#Hackpack resources and the community input

The #hackpack resources were created over the last few years by myself, Dan Aldred and Ben Davies. With other resources contributed from various others including Crazy Squeek and Elton Lane and . You can access it here:

https://github.com/ncscomputing/Hackpack/blob/master/Hackpack%20Anthology%20V1.1.pdf

My favourite and favourite at past RJams and when used in class has been "Forcefield" by Elton Lane. Page 60.

Ben Davies' Sonic Pi and Minecraft codes have always looked awesome but I have never had time to try out. That is changing at up coming Minecraft Raspberry Jam and Leamington Raspberry Jam. 

This would not have been as varied and rich in content without the community around the Raspberry Pi circuit. At last count it is over 200 pages long so it has lots of useful stuff in it KS 2/3 /4 appropriate.  Feel free to have a play :) 

P.s. credit where credit is due if I had not read about this half finished book by Craig Richardson then well this wouldn't exist :) 

link to his unfinished book https://arghbox.wordpress.com/2014/04/25/minecraft-pi-recipe-cards/

Link to his complete and very useful book to buy: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Learn-Program-Minecraft-Craig-Richardson/dp/1593276702

Furthermore 50-60% of my ideas usually stem from something that I have seen here:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Adventures-Minecraft-David-Whale/dp/111894691X/ref=pd_sbs_14_t_0?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=Y25KWYVTMCP93NS823E1

 or in this : http://www.stuffaboutcode.com/p/minecraft.html

 

Enjoy!

Visualising Temperature data in a more inspiring way without hitting the wall

See your temperature reading as a random wool wall or a wool spire(the spire code is taken from Craig Richardson's Book which you can buy here:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Learn-Program-Minecraft-Craig-Richardson/dp/1593276702


Here is the code for the wall and spire to work on both Sense hat and the Raspian emulator. