Introducing the ATtiny85 DIY littleBit and the "counter bit".
I programmed the ATtiny85 chip using MIT's Hi Low Tech post. I plan to figure out how to program it with the Arduino bit, which is a Leonardo, and I'll post that project on the littleBits page. I currently use the ATtiny85 with one input and four outputs, all in littleBits style (VCC, Signal, GND). Here is a clip showing a program that blinks led's in sequence at the touch of a button:
Today, partly in response to a dreamBit request by a user on the littleBits website, I coded the ATtiny85 to count inputs in binary with 3 led's up to the number 5. I could have counted up to 7, but I like the number 5. When the counter reaches 5, it sends an output to the fourth output for a couple seconds. I used a buzzer to demonstrate.
Use motors and led's to make autonomous art bots that paint with light.
A camera that has a slow shutter speed or an app that can imitate slow
shutter speeds plus a steady way to mount your camera is required (I actually set my ipad on the table).
When an unsuspecting person turns the lights on or off this little guy will do a song and dance. We're using DIY littleBits, but you can use any switch or circuit that suits your needs, like littleBits modules. This works with any dancing bear type toy that starts and stops when you press a button.
My first littleBits projects were made with all DIY littleBits.
Police Lights:
You can make this simple flashing led circuit with the following littleBits modules: power + pulse + RGB led + inverter + long led with a marker cap on it.
Talking Emotional IQ Box:
To make an Emotional IQ Box (marshmallow test). You could also make a
fridge light and a box with an alarm to keep your stuff secure. This is Jack's favorite circuit so far. He loves that the box says "Uh Oh!" in my voice when he opens it. He asks me all the time to re-create this circuit.
The basic circuit is: power + button + timeout + roller switch + buzzer
You can make your own with littleBits modules!
Instead of a buzzer, I hacked a dollar store voice reminder to say whatever I want. I removed the voice reminder's built in switch, and disconnected the power wires from the battery box and hooked up then to the signal and ground wires of littleBits.
Clearly, I am just having fun putting marshmallows in my talking box.
If you wanted to use this for a real psychological test for school, you
would need to use a timer and follow a script. Click on this article about
how effective the "Marshmallow Test" is at predicting future success.
My primary motivation in learning about electronics is to teach Jack (and other kids while I'm at it) how the electronic world around us works. Towards that effort I quickly ran through many demonstrations with SnapCircuits and breadboarded 555 chip projects from Forrest Mims books. I needed permanent circuits that could interact with each other - more complicated designs to keep both of us engaged in learning circuit skills. I scoured the internet for reliable circuits, but there is a lot of noise out there. I first heard about littleBits from Ayah Bdeir's TED Talk. I was so happy when she finished her talk with an invitation to visit their website and work with their designs:
"So littleBits is open-source.You can go on the website, download all the design files, make them yourself.We want to encourage a worldof creators, of inventors, of contributors,because this world that we live in,this interactive world, is ours.So go ahead and start inventing."
So I did just that. I started making littleBits in December after Greg got me a helping hands for Christmas and I learned how to solder. When I saw that littleBits had sponsored a contest on Instructable, I thought for sure that their intention was not just to raise consumer awareness about their product and get people making things with littleBits, but to also get people in the Instructables community to start making their own. I don't know if that last part is true, but I turned out to be the only one thinking along those lines. DIY littleBits was immediately featured and I won a first prize package from littleBits. It was even a finalist in the 123D Circuits contest. I continue to get a hundreds of visits weekly to that instructable, the total will be 66K by the end of today.
Here's a brief overview of my DIY littleBits. Visit my Instructables page for complete instructions on how to make your own, and check out other blog posts to see projects I made with these components.
1. power
2. RGB led - light sensitive - That's my own twist on the original design.
3. long bright led
4. button - This is the easiest bit to make
5. inverter - I scavenged an old PC for these connector pins.
6. pulse
This pulse module looks like standard 555 stuff, but looks can be deceiving. Most littleBits have an op amp chip in them. I tried making them without the op amp chip, and the very dim leds resulted when I connected multiple modules. Once I put 741 op amp chips back into the design, the led's returned to their brightness.
7. lever (roller) switch
This lever switch is what electricians sometimes call a "3 way" switch. It's just like a staircase light with a switch at the top and bottom of the stairs. It can be a little hairy trying to understand what is happening; I made a lot of sketches and tests before soldering.
8. light trigger
This is an adjustable light and a dark trigger circuit in one, both feeding into an op amp chip with a Double Pole Double Throw (DPDT) switch. The user decides if a positive message will be sent when there is darkness or when there is light. I folded over the transistors and resistors that you see poking over the top; that is my transistor AND gate.
9. timeout
My timeout only has an on off state, because I can use an inverter when I want it to be an off on timeout. I ran out of steam when making this one, and I made a big mistake by using a resistor array attached to 10 dip switches. However, I think my design has charm, so I am keeping it the way it is.
Instead of a buzzer, I hacked a dollar store voice reminder to say whatever I want. I removed the voice reminder's built in switch, and disconnected the power wires from the battery box and hooked up then to the signal and ground wires of littleBits.
