What’s a Microcontroller? activites you can do with Boe-Bot Robot Parts
Question: “What activities can we do from the “What’s a Microcontroller?” text using the parts included in the Boe-Bot Robot Kit?”
Answer: “Quite a lot!”
Teachers frequently ask this question, so we have made a list below, for your reference. It shows the cross-compatibility for using the “What’s a Microcontroller?” v3.0 with just the parts included in the Boe-Bot Robot kits v3.0.
Many teachers present some activities from “What’s a Microcontroller?” in a separate unit before working with the Boe-Bot robot. This helps introduce core programming and electronics concepts and circuit-building skills without the distraction of wanting to “just make the robot go!” Then students are even better equipped for success with the Boe-Bot when used in a second unit.
Chapter 1: Getting Started (Download & install the software, write simple PBASIC programs.)
- (All) The activities are the same in both books, done through the BASIC Stamp Editor Help file (or equivalent PDF download).
Chapter 2: Lights On – Lights Off (Controlling LEDs, DO…LOOP, FOR…NEXT)
- Activity #1: Building and Testing an LED Circuit
- Activity #2: On/Off Control with the BASIC Stamp
- Activity #3: Counting and Repeating
- Activity #4: Building and Testing a Second LED Circuit
Chapter 3: Digital Input: Pushbuttons (Reading input states, IF…THEN)
- Activity #1: Testing a Pushbutton with an LED Circuit
- Activity #2: Reading a Pushbutton with the BASIC Stamp
- Activity #3: Pushbutton Control of an LED
- Activity #4: Two Pushbuttons Controlling Two LEDs
Chapter 7: Measuring Light (Phototransistor, data logging, hysteresis, READ, WRITE)
- Activity #1: Building and Testing the Light Meter
- Activity #2: Tracking Light Events
- Activity #3: Graphing Light Measurements (Optional)
- Activity #5: On/Off Phototransistor Output (Circuit from Activity #1, ignore 7-segment LED)
- Activity #6: For Fun—Measure Outdoor Light with an LED
Chapter 8: Frequency & Sound (Piezospeaker, FREQOUT, LOOKUP, LOOKDOWN, SELECT…CASE)
- Activity #1: Building and Testing the Speaker
- Activity #2: Action Sounds
- Activity #3: Musical Notes and Simple Songs
- Activity #4: Microcontroller Music
- Activity #5: Ringtones with RTTTL
Chapter 10: Prototyping Your Own Inventions (Subsystem testing and integration)
- (#1–4, except…) The first four activities could be accomplished with the addition of a 10 kΩ single-turn potentiometer (#152-01031). The remainder is worth reading.