Discussion document - educational booklet (& colourful kitset?)for the PICAXE-08M microcontroller?
Fellow Picaxers/educators/enthusiasts- I’ve been pondering the need for a “get you started” structured booklet (based perhaps around a colourful "Electronic Brain Box" kitset) to suit initial Picaxe microcontroller insights. David Lincoln’s recently released Picaxe book, sold via Amazon or direct from MicroZed (Australia), perhaps better suits a more formal engineering level user, & what I'd in mind was something more along the lines of my popular “Silicon Chip” articles, or the Jaycar “Short Circuits” guides. The Univ. of Guelph’s Op. Amp pages => www.uoguelph.ca/~antoon/gadgets/741/741.html are similar. Aside from eager youngsters, it's important to also recognise the many older enthusiasts who are keen to get to grips with microcontrollers (perhaps while helping their kids), but find todays microscopic electronic parts too demanding for their weary eyesight! Overall I feel that such an informative Picaxe booklet/resource should have-
Of course retail pricing (UK10 pound ~A$25?) & copyright issues emerge for such a booklet, but the success of ( Australian) Dick Smith’s “Fun Way into Electronics” booklets (heavily used in Australia/NZ for ~20 years) and (American) Forrest. M. Mims III “Electronic Engineers Notebooks” (which have sold millions) indicates there’s need for user friendly aids at an attractive price (even perhaps subsidised by firms such as Jaycar or Dick Smith). Given technology and global cooperation now abounding, it’s tempting to offer the booklets as downloadable .pdfs !?
It’s been my experiences, after decades in electronics education, that solderless approaches ( especially "breadboards") are superior for both learners and old hands,especially when considering increasingly worrying health & safety issues (& liability) with toxic lead & hot irons. In my view soldered versions should be the very last stage in the process,with this final assembly also conducted in specialised ventilated rooms -NOT always available for initial learner classes. DSE sells a clever strip board (H-5605) that allows “paint by number” parts swap over for "production" versions- neatly allowing user designed & tamed breadboard layouts to be soldered up, & getting round hassles with different tracking on Veroboard or unique PCBs. See an animated gif “slideshow” of a simple user assembled solderless kit (with parts costs ~ UK15pound, ~US$20 = ~A$30) that’s proven very suitable => www.picaxe.orcon.net.nz/picnik2.gif . This is based around even simpler “#8 wire” & “bed of nails” approaches organized by fellow Kiwi (& A1 lateral thinker !) Andrew “Brightspark” Hornblow => www.picaxe08.orcon.net.nz and => http://www.brightsparks.org.nz/MentorFTP//PICAXE-08/www_help/Index.htm
Such minimalist approaches have great appeal for enthusing youngsters ( & are also usually MUCH easier for harrasssed teachers to organise & manage) & it’s further suggested that just 7 key Picaxe commands ( HIGH, LOW, PAUSE/WAIT, SOUND, IF-THEN, GOTO, FOR-NEXT) may be all many initially need know to get them started. This could be ideal hence when programming issues need addressing –as that’s a subject often delivered very formally (& dryly…) via quite different educators of course. “C++ for Dummies" - yeah right !
Suitable experiments for a more structured course have however been foremost in my mind, and a possible sequence could be-
Your feedback keenly
appreciated! New Zealand educator/writer- Stan. SWAN =>
stan.swan@gmail.com 21st Nov. 2005 (& revamp April 2007)
