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PIPER COMPUTER

Everything you need to teach STEAM effectivly using the Piper Computer Kit.

Educator Guides StoryMode Project Guides PiperCode Project Guides
PIPER MAKE

Teach fundamental STEM skills while providing a bridge to career connected learning.

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EDUCATOR PORTAL

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ALL MAKE GUIDES


  1. Security Zone
  2. Ultrasonic Drum
  3. Resistor Piano
  4. Walker Race
  5. Walker Dance
  6. Walker Detect
  7. Runaway Rover
  8. Rover Sensor Steering

  1. Lighthouse
  2. Frog Frenzy
  3. Game Controller
  4. Minecraft Controller
  5. Retro Racer

  1. Security Zone
  2. Ultrasonic Drum
  3. Resistor Piano
  4. Ther-Mood-Stat
  5. Color Coded
  6. Pulse

  1. Beam Break
  2. Car Race
  3. Motion Ball

  1. Solar House
  2. Soil Sensor
  3. Air Guitar

  1. Light Show
  2. Light Show Animation

Make-A-Thon

PIPER MAKE

EDUCATOR GUIDES


YOU ARE HERE

Base expedition

Bonus Project 1 of 4

Base expedition: Mission 1 of 14

Security Zone


Beginner

1 hour

Grades 3 - 8

MISSION OBJECTIVE

Learn how to set off an alarm when an object breaches a set perimet

In this mission, you will help Piperbot and Pip detect when an object breaches a set perimeter using the Distance Sensor and sound an alarm. Ask students: “What do you think home security systems use as the sensor? What about smart doorbells?”

View student interface at make.playpiper.com
MISSION CHARACTERS

Piperbot

Pip
MISSION MATERIALS

Computer with USB port and Chrome or Edge browser
Piper Make Base Station

MISSION RESOURCES

Learning Goals

  1. Students will build a “security zone” around their Distance Sensor and sound an alarm when a Zomar breaches the zone.
  2. Students will learn to use if/then statements in code to create conditional statements.
  3. Students will understand how the Distance Sensor measures distance using sound waves reflected off objects.

Career Connections

Robotics Engineer: Salary $104,600/yr
Automotive Engineer: Salary $95,300/yr
Civil Engineer: Salary $88,050/yr
Electro-Mechanical and Mechtronics Technicians: Salary $60,570/yr

Hardware Diagram

Blueprint

DOWNLOAD BLUEPRINT

Have an different version? Look for more information on the Support Page.

Troubleshooting Tips

  • Is the Range Finder not measuring distance?
    • Pay extra attention to the wiring diagram for this one.
    • Verify all your electrical connections, including that your Pico is connected to your computer.
    • It is common for the connections to be off by 1 or 2 holes. We recommend going through each build to ensure the connections are correct.
    • Don’t worry! One of the wires (NC) does not need to be connected.
  • How does the Distance Sensor work?
    • The Distance Sensor emits sound waves and measures the time it takes for them to bounce back. Measuring this determines the distance.

Our customer support specialists are on hand to ensure your implementation of Piper runs seamlessly.
View Support Docs or Contact Support
Base EXPEDITION RESOURCES
  • Explanation of Pull Up and Pull Down
    What are Pull-Up and Pull-Down Resistors? Read this overview to learn more.
  • Google Teachable Machine
    A fast, easy way to create machine learning models for your sites, apps, and more – no expertise or coding required.
  • The Artificial Intelligence (AI) for K-12 initiative
    The initiative is developing national guidelines for AI education for K-12, an online, curated resource Directory to facilitate AI instruction, and a community of practitioners, researchers, resource and tool developers focused on the AI for K-12 audience.

Vocabulary Words

Circuit A conductive path for flow of current or electricity

Power The current or flow of electric charge and voltage

Microcontroller An integrated circuit that contains a microprocessor along with memory and associated circuits

Loops A sequence of instruction s that is continually repeated until a certain condition is reached

Variables A value that can change, depending on conditions or on information passed to the program

Input Device A hardware device that sends data to a computer, allowing interaction and control

Output Device A piece of hardware which converts information into a human-perceptible form

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Material Library

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Standards Alignment