SBC Components Ltd, makers of Raspberry Pi and Raspberry Pi Pico accessories has launched a Kickstarter campaign to create a 2G GPS and GPRS expansion board for the Raspberry Pi Pico microcontroller. The campaign was fully funded within 30 minutes!
We’ve recently seen a Pi in a phone, so to see a phone in a Pi is a nice inversion. Known as the Raspberry Pi Pico 2G Expansion, the board comes from Raspberry Pi approved design partner SB Components Ltd. It aims to expand the tiny board in a comprehensively wireless way, adding Bluetooth 3.0 alongside GPS/GLONASS/BDS satnav and GSM/GPRS across the 850/900/1800/1900MHz frequency bands. It can place calls, as well as send SMS and MMS messages, through a SIM card slotted into the expansion board.
The Pico itself is dwarfed by its new expansion board, and slots into a special socket that also breaks out the GPIO pins. A 1.14 inch LCD provides feedback about what’s going on, but the board is mainly for use with other devices via the Bluetooth, UART, GPIO, and USB interfaces.
Article continues belowSitting at just over £1,000 ($1,373) raised of its initial £500 ($686) target, the stretch goal of 4G connectivity unlocks at £10,000 ($13,729). As we write, there are 30 days left to get there. Remember that crowdfunding a project is not a guarantee of receiving a finished product. Backing a crowdfunded project is akin to an investment, you believe in the project and want it to succeed. You are not purchasing a retail product.
Will the 2G Expansion hit our list of the best Raspberry Pi Pico Accessories and Add-Ons?
