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Programs These are some example programs to get you going! Add Numbers View Age Calculator View All Statement Test Example View Any Statement Example View Any and All Statement Text Test View Basic 90-Degree Turn View Advanced Mine View Age Calculator Extended View Ant Command Test View Any and All Numbers Test View Auto Booting/Running a Program View Basic Capacitive Soil Moisture Sensor View 1 2 3 4 5 1 ... 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 ... 8

Projects Automatic Night Light In this project, you will make use of the LDR sensor on the TOP to create a light-sensitive night light with one of the LEDs. Read More Driving Robot In this project, you will create a robot that can drive around using the DRIVE page on the dashboard, the command line, or a program. Read More Electronic Dice In this project, you will build on the Rainbow LED project by turning the JackBord into a dice. Using the random function to generate a number and assigning each LED a value (all 5 lit up represents six) makes a very simple electronic dice. Read More Rainbow LED Display In this project, you will utilise all five LEDs on the TOP to create a rainbow. With proper commands, you can even make it pulse in sequence. Read More Soccer Robot In this project, you will use your JackBord to play soccer! We do this by turning an ice cream container into a scoop or a foot so the JackBord can push a ball from one point to another. Read More WiFi Signal Dial In this project, we are going to turn the JackBord into a dial so we can visually see the strength of the WiFi signal it is currently receiving. We will use an RC servo, which will move its arm in response to the WiFi strength. Read More

Sensors BME280 Temperature, Relative Humidity and Pressure This sensor allows you to measure air temperature, relative humidity and atmospheric pressure. Learn more Colour Sensor Module The TCS34725 colour module allows the JackBord to determine the colour of a surface or object placed near the sensor. Learn more Infrared Obstacle Avoidance This unit will detect the presence of objects at distances of between about 2cm to 30cm. Learn more RGB Colour Detects the RGB (red, green and blue) colours of an object. Learn more Sound Detection Use the simple sound detector module to determine if there is sound above a pre-set threshold. Learn more Capacitive Soil Moisture This analog capacitive soil moisture sensor measures soil moisture by detecting the change in capacitance that stems from the moisture content of the surrounding soil. The output of the sensor is a voltage between 0V and 3V, with 0V being very dry soil and 3V being wet soil. Learn more HC-SR505 Mini PIR Infrared Motion HC-SR505 is an infrared module which detects the movement of a person or animal, at distances of up to 3m. Learn more MQ4 Methane Gas The MQ4 module allows the JackBord to detect methane gas at concentrations from 300 ppm to 10,000 ppm. The reading output from the sensor is an analog voltage from 0.1V to 4.5V. There is a digital output as well, pin DO, which is normally high and goes low when gas is detected. Learn more Short Range Proximity This sensor uses an infrared transmitter and receiver to gauge the distance between the sensor and an object near it. It has a digital and an analog output which can be used to control things in response to the presence or absence of an object. Learn more

Contact Us We'd love to hear from you Please give us your feedback about any issues, complaints, praise and suggestions ​ We are always looking to improve as we aim to make your JackBord experience as best as it can be ​ Thank you Phone 0508 5225 2673 Proudly created and made in Kapiti, New Zealand Email info@jackbord.works Please submit your feedback below. First Name Last Name Code Phone Email Feedback Type Praise Question Suggestion Bug Report Complaint General Comments Send Thanks for submitting!

