Outreach Technology Cart
The Knox Makers Outreach Technology Cart is still being developed and resources are still being acquired. The two primary purposes of the cart is to have a central cart at Knox Makers for beginners to jump directly into a variety of projects and to have a cart that can be loaned to area partners (full cart or specific resources). Currently, the cart focuses on electronics kits and components. Ideally, the cart will be outfitted with a variety of crafting and arts supplies, as well.
The consumables on the cart are donated and should be seen as very limited. The cart is mostly designed for temporary projects that can be disassembled back to their original states.
This page itself is a WIP as the cart is being developed and hopes to eventually include example projects. Essentially, for loaned purposes, this cart can serve as supplemental temporary resources for program directors, teachers, and other professionals working with children and adult learners.
If you have been directed to this page, take a look and see if you spot anything you would like to borrow or familiarize with in the below inventory list. Contact the Board if you would like to schedule a cart or resource borrow of if you have any in kind donations for the cart, requests for more resources, etc.
It is also possible to get a 3D printer, Pablo the polargraph drawing bot, and even our retired Guenther (animatronic monkey meteorologist) out to a program but it may take more effort and will require at least one KM volunteer to help out and these are generally more advanced and costly tools that we do not actually loan out. If you are interested in looking into a 3D printer or Pablo to show up to your event (Guenther almost never gets out anymore), hit up the Board. The worst that can happen is that we say no because we are involved in too many other projects at the time.
Example projects
MaKey MaKey
- MaKey MaKey clay/plastic button
This project was made for an Instructables Build Night with Sugru. This project is for use with Sugru or a similar shapeable modeling material that can hold form under repeated pressure without breaking or cracking. Using resourceful conductives like aluminum foil or coins, the goal of this exercise is to create a simple one button video game controller that interacts with a computer through USB.
- Hydrophobic drum pad, for MaKey MaKey
This project was Featured and selected to appear on the homepage of Instructables for a Build Night with MaKey MaKey. We used our laser cutter and we can help get you started on that if you are interested, but you do not have to use a laser cutter for this project. This is in part an outdoor project in a well ventilated area where a basic hydrophobic treatment (Home Depot: approx. $20 or less) is sprayed on intentionally designed layered surfaces. Electrodes are wired in to spaces left after removing the surfaces (geometric shapes, large letters, simple images) and the electrodes are wired to the MaKey MaKey. Water will stand in place due to surface tension and superhydrophobic principles, and these "water buttons" can be used to control a computer in a variety of ways. We included one Scratch project that acts as a silly sound controller when using our design and plans.
- Interactive MaKey MaKey enclosure box
This project was Featured on Instructables for a Build Night with MaKey MaKey. We used our laser cutter again for this project, and we can help you get started with this. We have a custom suite for Inkscape that uses a tabbed box generating plugin and we also included our SVG file with the dimensions we used already laid out and ready to send to a laser cutter. You can alternatively print the designs out and transfer them to material like wood for the purpose of cutting the designs out by hand. The basic idea is to build a box that will house the MaKey MaKey, any spare parts and essentials you've collected, and plenty of wire. You do not really need our design to do this. The main functional concept for the interactive part is that we cut out shapes on the material such as on the lid and turn them into tactile buttons of some kind to control a computer.
- Mini cardboard DDR controller
Cardboard Feet Dance Dance Revolution
This project was Featured on Instructables for a Build Night with MaKey MaKey. One of our guests, Talon, created this project using conductive thread and cardboard. A DDR pad is crafted out of cheap material like cardboard and arrows drawn using something like conductive paint. An alternate cheap solution could be arrows cut out of a top layer of cardboard and aluminum foil patches taped to line up with the arrows on a bottom layer of cardboard. Talon created tiny feet out of cardboard and wired them up to the MaKey MaKey using conductive thread for the bottom contact areas of the feet. After testing to make sure it was easy to connect the cardboard feet to the contact arrows on the DDR pad, Talon was able to play a DDR game.
- Alien windchimes
Musical Windchimes, For MaKey MaKey
This project was made for an Instructables Build Night with MaKey MaKey. This project uses our laser cutter. We love familiarizing people with our laser cutter, so let us know if you want help learning how to use it and we will get you more information. You can also make this project using handmade wind chimes. This project uses conductive paint and conductive thread to turn each tassel on a set of wind chimes into a different key on a computer keyboard. When the side tassels strike the center tassel, it sends a signal to the computer through USB.
