Month: January 2026

Good news – we are close to a fix for the Arduino app on our computers. Some testing today and hopefully up and running next week.

Today we will keep working with servos.

We will build a circuit with a servo and add a button to control the servo.

Then you get to add your a second button and and second servo.

I’m over at White Hill for the first part of class today.  Talking to students about Principles of Tech to get them excited for the class.

Current assignment: Marble Track

I will be back and am excited to your progress on your designs for the Marble Track.

By the end of class today:
1. Make sure that you have talked to your upstairs and downstairs neighbors about lining up the entry and exit points for the marble.
2. Have a screenshot of your design to print so that we take a look at alignment of the whole track from top to bottom.

 

Today’s new and mighty Arduino skill is using Serial Monitor.

Start by opening up your Button Circuit with Three LEDs.  It’s the one we worked with last class..

After we work with Serial Monitor, you get to work with a second button in the sequel: Arduino Blinking With Two Buttons

Today!

First 20 minutes: open up our fidget to in Tinkercad and let’s review feedback on fidget toys.  Make revisions and submit your next version.

The rest of class: intro and start the 3d printed marble run. 

Each of you will design a segment of a marble wall track.

The marble will need to successfully travel from one segment to another.

That means you need to work with the person above and below your run to design a smooth transition from one segment to the next.

What is due today:
Your drawn plan of your marble maze segment.

What you know:
1. The marble is a 12.7mm in diameter steel ball bearing.
2. Your track will attach to the whiteboard with magnets.  Make sure you design has space for the magnets.
3. Each track segment should be no longer than 150mm from end to end.
4. Each track segment will need to be angled so the ball travels down to the next segment.
5. Each segment will attach with three magnets that are 1.5 mm thick and 30mm in diameter.
6. Each segment needs have guardrails or a tube to keep the marble in place.  A flat ramp won’t work.
7. Include something unique that shows your creativity and design skill.  This means don’t just make a tube.
Examples:
-a shape to catch the marble
-a hole to drop to the next segment
-steps
-a spinner
-????

What you need to do:
1. Check out the list below and meet your neighbors.
2. Talk with your neighbors to figure out:
>how the marble will drop
>which end will catch the marble
>which end will drop the marble
3. Then draw your design on the handout.  Click  here for some examples.

What if I am at the top or bottom of the run?
The segment in the top position will need to hold the six marbles so that they can drop one at a time.
The segment at the bottom of the stack needs to be able to catch marbles as they arrive.

Here’s the order of the track segments:

Period 4– great start with fidget toys. I have the first batch printed and more on the way.  If yours was printed, pull apart the supports, throw them in the trash and see how it freely it can move.

Period 5 – great job last Friday with our Arduino/Tinkercad work.  We ended with a built circuit and a program that made (at least) one light blink.

UPDATE: we are still unable to use the real Arduinos with school computers.  The Arduinos worked in another school computer lab last October and do not work there either. SO, that means that something change between October and now on the school computers or network that prevents Arduino from downloading.

Today, your goal is to make the lights blink in this sequence:
button pressed
red LED blinks
red LED stops blinking
blue LED blinks
blue LED stops blinking
green LED blinks
green  LED stops blinking
all lights off

Remember – you only need:
-ONE void setup function
-ONE void loop function

You will add more code into these functions to make the lights blink.

Here’s some diagrams to help you out!

Happy Friday to all of you!

Jonathan our IT specialist is continuing to troubleshoot problems with the Arduino program.  This means we can’t upload our programs to a real Arduino yet.

Don’t be sad though: we get to work on our Tinkercad circuits.

Today’s skills:
-adding an button
-using an if/else statement

Together: 
1. build a circuit with at least three LEDs.
2. add a button to control when the LEDs blink.

On your own:
Add to your code so that the LEDs blink one after the other when then button is pressed.  Like this:
button pressed
red LED blinks
red LED stops blinking
blue LED blinks
blue LED stops blinking
green LED blinks
green  LED stops blinking

Turn in your completed Tinkercad with working buttons.

Hello and welcome.

We are going to take a break from the Cinemagraph and Animation assignments while Jonathan and I troubleshoot the scratch disk errors.

SO…let’s do some 3d printing!

I’ve always want to try designing and printing a fidget toy.  Let’s try it:
3d Printed Fidget Toy

Today we will build your first actual, real life, Arduino circuit.

It will be based on the multiple, blinking LED circuit that you built and programmed in Tinkercad. 

BEFORE we begin:

1. Use components as instructed.
2. Do not attempt to damage or damage any provided materials.
3. Clean up after yourself and pick up any loose components – even if you they aren’t from your build.
4. Return all components to the bins at the end of class.

We won’t leave until the room is clean and all components are return to the bins on my desk. Even if the bell has rung.

1. If Jonathan joins us today, we will try Cinemagraphs and see if we can troubleshoot a solution.  If he isn’t hear, we will hold offer on Cinemagraphs  until a future class. If it doesn’t work at all, I will make the assignment optional

2. Now, let’s animate in Photoshop!
Download these images:
field
ufo

3. Now you get to make three animations on your own.  Click here for requirements for the Photoshop First Animation assignment.