Ms. Walker's Art Info: July 2022

Saturday, July 23, 2022

Wearable Tech Camp Overview

Thank you, campers and families, for a wonderful week!

Below are some resources and inspiration for your campers:

Our projects this week:

More to explore:

Wire to Wear exhibit from the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago
TechnoChic, creator of our Blinky Bowtie kits and several tutorials we used
The "Wearables" category on Instructables.com
Earsketch - code music (currently available in Python and Java; blocks to be released this year)
Construct 3 (code games online)
MakeCode Arcade

Some of the hardware that is compatible with MakeCode Arcade

Hour of Code from code.org

Buzzing Timer Headband/Wristband + how to charge your LiPo battery

Buzzing Timer Headband/Wristband

We built our circuit for the buzzing timer we gave you based on this tutorial by Becky Stern for Adafruit: Buzzing Mindfulness Bracelet

Code

If you need to update the code on your Gemma M0, you can head to this page of the tutorial

You don't need the "Code Writer" program that we used at camp to make changes to your code -- you should be able to use any text editor, like TextEdit on Mac or Notepad on Windows.

MakeCode

If you like coding in MakeCode and feel comfortable with that from playing with your Micro:bit, there is also a version of MakeCode that is compatible with the Gemma M0, which you can find here:

About MakeCode for Gemma
Direct link to MakeCode (add "Gemma" as your board after you click "new project")

Gemma M0

If you want to learn more about the Gemma M0, here is the official Adafruit overview for the product, and here is an overview from CircuitPython

Battery Charger

We sent you each home with a Lipo Battery (3.7v 100mAh) and a battery charger from Adafruit.

Use a USB to microUSB cable (one came with your Micro:bit) to charge your Lipo battery from a USB port, like this:

There are two LEDs on this tiny charger - one red and one green. While charging, the red LED is lit. When the battery is fully charged and ready for use, the green LED turns on.

Disclaimer: For use with Adafruit LiPoly/LiIon batteries only! Other batteries may have different voltage, chemistry, polarity or pinout. More details here.

Micro:bit Resources

We hope you are enjoying your new Micro:bit!

Below are some links and resources to help you get started and stay inspired.

Where to code:

MakeCode for Micro:bit - https://makecode.microbit.org/
More ways to code are explained here, including Scratch and Python: https://microbit.org/code/

Learn about your Micro:bit

Get some official details on microbit.org
Get a nice overview of the hardware from SparkFun
The Adafruit Micro:bit learning center also has some great lessons and project ideas!

(you have a version 1 device if you got it from Wearable Tech camp in July 2022)

Where to find ideas for projects:

Micro:bit's official "Projects" page: https://microbit.org/projects/
Instructables: https://www.instructables.com/circuits/howto/micro:bit/
Hackster: https://www.hackster.io/microbit/projects

There are a ton of companies that sell cases, accessories and kits that let you build robots, games, wearables, useful home projects, and more using your Micro:bit. The sky is the limit!