Here at Pimoroni, we’ve released a lot of very popular HATs for the Raspberry Pi over the past couple of years. Our distinct way of combining fun, engineering, and great graphic design has resulted in a range of approachable add-ons that work for hobbyists, experts, and beginners alike.

It’s this approach that caused Google to select us as the only European hardware launch partner for Android Things™. We’ve spent the past two months working with the Android Things team to scope out, prototype, and test ideas to offer a great starter project platform for people interested in trying out Android Things on Raspberry Pi.

The end result of that work is Rainbow HAT, a multi-function HAT that enables a wide range of activities. We’ve included displays, sensors, sound, and of course plenty of shiny LEDs. Rainbow HAT comes fully assembled and ready to drop straight onto your Raspberry Pi.

For launch, we have three bundles to choose from that are all available from our store now:

  • Raspberry Pi 3 Starter Kit for Android Things - £80 (~€94 or ~$85)
    • Raspberry Pi 3
    • Rainbow HAT
    • Pibow Coupé for Android Things
    • 2.5A Worldwide Power Supply
    • 8GB microSD Card
  • Rainbow HAT + Pibow Coupé for Android Things - £32.50 (~€38 or ~$34)
  • Rainbow HAT only - £24 (~€28 or ~$25)

Note: £ (GBP) and € (EUR) prices include VAT @ 20%.

I’m really excited about the end result. Rainbow HAT is fun and flexible with plenty of scope for interesting projects. It’s especially great for existing Android™ developers who are interested in getting into the IoT/hardware space.

To find out more about Rainbow HAT take a look at Sandy's lovely write-up!

Working with the Android Things team at Google throughout this project has been a great experience, and we expect to see some wonderful Android Things projects from our community in the near future!

Check out the new starter kit and HAT in our store!

Jon Williamson
Co-Founder, Pimoroni

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