SparkFun has brought this year’s April Fool’s joke to life, launching a functional version of its unusually-shaped MultiStar as a Qwiic hub — in a limited edition bundle with a MicroMod carrier and the buyer’s choice of processor.
“The SparkFun Constellation MicroMod Kit is our newest limited edition offering that joins the ranks of the SkeleBoard and the SnowBoard,” SparkFun’s Chris McCarty writes of the company’s newest launch. “Instead of releasing a single board this year, we have opted to release a full kit, instead! This kit combines both MicroMod and Qwiic in a single box with a limited edition MicroMod ATP Carrier Board and MultiStar (this year’s April Fool’s Day joke). No, we aren’t joking this time!”
The original MultiStar board, “announced” by SparkFun on April 1, was a gag PCB shaped like throwing-star — and promoted with ninja-themed imagery. The five points of the star each held a Qwiic connector, but its capabilities went beyond operating as a simple hub with the promise that simply throwing the MultiStar at a single Qwiic cable would split it into five smaller yet fully-functional cables — or thrown into a wall or ceiling post-wiring to act as a somewhat-dangerous but undeniably-quick mounting system.
The real MultiStar does none of these things — unless you throw it at a soft enough wall with a decent amount of force — but instead serves as a novelty-shaped implementation of SparkFun’s earlier Qwiic MultiPort hub, with five Qwiic ports to the original MultiPort’s four.
A joke no more, you can finally own your own MultiStar — ninjas not included. (📷: SparkFun)
The MultiStar comes supplied in a bundle with a MicroMod ATP Carrier Board — so named as it provides access to All The Pins — plus the buyer’s choice from three MicroMod Processor Boards: An Espressif ESP32, a Raspberry Pi RP2040, or a Microchip SAMD51. Those looking to pick the bundle up will need to add the processor to their basket separately, using a voucher code listed on the product page to remove the cost of the Processor Board from the bundle.
Anyone interested is advised to move quickly, though: SparkFun has confirmed that the bundles are limited to 250 units on a first-come first-serve basis, with a limit of five units per customer to better avoid disappointment. The bundle can now be purchased on the SparkFun store for $29.95, including the MultiStar, MicroMod ATP Carrier Board, choice of MicroMod Processor Board, two Qwiic cables, and a screwdriver.