit Learn.Sparkfun.com.
WHAT: Microcontrollers for Educators
In a continuing effort to introduce embedded electronics and microcontrollers into schools, SparkFun’s Department of Education is excited to announce a course that will show teachers the many ways to bring electronics into the classroom. Educators will learn the basics of Arduino using the SparkFun Inventor’s Kit, then move into Lilypad and E-textiles. The class also will cover the process for building the Simon Says game and will review different approaches to hacking the platform.
Instructors will start from scratch, review the installation of the Arduino programming environment, and get it running and talking to the microcontroller boards. The class also will cover the basics of using the Processing language to graph data and build custom interfaces.
This class is designed to teach a basic understanding of microcontroller technology in order to help educators work with students in a heavily-relevant programming and engineering setting. SparkFun has run through this coursework with a wide range of educators, so all are welcome and encouraged to attend. Teachers with specific project-based materials are encouraged to bring them to the class, and SparkFun’s instructors will do their best to help develop the curricula for the classroom.
WHERE: SparkFun Electronics
6175 Longbow Drive
Boulder, CO 80301
303-284-0979
education@sparkfun.com
WHEN: Thursday, August 9 – Friday, August 10
9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. Mountain
https://learn.sparkfun.com/events/6
CONTACT: For more information on SparkFun Electronics, or to set up an interview with SparkFun’s education team, please contact Jeremy Douglas at Catapult PR-IR (303) 581-7760, ext. 16 or jdouglas@catapultpr-ir.com.
August 1, 2012
SPARKFUN LEADS ARDUINO WORKSHOP FOR EDUCATORS AT SIEMENS’ THIRD ANNUAL STEM INSTITUTE
Discovery Education, Siemens Foundation provide 50 select nationwide teachers with exclusive, STEM-focused professional development
WHO: SparkFun Electronics (http://www.sparkfun.com), the Siemens Foundation, and Discovery Education
The Siemens STEM Institute (http://stem.discoveryeducation.com/) is the culmination of an annual collaboration between the Siemens Foundation (http://www.siemens-foundation.org/en/) and Discovery Education (http://www.discoveryeducation.com/). The one-of-a-kind immersion program promotes hands-on, real-world integration of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) in the classroom.
SparkFun Electronics (http://www.sparkfun.com) is a provider of parts, knowledge and passion for electronics creation. Its products and resources are designed to make the world of electronics more accessible. SparkFun also offers classes and a number of online tutorials designed to help educate individuals about the wonderful world of embedded electronics. For more information about SparkFun’s educational initiatives, please visitLearn.Sparkfun.com.
WHAT: The STEM Institute – ProtoSnap Arduino Workshop
Specially-selected educators from around the country will be exposed to leading scientists, thought-leaders, personalities and innovators, whose work across STEM disciplines shapes and defines our world today.
SparkFun educators will provide two workshops, each for a group of 25 teachers from around the country, on using the ProtoSnap line as an introduction to Arduino. The goal of the workshop is to demonstrate opportunities to integrate Arduino and microcontrollers into classrooms, and encourage hands-on electronics education at any level.
WHERE: Discovery Education
1 Discovery Place
Silver Spring, MD 20910
WHEN: Institute runs Sunday, July 29 – Friday, August 3
SparkFun workshops – Wednesday, August 1
http://stem.discoveryeducation.com/
CONTACT: For more information on SparkFun Electronics, or to set up an interview with SparkFun’s education team, please contact Jeremy Douglas at Catapult PR-IR (303) 581-7760 ext.16 or jdouglas@catapultpr-ir.com.
