Technology Projects

Lego Projects

Everyone knows that Lego is the answer to life, the universe and boredom. I think they have  everything from big bricks to sophisticated control systems. Try Instructables, for more projects.

(note: If you click on the classes tab they offer courses from 3D printing to embroidery.)

This link is for Little Bins – caution they are all over you with adverts.
Pinterest also has lots of pages on lego but I’ve not listed them here.

Lost your instructions? Try here for Lego.  Also there are fifty lego instructions here – supposedly for free. 

Lego Mindstorms is a hardware and software system for the development of programmable robots based on Lego building blocks. This stuff looks cool but is expensive but you might want to take a look.

As you would expect Lego has an ideas site too. Try here.

And when you have spent weeks in isolation then become a Lego fan designer. The details are here. 

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Coding

General courses and resources

Lifehacker has a walk-through of the best ways to teach you to code here. “But before you take a flying leap into The Matrix, here are our best tips and resources to set you off on the right foot”

I’ve not tried this organisation but here is a link to Codecademy. They claim to be free but they clearly want to sell you upgrades or other stuff. However, importantly they are giving away 10K free scholarships for students impacted by Covid-19. All you need is a valid school email address to get this offer. Here is the link
Freecodecamp.org is a US not-for-profit organisation which, in typical American fashion, makes big claims. View them here.

HTML

Using blogger (like me) and realise that the code it creates is not quite right sometimes? Then refresh your skills or learn more about HTML here. There are lots of ads but also lots of info – well someone has to pay somewhere!

HTML.com is good for templates and other stuff.

Want to know HTML and CSS then try here.
Just need an HTML cheat sheet or reminder? Stamford University have one here.

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Control systems

Want to help your kids to understand about computers in the real world? Here are some facts about control engineering.

Computers and controllers

Robot kits comparison

If you are a parent you probably want a kit with some educational value but which is also fun and lasts longer than the first five minutes. Here is a list of kits – some of them are US-based but Google them and you will probably find them. Of course, I haven’t tested them so caveat emptor.

Raspberry Pi

The Raspberry Pi Foundation is a UK-based charity formed in Cambridge. It was created with the objective to put the power of computing and digital making into the hands of people all over the world. Simply, they want people to harness the power of computing and digital technologies, to fix problems, and be creative.

You will need the low-cost equipment, have to faff around a bit to install an OS on it, but then you can build projects. Google 'Buy Raspberry Pi' for suppliers and prices.

Arduino

Aduino is an open-source electronics platform based on easy-to-use hardware and software. It's intended for anyone making interactive Arduino projects.

Arduino projects are here and more here at Circuit Digest

What’s the difference between Arduino and Raspberry Pi?

Suitable for beginners and hobbyists they have both found their way into business as cheap programmable controllers. Initially developed as teaching tools, you can consider, that the main difference between them is that the Arduino is a microcontroller board which will run one programme over and over, while Raspberry Pi is a minicomputer which runs a range of sophisticated languages and multiple programs at once. You can consider that the Arduino is just a part of the Raspberry Pi infrastructure – even though it can and is, used on its own. Raspberry Pi is particularly good at software applications, while Arduino makes hardware projects simple.

Of course, you could always use your Raspberry Pi with your Aduino. Sad? Try here to see how to do it.

Still don’t know the differences?  Electronics Hub has a comparison chart here.

The BBC Micro:bit

This is a pocket-sized codeable computer with motion detection, a built-in compass and Bluetooth technology. It was given free to every child in year 7 or equivalent across the UK in 2016. Do you have one in your drawer? If so bring it out, share it if you don’t use it or get it going.
Here is the site for projects.

Don’t have one? Here’s a list of suppliers. It’s about £15.00

What’s the difference between the BBC Micro:bit, Arduino and Raspberry Pi?

The Raspberry Pi is a microcomputer with an interface that you can see by connecting it to a screen. There is no interface that you can see on a microcontroller you have to program it with a microcomputer the Arduino and BBC Micro:bit are examples
Still confused then try here… it’s simple really but only if you know.
(ps – I can’t see a comparison of the Raspberry Pi here even though it says there should be “a quick round up of our 3 favourites”)

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