That looks like a fun project. I'm impressed that you found the right/left/forward/back inputs to the RC car! David Haile Sheridan, WY On Wed, Jul 27, 2011 at 11:57 AM, Carey Fisher wr= ote: > Dave, > Here is a link to a project I did for a 1 week summer camp last year: > > http://www.instructables.com/id/Autonomous-Control-of-RC-Car-Using-Arduin= o/ > > It was quite inexpensive and the kids (middle school, 6 boys, 6 girls) > learned the "gist" of programming using an Arduino. They got real excite= d > when their cars traveled the pattern they programmed into it - figure 8s, > big circles then small circles, back up circles and then go forward. > Nearly > anything they wanted to make the cars do they could do. > > The cars were about $5 at Walmart and I spent a couple hours beforehand > modifying them - bringing the control wires out etc. > > The kids got to keep the Arduinos and a few have actually gotten into > programming. > > We also set the Arduinos up to play single tone music. I taught the kids > how to translate musical notes to periods and then to loop values. They > learned to program Happy Birthday and several other songs. It was really > cool when one of the kids said - "hey, this is the same as a musical > greeting card!"... > > They didn't have to do any soldering, just plug in the wires, write and > load > a program and they're off to the races. > > Carey Fisher > Chief Technical Officer > New Communications Solutions, LLC > 678-999-3956 > careyfisher@ncsradio.com > > > > > On Wed, Jul 27, 2011 at 1:03 PM, Daddy Dave wrote= : > > > > > Thanks for putting me onto that Maker Faire! I don't know when I can > ever > > get involved, but was _this_ _close_ to designing a little PIC board fo= r > a > > one-week Jr High science camp last year. I'd design a very small PIC > board > > with an 4x4 LED array on it and CR2032 battery and give the kids a > working > > project to start from. They'd solder SMT components under a microscope > > then > > customize the LED patterns to their own preferences using for() loops a= nd > > end up with something they could show their friends. They might pin it > to > > a > > hat or wear it on a string. They'd get experience with SMT components > and > > C > > programming - all in a week! > > > > So many of the project-in-a-bag kits use thru-hole components and 555 > > timers. It just kills me to see the ancient technology in those kits. > > -- > > View this message in context: > > > http://old.nabble.com/Join-me-in-kindling-a-fire-in-the-hearts-of-young-m= akers-tp32047652p32148853.html > > Sent from the PIC - [AD] mailing list archive at Nabble.com. > > > > -- > > http://www.piclist.com PIC/SX FAQ & list archive > > View/change your membership options at > > http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/piclist > > > -- > http://www.piclist.com PIC/SX FAQ & list archive > View/change your membership options at > http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/piclist > --=20 Haile Blog --=20 http://www.piclist.com PIC/SX FAQ & list archive View/change your membership options at http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/piclist .