Nordic Semiconductor has joined the Premier Farnell global linecard following an agreement between the two companies. The deal gives the distributor access to ultra-low power (ULP) wireless chips that can run for a long time from small power sources as the future of electronics goes wireless and portable due to consumer demand for ever greater levels of freedom and flexibility.

Work has now started on site for Premier Farnell’s 361,000 sq ft distribution unit at Muse Developments’ flagship Logic Leeds site. A special turf-cutting ceremony was held on March 29 at Logic Leeds to celebrate the start of construction work on the state-of-the-art distribution hub. The warehouse build, which will be the largest ever warehouse development in Leeds, is scheduled to be completed by the end of the year.

A faster processor and dual-band wireless LAN capability make the Raspberry Pi3 Model B+ launched today (March 14) over 15% faster than its predecessor and even more attractive to professional users. It is available now from Premier Farnell.

Premier Farnell has announced a new global franchise agreement with Amphenol SV Microwave, which will enhance its RF connector, adapter and cable assembly product ranges to include higher frequency microwave bands up to 100GHz.  Amphenol SV Microwave has designed and manufactured RF/Microwave coaxial connectors, cable assemblies and passive components for over 50 years.

Newark element14 is helping KidsCode Jeunesse roll out 100,000 micro:bits across Canada to support the country’s CanCode initiative. The micro:bits will be used by young people across Canada through a multi-partner agreement led by KidsCode Jeunesse, a bilingual national non-profit organisation helping build long-term sustainable digital skill communities for Canadian children in every province and territory across the country.

Premier Farnell is investing £60m in a new 360,000 sq. foot warehouse close to its central Leeds base. The move follows the distributor adding £60m of additional inventory in the past 12 months which instigated a Europe-wide search for a new warehouse facility to support demand.

Hobbyists and makers as well as those involved in technology education now have a website to call their own. Premier Farnell has launched forthings.io, a B2C website described by Steve Carr, Global Head of Marketing at Premier Farnell and Farnell element14 as “a content-driven and transactional site.”

  From 11 schools and colleges in Bradford, Leeds, Calderdale and Wakefield, students will come together to take part in the regional final of the Premier Farnell Technology Challenge on 5th December from 12.30-3pm at Aspire in Leeds.  

Just six years after production began Premier Farnell has sold its 10 millionth Raspberry Pi computer. The distributor now sells over 50,000 Raspberry Pi computers each week to makers, industry and education across the globe. Over 4 million Raspberry Pi have been sold in Europe with 1.5 million Raspberry Pis sold in the UK alone.

At ENOVA 2017 in Paris Farnell element14 is showcasing its offering of IoT products and development platforms to illustrate how it is supporting innovation and start-ups. The display will also feature a local French start-up and an innovative product they have designed with the support of Farnell element14.

As Cliff Ortmeyer, Global Head of Solutions Development, Premier Farnell explains, the internet has dramatically changed the way we design most electronic systems, with everything from signage at a bus stop, to complex industrial systems now using connectivity as a key part of their functionality. Perhaps the biggest change, however, is the introduction of sensor systems that collect data and pass the information to the cloud.

Three projects from the United Kingdom have been named as winners in Premier Farnell’s global design competition ‘Change the World’. The ten winning projects also included entries from Bolivia, Greece, India, Italy, Kenya and Poland.  The competition was launched in 2016 to inspire design engineers of all ages and experience, to explore their ideas and put their design skills to the test with a solution that could change th...

Premier Farnell is partnering with TraceParts to provide CAD designs for 10,000 TE Connectivity products available to customers to download in multiple formats. Content provided within the library includes high-resolution images, technical documentation, attribution, features and benefits along with descriptions to assist customers with their design selection.

An exclusive partnership between Premier Farnell and MATRIX Labs will see the distributor manufacture and distribute MATRIX Creator to a global network of developers and makers of all skills levels. The MATRIX Creator is a Raspberry Pi add-on that provides multiple functionality and enables faster and more cost-effective development of IoT devices.

Premier Farnell has been supporting customers for over 80 years, as Farnell element14 in Europe, Newark element14 in North America and element14 in Asia Pacific. Known for being a high service distributor, Premier Farnell also offers a broad range of design and manufacturing services to customers, supporting them beyond the shipping of the components they need. Ralf Buehler, SVP Sales and Marketing, Premier Farnell, tells us more.

‘Tips Book for Makers’, is a new book from Premier Farnell following up on its ‘Essential Design Tips for Engineers’ series.  The element14 community provides support and inspiration through a combination of articles, design challenges, road tests and the power of close to half a million global members with their combined experienced and knowledge. 

An IoT power calculator that helps developers of IoT (Internet of Things) projects to understand the expected battery life of their IoT devices, and allows them to experiment with different components and software algorithms to determine their impact on battery life has been created by Premier Farnell.

CadSoft Computer has extended its software portfolio with the new ‘EAGLE Make’ line launched, along with new product segmentation for the whole EAGLE range. The ‘EAGLE Make’ product line was created in order to respond to the requirements of the emerging Maker segment by providing two different license types: ‘EAGLE Make Personal’ (previously EAGLE Hobbyist), and the brand new ‘EAGLE Make Pro’.

Exposing all performance and feature possibilities enabled by the STM32 portfolio to developers, Embest, a Premier Farnell company, and STMicroelectronics have partnered to make the CooCox toolchain compatible with the STM32 series of MCUs. 

Premier Farnell has shaken up its management structure and a new team led by Group Chief Executive Laurence Bain will start to evolve Premier Farnell’s operating model to an integrated, global organisational structure in its marketing and distribution businesses, MDD Americas and MDD Europe & Asia Pacific.