Sunday, March 9, 2014

Arduino Project For Beginners


What is Arduino?
        Arduino is a programmable circuit board that is used in many electronics and DIY projects worldwide. The company that sells Arduino says this is what Arduino is: "An open-source electronics prototyping platform based on flexible easy-to-use hardware and software. It's intended for artists, designers, hobbyists, and anyone interested in creating interactive objects or environments."

The Project
        This projects is sometimes called "blink." The object of the project is to make the built in LED of the Arduino to rapidly turn on and off. All you need for your project is your Arduino, a cord to connect the Arduino to the computer, and the Arduino software installed onto your PC.
Here Are the steps:
  1. Connect your Arduino to your computer and open the Arduino Software.
  2. Go to "Tools" and then "Serial Port." Select the port your Arduino is plugged into.
  3. Type this code into the Arduino Software.
void setup()
{
  pinMode(13, OUTPUT);
  
}

void loop ()
{
  digitalWrite(13, HIGH);
  delay(1000);
  digitalWrite(13, LOW);
  delay(1000);
  
}

   4.   Select "Save" and call the project "blink."
   5.   Select "Verify." If it comes up all clear, skip to step 6. If it does not work, check the code for any                  mistakes.
   6.   Once you get it verified, select "Upload." A light on the Arduino should start blinking every second.

What The Code Means
        The "void setup()" is telling the arduino that whatever is between the two curly brackets ( {} ), only   preform the task once. The "pinMode(13, OUTPUT);" tells the Arduino to give an electric signal to pin 13 on the Arduino board. Pin 13 is the pin on your Arduino with the built in LED. The "void loop ()" tells the Arduino to preform the task between the two curly brackets over and over again. The "digitalWrite(13, HIGH);" tells the Arduino to turn on pin 13. The "delay(1000);" tells The Arduino to wait for one second. The "digitalWrite(13, LOW);" tells the Arduino to turn off pin 13. Then the "delay(1000);" tells the Arduino to wait for another second.
             
        Have fun with this project!

        ~Alex

Saturday, March 8, 2014

Cryptid Hunters by Rolland Smith Book Review

Cryptid Hunters
Author: Rolland Smith
Interest Level: 6th - 8th
Reading Level: Later 4th Grade

Plot: Grace and Marty, 13 year old twins, are forced to live with an uncle that they had never met after their parents go missing during a helicopter crash. Turns out their uncle, whose name is Travis Wolfe, is a cryptozoologist or a study of cryptids, mysterious creatures whose existence has never been proven. Grace and Marty get whisked away into an adventure in the African Congo: The race to find the last dinosaur on earth.

 Review: I am a 12 year old and I love this book. It has so much adventure, excitement, and plot twists. My younger brother (Age 10) loves the book as well and is the reason I started reading it. I love how as you are reading the book you never know what is going  to happen next. I also love how Rolland Smith keeps the book appropriate. Whenever one of the characters swears, he just wrote "He Swore."                          

Star Rating: I give this book a 5 out of 5 stars!                        
                                                          

Monday, March 3, 2014

How To Make A Paper Helicopter

        Hey Guys!
        Today I made a really cool video about how to make a paper helicopter. The paper helicopters are really fun to build and play with. All you need to make one is 1 standard piece of copy paper, 1 paper clip, and scissors. Watch how to make it here:

        Make sure to subscribe to my youtube channel! All you have to do is click on the "My Youtube Channel" button on the top right corner of my blog. Then all you need to do is click the "subscribe" button. After that, if I make a new video, it will automatically be sent to your youtube homepage.

~Thanks For Watching~

Sunday, March 2, 2014

5 Games That Will Help You Learn Code


5 Games That Will Help You Learn Code


1. Code Combat -  www.codecombat.com
In this fun game, you complete quests by using the coding language javascript. It is a fantasy-style game in which, you will be fighting, Ogres, Dragons, and Giants. It is a fun and exciting way to learn how to use 
javascript.




2. Code Your Own Flappy Game -  http://learn.code.org/s/6/level/148
In this game you get to create your own version of the popular app "Flappy Bird". Instead of typing out the code, you use "coding building blocks" to build the game. After completing the challenge the game sets for you, you can view the actual code you just made with the building blocks. 



3. Angry Birds Hour Of Code - http://learn.code.org/hoc/1
In this game you are presented with a series of puzzles involving some "Angry Birds" characters. In this game you use the "code building blocks" that you use in the "Code Your Own Flappy Game". This is a great way to learn coding!



4. Tynker - Hour Of Code -   http://www.tynker.com/hour-of-code/
This website has 8 games that you can play that help you learn coding. The game difficulties range from 1st grade to 8th grade. Some of the games include: Puppy Adventure, Space Zombies, and Math Art.



In this game you control a cute little robot in order to complete challenges. This game will help you understand concepts like procedures and loops.