Our clients say Anita Taylor, Science Teacher, Paraparaumu College "The beauty of the JackBord interface is that students are able to engage with the learning in their own space and at their own pace. Students are not frustrated by step-by-step teacher directions, they can be given the robot and sensors, and learn through the website videos. Currently our Year 11 classes use the Jackbord to produce data from gas and soil moisture sensors. All students learn to wire up the sensor and use the website to find a program to run to collect data. Students enjoy using their fine motor and computing skills to collect quantitative data that is quickly produced and easily processed." Campbell Scott, Home School Student "Adopting the Jackbord was an enjoyable task, and the instructions were clear and easy to follow. Using the TOP was an excellent learning experience and I was fascinated and impressed at the wide range of possibilities available. I just recently added the motors and wheels and found the driving experience to be excellent, the controls simple and easy to use, and enjoyed coding different tasks to the various buttons. As for the other activities you provided links for, I have already tried out the short range proximity sensor and temperature \ humidity metre. Both were great ideas and I look forward to trying out the other activities. I really appreciated the easy to follow, step by step guide videos, and am continually amazed at the diversity of functions that one can achieve with the Jackbord. I can't think of any criticism to give you" Elgene, Student, Victoria University "JackBord is well designed and highly functional. It is a great tool for entry level robotics students and enthusiasts. The Octagon software is reliable and intuitive. I recommend it to anyone wanting an innovative and interesting learning tool." Jacob, Year 13 Student, Paraparaumu College "During lockdown having a JackBord of my own made doing my own robotics projects possible. I still had everything that I needed to get my robots up and running due to the JackBord being so robust and including everything you ever need built in; all I had to do was plug in my components. Because the JackBord works with WiFi it can be controlled from anywhere in the world so we were able to have JackBord races from at home in our own bubble" Lance Flavell,Digital Technology Teacher, Bishop Viard College "I've never really ventured into electronics with any of my classes until now, so the idea of using JackBords was out of my comfort zone. I initially had concerns about managing the electrical components and whether students might be put-off by the programming interface. Instead, the students were super enthusiastic to wire up their JackBords to meet the challenges. Students previously distracted by social media and youtube were now actively engaged in setting up their JackBords. We are continuing to develop learning units and the JackBord experience has allowed me to unpack parts of the technology curriculum I'd previously considered out of reach." Anonymous, Home Educator "So far, we have really enjoyed the JackBord, and were amazed at all the cool things Matthew could do with it. (I was so happy that I don’t need to be a specialist on the subject for him to be able to do it). The videos are easy to follow, and it’s good that terminology now also gets explained. …... Matthew also really enjoyed the online sessions with Jack and the other participants. This is really well done, and I will recommend it to any parent who has a child interested in electronics. Absolutely well worth the money. Thanks for a great product" Sophie Tukikino,Former Principal, Te Kura Maori o Porirua "The Jackbord Robotics program is presently being delivered in Te Kura Mãori o Porirua to Year 7-8 and Year 9-10 students. The JackBord is a durable, robust product, therefore it is very easy for students to become hands-on straight away. JackBord allows students to become familiar with basic coding and using a range of components to build on the robots functionality. There is scope for students to use the JackBord to explore a range of responses to a problem, through a process of trial and error, develop a solution or, a range of solutions. The feedback from our students has been very positive, teachers have observed highly motivated, engaged students who are often reluctant to move onto their next subject." Noah, Home School Student “It has worked well and connects to the internet pretty fast. Thank you" ​ Theo's mother, Home Educator “We have never seen Theo so excited. He must have spent at least 6 hours with it yesterday and was up early this morning to get going on it again. Have a wonderful day!”

JackBord is the ultimate tool for teaching and learning STEM subjects for those aged 9 and above! Opening a world of opportunity for young people by delivering fun and authentic learning experiences for curious and creative minds of ALL abilities, creating pathways to careers in science, engineering and technology Authentic learning Jackbord focuses on learning the fundamentals through growing a student's practical skills in electronics, coding, sensors and control, with hands on lessons and projects The Jackbord system is specifically designed to enable students from any background and ability to confidently explore and learn Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths in an applied and fun way Your partner in STEM Inventor Jack Penman wanted to help learners of all abilities and backgrounds to realise their potential to become tomorrow's innovators, scientists and engineers. ​ He didn't want them to face the same barriers he experienced as a student. ​ "Those that think and learn differently are the ones who will make a difference to solving the worlds problems" ​ So he invented JackBord, a powerful, unique, enduring tool and system that will excite, inspire and partner students throughout their learning journey to confidently explore science, create engineering projects, learn about electronics, develop programming skills, master robotics, analyse data, and have fun doing so. ​ “Let’s deliver them a path that can take them to a variety of destinations, limited only by their imaginations.” Limited only by your imagination With the incredibly powerful Jac kBord, supported by extensive easy to follow guid es and activities, the possibilities for learning and exploring are virtually endless. ​ We support you to master STEM so that you dare to dream, explore, develop and realise your imagination. ​ Engage in forums, share your projects with us and other JackBorders. ​ The world needs y ou! to take on science, technology and engineering. JackBord will partner with you to get there . Jack spoke about his own learning experiences and challenges, and why he created Jackbord at TEDx Kapiti in a talk titled "Why I'm terrified of being normal " Dashboard JackBorders Site SHOP Educators are able to deliver curriculum and qualifications (and learn themselves!) We don't set out to be educators, however teachers will find they can easily apply our activities to meet curriculum and provide qualifications. Jack's detailed yet easy to follow videos mean that students (and teachers) can learn without assistance or further guidance. JackBord is ideal for teacher professional development. Whilst our guides and activities are designed for self learning we provide online support throughout your journey. Your partner in STEM. more..... Curious about what our users think? Here are a few testimonials from teachers and students! Jackano Jacobs tank Soccer Jackano 1/7

