DIY Light-up TARDIS Patch Jacket #wearabletech #etextile

DIY Light-up TARDIS Patch Jacket #WearableWednesday #Wearables #DoctorWho #NeoPixels https://t.co/SvDlyWO4ye

— adafruit industries (@adafruit) November 21, 2018

If you'd like to learn more about how I made this DIY Light-up TARDIS Patch Jacket visit my new Instructable!

ATtiny85 TARDIS

I just finished building this ATtiny85 controlled TARDIS for under $20, using a laser cutter file from this Instructable.   I found printable Police Box decals via a quick Google search.

I modified the Adobe Illustrator file to add a square of 3mm Baltic birch plywood to the inside of the TARDIS top, to keep it from sliding around.  While this slightly improved the original design, it made gluing the NeoPixels to the inside of the box a bit trickier; they needed to be glued a bit lower down on the box than they would have without the added piece.

View of ATtiny85 from underneath TARDIS

I'm excited about this build, featuring 10 hand-soldered NeoPixel LEDs and a diffused 10mm RGB LED, because it led to my further experimentation with electronics.  I've built a couple others incorporating Photons, but this one doesn't require reliable wifi or a pricey microcontroller.

Electrical components that fit inside the box

I am powering the device using a switched battery holder containing 2- AAA batteries. I am still trying to figure out how to use capacitors in order to use a 5V power supply, such as a USB port.

Lessons learned:
I learned that the code for using a common anode RGB LED is slightly different from that using a common cathode RGB.  I also figured out how to combine NeoPixel sample code with a blinking RBG LED for really fun effects.

Breadboarding the entire circuit prior to soldering was essential, and helped to ensure that my code worked. In the process, I was reminded of the importance of burning the bootloader of an ATtiny85 to 8 Mhz before uploading code featuring NeoPixels.

I should have tested the soldering connections with the multimeter as I worked (not after).  During my first iteration, I made the mistake of soldering everything to a 1" X 1 " ProtoBoard without noticing that every three holes of the board were connected vertically.  As a result, I had to start all over!  The board depicted above (which I ended up using in its place) is half of an Adafruit Perma-Proto board, which was more intuitive to work with.

Soldering jumper wires to the LEDs and NeoPixels, and connecting them to wires soldered to the pins of the ATtiny85, is a good way to connect components.  Color coding my wires, and using labels, helped to prevent confusion when assembling everything inside of a tight space.

Placing 200 ohm resisters on each of the RGB legs is a good idea.

Using a glue gun to provide strain relief and insulation for the RBG LEDs and NeoPixels is vital.

Bryan Cera's Paper Synth

After finding a link to Bryan Cera's Paper Electronics Workshop on the Google + 21st Century Notebooking community page, I ordered a few supplies and got started making my own paper synthesizer!

I made a few mistakes along the way, but I learned how to use my multimeter in continuity mode and how to manually designate a sketchbook location in the Arduino IDE under preferences, neither of which I've ever had to do before.

Bryan's instructions are very detailed, and he generously shares his templates, code, and supply list.  So, if you are interested in using an ATtiny85 to create your own musical instrument, be sure to check out Bryan Cera's Paper Electronics Workshop!

Running Neopixels on an ATtiny85

ATtiny85 controlling sewable neopixels

Today, I am learning how to use an ATtiny85 to program sewable neopixels, with the goal of moving toward using surface-mounted RGB LEDs in paper circuitry.  The reason that this is so exciting is because the ATtiny85 is an inexpensive, low-profile chip, making it useful for notebook hacking and art projects!  If I can figure out how to make this entire process happen on a Chromebook, it would be a huge breakthrough for classroom instruction.


At the time I was working on this project, there was still one step that required the use of a PC: the process of burning a boot loader/ changing the fuse timing on the ATtiny85.  To use neopixels, the ATtiny85 needs to run on an 8 Mhz internal clock, rather than the default of 1 Mhz. As of 11 January 2016, this issue has been fixed, making it incredibly easy to do this type of thing with students using Chromebooks!

Once I converted the chip to 8 Mhz, I was able to use CodeBender and a Chromebook to program it with neopixel sample code (with only a couple of small tweaks).

My next step was to see if I could apply this new learning to building a paper circuit with copper tape and surface mounted RGB LEDs.  The photos demonstrate a prototype using the surface mounted RGB LEDs soldered to wire!

Since I was able to get the LEDs to do what I wanted with wire, I am 100% convinced that this can be replicated with copper tape!  Stay tuned!

