Pimoroni

Pimoroni is a British hardware company and retailer based in Sheffield known for designing, manufacturing, and selling add-on boards, kits, and accessories for single-board computers and maker platforms. The company produces a range of products for hobbyists, educators, and professionals, and engages with the open source hardware and software ecosystems to support projects involving microcontrollers, embedded computing, and physical computing. Pimoroni's operations intersect with a number of technology, education, and maker organizations through collaborations, events, and donations.

History

Pimoroni was founded in 2012 in Sheffield and grew alongside the rise of the Raspberry Pi single-board computer and the broader maker movement that included communities around the Arduino, Adafruit Industries, SparkFun Electronics, and Seeed Studio. Early milestones included launching products compatible with the Raspberry Pi Model B, participating in events such as Maker Faire and The Hackaday Prize, and collaborating with regional initiatives like the Sheffield City Region tech networks and local makerspaces such as Makerversity. The company expanded manufacturing capacity in the United Kingdom while also engaging with international supply chains linked to electronics clusters in Shenzhen, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. Leadership navigated market shifts driven by releases of the Raspberry Pi 2, Raspberry Pi 3, and Raspberry Pi 4, as well as competition and cooperation with distributors such as Digi-Key, RS Components, Farnell/Element14, and Mouser Electronics.

Products and Hardware

Pimoroni's catalog has included HATs and pHATs for the Raspberry Pi, breakout boards for BBC micro:bit, add-ons for Arduino Uno, and accessories compatible with maker platforms used by organizations such as NASA JPL for outreach and by universities like Imperial College London and University of Cambridge in teaching labs. Notable product categories include small displays, LED matrices, motor drivers, environmental sensors from vendors like Bosch Sensortec, capacitive touch boards, and laser-cut acrylic enclosures inspired by desktop fabrication trends promoted by Instructables and Make: magazine. Pimoroni has produced limited-run items tied to events and collaborations with brands and projects including Adafruit Industries, RetroPie, Retro Games Ltd., and licensing partners in the retro computing community like Commodore and Sinclair-themed initiatives. The company has also offered bundled kits for learners influenced by curricula from the BBC and extracurricular programs run by groups such as CoderDojo and FIRST Robotics Competition teams.

Software and Open Source Contributions

Pimoroni contributes to open source software and firmware ecosystems, publishing drivers, Python libraries, and examples that integrate with projects from the Raspberry Pi Foundation, Linux Foundation, and community tools maintained on hosting platforms like GitHub and GitLab. Software contributions include Python packages for device control, example code interoperable with the MicroPython and CircuitPython ecosystems popularized by Adafruit Industries and Arm-based microcontroller communities. The company’s code and board designs follow practices advocated by organizations such as the Open Source Hardware Association and align with licensing norms from the Free Software Foundation Europe and Open Knowledge Foundation. Pimoroni’s tooling has been used in workshops promoted by groups like Mozilla and educational programs coordinated with institutions such as University of Oxford and University of Edinburgh.

Community and Education Initiatives

Pimoroni engages with maker communities, contributing products and expertise to events like HackMIT, Junction, and regional hackathons; supporting clubs including CoderDojo and PyCon community workshops; and collaborating with museums and public outreach programs such as Science Museum and Great Exhibition-related education projects. The company has worked with schools participating in national initiatives driven by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport in the UK and with non-profits like Practical Action to broaden access to computing. Pimoroni staff have led tutorials, contributed to online learning resources alongside influencers from channels such as Adafruit Industries and publications like HackSpace magazine, and supported community releases and documentation hosted by projects like Stack Overflow and Instructables.

Business Model and Partnerships

Pimoroni operates a direct-to-consumer retail model augmented by wholesale and distribution partnerships with electronics suppliers and distributors including Digi-Key, Mouser Electronics, Farnell/Element14, and regional resellers in the European Union and North America. The company partners with platform and ecosystem organizations such as the Raspberry Pi Foundation, Adafruit Industries, and educational stakeholders to create co-branded bundles and curriculum-aligned kits. Pimoroni’s manufacturing and sourcing strategies balance local assembly in Sheffield with contract manufacturing relationships in Shenzhen and component procurement from suppliers in Japan and South Korea. Financial and operational guidance has been informed by participation in UK small business forums and trade groups including TechUK and local chambers of commerce.

Category:Electronics companies of the United Kingdom