< Back Combined Any All Example In this example we have a car and our program has to check that, before the driver can move the car, the following conditions must be met: Condition OK Value Seatbelt is on 1 Doors closed 1 The car cannot be driven if the above are not all 1. But we also have an emergency option. This is normally 0 and is 1 in the event of an emergency, in which case the car can still be driven even if the other conditions are not met. Program --- Combined Any All example. To be allowed to drive the car the /belt and /doors vars must be 1. But if the /emergency var is 1 we can then drive regardless of the /belt or /doors variables value. --- prog_vars = d/emergency 0 d/belt 0 d/doors 0 -- 1 = NO 2 = YES can drive d/drive_ok 0 -- Test Message Array d/test_message[3] "" prog_vars. prog_start = pclear -- Set the two test messages. /test_message[1] "Cant Drive" /test_message[2] "Can Drive" -- Stop by default /drive_ok 0 print "Car Drive Example" prog_start. prog_loop = -- Test 1 > ALL OK Can drive /belt 1 /doors 1 /emergency 0 do_drive_test "Test 1 Result /drive_ok /test_message[/drive_ok]" -- Test 2 > Cant drive no belt /belt 0 /doors 1 /emergency 0 do_drive_test "Test 2 Result /drive_ok /test_message[/drive_ok]" -- Test 3 > Can drive despite no belt & doors because -- /emergency is 1 /belt 0 /doors 0 /emergency 1 do_drive_test "Test 3 Result /drive_ok /test_message[/drive_ok]" exitprog prog_loop. do_drive_test = -- Test all of the conditions and set the /drive_ok var -- with the result. any /emergency = 1 all /belt = 1 /doors = 1 -> -- CAN drive /drive_ok 2 else -- CANT drive /drive_ok 1 enda. do_drive_test. prog_stop = print "Done exiting now!" prog_stop.

< Back Basic 90-Degree Turn This program should see the robot be able to turn 90 degrees to the left and 90 degrees to the right. Program --- Basic 90 degrees Turn Program This program should see the robot be able to turn 90 degrees to the left and 90 degrees to the right. --- prog_vars = d/count 0 prog_vars. prog_start = pclear print "Basic Drive Program Start" stop prog_start. prog_loop = left_turn_90deg -- right_turn_90deg exitnow prog_loop. left_turn_90deg = -- The robot should turn 90 degrees to the left. -- Adjust the delay value in the dly command to -- make the robot turn to the left by 90 degrees. stop rms 50 dly 250 -- change this delay to make the turn work stop left_turn_90deg. right_turn_90deg = -- The robot should turn 90 degrees to the right -- adjust the delay value in the dly command to -- make the robot turn to the right by 90 degrees. stop lms 50 dly 250 -- change this delay to make the turn work stop right_turn_90deg. prog_stop = print "Bye" prog_stop.

