TI’s Educational MKII BoosterPack Is Here And It Is Perfect For Beginners

The Educational MKII BoosterPack is back after a long hiatus. This BoosterPack is a perfect starting point for those interested in starting out with the Launchpad family.

The board adds a decent mix of sensors for input with a varied blend of outputs from a buzzer to an LED display.

The MKII, which stands for Mark 2, comes with 40 pins to support the BOOSTXL Launchpad layout. It is also compatible with 20 pin Launchpads, but that may mean loosing some functionality. The first version of the BoosterPack was sold by CircuitCo, which is now discontinued.

This BoosterPack was developed with Energia in mind. Energia is an open source, community developed coding environment, which is supported by a robust framework of intuitive APIs and easy-to-use software libraries for rapid firmware development. TI recommends Energia v12 or later.

The new Booster comes in an easy to hold form factor. Buttons on the right and the 2-axis joystick on the left. The Launchpad sits on the bottom, away from your fingers. In one of the earlier Maker Faires, TI used the MKII in their booth to teach kids programming. There were quite a few examples for the BoosterPack peripherals making it easy for people to move around code and create something useful.

Sensors

Inputs

Itead IM130330001 2-Axis Joystick with Pushbutton

Outputs

Servo Motor Connector

Crystalfontz 128×128 pixel 262K Color TFT LCD Display

CUI Piezo Buzzer

Connectors

40-pin Stackable BoosterPack Connector

Bundles

There are two options available when you buy the MKII BoosterPack. The first one is a standalone board, but the second one comes with the MSP432 Launchpad. The second option is a no-brainer if you do not have a Launchpad in your stash.

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