Features and goals of project

To provide a platform for young future programmers to learn a programming language and apply the lessons to real-world applications.

The platform will have various input sensors and output indicators which give the student an opportunity to work with devices that they may encounter in jobs when they graduate from college.

The platform will be outfitted with the following...

Input sensors

• InfraRed (IR) sensor
• Temperature sensor
• Hall Effect Sensor

Output Indicators

• Medium-Power White LED (for lighting)
• Speaker (for audio annunciation)
• One Red LED
• One Amber (Yellow) LED
• One Green LED
• LCD Display (for visually displaying input readings)

The boards will be pre-assembled, and no soldering required. This puts the board into a software-only environment, and no soldering skills are required. The student will be able to get right to the task of learning hot to program the board right away.

Features of the board include battery-power which is supplied by a battery plugged in to the battery holder, or a suitable wall-wart. Since the audience of this board is novice individuals, provisions are made for improperly inserted batteries. There is an indicator which will glow red or green indicating wrong or right insertion of the batteries.

Programming is accomplished using a USB cable. One end is inserted into the computer (or laptop) and the other end is inserted into a 2.1 mm jack that is on the board.

Software is provided which allows the students to write code in a language called BASIC (Beginner's All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code).

Class programs will be written using supplied example code and lesson plans. The programs will not be overly complex, but will allow demonstration of the various features of the sensors and display devices that are built-in to the board.

The student is encouraged to explore the features more in-depth to gain a better understanding of the devices while learning to program more complex programs.