Make: Getting Started with littleBits

Book description

littleBits are electronic building blocks with over 60 modules and trillions of combinations. With littleBits, anyone can harness the power of electronics, microcontrollers, and the cloud--regardless of age, gender, technical ability, or educational background. You can combine these simple, snap-together, magnetic bricks to make simple electronic circuits, or build robots and devices that combine sensors, microcontrollers, and cloud connectivity. This book, co-authored by littleBits founder Ayah Bdeir, along with top-selling author Matt Richardson (Getting Started with Raspberry Pi), teaches you just enough electronics to start making things with littleBits and takes you on up through connecting littleBits to the cloud and programming with its Arduino-compatible module.

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Table of contents

  1. Foreword by the Founder
  2. Preface
    1. Modular Electronics
    2. Every Interaction is a Ready-to-Use Brick
    3. Conventions Used in This Book
    4. Using Code Examples
    5. Safari® Books Online
    6. How to Contact Us
  3. 1. littleBits Basics: Inputs and Outputs
    1. The Bits
      1. Power (Blue)
      2. Output (Green)
      3. Input (Pink)
      4. Wire (Orange)
      5. Other Accessories
    2. Project: Night Airplane
    3. Project: Coffee Table Ground Effect Lighting
    4. A Quick Overview of littleBits Resources
  4. 2. Control and Logic
    1. Inverter
    2. Pulse
      1. Project: Flashing Sign
    3. Latch
    4. Timeout
    5. Project: Midnight Snack Light
    6. Threshold
    7. Logic Bits
      1. Double AND
      2. Double OR
      3. NAND
      4. NOR
      5. XOR
      6. Going Further
  5. 3. Music and Motion
    1. Synth Kit
      1. Oscillator
      2. Random
      3. Keyboard
      4. Micro Sequencer
      5. Sequencer
      6. Mix
      7. Envelope
      8. Filter
      9. Delay
      10. Project: Synthesizer With the Works
      11. MP3 Player
      12. New from KORG: MIDI, CV, USB i/o
    2. Making Motion
      1. Vibration Motor
      2. DC Motor
      3. Servo
      4. Project: RC Car
  6. 4. Wireless and Cloud Communication
    1. Wireless Transmitter and Receiver
      1. Project Tutorial: Remote Control Facetime Car
    2. Remote Trigger
    3. IR Transmitter and AC Switch
    4. cloudBit
      1. Getting Set Up
      2. Cloud Control
      3. IFTTT
      4. Project: The Game is On!
      5. Project: Thinking Of You
      6. Going Further with the cloudBit
  7. 5. Programming with the Arduino Bit
    1. What Is Arduino?
    2. Getting Set Up
    3. Arduino Sketch Basics
      1. pinMode
      2. digitalWrite
      3. delay
    4. Arduino Inputs and Outputs
      1. digitalRead
      2. analogWrite
      3. analogRead
    5. Keyboard and Mouse Control
      1. Variable Scope
      2. Mouse Functions
    6. Project: HelloRun Game Controller
      1. Keyboard Emulation
      2. while
    7. Using the Arduino Bit with Scratch
  8. 6. Making Your Own Bits
    1. Proto Module
      1. Creating an Output
      2. Creating an Input
    2. Perf Module
      1. Input and Output
      2. What Can You Make?
  9. Index

Product information

  • Title: Make: Getting Started with littleBits
  • Author(s):
  • Release date: April 2015
  • Publisher(s): Make: Community
  • ISBN: 9781457186707