A Prototyping Companion For Your Launchpad – The Sidekick

Seeed, in collaboration with TI, will be releasing a new accessory to the Launchpad ecosystem. Aptly named the Sidekick, it plugs into a Launchpad on one side and a breadboard on the other. This setup allows you to prototype a design using a breadboard, instead of purchasing or designing a BoosterPack.

The Sidekick comes with 10 Energia examples. The biggest pros of the design is that it supports both 20 and 40 pin Launchpads and is independent of the Launchpad type(Tiva-C, MSP430 or C2000). It allows you to jump swiftly from one design to another. The kit also comes with loose components including a breadboard to accelerate your design ideas.

Ship Date

The Expected ship date for the kit is December 15, 2015 with a price of $29.99. This brings the release date in line with holiday shopping. Both Digikey and Mouser are expected to stock the Sidekick.

Bundled With

1 x Breadboard

5 x Green LED

5 x Red LED

1 x RGB Common Anode LED

10 x Ceramic Capacitor 10nF

10 x Ceramic Capacitor 100nF

5 x Aluminum capacitor 100uF

10 x Resistor 330R

10 x Resistor 1K

10 x Resistor 10K

1 x Tilt switch

1 x Thermistor

1 x Photoresistor

1 x Diode

1 x Buzzer

5 x Button

5 x Switch

2 x Potentiometer with knob

5 x Breadboard jumper wire – long

20 x Breadboard jumper wire – short

1 x 7 segment display

1 x Small DC motor

1 x TI 8-bit shift register (SN74HC595N)

1 x TI Analog Temperature Sensor (LM19CIZ/NOPB)

1 x TI NPN transistor (LP395Z/NOPB)

1 x TI NPN transistor (PN2222/NOPB)

1 x Breadboard BoosterPack Adapter PCB

1 x Label for components

1 x Sidekick basic for LaunchPad Manual

Should You Buy It?

Absolutely! Especially if you are new to electronics or the Launchpad ecosystem or if you are a tinkerer . If you are a parent or a teacher, this is a perfect gift for kids trying to get into electronics. Note that this is a plugin to the Launchpad and the Launchpad is a separate purchase. Any of the Launchpads on this page will work with the Sidekick.

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