RoadTest: PiFace Digital
Author: jacek27
Creation date:
Evaluation Type: Independent Products
Did you receive all parts the manufacturer stated would be included in the package?: True
What other parts do you consider comparable to this product?:
What were the biggest problems encountered?: - Does not fit in most standard cases - Quite pricey considering possibilities - No analog inputs
Detailed Review:
First of all, I must write that the piFace came in a neat package, it was really simple to assamble and use. The board is designed to fit perfectly on top of the raspberry. Right away I’ve spotted that after pluging the piFace the standard case was useless, I’ve done some research and sadly most of the popular cases cannot accommodate Raspberry with the piFace extension.
As for the design of the board, I would only change two things, firstly I would add a second extension connector. Currently we are using only a few pins from the raspberry, at the same time covering the whole connector. Secondly considering the board layout there is some space for a input opto-isolator, it would improve safety of the board itself.
As for the programming, it’s very simple, and straightforward, it reminds me Arduino boards.
Conclusion
The piFace extension is quite nice addition to our Raspberry boards, It offers connectability for reasonable price.
To previously described disadvantages I would also add the lack of an analog input. However as a basic I/O shield the piFace is a great product and I can recommend it to anybody