- Smash flowers to play Dance Dance Revolution
This project was made for an Instructables Build Night with MaKey MaKey. This is a silly project created by Hank, one of our guests. This project is simple enough and uses flowers that are wired up to the MaKey MaKey and a hand made conductive bracelet or other connection to ground to emulate the arrow keys on a compupter keyboard, sent to a computer through USB. Users in this project are tasked with smashing flowers with their fist, but this project can easily be altered to tone down the rowdy nature of the original project.
- Wacky Pong controller w/ custom Pong knock off
This project was made for an Instructables Build Night with MaKey MaKey. This project involves creating a simple conductive ball by covering a cheap ping pong ball with aluminum foil and hanging it from a connected wire. Conductive paddles that are also wired to the MaKey MaKey are used by two players to swat at the ball, where each paddle controls that player's paddle on a custom Scratch game we made.
Circuit Scribe
- Pablo draws Circuit Scribe projects
This project was Featured on Instructables for a Build Night with Circuit Scribe. This project takes drawings from the 123D Circuits app made for Circuit Scribe sketches and converts them into SVG for the pen paths needed so that Pablo the Polargraph Drawing Bot can draw them out. Let us know if you want to try to schedule some time with Pablo for this. If we are not already booked up, we can try to help.
- Adjustable motor speed for Circuit Scribe greeting cards and crafting projects
Adjustable Speed Circuit Scribe
This project was made for an Instructables Build Night with Circuit Scribe. This is a simple concept project that shows one method of controlling speed of component modules like motors with Circuit Scribe. This or similar concepts can be applied to interactive electronic greeting cards, pop out books, board games, and other crafting or arts projects that use electronics like Circuit Scribe.
InstaMorph and polymer clays/thermoplastics
- MaKey MaKey clay/plastic button
This project was made for an Instructables Build Night with Sugru. This project is for use with Sugru or a similar shapeable modeling material that can hold form under repeated pressure without breaking or cracking. Using resourceful conductives like aluminum foil or coins, the goal of this exercise is to create a simple one button video game controller that interacts with a computer through USB.
- Use clay/plastic to form a coupler for draining bottles
This project was made for an Instructables Build Night with Sugru. This project is for a coupler that drains the contents of one bottle into another bottle without any spill.
- Last minute party costume using add ons for a pair of glasses
This project was made for an Instructables Build Night with Sugru. This is a silly project for add ons to a pair of glasses for a last minute party costume. Everyone's been there; you didn't get the memo until right before you found out the party is a costume party. This is a fun exercise that can help get people comfortable with the idea of making their own designs using reshapeable materials like Sugru or InstaMorph.
- Homemade key cover
This project was made for an Instructables Build Night with Sugru. This project is for a hand made key cover and is a simple but great example of a functional design that can be made with reshapeable materials like InstaMorph.
RaspberryPi
Summary of what's on the cart
MaKey MaKey
We have five of the newest generation MaKey MaKeys. These are simple USB devices that can be used to make simple connections using conductive items (bananas, human hands, conductive thread, quarters, etc.) to emulate a keyboard and mouse. This can make for a powerful and engaging interactive demo/exhibit or a hands on invention program for even young learners. No programming or electronics experience is required, but many projects can segue into greater STEM experiences as a foundational building block.
The MaKey MaKeys come with USB cables and alligator clips. These clips use a basic mechanical mechanism similar to that of a clothespin. If you clasp the clip between your thumb and finger and apply pressure, the clip will open and can grab onto items. Each set of clips is actually a wire with an alligator clip on both ends, so that you can clip one end to the MaKey MaKey and the other end to your item (conductive wristband, quarter, strawberry, etc.)
When a conductive item that is connected to a controlling pin on the MaKey MaKey touches ground or a wire connected to ground on the MaKey MaKey, this completes the circuit and sends a signal to the computer that corresponds to the controlling pin. For example, if you have a banana wired to the pin that says "space bar" on the MaKey MaKey, hold a wire that is connected to ground on the MaKey MaKey, and then touch your hand to the banana, the computer will type a space just as if you had typed it on the keyboard.