< Back Moving Circle Use the TOP to connect the POT1 to pin A1 and POT2 to pin A2. The LEFT POT will control the balls position on the X-axis and the RIGHT POT will control the balls position on the Y-axis. Program --- Moving Circle Program Use the TOP to connect the POT1 to pin A1 and POT2 to pin A2. The LEFT POT will control the balls position on the Xaxis and the RIGHT POT will control the balls position on the Yaxis. --- prog_vars = d/count 0 d/display_width 874 d/display_height 630 prog_vars. prog_start = pclear print "Moving Circle Program" gvr a1 0 /display_width -- Y-axis up and Down gvr a2 0 /display_height -- Xaxis left and right prog_start. prog_loop = -- main program loop -- Display the X and Y values ptl 10 10 "X /a1 Y /a2" -- Display the orange ball on the Show page at the position -- set by the values of A1 and A2. pcr /a1 /a2 50 ^id=cat^fc=orange^ prog_loop. prog_stop = print "Bye" prog_stop.

< Back WiFi Signal Strength using ant This program uses the /wifisig system variable to display how good the Wifi signal the JackBord has is. It uses the ant statement to determine which message to display based upon the strength of the Wifi signal. Program --- Wifi Signal Strength Program using ant. This uses the /wifisig system variable and the ant command to check the wifi strength, and then tell you about it. NOTE: Each time the /wifisig system variable is used it updates the wifi signal reading, so they will vary. --- prog_vars = d/wifi_state "" d/wifi_sig 0 d/runs_to_do 0 d/runs_done 0 d/current_wifi 0 prog_vars. prog_start = print "Wifi Signal Strength Program" /runs_to_do 10 prog_start. prog_loop = -- Reset the wifi state var and get the wifi -- signal level from the /wifisig sys var. /wifi_state "XXX" -- Get the wifi signal strength here once as it can -- change on subsequent calls to the /wifisig sys var. /current_wifi /wifisig ant /current_wifi -> <= -85 -> /wifi_state "Not Good" <= -80 -> /wifi_state "TOO LOW!" <= -70 -> /wifi_state "LOW" <= -60 -> /wifi_state "WORSE" <= -50 -> /wifi_state "BETTER" <= -40 -> /wifi_state "GOOD" <= -30 -> /wifi_state "V GOOD" -> /wifi_state "NO Signal" ant. print "Wifi /wifi_state /current_wifi" any /runs_done = /runs_to_do -> exitprog inc /runs_done d1 0 prog_loop. prog_stop = print "Good bye" prog_stop.

< Back Counting This program lists the numbers from 0 to 10 and exits. Program --- Counting Program Lists the numbers from 0 to 10. --- prog_vars = d/count 0 prog_vars. prog_start = print "Counting Program Start" prog_start. prog_loop = -- Main program loop -- Increment the value of the /count var by 1 inc /count -- Display the new count print "Count /count" -- Decide if it's time to exit any /count >= 10 -> exitprog prog_loop. prog_stop = print "Bye" prog_stop.

< Back Soccer Robot In this project, you will use your JackBord to play soccer! We do this by turning an ice cream container into a scoop or a foot so the JackBord can push a ball from one point to another. This project also includes different ways you can play and different challenges you can implement in order to make driving and scoring more difficult for your robot. One of these challenges includes programming the buttons on the DRIVE page on the dashboard, and then using these buttons to control your soccer robot. PDF INSTRUCTIONS Project Gallery

< Back getline Example This program prompts the user for their name and displays it to them. It uses the getline command to get the users input from the command line. Program --- Name Program get the users name and display it --- prog_vars = d/name "" prog_vars. prog_start = print "Name Program" prog_start. prog_loop = print "What is your name?" getline -> /name print "Your name is: /name hello /name" exitprog prog_loop. prog_stop = print "bye /name" prog_stop.

< Back Rocket Launch This program displays some information during a rocket launch. Program --- First Octagon Progam Refer to section 5.2 of the JackBord JOurneys book no 1 while looking at this program. --- prog_vars = d/launch_rocket 0 d/air_temperature 0.0 d/rh 0 d/address "" prog_vars. prog_start = -- Setup the pgoram /launch_rocket 10 /air_temperature 28.5 /rh 80 /address "1 Olympus Mons Mars" prog_start. prog_loop = -- Display some information print "Launch in /launch_rocket secs" print "to /address" print "where the air temp is /air_temperature RH is /rh" exitprog prog_loop. prog_stop = print "Prog STOPPED!" prog_stop.

