Micro:bit for Mad Scientists


Book Description

Build your own secret laboratory with 30 coding and electronic projects! The BBC micro:bit is a tiny, cheap, yet surprisingly powerful computer that you can use to build cool things and experiment with code. The 30 simple projects and experiments in this book will show you how to use the micro:bit to build a secret science lab complete with robots, door alarms, lie detectors, and more--as you learn basic coding and electronics skills. Here are just some of the projects you'll build: A "light guitar" you can play just by moving your fingers A working lie detector A self-watering plant care system A two-wheeled robot A talking robotic head with moving eyes A door alarm made with magnets Learn to code like a Mad Scientist!




Micro:bit for Mad Scientists


Book Description

Build your own secret laboratory with 30 coding and electronic projects! The BBC micro:bit is a tiny, cheap, yet surprisingly powerful computer that you can use to build cool things and experiment with code. The 30 simple projects and experiments in this book will show you how to use the micro:bit to build a secret science lab complete with robots, door alarms, lie detectors, and more--as you learn basic coding and electronics skills. Here are just some of the projects you'll build: A "light guitar" you can play just by moving your fingers A working lie detector A self-watering plant care system A two-wheeled robot A talking robotic head with moving eyes A door alarm made with magnets Learn to code like a Mad Scientist!




The Official BBC micro:bit User Guide


Book Description

The go-to guide to getting started with the BBC micro:bit and exploring all of its amazing capabilities. The BBC micro:bit is a pocket-sized electronic development platform built with education in mind. It was developed by the BBC in partnership with major tech companies, communities, and educational organizations to provide kids with a fun, easy, inexpensive way to develop their digital skills. With it, kids (and grownups) can learn basic programming and coding while having fun making virtual pets, developing games, and a whole lot more. Written by internationally bestselling tech author Gareth Halfacree and endorsed by the Micro:bit Foundation, The Official BBC micro:bit User Guide contains what you need to know to get up and running fast with the BBC micro:bit. Learn everything from taking your first steps with the BBC micro:bit to writing your own programs. You'll also learn how to expand its capabilities with add-ons through easy-to-follow, step-by-step instructions. Set up your BBC micro:bit and develop your digital skills Write code in JavaScript Blocks, JavaScript, and Python Discover the BBC micro:bit’s built-in sensors Connect the BBC micro:bit to a Raspberry Pi to extend its capabilities Build your own circuits and create hardware The Official BBC micro:bit User Guide is your go-to source for learning all the secrets of the BBC micro:bit. Whether you're just beginning or have some experience, this book allows you to dive right in and experience everything the BBC micro:bit has to offer.




Programming the BBC micro:bit: Getting Started with MicroPython


Book Description

Quickly write innovative programs for your micro:bit—no experience necessary!This easy-to-follow guide shows, step-by-step, how to quickly get started with programming and creating fun applications on your micro:bit.. Written in the straightforward style that Dr. Simon Monk is famous for, Programming the BBC micro:bit: Getting Started with MicroPython begins with basic concepts and gradually progresses to more advanced techniques. You will discover how to use the micro:bit's built-in hardware, use the LED display, accept input from sensors, attach external electronics, and handle wireless communication.•Connect your micro:bit to a computer and start programming!•Learn how to use the two most popular MicroPython editors •Work with built-in functions and methods—and see how to write your own•Display text, images, and animations on the micro:bit’s LED matrix•Process data from the accelerometer, compass, and touch sensor•Control external hardware by attaching it to the edge connector•Send and receive messages via the built-in radio module•Graphically build programs with the JavaScript Blocks Editor




The Maker's Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse


Book Description

Where will you be when the zombie apocalypse hits? Trapping yourself in the basement? Roasting the family pet? Beheading reanimated neighbors? No way. You’ll be building fortresses, setting traps, and hoarding supplies, because you, savvy survivor, have snatched up your copy of The Maker's Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse before it’s too late. This indispensable guide to survival after Z-day, written by hardware hacker and zombie anthropologist Simon Monk, will teach you how to generate your own electricity, salvage parts, craft essential electronics, and out-survive the undead.,p>Take charge of your environment: –Monitor zombie movement with trip wires and motion sensors –Keep vigilant watch over your compound with Arduino and Raspberry Pi surveillance systems –Power zombie defense devices with car batteries, bicycle generators, and solar power Escape imminent danger: –Repurpose old disposable cameras for zombie-distracting flashbangs –Open doors remotely for a successful sprint home –Forestall subplot disasters with fire and smoke detectors Communicate with other survivors: –Hail nearby humans using Morse code –Pass silent messages with two-way vibration walkie-talkies –Fervently scan the airwaves with a frequency hopper For anyone from the budding maker to the keen hobbyist, The Maker’s Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse is an essential survival tool. Uses the Arduino Uno board and Raspberry Pi Model B+ or Model 2




Crazy Concoctions


Book Description

A collection of science experiments using things around the house to make chemical reactions.