Particularly when combined with programs and webpages that make effective use of the keyboard (see scratch.mit.edu, most movie players, various online pianos, music software, etc), custom inventions can make interacting with technology both an educational and unique experience.
To supplement our MaKey MaKeys, we have a variety of resources on the cart.
First, we have male/male and female/female jumper wires. These are great because you can easily snap into the smaller pins on the back of the MaKey MaKey without much fuss. You can also "plug" the other end of a male jumper wire into some objects such as a banana. Additionally, there is room to work with to experiment with quick connects for advanced projects. These bundles of jumper wires are fairly inexpensive. If you would like to secure your own, let us know and maybe we can add you in to our next groupbuy from Adafruit.
We also have an assortment of LEDs. These are handy because one of the features of the MaKey MaKey is that there are also a couple of bonus pins on the backside that send out power whenever mouse or keyboard movements are triggered from the MaKey MaKey. Using an LED in this way with the above banana example, when you touch the banana, not only will it send a "space bar" signal to the computer, it will also light up an LED. There are a variety of LEDs to use on the cart, including slow and fast fading LEDs that cycle through the color wheel. We also have flat panel LEDs and sewable LEDs.
While we're on the subject of the 5v output power pins, the cart also has noisemaking piezo buzzers and motors of varying types. Some of these will work better than others, and some might not work at all. These are included for tinkering purposes at the moment until the cart is better organized, but if you need help identifying the best components for your project we can probably find someone to help you out.
Most of the "buttons" are going to be very nontraditional buttons, such as someone giving someone else a high five, or a banana, or a bucket of water. This is part of the fun of the MaKey MaKey. However, we also have plenty of different types of tactile buttons and switches that can be wired up to the MaKey MaKey. This can help to take, for instance, a cardboard project up to the next level with a nice little "cool" factor. A cardboard guitar with some actual buttons and switches that work? Can do.
Last, we have our traces. What I am calling our traces here are really just our wire leads connecting items and people back to the MaKey MaKey. This can easily get into our consumables portion for projects that require lengths greater than the alligator clips, so especially for large projects or lots of small projects we would ask that you first try to think of a different cheap but creative solution. Keep in mind that the MaKey MaKey is so sensitive that banana peels are effectively conductive enough. We have conductive thread and fiber, we have conductive paint and ink pens.. but can you think of cheap or free alternatives instead?
Some creative solutions that we've tried with success for connecting project elements between greater distances:
- aluminum foil
- metal paperclips chained together
- long lengths of scrap wire
Let us know if you need help ironing out the consumables or zeroing in on the other details of your activity/program.
We also have a few wooden and acrylic project boxes where learners can experiment with whether or not an item is conductive by placing it on the wire that is threaded through the box.
As a side note, you can also combine the MaKey MaKey with other kits on the cart such as the Circuit Scribe kits.
http://www.instructables.com/community/Hydrophobic-music-dubstep-windchimes-Smash-Smash-R/
Circuit Scribe
InstaMorph
Full itemized inventory
Instructables items
- (QTY 5) MaKey MaKeys v1.2 Beta w/ alligator clips and web remapping
- (QTY 2) Circuit Scribe basic kits + books
- (QTY 1) Circuit Scribe developer's kit
- (QTY 5) extra Circuit Scribe conductive ink pens
- (QTY a lot) reusable InstaMorph
Donated cart components
- (QTY a bunch) female/female jumper wires
- (QTY a bunch) male/male jumper wires
- (QTY a bunch) assorted LEDs
- (QTY a bunch) assorted color cycle LEDs
- (QTY a bunch) assorted tactile buttons/switches
- (QTY a bunch) sewable LEDs
- (QTY 5) flat LED mini panels
- (QTY a bunch) various piezo buzzers
- (QTY a bunch) various motors
- (QTY a small assortment) other basic electronic component miscellany
- (QTY a small amount) various lengths of solid/stranded wire
- (QTY a small assortment) lasercut electrode project mini boxes made of wood and acrylic
Donated cart consumables
- (QTY 3) 10mL Bare Conductive electric paint
- (QTY 20) cold splice taps
- (QTY 2) spools of thin conductive thread
- (QTY 1) 10g conductive fiber