Workshop:
Join Cefn Hoile to prototype and program your own Internet of Things, with a guided workshop wiring and programming Rainbow badges, driven by @ShrimpingIt’s Cockle IOT device. This tiny, battery- powered and Wifi-enabled computer can be sourced for £4. @ShrimpingIt reconfigures it to run Python and wires it up to a strip of 8 colored ‘NeoPixels’ for learners to explore their first steps in creative programming.
* Initially, learners will establish how to control the light colours one by one by sending single interactive commands from the python shell running on the Cockle e.g. “`setPixel(1, red)“`
* Complex patterns can then be programmed using more advanced concepts, such as “`list()“` to make sequences and “`while“` loops to visit each item in the sequence
* Adding timing through “`sleep()“` allows sequences to perform animations, attracting attention to your badge and programming skills
* Uploading your final code makes the behaviour permanent, allowing you to run your badge from a 4xAAA battery pack
* Connecting the device via Wifi enables learners to program it from their ‘phone, or couple the display to real-time weather data from the internet
* To finish up the workshop, we open the floor to sharing ideas and approaches for delegates to make Cockle-based internet things to suit their own hobbies and needs and plan their next steps
