Coming Soon!
July 28th, 2010
Kit Cards
July 28th, 2010
Volts, amps, and ohms
This is part two in our series on basic electronics. Part one is Electron, Proton, Neutron.
An electrical circuit allows electrons to flow from one side of the circuit to the other. The two ends of the circuit have a difference in electrical charge. One side is more positively charged then the other. Electrons are attracted to the positive side and move through the circuit. The electrons move from the negative side of the circuit to the positive but we say the electrical current flows from the positive to the negative. It is the attractive force emanating from the positive side of the circuit that we call the current.
This diagram shows a simple LED driver circuit. When the battery is connected the positive end of the battery pulls electrons from the negative end of the battery and through the circuit. This circuit has three basic properties we can use for measurement and analysis. They are voltage, current, and resistance.
Voltage
The amount of difference in electrical charge between the two sides of the circuit is called the voltage. Higher voltage power sources will have more attractive force. Voltage can be considered electrical pressure pulling electrons through a circuit.
Current
While the voltage moves the electrons through the circuit they cannot all go at once. The rate at which the electrons move through the circuit is called the current. We measure the current in amperes. One amp is about 6.241×1018 electrons passing through a point in a circuit in one second.
note: 6.241x1018 is an easier way to write a big number. It stands for the number 6,241,000,000,000,000,000.
Resistance
Because of the electrical pressure the electrons would like to move at a very high current but some materials conduct electricity better then others. Materials that have a high resistance conduct electricity less well. Resistance limits the flow of electrons between the two ends of the circuit. We measure resistance in units called ohms (Ω). One ohm is defined as the amount of resistance you have in a conductor when applying one volt of electrical pressure creates one amp of current.
Ohm’s law
Voltage, current, and resistance have a mathematical relationship which we can use to calculate the properties of the circuit. Ohm’s law states that the current is directly proportional to the voltage and inversely proportional to the resistance. The formula looks like:
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The current equals the voltage divided by the resistance. |
It can also be written:
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The voltage equals the current multiplied by the resistance. |
Or, you can write it like this:
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The resistance equals the voltage divided by the current. |
They are all the same. Using these equations, if you know any two of the values you can calculate the third.
Looking again at our LED driver circuit let’s try to figure out the current through the circuit. If we use a 3 volt battery to power the circuit and a 220 Ohm resistor then what should the current through the circuit be?
So lets’ recap. Voltage is like electrical pressure. It is the amount of difference in charge between the two sides of the circuit. Current is how quickly the charge moves from one side to another. Resistance holds back the electrical pressure, impeding the current. Higher voltage creates high current. High resistance causes lower current.
Stay tuned for our next article.
July 22nd, 2010
NextHOPE Conference
Thank you to all of our supporters and friends at The Next HOPE Conference! Sparkle Labs operated a vendor-table at “Hackers on Planet Earth”, which is hosted by 2600: The Hacker Quarterly. Conference lectures were given by major influencers in the community, and held on the 18th floor. They were later projected onto the walls, with interesting “hacked-spam” streaming across the feed, which added a light sense of humor to the bustling room.
We sat by our friends from Make: Magazine, and took turns attending the lectures. The Hackerspace Village opposite us was constantly filled with people “populating” their RFID badges, to track their movement throughout the conference. Many attendees continued to work in the Hackerspace all night, aided by Club Mate, the popular and powerful beverage for sale.
The “intro to lock-picking”, by TOOOL, was a fun break to our day. Constantly changing throughout the day, classes were based on skill levels of lock-picking and various lock types. The Mid-Atlantic Retro Computing Hobbyists were also fascinating, with retro-computers that proved the true origins of “smart phones”.
Our newSolar Modification Kits gained a lot of attention with the diy hackers. While the Discover Electronic’s Kit, and Papertronics were a big hit, and we made some great connections for getting them into classrooms! One group of young-builders chose to DIY at the conference, and reported later how their Papertronics made great night-lights for their hotel room.
Sparkle Labs had a great experience at our first ever HOPE conference, and we can’t wait for the next Maker Faire in Detroit Rock City in August.
July 7th, 2010
Electricity – Electron, Proton, Neutron
This is part one of our basic electronics series.
This article presents an extremely simplified explanation of electrical phenomena as an introduction to its practical application.
All matter is made of atoms. Atoms are made up of tiny particles we call electrons, protons and neutrons. Protons and, usually, neutrons form the center (nucleus) of the atom. Electrons spin around the nucleus.
All matter is made up of these few parts. It is only the number and arrangement of the particles that makes one type of matter different from another.
These particles can have an electrical charge. Protons have a positive electrical charge and electrons have a negative electrical charge. Positive and negative are attracted to one another while like charges repel one another.
The electrons spin in different levels called electron shells. Electrons in the smaller/closer electron shells have less energy then electrons in the further/larger shells. Electrons and protons usually balance out so the overall electrical charge of an atom is neutral. Not positive or negative.
