Art: Artistic Stoplight

This project will create an 'artistic stoplight' that can be used in a fun interactivity with visual art students at the Elementary level.

The Art Stoplight will change colors in response to triggers, and students must switch to drawing or painting in the color currently being shown on the Circuit Playground Board. This fun activity will engage students and let them play with colors, and each other as they dive into colors and collaborative art. How does their artwork change every time someone speaks, claps, or shakes the controller? 

By default when the Stoplight is shaken, it will change to a random color. Each group of students will have one Stoplight at their table and work in groups. When a new color is selected, the students will use that color in their drawing/painting/coloring until it changes again.

Students will not need to code for this, and the code just has to be replicated so the device is ready to use. 

MATERIALS:

1 Circuit Playground Express Controller

1 USB to Micro-USB cable

1 Tape roll / hooks (for securing it to the wall)

1 Piece of cardstock or construction paper (as a decorative backing to conceal wires)

INSTRUCTIONS:

Before beginning, connect your computer to the controller via the USB to Micro-USB cable. There is a micro-USB port on the controller and the full size USB should go into a corresponding port on your computer for programming. 

Step 1: Go to https://makecode.adafruit.com/. 

Step 2: Click 'New Project' under the + sign on the bottom right pane. After setting up the new project ensure

Step 3: Locate the green 'Forever' block under the LOOPS category. Put it to the side in the workspace.

Step 4: Go to the purple/pink INPUT category and grab the 'On Loud Sound' block, and put it next to the green block. 

Step 4: Within the INPUT category, go to the 'On Shake' block and put it in the workspace.

Step 5: Locate the rectangular Pause block in the blue LOOPS category and put it inside the On Shake block.

Step 6: Locate the rectangular block 'set all pixels to _' in the blue LIGHT category and set it aside. 

Step 7. Locate the rounded block under the Colors divider that has 0-255 values for red, green and blue. red _ green _ blue_

Step 8. Under the purple MATH category, find the rounded 'pick random from _ to _' block and put three of them into the workspace.

Step 9. Put all three purple 'pick random from _ to _' block in each of the three slots of the blue red _ green _ blue_ block, and in turn nest that in the blue rectangular 'set all pixels to _' block.

Step 10. Insert the block inside the On Shake block.

Step 11 (OPTIONAL). Go to the orange MUSIC category and select the orange rectangular 'play sound' block and insert it underneath the 'set all pixels to_' block. This will create an audible sound for students to look up and notice that the color has changed. 

COMPLETE: The stoplight will now be engaged by shaking it, and will turn a random color and chime every time input is given. 

Alternate Inputs Instruction:

If you would like the stoplight to be triggered by something else, such as a loud sound being made, or a button press, simply repeat Steps 1-9 using the other purple rectangular input trigger blocks instead of On Shake, or click the word 'Shake' to change the dropdown menu to switch it to another method of accelerometer input.

You can change the input completely to something different, or add inputs. To add inputs in addition without replacing the existing input, you will have to repeat Steps 1-9 for each new input. You can have multiple ways of changing the light at once!

DISPLAY AND MOUNTING:

You can attach the Circuit Playground to a piece of cardstock or construction paper, and hang it on a wall to function as a stoplight in your upcoming activities. For the sake of presentability, you can punch holes in the surface of the paper to allow the wires to be threaded through and hidden underneath it. Decorate the paper beforehand however you like if you want some art around the stoplight. Hang the assembled stoplight on the wall via a hook or tape. 

By Steve Quinn, Montana State University EDU 370