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Need to impress 6th grade class! Help! — Parallax Forums

Need to impress 6th grade class! Help!

poetstylepoetstyle Posts: 2
edited 2013-05-08 16:08 in General Discussion
Need some help coming up with a decent idea for impressing a 6th grade class. I have access to the Basic Stamp board, and can program here in the shop. We use the boards on a regular basis as a signal generator. I would like to come up with something blinky and shiny so to speak, to oooh and ahhh the crowd. Anybody have some cool ideas of what I could do with the board that would be good? Throw some links at me if possible. I liked the one with the 'dog sensor'.

Thanks in advance people.

Don

Comments

  • LoopyBytelooseLoopyByteloose Posts: 12,537
    edited 2013-05-08 10:57
    Personally, I do a prequel to the BasicStamp and start kids by having them take apart a toy electric DC motor. From there you might use a DPDT switch to show them how to reverse motor direction, and finally build a BEAM H-bridge and have the BasicStamp do the reversing autonomously with a colored disk attached.

    Starting with programs and Basic and Logic might just be a recipe for disaster with such young. But exploring motors by taking them apart AND then showing them how to properly use motors will keep them involved.

    Teaching switches before you introduce the micro-controller is a wise thing to do as well.

    After they destroy the motors, everyone goes home with a few free magnets. And they can unwind the copper coil to see who has the longest piece of wire.. good fun.
  • poetstylepoetstyle Posts: 2
    edited 2013-05-08 11:03
    I should have expanded further. This is for a career day at my son's school. I am an electronics tech and wanted something I could show them and let them play with for a few minutes. I have some other stuff I am setting up for them, including a Jacob's Ladder.
  • LoopyBytelooseLoopyByteloose Posts: 12,537
    edited 2013-05-08 11:15
    I really don't know how much you can do with the BasicStamp AND a Jacob's Ladder in a short time.

    The Jacob's Ladder may make such a big impression that anything shown after it is boring. If you show the BasicStamp first, it may be too tiny and complex for them to comprehend.

    In sum, it is all showmanship.. not really education. Kids will love the Jacob's Ladder.. maybe you are just trying to do too much in one presentation.

    When I first started teaching, I'd prepare lesson plans for every class. And most of them I would only get halfway through as I was too ambitious. Make a lesson plan of what you want to present. If it feels like too much, it probably is.
  • ercoerco Posts: 20,256
    edited 2013-05-08 11:17
    The BS2-controlled catapult I made for Expo last year was a hit with kids and adults alike. A quick & dirty build.

    http://forums.parallax.com/showthread.php/138110-Servo-Catapult-Accuracy?p=1089706&viewfull=1#post1089706
  • LoopyBytelooseLoopyByteloose Posts: 12,537
    edited 2013-05-08 11:20
    Erco's catapult would be fun... if you can afford the time to build one. I guess it uses practise golf balls.
  • ElectricAyeElectricAye Posts: 4,561
    edited 2013-05-08 11:50
    How about a sensor that can detect their movements (PIR, PING, or for touch: a free-standing wire connected to an ADC, etc.) and convert it into some spacey crazy sound effects you jam out on a boom box?
  • ercoerco Posts: 20,256
    edited 2013-05-08 13:34
    How about a sensor that can detect their movements (PIR, PING, or for touch: a free-standing wire connected to an ADC, etc.) and convert it into some spacey crazy sound effects you jam out on a boom box?

    +1... I've had a PING or Sharp IR module controlled theremin on my "to do" list for a while. That's a quick build and very interactive, surely big fun for 6th graders!

    FYI, I previously tried a Sharp IR module driving an LM555 VCO... didn't work for me.
  • Ken GraceyKen Gracey Posts: 7,392
    edited 2013-05-08 13:43
    6th graders? This will be easy, in fact you'll have to throttle down just not to steal the whole show. If you have time, I can always lend you some of my hardware, like these Juke Bots http://learn.parallax.com/project/juke-bots-propeller-robots or some S2 robots. The Juke Bots could be started and stopped by a PC, and the S2s could be occupied doing line following. But I tend to overwhelm the whole situation with excitement, maybe even loosing some of the real educational value.

    If you want a more hands-on experience, bring a laptop with a BOE (Prop, BS2, whatever) and put some LEDs on it. Build up another system with a Ping))) and one with a temperature sensor. Do you need me to send you some hardware for this approach?
  • RickInTexasRickInTexas Posts: 124
    edited 2013-05-08 14:31
    poetstyle wrote: »
    Need some help coming up with a decent idea for impressing a 6th grade class. I have access to the Basic Stamp board, and can program here in the shop. We use the boards on a regular basis as a signal generator. I would like to come up with something blinky and shiny so to speak, to oooh and ahhh the crowd. Anybody have some cool ideas of what I could do with the board that would be good? Throw some links at me if possible. I liked the one with the 'dog sensor'.

    Thanks in advance people.

    Don

    1) High power burning laser. (Cool, but may not be allowed)

    2) POV Simple with QuickStart boards. Bring demos and let them program their own messages.

    3) Oscilloscope. Show ever present A/C noise in environment, surprisingly high voltages.

    4) Discharge a large electrolytic capacitor (several 10,000s of uF) with an expendable screwdriver. If you did, say, 50,000 uF at 12 volts you could wake up any sleeping kids.

    The cap thing would let you segue into a discussion of voltage/current power and such. I.e. high voltage doesn't necessarily = danger. Static electricity, stun guns are high voltage but low current; non-lethal.

    Low voltage, high current can melt wedding bands, note welders with missing digits!

    Low milliamperes/low voltage can be deadly if skin resistance is broken down; e.g. IVs in a hospital setting. (Think opto-isolation, orange outlets and high $$ medical equipment.

    Damn, I'm verbose! I'll run this by my 15 y.o. for feedback.
  • Steph LindsaySteph Lindsay Posts: 767
    edited 2013-05-08 15:16
    poetstyle wrote: »
    I should have expanded further. This is for a career day at my son's school. I am an electronics tech and wanted something I could show them and let them play with for a few minutes. I have some other stuff I am setting up for them, including a Jacob's Ladder.

    For a career day in which we had new groups of 8th graders come by every few minutes, we used Jessica's Magic BS2 Board. It is like an accelerometer-activated Magic 8 Ball using a serial LCD to display a message. You could customize the messages for your crowd, school mascot, etc. Of course, the kids asked it about their grades, secret crushes, etc. It was very cute.

    Since BASIC Stamp boards are what you have on hand, explore the rest of the Stamps in Class Mini Projects. Andy's Tilt-controlled video game is fun, if you can have a computer and monitor set up.
  • LawsonLawson Posts: 870
    edited 2013-05-08 16:08
    4) Discharge a large electrolytic capacitor (several 10,000s of uF) with an expendable screwdriver. If you did, say, 50,000 uF at 12 volts you could wake up any sleeping kids.

    You get a better flash/fireball off shorting a capacitor if you use a knife edge. Don't ask my Swiss army knife how I know this.

    Lawson
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