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Makey Makey

What is Makey Makey?

Turn everyday objects like bananas into touch pads with the innovative Makey Makey® which works just like a USB keyboard or mouse, but uses conductive objects to send keyboard and mouse signals to your computer.

Use an alligator clip to connect the object to the device, then touch that object to send a signal to your computer. The computer will respond to the command just like it would if you pressed your computer's keyboard or mouse. Initial setup takes seconds. No programming knowledge needed. Start out by creating game controllers, musical instruments, and countless inventions, then advance to additional inputs and multi-key remapping up to 18 keys. The possibilities are endless, making Makey Makey® ideal for STEAM classrooms and makerspaces.

Use everyday items like dough, graphite pencils, liquids, fruits, office supplies, foil, pennies, and more to control your computer. Any material that can conduct at least a tiny bit of electricity will work. Sends keyboard signals such as spacebar and mouse signals such as left click and right click to your computer. Multiple devices may be used at one time

General Information and What You Might Need

The Makey Makey STEM Pack contains:

12 Makey Makey Boards
12 USB Cables
147 (18 in) Alligator Clips
12 (6ft) Alligator Clips
144 Ruggedized Connector Wires
12 (6ft) Connector Wires
12 Makey Makey Optimized Pencils
12 Visual Project Start Guides
1 Printed Educator’s Guide

Makey Makey can be used in any subject area to help students grasp new concepts through tangible, interactive, hands-on activities. Discover developed beginner plug and play activities, beginner Scratch activities, and even beginner MakeCode Arcade activities to help teachers painlessly incorporate tech into their lessons.

How does Makey Makey® Classic work?

It works through opening and closing circuits, just like any other button. Instead of the circuit being closed underneath your keyboard, the circuit is closed through the conductive objects you connect with alligator clips. When the circuit is closed, the Makey Makey® device sends a command to your computer, just like a button pressed on a keyboard.

Specifications

Grade 2 and up
Works on Windows®, Macintosh®, Chromebook™, and on many flavors of Linux (Ubuntu, etc.)
Device must be able to support a USB keyboard or mouse
Works on some tablets and mobile devices, but is not officially supported

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Is the Makey Makey easy to use?

Yes, no programming or software needed! All you have to do is alligator clip stuff together and surf the web to find a cool application to get started.

What operating systems does Makey Makey run on?

Makey Makey works on Windows, Mac, Chromebooks and on many flavors of Linux (Ubuntu, etc). Makey Makey works on some tablets and mobile devices, but is not officially supported. How many keys can be pressed at once with a Makey Makey? Makey Makey can press as many keys as your keyboard allows at once, which is 6. You can use up to 18 in a session (6 on the front of Makey Makey and 12 on the back), but only 6 can be held down simultaneously.

Can I use multiple Makey Makeys at once on 1 computer?

Yes! You can plug in two or more at once and create an orchestra of Makey Makey! (Officially tested with up to 3, but could work for more)

How many keys can be pressed at once with a Makey Makey?

Makey Makey can press as many keys as your keyboard allows at once, which is 6. You can use up to 18 in a session (6 on the front of Makey Makey and 12 on the back), but only 6 can be held down simultaneously.

How do I use the back of the Makey Makey?

The connections on the back of the Makey Makey are what’s called “headers.” They’re rows of little sockets, designed for wires to stick into. One easy way to use them is with the included connector wires (a.k.a. jumper wires), which are wires with little pins on either end that stick nicely into the header. You can also buy additional ones separately, but be sure to get the male/male ones. You can also find clever ways to use stuff you already have – for example, we’ve found that both paper clips and safety pins work great for this purpose!

How do I remap the keys?