BrainBlock

 

 

Assembly - Part I

1. Required Materials

   
   1 - Arduino Nano
   1 - I/O Expander Board
   1 - USB mirco cable
2. 
   
   Take the boards out of the protective packages
   Line up the boards exactly the same as the pictures
3. 
   Press the small Nano board down into the large I/O Expander board
   
4. 
   Make sure it isn't backwards!
5. 
   Push it all the way down and in
6. 
   Make sure it isn't sticking up
7. 
   Plug the small end of the USB cable into the new BrainBlock
   Plug the big end of the USB cable into your Laptop
8. 
   Your BrainBlock is now ready to program with mBlock

 

Assembly - Part II

1. 
   Actetone the bottom of the BrainBlock circuit board
   Just the yellow area
2. 
   Build this simple jig
3. Use wax paper to protect the "blue" lego
4. 
   Sand the tops of the "black" bricks
5. 
   Acetone the tops of the "black" bricks
6. 
   BEFORE you glue practise placing the bricks in the correct position
   Use the pins on the circuit board to help keep the blocks straight
   The "black" bricks should not stick out past the edge of the board
7. 
   Put a small drop of SuperGlue on each of the 12 Lego bumps
8. 
   Place together and hold firmly for 1 minute
9. 
   Wait at least 5 minutes before removing the jig
   You don't need to hold it during this time
10. 
    You're done! You're BrainBlock should look like this

 

Theory

1. Digital Input and Output Pins

   
   
   Digital means something is either On or Off (0 or 1) (High or Low)
   A button is a good example it is on or off (pressed or not)
   An LED light can also be digital (on or off)
   
   

2. Analog Input Pins

   
   
   Analog means something can be many different values or levels
   A volume knob on a stereo is a good example - it can be turn to any position between zero and Full-Volume
   
3. Black pins are G = Ground (-)
   Red pins are V = Voltage (+)
   Blue pins are S = Signal
   Ground (-) and Voltage (+) provide 5 Volts of power.
   This power comes from your laptop through the USB cable.
   Ground is negative (-) power. Voltage is positive (+) power.
   Signal pins are controlled by the brain, they can be turned on and off.
   

 

 

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Now that your BrainBlock is ready you will can program and test it using mBlock.
mBlock Setup Instructions