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Ann:$25 PCB to help novices/protect Arduino. Schools. Parents?

Former Member

I hope it is okay that I marked this as a question? It IS an announcement... but also a question in that feedback on the item described is my main reason for posting! If experts find problems if they are kind enough to review the page offered below,their thoughts will be very welcome.

 

This is NOT "crowd sourced" vaporware! The boards exist. They work. But I am inviting Mr Murphy to the party, AND involving kids... I am not so egotistical to believe that there is nothing that could be improved. Before I put a lot more time into this, I want to be sure there are no fundamental flaws at the heart of the work to date!

 

I now have six copies of a PCB which, along with it's components, cost about $25 each.

 

NoviceGuard, as I call it, is an attempt to make an Arduino Pro Mini "novice friendly", and also novice SAFE... i.e., the user can't damage the Arduino, if just one basic rule is kept.

 

I hope it will make the Arduino something that can be used in schools with children as young as 10.

 

I have a general page about it, but also a page for teachers/ parents, and one written to tell "experts" what I've tried to do. I hope experts will look at their page, and write to me if they can see things that I've overlooked... is there a way to damage the board that I've overlooked?

 

Experts' page: Call for review: for experts, a plea for input: NoviceGuard (PCB261) ModGeeInt.htm

 

Parents', teachers' page: Introduction for teachers, parents: NoviceGuard (PCB261) ModTeaInt.htm

 

(There are links to the general page from both.)

 

I am looking for suitable people to LOAN a prototype to, for comment. Details in both pages.

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  • 0

    Thank you, element14 members for at least looking at the page! (Ah, the joys of page tracking. Don't worry... just the referring site reported to me, not "who you are".)

     

    But I'm puzzled. Do people feel there's no point in bringing Arduinos to kids? No way to? (NoviceGuard is supposed to get rid of two of the biggest probems of starting kids on Arduinos!) Do you feel NoviceGuard won't do what I was trying to get done?

     

    (Private messages welcome, if you feel that what you have to say would be of no interest to the wider community. If you find you can't PM me for some reason, my email details are at the NoviceGuard page.

     

    While writing: While of course I CAN connect an Arduino to  few LEDs and pushbuttons with a breadboard and wires, I recently created software to control a loom... using just an Arduino Pro plugged into a NoviceGuard to do the development work. (The loom is 500 miles from where I am. It was a collaboration.)

     

    (Loom project: http://sheepdogguides.com/arduino/LoomA.htm

     

    ... ironic... any introductory computer course talks about looms as the first "programmable" machines, and here we are, 2015, bringing things full circle, and putting a computer in charge of a loom.)

  • 0 in reply to Former Member

    I hope you'll take this in the constructive spirit in which it's offered.

     

    I followed your link to the Parents/Teachers page and I've read some of the other stuff on your web site - and I'm still struggling to work out what you are offering here.

     

    To get people interested in using the board to help kids play with Arduinos you need to completely change the website:

     

    Show us in pictures in easy steps how kids can do something using your board. Put a comprehensive technical description and schematics in other pages with a link. Avoid using jargon.

     

    I can see you are disappointed that no one is noticing - its like going to the ball and no one asks you to dance - hide the tears and wear a nicer dress image

     

     

     

    MK

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  • 0 in reply to Former Member

    I hope you'll take this in the constructive spirit in which it's offered.

     

    I followed your link to the Parents/Teachers page and I've read some of the other stuff on your web site - and I'm still struggling to work out what you are offering here.

     

    To get people interested in using the board to help kids play with Arduinos you need to completely change the website:

     

    Show us in pictures in easy steps how kids can do something using your board. Put a comprehensive technical description and schematics in other pages with a link. Avoid using jargon.

     

    I can see you are disappointed that no one is noticing - its like going to the ball and no one asks you to dance - hide the tears and wear a nicer dress image

     

     

     

    MK

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