Is your QT Py all alone, lacking a friend to travel the wide world with? When you were a kid, you may have learned about the "buddy" system. Well, this product is kind of like that! It is a board that will watch your QT Py's back and add a USB Host port.
That means that your tiny microcontroller project can have a keyboard, mouse, or disk drive plugged into it, opening up a huge ecosystem of common off-the-shelf devices that you can now integrate. The Adafruit USB Host BFF makes it easy to add USB Host support, especially now that TinyUSB supports it in the Arduino library as a 'native' interface for host support.
This BFF uses the MAX3421E - a tried and true USB Host chip. It uses SPI plus an IRQ pin to send data to just about any USB device. Note that because the chip is older and you're limited to the SPI port speed, you won't get blazing 480Mbps high-speed data transfer. But for basic HID interfacing or even reading/writing to a Mass Storage device, it does work quite well. There's a famous USB Host Library that can be used, and its specialty is AVR support, but it also seems to support nRF52 and ESP32.
We personally recommend using the TinyUSB Arduino library - however, the trade-off is that the chip must have TinyUSB support already, which means it's great for RP2040, ESP32-S2 or S3, nRF52840, SAMD21/51 chips. Make sure your desired QT Py mainboard is supported between the two libraries before purchasing!
To keep the BFF very compact, we use a micro-B USB "OTG" connector - a full sized USB Type A wouldn't fit! You'll need to use a basic OTG adapter (such as those sold for use with the Pi Zero) to convert to type A. Unlike our USB Host 'Wing we don't include a 5V power booster, so you will need to power the QT Py + BFF over USB or in some other way provide 5V on the 5V power line. However, to make it easier to power-cycle the peripheral, we have wired up a P-FET for switching the 5V host power on and off, you can either short the pin to A0 or you can use the MAX3421E's GPIO pin.
We include some header that you can solder to your QT Py. You can also pick up an Itsy Bitsy short female header kit to make it removable but compact; you'll need to trim the headers to 7 pins long.
Remember, you need driver support for the MAX3421E (see above for chips that are known to work). Unless you're using a generic mouse, keyboard, CDC serial, or USB mass storage device, you will also need a USB driver that knows how to talk to the device—and writing a driver is non-trivial.
QT Py or Xiao is not included!
Pi Australia is operated by Little Bird, and we go to great lengths to ship your orders, often within minutes.
You can view shipping options and pricing at checkout without logging in.
For orders over 500g (such as bulky items), shipping may cost more than the initial estimate.
We deliver across Australia, and here are the options (based on your location; view them on the cart page):
- Standard Post: Starting at $7 (6+ business days, with tracking)
- Express Post: Starting at $11 (2+ business days, with tracking)
- Same Day Delivery: Available for Sydney orders.
- Non-metro WA, NT, SA, and TAS: May take an additional 2+ days.
Note: Some items, such as LiPo batteries, cannot be shipped by air. Express Post and international shipping won’t be available if these are included in your cart.
For international orders, here are rates for shipping to New Zealand (rates differ for other countries):
- Pack and Track: Starting at $12 (3+ days, with tracking)
- Express International: Starting at $16 (2-5 days, with tracking)
Shipping for heavier orders will depend on their weight.
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Little Bird
Unit 13,
8-12 Leighton Place
Hornsby, NSW 2077,
Australia
1300 240 817
For queries like whether we accept purchase orders (yes we sure do!) or if our prices include GST (they all do!), please hit us up via phone on 1300 240 817 or email us team@littlebird.com.au . We’re happy to assist with any product questions!
Sherpa Delivery Estimates
| Location | Estimated Delivery Time |
|---|---|
| Sydney Metro | Same Day |
Auspost Express Post Delivery Estimates
| Location | Estimated Delivery Time |
|---|---|
| Canberra | 1 Day |
| Sydney Metro | 1 Day |
| NSW Outer Metro | 1 Day |
| NSW VIC Border | 2 Days |
| NSW Rural | 2-3 Days |
| Melbourne Metro | 1 Day |
| VIC Other | 2-3 Days |
| VIC Rural | 2-3 Days |
| Brisbane Metro | 1 Day |
| QLD Gold Coast | 1 Day |
| QLD Outer Metro | 1-2 Days |
| QLD Other | 2-3 Days |
| QLD Rural | 3-4 Days |
| Adelaide Metro | 1 Day |
| SA Other | 2-3 Days |
| SA Rural | 3-4 Days |
| Perth CBD | 1 Day |
| Perth Metro | 2 Days |
| WA Other | 3-4 Days |
| WA Rural | 4-6 Days |
| Tas Metro | 1 Day |
| Tas Devonport | 1-2 Days |
| Tas Country | 2-3 Days |
| Tas Remote | 4 Days |
| Darwin & Katherine | 3-4 Days |
| Alice Springs | 4 Days |
| NT Rural | 4-5 Days |
Auspost Parcel Post Delivery Estimates
| Location | Estimated Delivery Time |
|---|---|
| Sydney Metro | 2 Days |
| NSW Country | 3-4 Days |
| Canberra | 2 Days |
| Melbourne Metro | 2-3 Days |
| VIC Country | 3-5 Days |
| Brisbane Metro | 2-3 Days |
| QLD Near Country | 2-4 Days |
| QLD Far Country | 3-5 Days |
| Far North QLD | 5-7 Days |
| Far North QLD Remote | 7-12 Days |
| Adelaide Metro | 2-4 Days |
| SA Country | 2-5 Days |
| Perth Metro | 4-5 Days |
| WA Country | 5-8 Days |
| WA Country Far | 7-10 Days |
| Tasmania | 3-5 Days |
| Tasmania Remote | 4-8 Days |
| Darwin | 4-7 Days |
| Alice Springs | 6-9 Days |
| NT Other | 12-13 Days |
Buy with Confidence
We're Australia's only Raspberry Pi approved reseller in Sydney, Australia.
How do you Ship your Raspberry Pis?
We ship via Australia Post eParcel from our Sydney warehouse.
Australia Post picks up from us daily.
All shipping methods we use have tracking.
Do you ship from Sydney, Australia?
All our products ship from our warehouse in Sydney, Australia.
What payment methods do you accept?
We accept all major credit cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay and PayPal.
We also accept purchase orders from educational and government institutions on 30-day terms.
You're automatically approved if you're a school, university, or state or federal government department or agency.
What is your return, exchange and warranty policy?
Returns
We accept returns for faulty products, but will first work with you to help get your Raspberry Pi working again.
99% of the time there it is not the Raspberry Pi that is faulty.
If you need help, reach out to us on help@littlebird.com.au.
Change of Mind
We are happy to accept a return for a "change of mind", however, you will need to cover the cost of any merchant fees associated with the return. Goods need to be in an "as new" state.
What's the warranty on your Raspberry Pis?
You can have peace of mind knowing that Raspberry Pi is backed by a 1-year warranty, and thanks to rigorous quality assurance testing in the UK factory, you can be sure that your Raspberry Pi will stay in good working condition.
How long does shipping and delivery take?
At our Sydney, Australia warehouse, we provide fast and reliable shipping. To go even further, we have created our own Raspberry Pi powered Robot called Bishop.
How long does delivery take?
Australia Post picks up from us daily. If you're within the Australia Post next day network you can usually expect your order to arrive the next day if ordered with Express Post before 2pm.
80% of Australian addresses covered and you probably already know if you're in the network.
How can I track my order?
When we ship your order (which we do daily), we send you a tracking link.
If you haven't received a tracking link, please email us on help@littlebird.com.au .
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