Gumball Room Sign

From The Amazing World of Gumball!

Make sure everyone knows whose room it is, even at night with this Amazing World of Gumball glow-in-the-dark Room Sign that alerts you when it hears a noise outside your door.

Prepare

This project

Level: Easy
Duration: 30 minutes
Flipgrid: https://flipgrid.com/bf121bf3

Materials

Collect the materials in the list before starting your project Make.

• Adafruit Circuit Playground Express Base Kit
• Small Chalkboard Sign – something like https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LY8TVV7/
• Bright colored chalk markers – something like https://www.amazon.com/Crafty-Croc-Markers-Colored-Reversible/dp/B011KQVV3C/
• Color printer and paper
• Tape (masking, duct tape, or packing tape)
• Scissors
• Jewels, stickers, or other decorations

Make

Step 1: Print out the Amazing World of Gumball logo

You can either print out the image below, or draw your own rainbow on the chalkboard.

Step 2: Cut out the Rainbow

If you’ve printed out the Rainbow, then using scissors, cut out The Amazing World of Gumball logo.

Step 3: Tape Rainbow onto Chalkboard

Tape The Amazing World of Gumball logo onto the chalkboard. Or draw your own Gumball Rainbow logo on the chalkboard.

Step 4: Attach the Adafruit Circuit Playground Express

Use a small piece of tape, roll it inside out to form a loop so that the sticky side is on the outside. Attach the tape to the back of the Adafruit Circuit Playground Express board and affix it to your Chalkboard.

Make sure the Adafruit Circuit Playground Express is placed so that the battery connector is at the bottom, to make it easier to connect the battery pack.

Step 5: Attach the Battery pack

Insert the batteries into the battery pack.

Using the wire, connect the battery pack to the Adafruit Circuit Playground Express.

Use a piece of tape to attach the battery pack to the back of the chalkboard. Note – if your battery pack includes a clip on the back, you may consider removing that. Make sure you don’t tape over the On/Off switch on your battery pack.

Step 6: Write your name and decorate Chalkboard

Using the chalk markers, write your name on your Room Sign.

Step 7: Decorate with jewels, stickers or your favorite Gumball characters!

Complete!

Congratulations! You have made your own Gumball Room Sign!

Move on to the next section to code your Room Sign.

Code

Code your Room Sign to play a sound and show an animation when you clap, snap or make a loud sound.

Concepts

• Sound Sensor
• Animation
• Buttons

Blocks

input.onLoudSound(function () {})
music.magicWand.play()
light.showAnimation(light.rainbowAnimation, 500)
input.buttonA.onEvent(ButtonEvent.Click, function () {})
light.clear()

Step 1: Add an On Loud Sound block

Open MakeCode in your web browser.

• Click on New Project

• Name your Project as RoomSign (note – you don’t need to click the Save button, just type the name).

• From the ||input:INPUT|| Toolbox drawer, drag out an ||input:on loud sound|| block onto the Workspace (note – you can ignore or delete the existing ||loops:forever|| block on the workspace. Delete blocks by dragging them back over to the Toolbox menu).

Step 2: Play a Sound

• From the ||music:MUSIC|| Toolbox drawer, drag out a ||music:play sound|| block to the coding Workspace, and drop it into the ||input:on loud sound|| block.
• In the ||music:play sound|| block, click on the drop-down menu to select a sound of your choice.

Step 3: Show an animation

• From the ||light:LIGHT|| Toolbox drawer, drag out a ||light:show animation|| block to the coding Workspace, and drop it into the ||input:on loud sound|| block, right after the ||music:play sound|| block.
• In the ||light:show animation|| block, click on the animation drop-down menu to select your preferred animation.

• In the ||light:show animation|| block, click on the number drop-down menu and select 2 seconds (2000 milliseconds).

Step 4: Turn off lights when you press a button

• From the ||input:INPUT|| Toolbox drawer, drag out an ||input:on button A click|| block onto the Workspace.

From the ||light:LIGHT|| Toolbox drawer, scroll down to find the ||light:clear|| block and drag out onto the Workspace, and drop into the ||input:on button A click|| block.

input.buttonA.onEvent(ButtonEvent.Click, function () {
    light.clear()
})
input.onLoudSound(function () {
    music.magicWand.play()
    light.showAnimation(light.rainbowAnimation, 500)
})

Step 5: Download

Test your program in the Simulator by changing the volume dial and clicking on button A.

Once you’re happy with your program, click the Download button and follow the instructions to download the code to your Adafruit Circuit Playground Express.