Buttons

 

Screw arcade buttons into holes in the box.

Connect the button terminals to CRICKIT's Signal port using male-to-male jumper wires plugged into the quick connect wires.

 

 

These buttons can be configured to control other things connected to CRICKIT, like the electromagnet and solenoid.

NeoPixel Strip

 

Feed the NeoPixel strip through hole in box.

Hold the strip in place with sections of double sided foam tape.

Capacitive Touch

 

Place a line of conductive tape on the box, leaving a small section at the end free to connect to an alligator clip.

When touched, this capacitive strip can be used to trigger things such as NeoPixel animations.

Potentiometer

 

Install the potentiometer, screwing it tightly into place

Connect alligator clips to the terminals of the potentiometer inside the box.

Press the potentiometer knob into place.

Servo Motor

 

Press servo motor through rectangular hole, hold in place with a couple dabs of hot glue if necessary.

A protractor can make a fun addition as an angle indicator, or draw your own indicator directly on the box.

Cut an arrow out of paper and tape this to the servo arm, then press onto the servo horn.

The potentiometer in this example is connected to the servo motor, allowing the user to control the angle of the motor arm by turning the potentiometer knob.

DC Motor

 

Screw the DC motor into place. If bolts aren't handy, a square of double-sided tape works just as well.

Affix a wheel to the hub of the motor.

 

 

For this project, the DC motor is used as a brightness indicator, increasing in speed in accordance with data received from the light sensor onboard Circuit Playground Express. 

Solenoid

 

Use a small square of double sided foam tape to stick the solenoid to the box.

A bell taken from a generic hotel bell or bike bell works great when paired with this mini solenoid.

The solenoid can be triggered by a button press, and used to tap a bell or tuning fork to make it ring.

Electromagnet

 

Use a small piece of cardboard to hold the electromagnet perpendicular to the surface of the box.

Screw the wires coming out of the electromagnet into the Drive terminals on CRICKIT.

The electromagnet generates a magnetic field current is run through it, and loses its magnetism when the current is cut off. A nail or other sufficiently large piece of metal works well as an indicator for when the electromagnet is on or off.

Speaker

 

The small mono enclosed speaker can be stuck in place with double-sided tape, or connected with bolts to the box.

Pressing two buttons at once can perform a different function that either button on its own, like in this example, playing sound through the speaker.

This guide was first published on Mar 05, 2019. It was last updated on Mar 27, 2024.

This page (Making Connections) was last updated on Mar 08, 2024.

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