ATtiny85 controlling SMD RGB LEDs

Updated 19 Dec 15:
I've created my first paper circuit with neopixels!  To learn more, visit BlingtheBook.blogspot.com.

Video Tutorial: How to Program an ATtiny85 with Codebender and a Chromebook

How to Program an ATtiny85 with Codebender and a Chromebook (Using an Arduino Uno as an ISP)

Several educators have asked me about paper circuitry and expressed interest in the idea of having their students code microprocessors for notebook hacking projects. After several days of work, I've finally completed the video tutorial that I've been promising.  In the process, I learned more than I expected.  For example, Codebender recently changed some aspects of its set-up, making it somewhat difficult to find the option to select a programmer.  I also learned that Codebender will soon be compatible with Chrome and the TinyAVR programmer from Spark Fun; it is already compatible with Firefox.

Update:  As of January 2016, Chrome is compatible with the TinyAVR Programmer! 

The video below is best viewed in high definition.

123D Circuits For Cloud-Based Arduino Prototyping

Last week, while attending the Create Make Learn Summer Institute, I noticed that a lot of people were using AutoDesk to access Tinkercad and other free online design tools.  As a result, I checked it out and discovered 123D Circuits and the Electronics Lab, which allows users to simulate working on a breadboard, write and compile the code, and then test it out digitally.

This might not seem like a revolutionary thing, but here's why I'm hooked:  I've found this tool to be an efficient way to code and prototype ATtiny85 microprocessors.

My digital breadboard, testing out code that I wrote for an ATtiny85

Small microprocessors such as the ATtiny85 can be incredibly tedious to prototype, often requiring multiple boards and lots of wires.  If you've ever tried connecting alligator clips to one, then you know that it's super tricky to keep the clips from touching one another while you're testing out your code.

That's where 123D Circuits can come in handy!  Rather than having to set up a breadboard (or get out the alligator clips) every time you want to test your code, you could use a digital breadboard to do it instead. Then, once you've verified that your code is doing what it's supposed to do, you can save it (along with your breadboard), making it easy to access and build upon later.

Paired with CodeBender and a Chromebook, I've found that not only can I test my code and wiring virtually, but I can also upload it right to my ATtiny85, using Arduino as an ISP.

Potential Pitfalls:
Although 123D Circuits has a lot of useful digital components, such as LEDs, resistors, and switches, I have not been able to figure out how to digitally test out a light sensor on an ATtiny85.  Also, there doesn't appear to be a sound sensor.

Code Bender & Chromebooks: Cloud-based Arduino Programming

I've just spent the morning programming ATtiny85s (for paper circuitry projects) using my Chromebook!

I just discovered that it's possible (and easy) to program an Arduino board by adding the CodeBender plug-in to your browser!  Using CodeBender takes less time than trying to set up the Arduino IDE on a PC and allows users to access their sketches from any computer!  This is bound to save time if you are ever teaching a workshop for a group who hasn't set up Arduino on their devices before, or if your students are Chromebook users.

Lessons Learned:
1.  When using CodeBender, you cannot use an AVR Tiny Programmer on a Chromebook (you can use one with the Firefox browser, however).  Using an Arduino UNO set up as an ISP, however, will do the trick.

Programming Circuit Sticker and ATtiny85 Microcontrollers

Recently, I started playing around with a programmable micro-controller sticker, available from Chibitronics. Using the resources at Chibitronics.com, I was able to use my Arduino Uno as a programmer to change the code on the sticker!  It was almost as fun as programming a LilyPad Arduino in an e-textile, only this time I got to use my favorite medium, paper!  I'm still just playing around at this point, but I am eager to learn more.

I was also able to use my Arduino to program an ATtiny85 microcontroller (which costs significantly less than the micro-controller sticker) to make an LED blink and fade.

I used the resources at Nexmap.org and Highlowtech.org to pull this off.  It took me a few tries (and some cable wiggling), but it finally works!

They suggest using an AVR Tiny Programmer to make the programming easier.  One of the benefits of using the tiny programmer is that you can put an adapter on it (provided with the Circuit Sticker sensor pack), allowing you to quickly go between programming the sticker or an ATtiny85 without much fiddling.

I am excited about the possibilities for using these both in a bookbinding project or an illuminated writing activity!

In the photo to the left, I haven't soldered yet.

Stay tuned to see where this latest diversion takes me, or visit my other blog, Bling the Book.