This guide will show you how to build your own musical snake charmer box with Blinka, the circuit python! The materials you can find around the house and the project uses the Circuit Playground Express microcontroller programmed in Microsoft MakeCode for easy upload and changes.

Materials

In addition, for this project you will need:

• Double sided tape
• Scrap cardboard
• Scissors
• Fishing line or string - 12" long
• Color printer

If this is your first time using Circuit Playground Express, this guide is a good launchpad to get you up and running:

https://learn.adafruit.com/adafruit-circuit-playground-express

Let's get started!

Download the PDF of Blinka by clicking the green button below.

Blinka can be printed out on any color printer. For best results print double sided on a single sheet of paper. 

Use scissors to carefully cut along the dotted lines.

Add the fishing line

Use a pointy tool to poke two holes in Blinka's head.

These will allow us to add a bit of fishing line (or string) to connect her to the inside of the box.

Blinka is ready to go!

If you haven't used MakeCode before, this guide is a good place to start.

Getting into Bootloader Mode

Your Circuit Playground Express board comes ready to work with CircuitPython, and will show up as "CIRCUITPY" when connected to your computer. We'd like to make it work with MakeCode however, which is done by putting it into "bootloader mode". All that's required to do this is to connect the board to your computer with a micro USB cable and click the small reset button in the center of the board.  

When the Circuit Playground Express is in Bootloader mode, all the LEDs will turn red briefly, then green. Verify your status LED is also pulsing red. Your computer should show a new removable drive called "CPLAYBOOT"

Drop in your code

Once you're in bootloader mode, you're ready to use MakeCode!

This will allow you to interact with the code used in this project.

Uploading code is easy, all you do is download the .uf2 file and drag 'n drop it onto the "CPLAYBOOT" drive.

The drive will automatically eject itself. (Your computer may give you a "failed to eject drive correctly" error, you can ignore this.)

This is the set of instructions that your Circuit Playground Express will follow. 

It may look like a lot at first, but what we're doing are three things in sequence: 

1. Rotate servo quickly 100 degrees clockwise
2. Play 'snake charmer' song
3. Rotate servo slowly 100 degrees counter clockwise

Test it!

It's always a good idea to do a dry run before putting everything together. 

You can do this by connecting your servo motor to your Circuit Playground Express.

When you press the "A" button you should see the servo rotating one way quickly, playing a short song, and then moving back slowly to its starting position.

Now it's time to bring everything together. 

Now it's time to mount the servo motor inside the box. 

Press it firmly into place. Motor mount complete!

Just add Blinka

Now it's time to give Blinka a home inside the box.

Check Blinka's placement within the box, ensuring that her tongue doesn't get caught as the box lid closes.

Now you can hook up your Circuit Playground Express, connect to power, and test your snake charming abilities!

Using Different Inputs

By default this MakeCode example is set up to use the A button as a trigger, but it is easy to use other inputs to trigger your box.

Try it out! https://makecode.adafruit.com/49951-32099-41050-46072

Perhaps you want Blinka to pop our of her box as soon as someone enters a room and turns on the light? Easy! Click the pink "Input" button and drag the "on light dark" into the code space. You can use the dropdown menu on this block to change it to respond to sudden bright light instead of sudden darkness. 

Now drag the whole block of code into your new "on light bright" trigger.

Uploading New Code

To replace your old code with this new version, download the updated .uf2 file.

It is sometimes helpful to rename your code so you don't get confused which version is which.

BUT WHERE'S MY CPLAYBOOT? 

Make sure your CPX is connected to your computer, then press the reset button in the center of the board again. The board should flash red and then go green. This means it's ready to accept new code.

Drag and drop your fresh .uf2 file onto the CPLAYBOOT drive and like magic it will automatically update & eject itself.

Done! Blinka will now respond to a sudden bright light instead of the button press.

You use different inputs to get Blinka to react to a loud sound or a sudden shake, just by dragging the code into a different input block!

If you want to continue exploring you can check out lots more MakeCode projects on the Adafruit Learn System:

https://learn.adafruit.com/category/makecode