SnowPi the snowman
The Festive Soldering & GPIO Kit
SnowPi was successfully funded and can be ordered via our website.
Who is SnowPi the snowman?
SnowPi is one of the latest products from us at Ryanteck LTD. and is designed to be a fun kit to solder up and learn GPIO programming with the Raspberry Pi.
The kit comprises a PCB, 9 LEDs, a Raspberry Pi GPIO Header and a Resistor ladder.
All are reasonably easy to solder for a beginner.
SnowPi will also include a step by step soldering guide and a Programming with GPIO Zero Guide which will be available online.
About SnowPi
The PCB will plug on-top of your Raspberry Pi with a right angled header so will stand up.
We are in the process of sourcing LEDs. The colours will be:
2 Crystal Blue LEDS for the Eyes.
1 Orange Diffused LED for the Nose
6 Crystal White LEDs for the body.
What can I code SnowPi in?
SnowPi has no complex circuitry, driver ICs or libraries required to code. It's as simple as blinking an LED off or on.
This makes it possible to code with every language on the Raspberry Pi that uses GPIO.
Programming languages include C using Wiring Pi, Java using Pi4J, Scratch using either NuScratch or Scratch GPIO and most commonly Python using either RPi.GPIO or the new GPIO Zero.
What are we fundraising?
We're fundraising to make a production batch of SnowPi. The final batch size will be determined by IndieGoGo Sales.
To begin we have 200 SnowPi and will be adding more in as these sell. Ones after this 200 will have later delivery estimates (January - Feburary depending on demand).
Currently we have prototype PCBs on order and one of the components to make sure they arrive on time and pass quality control.
Why Indiegogo?
We've come to Indiegogo to fund the project. We've been busy developing other projects alongside this and want to get this out in time for Christmas.
We've used Indiegogo instead of the other popular fundraising site as it allows us to use 3D Renderings of the product. This allows us to get the product to you as quickly as possible while waiting for prototypes to arrive.
Finally over the last year we have been working lots on expanding our product range and have launched 2 products and now stock 50 products more.
Who are we?
We are Ryanteck LTD. A small business that has been operating for 2 years and are now based at Great Yarmouth.
This is our 5th Fundraiser and we have experience and systems in place ready for bulk shipping and production. While using fundraising less we think for this product it's the best way to get SnowPi out into the wild as quick as possible.
The Risks & Delivery Dates:
While we will try our very best to get this out as quickly as possible we also are not planning to send you a non working product. If we have any errors in the prototype we will take longer but ship you a working product.
Other fundraisers I have backed have either arrived unfinished, with faults, very late or not at all.
We're only estimating that the first 150 snowman will arrive by the end of December. We are hoping to get more out but don't want to over-predict and have lots arrive late.
As with any fundraiser we have done we will keep you informed the throughout. If we get prototypes in we'll let you know. If a LED, that we need has arrived we will let you know. The same also happens for issues. If there's any delays we will let you know.
Finally the postage system:
We have until the 10th of December to ship international orders for them to arrive by Christmas. Due to this we are not guaranteeing any Christmas delivery. However a majority of shipments should arrive 7 days after shipment.
We have until the 19th of December to ship the UK orders for them to arrive in time. While we are planning to have the shipments stating December delivery to ship in time however this is not guaranteed.
Of course if there are delays then the project will be delayed along with the postal service experiencing a higher load.
Other FAQs
Why only 3D Renderings of the product?
We've got prototypes on the way but they will take 2-3 weeks to arrive. To try and get this out in time for the Christmas season we need to start raising the funds while we wait for prototypes to arrive.
Will SnowPi Work?
Yes! Apart from the usual failure risks for any product we will not ship SnowPi until it works.
What do I need to assemble SnowPi?
You'll require a soldering iron, solder & other accessories. We stock a great kit on our website
here. If you're a backer of SnowPi we will send you a discount code that can be used on the Iron.
Will SnowPi work on my Raspberry Pi Model X?
SnowPi will work on all Raspberry Pi models except the compute module. We have gone for the 26 pin header which makes it compatible with both the original Pis and the newer pis.