If the protons and electrons are out of balance the atom has an electrical charge. An atom with more electrons then protons has a negative electrical charge. Electrons can move from one atom to another because it is attracted to positively charged atoms and repulsed by negatively charged atoms.
Conductors are materials that conduct electricity well. Conductors, like a copper wire, are made up of atoms that gain and lose electrons easily. Allowing the electrons to be passed down the wire. Insulators are materials that do not allow electrons to move easily, like the rubber coating on your copper wire.
The electrons actually move down the wire quite slowly. As they move they repulse the electrons in front of them creating a wave of repulsive force which moves down the wire very quickly.
These electrons can have a number of different effects as they move. The can bump into atoms on the way and cause them to move around which is heat. They can move up and down the electron shells of atoms. If they move down to lower energy shells they give up the excess energy in the form of photons (light). They also create invisible electromagnetic waves as they travel. These waves can create electric current in matter that they touch as well as create motion by the attraction and repulsion of magnetic waves.
We use all of these properties of electrons in different ways. We create heat to cook food and keep us warm. We create light to see by. We create motion to turn fans and push trains. We also use it to send and receive information. We can use electricity to send information through the wires or create electromagnetic waves to send information through the air.
Stay tuned for the next article in our series where we will talk about electric voltage, current, and resistance.
July 7th, 2010
Upcoming events for Summer 2010
Come see us at the The Next HOPE July 16 – 18. This looks to be a great conference with lots of interesting programs.
Then we have the Detroit Maker Faire. July 31 & August 1st, at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan. Maker Faire is always great and it is nice to have it in Motor City.
1st Annual World Maker Faire New York, September 25 and 26, 2010, at the New York Hall of Science.
May 25th, 2010
PAPERTRONICS: Lunar Landers
Papertronics are paper toys with electronic circuits in them. The Lunar Landers come in a pack of three, Spaceboy, Aliengirl and Tabula Rasa. Tabula Rasa is blank and can be designed by you.Turn them into a cool nightlight, partylights or a fun desk toy.
When the spaceships are put in their landers one way they light up. If you put them in another way, they are off. Fold them yourself- they come pre-cut. Fun DIY with paper and electronics.
Available Now!
May 5th, 2010
Sparkle Labs in designboom mart group exhibition @ ICFF
We will be in a group exhibition of international designers at the designboom mart at the ICFF 2010, May 15th to 18th. Come by and see all of Sparkle Labs’ new designs and the other designboom designers. You can check out designboom.
For the 6th time in New York, designboom will provide an unprecedented opportunity to meet the young avant-garde and become familiar with their work. Visitors are able to buy design souvenirs™ and limited edition pieces directly from the designers themselves.
December 15th, 2009
Light-Up Christmas Tree Project
Use your Discover Electronics Kit to light this easy, paper Christmas tree. Download the PDF and print it on or paste it onto card stock. We used matte photo paper with our printer set to “high-quality.”
Cut out the tree and then use a hard object to score the fold lines. Fold the tree and tape it closed. Choose the LEDs to light up your tree and place them on your breadboard.
Happy Holidays from Sparkle Labs!
December 7th, 2009
Festive Hanukkah LED Menorah
The first day of Hanukkah is coming early this year, December 11th. Hanukkah represents the rededication of the Temple after the first revolt against the Hellenistic empire. They found only enough ritually pure olive oil to light the menorah for one day, but the supply miraculously lasted eight days. The eight candles of the menorah represent these eight days and the middle candle is used to light the other candles. One candle is lit everyday of Hanukkah alternating right and left, beginning on the right.
We made this Hanukkah project using 9 of the LEDs from your Discover Electronics kit. It makes for a really colorful project. Place 9 LEDs evenly spaced across one side of the breadboard (about 5 spaces apart) and bend them so they are directed outward. The resistor values can vary based on the color of the LED but around 220ohms should be fine.
Download the menorah pdf and print it on heavyweight paper or paste onto heavier paper. Cut it out and then cut holes for the candle flames. Paste a piece of thinner paper behind the front panel of the menorah to diffuse the LEDs. Fold it along the dotted lines and place it around the breadboard.
Happy Hanukkah and stay tuned for our Christmas tree project!
November 23rd, 2009
Thanksgiving LED Turkey centerpiece project
Brighten up your Thanksgiving Day with this Thanksgiving Turkey! No, not that one turkey. One that will literally brighten up the room!
Print the pictures and paste them onto a thin cardboard, from a shoebox for example. DO NOT cut the paper before pasting onto the cardboard, or it’ll be more difficult. Then cut each piece out, and fit them together with the stand. Once you’re done with that, the next step is the electronic circuit that will go in between the body and tail under the stand.
Create the LED circuit on your breadboard following the directions in the Discover Electronics manual. Place the breadboard between the body and the tail of the turkey. Angle the LEDs so that they shine off of the tail. Choose all different colors of LEDs to make the turkey more colorful.
Now you have a beautiful, light-up turkey display for your Thanksgiving.