Micro Mania


Book Description

Get ready to be grossed out! Try not to panic, but a million creatures are crawling all over your skin--wriggling on your legs, your neck, your scalp...everywhere! And that's only on the outside of our bodies. Trillions more of these itty-bitty things are thriving INSIDE! Here's a big treat for every kid who loves the squirmy, icky, buggy, and the generally gross. Sensationally designed, with eye-opening, jaw-dropping photography, MICRO MANIA takes a close-up look at a world that's mostly invisible to us. It's an amazing universe that comes into astonishingly large-scale focus on these spectacular pages--which showcase everything from luminescent, furry-green bacteria and flowerlike virus cells to maggots, mold, and more. But this is more than just a collection of mind-blowing images; it's solid science that encourages children's natural curiosity. They'll find out about the great scientists who discovered the existence of microbes; see how bacteria travel and reproduce; peek at some of the insects that make themselves at home in our kitchens, bathrooms, and bodies; and learn why some germs are good and others make us ill--and what we can do to stay healthy. By the time they've finished taking this voyage through nature's miniature universe, kids will fully understand why even the tiniest of creatures--from foot fungus and salmonella to blood-sucking bugs and organisms squiggling in a pond near you--can have a really big impact on our lives.




Learn Robotics with Raspberry Pi


Book Description

In Learn Robotics with Raspberry Pi, you'll learn how to build and code your own robot projects with just the Raspberry Pi microcomputer and a few easy-to-get components - no prior experience necessary! Learn Robotics with Raspberry Pi will take you from inexperienced maker to robot builder. You'll start off building a two-wheeled robot powered by a Raspberry Pi minicomputer and then program it using Python, the world's most popular programming language. Gradually, you'll improve your robot by adding increasingly advanced functionality until it can follow lines, avoid obstacles, and even recognize objects of a certain size and color using computer vision. Learn how to: - Control your robot remotely using only a Wii remote - Teach your robot to use sensors to avoid obstacles - Program your robot to follow a line autonomously - Customize your robot with LEDs and speakers to make it light up and play sounds - See what your robot sees with a Pi Camera As you work through the book, you'll learn fundamental electronics skills like how to wire up parts, use resistors and regulators, and determine how much power your robot needs. By the end, you'll have learned the basics of coding in Python and know enough about working with hardware like LEDs, motors, and sensors to expand your creations beyond simple robots.




Power Electronics for Technology


Book Description

Recognizing the current demands of the workplace, this applications-oriented introduction offers an easy-to-understand explanation of the principles of power electronics, with complete coverage on the switching, control and conversion of electrical power using semiconductor devices. Reflecting the increasing demand for efficient conversion and control of electrical power, it considers the latest power devices, circuits, and control schemes that continue to extend power electronics technology to new applications areas. Presents material methodically - first establishing the background theory before going on to specific applications. Familiarizes readers with the analysis and operation of various power conversions circuits that have applications at high power levels, and formulates equations that govern the behavior of these circuits. Discusses the application of power electronic devices in uncontrolled and controlled single phase rectifiers, inverters, ac voltage controllers, cycloconverters, and dc choppers, and demonstrates voltage and current waveform analysis for the output, starting with a simple resistive load to more practical inductive loads. Includes many worked examples, basic formulas, and an abundance of illustrations and diagrams.




Ruby Wizardry


Book Description

The Ruby programming language is perfect for beginners: easy to learn, powerful, and fun to use! But wouldn't it be more fun if you were learning with the help of some wizards and dragons? Ruby Wizardry is a playful, illustrated tale that will teach you how to program in Ruby by taking you on a fantastical journey. As you follow the adventures of young heroes Ruben and Scarlet, you’ll learn real programming skills, like how to: –Use fundamental concepts like variables, symbols, arrays, and strings –Work with Ruby hashes to create a programmable breakfast menu –Control program flow with loops and conditionals to help the Royal Plumber –Test your wild and crazy ideas in IRB and save your programs as scripts –Create a class of mini-wizards, each with their own superpower! –Organize and reuse your code with methods and lists –Write your own amazing interactive stories using Ruby Along the way, you’ll meet colorful characters from around the kingdom, like the hacker Queen, the Off-White Knight, and Wherefore the minstrel. Ruby Wizardry will have you (or your little wizard) hooked on programming in no time. For ages 10+ (and their parents!)