Chiclet is as awesome as Sparkle, but it's a more advanced kit for projects that use sensors, lights, motion, bluetooth, and music.
What can it do for you? Plenty:
uses only two connections to hookup everything, so wiring stays simplified, even for complex projects.
connects up to 40 smart LEDs (called lightboards)
connects to different sensor boards, and treats them all the same way When you write a program, using an accelerometer is the same as using a sound sensor, or light sensor.
you get the same ease of use when you connect a motor, mp3 player, or connect with bluetooth
turn on a light on your wall in response to a tweet
send a tweet to say someone's opened a door
All this in a package smaller than a single piece of chiclet gum! (web API coming soon)
This tutorial shows you how to connect Chiclet to a 3v battery holder, 5 lightboards, a touch sensor and an accelerometer. In the videos, we also show how to wake, program, and put Chiclet to sleep.
The Chiclet Motion kit contains:
Chiclet
5 lightboards
accelerometer
3 yards conductive thread
thin coin battery (cr2016)
thin battery holder (cr2016)
you'll also need:
touch switch (not in the kit, but used in this tutorial)
some cloth
a needle
a pair of scissors
scotch tape (optional, to hold thread)
fabric glue (optional, to seal knots)
Click on the pictures to see the larger versions.
The very first time you use Chiclet, it helps to align all the pieces in a row, so the wiring is straight without any cross over.
The two holes on the left of Chiclet connect to the battery holder, and everthing else connects to the holes on the right. All lightboards are connected the same way (dot side up); sensors and switches are connected text side up.
Later on, you can move things around to make more elaborate designs. The key is that all the components to the right of Chiclet are connected using the same two pieces of thread (or wire). We call this a signal bus.
The view from underneath.
Notice the + signs on Chiclet and the holder are at the top, and the minus are at the bottom.
Cut an 8" piece of thread and tie a knot at one end, then thread into a needle.
The knot closeup: there's just enough thread after the knot so it doesn't come unraveled. You also don't want to make it too long that it causes short circuits.
You can always trim and seal with fabric glue after putting everyhing together and testing.
Pass the needle from the back side off the cloth through the top left + hole on Chiclet.
Pull the thread all the way through...
... until you hit the knot on the back.
If the knot goes through your cloth, try again, this time pull gently until the knot barely touches the back of the cloth.
Pass the thread on the outside of the hole on Chiclet...
... and through the cloth.
To make a good, solid connection, it's important to pass the thread 3-4 times from the back of the cloth, up through the hole, over, and back down through the cloth.
Connect to the top + hole on the battery holder.
The bottom side.
Do the same thing for the bottom left - hole on Chiclet. Connect it to the bottom - hole on the holder.
This is the view from underneath: from the back of the cloth, through one hole, over, and back through the cloth. Repeat 3-4 times, then connect to the next hole.
First test
Insert the 3V coin cell battery, plus side up, into the holder.
The tiny red light on Chiclet should light up steadily.
If it doesn't light up, make sure
the top thread is not touching the bottom thread
the bottom thread is not touching any part of the metal can
try a fresh battery. (2AAs in series providing 3V will work too)
wiggle Chiclet and see if the connection improves
If the tiny red light is flashing
it might think you're touching it
some sweat/oils may have gathered while sewing, so
wipe the entire white rectangle between the metal parts with a soft cloth or towel
If it still flashes without you touching it, try a new battery. If that fails, call us for a free replacement. .
This step must work before continuing, so double check your connections
If the light doesn't come on, sometimes it's because of resin built on the bottom pad of the battery holder over time. Gently scrape off any buildup on the tiny bump sitting on the negative plate with tweezers or steel wool. The bump is there to make better contact with the battery.
Sew two long lines of thread from the right side of Chiclet, all the way to the end of your project. The spacing is just under half inch, the same as the spacing on the lightboards and sensors.
The lines can be up to 10 yards long, but keep in mind that the further away they are from Chiclet, the dimmer your lights will be, as resistance increases with distance.
Re-insert the battery before you start adding other components. This will reassure you that things are still working as you go along.
Each lighboard has a unique number from one to five, represented by a dot. The dots also align with the + side of the lightboard.
You can connect them in any order, but for best results, connect them in order, from one to five. If you have more than five lightboards, you can arrange them like:
randomly
No matter the arrangement, all the 1s will light up together, all the 2s, and so on.
Start your connection on the inner side of the signal bus (+ top rail).
Now connect the plus hole of lightboard 1.
When you bring the thread back through the cloth, make sure it's on the outer side of the signal bus. You basically want to wrap the new thread tightly around the long thread.
Before each time you pass through the hole in the lightboard, wrap your thread around the signal bus.
After 3-4 passes for a good connection ...
... knot off and cut this new thread.
Do the same thing on the bottom hole of the lightboards, connecting it to the signal bus (- bottom rail).
This first lightboard will likely light up erratically, or sometimes not at all. Do not panic, it should behave better when you add the second.
When you add the second lightboard, they should blink every 2 seconds or so.
The view from the bottom. Notice the four seperate knots.
Add a third. Oops chiclet has turned off. It turns off after 15 minutes by default.
Turn it back on by touching the rectangluar touch pad under the tiny red LED. You might need to keep your finger on it for 2 seconds.
Remove your finger as soon as it turns on.
Occasionally, you'll create a short circuit as you're sewing, and you'll see the lightboards flash erratically. Not to worry, no damage is being done.
If you'd rather, remove the battery until you're ready to test the next step.
When you've connected all five lightboards, you should see them all flash in a pulsing rythm.
The view from the underside. Check for stray thread and trim any long pieces that might be inadvertently shorting out between the top and bottom rails.
Touch switch
Now add the touch switch to the bus in the same fashion.
The word "TOUCH" is aligned with the + side of the switch (top), just as the dots align with the + of the lightboards.
Touch the switch. The lightboards should flicker randomly. This is the default behaviour which you can reprogram later.
We'll now use a square of conductive fabric ...
... to create a larger touch surface that can be put anywhere on your project.
Of course you can skip this step, and add this later if you like.
The center right hole of the touch switch is directly connected to the touch pad, allowing you to extend the touch surface.
Connect this hole ...
... carefully avoiding the top and bottom rails
Pass under bottom rail, through the cloth to avoid a short circuit.
View from the top.
Now connect to the extra patch of conductive fabric.
The view from underneath.
Nice! The lights flicker when you touch, just as if you touched the switch itself.
Accelerometer
Now add the accelerometer to the bus in the same fashion.
The word "ACCEL" is aligned with the + side of the sensor (top), just as the dots align with the + of the lightboards.
In this mode, the accelerometer responds to movement:
the lights flicker if you shake your project, just as if you touched it. You can also program different lights to come on depending on how hard you shake or how fast you accelerate.
The accelerometer also has a second mode, where it causes different lights to come on, depending on the orientation of your project.
To choose this mode, connect the center right hole of the accelerometer to the - bottom rail.
See the piece of thread going from the center hole of accelerometer to the bottom rail.
Optionally, add a tiny dot of fabric glue to each knot to keep your connections from fraying. It doesn't seem to affect the conductivity of the thread, as long as you use small amounts. You can also use adhesive tape.
