Prototyping with an Experimental Code Clip

Today I had the pleasure of playing around with an experimental prototype of Chibitronics' up and coming Code Clip, which is programmable via an audio cable (yes, audio instead of USB) and a cloud-based IDE that was created in collaboration with Codebender! This means that the microcontroller can be programmed from a tablet or smartphone, which is super convenient!

While it's still in testing mode, I am thrilled to report that this clip has a lot of fun features.  One of my favorites so far, aside from how efficient it is to program, is how ridiculously easy it has become to use the same microcontroller to jump between circuits, some containing NeoPixels and others using regular LEDs and/or Circuit Stickers.  I can't wait to see what else Chibitronics comes up with!  I just know I would have wanted to become an engineer or computer scientist if I'd learned how to build and code with a tool like this when I was younger.  This is a game changer!

Using a TinyAVR Programmer with Codebender

Updated 30 October 2016:  Codebender is closing.

Here's a tutorial I put together to help you get started.  Under Codebender's Terms and Conditions, students must be 13 or older to use Codebender.

The TinyAVR Programmer is available at Spark Fun.

Alien Paper Circuit with Neopixels & an ATtiny85

Chainable, surface mounted RGB LEDs work in paper circuits! 

After spending a couple of days prototyping, I've completed my first paper circuit using individually addressable neopixels, otherwise known as surface mounted RGB LEDs! Soldering them was trickier than I'd anticipated, however!  I'd originally planned to use three lights in this model, but a soldering mishap resulted in my using only two.  I love the way that the lights change colors at the press of a button!  (See video below).

Video: Programming an ATtiny85 Microprocessor with a Chromebook

Updated 30 October 2016:  Codebender is closing.  

Programming an ATtiny85 with a Chromebook

I recently completed a video tutorial to teach others how I program the ATtiny85 using a Chromebook.

I'm cross-posting it to this blog as a resource for budding notebook hackers.