< Back I2C Commands i2con - Enable the i2c system Purpose Turn on I2c System and update config. Syntax i2con i2coff - Disable the i2c system Purpose Turn off I2c System and update config. Syntax i2coff f2c - Find attached i2c devices Purpose This will scan the i2c port looking for attached i2c devices. When a new device is found it will be setup. Syntax f2c Examples > f2c < Finding I2C Devices.... < Setup BME280 temp on next free chan [26] < Setup BME280 RH on next free chan [27] < Setup BME280 Pressure on next free chan [28] Found 1 devices Channels & Vars Each of the devices found will be allocated the channels the require automatically. Their readings will appear in the gt command etc. g2c - Get register value from an i2c device Purpose This will get the value of the specified register from the specified i2c device address. Syntax g2c addr reg bytes Arguments addr The i2c devices address from the l2d command. 0 to 128 reg The register number from 0 to 256 bytes The number of bytes to expect back from the i2c device. 1 to 256. Pushers Yes Returns Nothing Examples > g2c 118 137 1 < g2c data 0[111] 1[0] final [111] Get reg no 137, one bytes from i2c address 118. Notes This can be used from the command line and in programs. l2c - List active i2c devices & sensors Purpose Lists all of the active i2c devices connected to the JackBord’s i2c port. This will list all of the devices associated with each i2c address. Syntax l2c l2d - List active i2c devices only Purpose Lists all of the active i2c devices connected to the JackBord’s i2c port. It only lists whole devices, not sub devices. Syntax l2d s2c - Send data to i2c device register Purpose Send data to the specified register on the specified i2c device. All values are integers. Syntax s2c addr reg value Arguments addr The i2c devices address from the l2d command. 0 to 128 reg The register number from 0 to 256 value An integer value between 0 and 256. Pushers Yes Examples > s2c 118 137 23 ->/result Notes This can be used from the command line and in programs. v2c - Show the status of the i2c system Purpose Displays the status of the i2c system including the number of devices connected and the i2c pins. Syntax v2c rsti2c - Reset all i2c devices Purpose This will reset all of the i2c devices connected to the JackBord and remove them from the system. Syntax rsti2c Examples rsti2c

< Back Quake Indicator This has 3 RC Servos connected to ports A1 to A3. Program --- Quake Indicator Program This has 3 rc servos connected to ports A1 to A3. --- prog_vars = d/count 0 prog_vars. prog_start = pclear print "Program Start count /count" prog_start. prog_loop = -- main program loop print "Count /count" inc /count any /count >= 50 -> exitprog small_quake medium_quake big_quake exitnow prog_loop. small_quake = "small" -- Sweep Servo on A1 svs a1 90 5 small_quake. medium_quake = "Medium" -- Sweep Servo on A2 svs a2 90 5 medium_quake. big_quake = "Big" -- Sweep Servo on A3 svs a3 90 5 big_quake. prog_stop = print "Bye" prog_stop.

< Back Smart LED Commands sled Smart LED Control sled Control WS2812B smart LEDs Purpose Control the color and brightness of one or more WS2812B Smart LEDs attached to port C5 on their JackBord. Note: you need to run the sledn command first to tell the JackBord how many LEDs are connected to the strip. So if we had 10 LEDs the command would be sledn 10 and so on. In this example the first led in the strip is number 1, the last is no 10. Syntax This command has two versions: Syntax 1: In this version you use a single number between 0 and 15 to set the color of the specified LED, using the colors in the table below. sled N C U Arguments N The number of the LED to be controlled. C The color to set the LED to, from the list of colors below: U Update the LEDs: Missing means update the LEDs now. 0 = Don't update them, instead use the usled command later to update them all in one go. Examples sled 5 3 The 3 is the color red. If you ran the command with a 0 at the end the LEDs wont change until you run the usled command which updates them all. eg sled 5 3 0 Syntax 2: Use RGB values to set the LEDs color. sled N R G B U Arguments N The number of the LED to be controlled. R The red value, 0 to 255 G The green value, 0 to 255 B The blue value, 0 to 255 Pushers No U Update the LEDs: Missing means update the LEDs now. 0 = Don't update them, instead use the usled command later to update them all in one go. Examples sled 3 255 255 255 Set LED 3 to white and do it right now sled 3 255 255 255 0 Set LED 3 to white but don't update the LED, LED will only change color when the usled command is run. Notes Works with a WS2812B smart led strip. Use the usled command to update the LEDs all in one go. sledb Set Smart LED Brightness sledb Set the brightness of the smart LEDs. Purpose Set the brightness of the WS2812B Smart LEDs attached to port C5 on ther JackBord. Note: you need to run the sledn command first to tell the JackBord how many LEDs are connected to the strip. So if we had 10 LEDs the command would be sledn 10 and so on. Syntax sledb B Arguments B The desired brightness from 0 to 100. 0 = Off 100 = Maximum brightness. Examples sledb 0 Turn the smart LEDs off sledb 50 Set the brightness to half Notes Works with a WS2812B smart led strip. sledn Set Number of Smart LEDs sledn Set the number of Smart LEDs connected to the JackBord. Purpose Tells the JackBord how many WS2812B smart LEDs it is controlling with the sled command. NOTE: You need to run this command BEFORE using the sled command. Syntax sledn total Arguments total The total number of WS2812B smart LEDs connected to the JackBord.1 to 50. Examples sledn 10 Notes Works with a WS2812B smart led strip. sledoff Turn All of the Smart LEDs Off sledoff Turn all of the smart LEDS off Purpose Turn all of the WS2812B Smart LEDs off on a given pin. Syntax sledoff #~ Arguments # The port letter a, b, c, d ~ The port pin number 1 to 5 Notes Works with a WS2812B smart led strip.

< Back Sound Detection Use the simple sound detector module to determine if there is sound above a pre-set threshold. In this exercise we use a simple on/off sound module to detect sounds. Use the simple sound detector module to determine if there is sound above a pre-set threshold. The threshold is set by using a small Philips screw driver to adjust the square blue variable resistor on the lower right side of the module. The output on the modules OUT pin is normally 5V when there is no sound. When a sound is detected it will drop to 0V and this is how the JackBord can detect sounds. Connect the sound sensor to Port A1, the Port A 5V supply and grounds of the JackBord as shown in the table below. Note the names of the pins on the detector module and the corresponding pins they connect to on the JackBord. When connected correctly it should look like this: Testing: With the module attached as above and the JackBord turned on enter the following command: btp a1 tg d1 When run this command treats the sound module as a button input. Each time the module detects a sound its output goes low, when there is no sound it goes high. Also the red led on the module will light up when it detects a sound. If the module does not seem to detect any sound try adjusting the blue variable resistor a little and try again. Or if it seems to be over sensitive to sound try adjusting the sensitivity down. Table of OUT values for the sound sensor module. Previous Next

< Back Add Numbers This program takes the /count variable and uses the add_numbers task to add /count to itself. Thus the result is always 2 x /count. It does this by calling the add_numbers task and providing the /count variable as the two input arguments. And the result of the addition is pushed into the /count_sum variable, as shown below: add_numbers /count /count -> /count_sum The tasks input arguments are /count /count and the output argument is /count_sum. Program --- Add Numbers Program --- prog_vars = d/count 0 d/count_sum 0 prog_vars. prog_start = pclear print "Add Numbers Program Start" prog_start. prog_loop = -- main program loop -- Add the /count to itself. add_numbers /count /count -> /count_sum -- Next number inc /count -- Check if we are done any /count >= 10 -> exitprog prog_loop. add_numbers /a 0 /b 0 -> /total 0 = add /a /b -> /total print "Sum of /a and /b is /total" add_numbers. prog_stop = print "Bye" prog_stop.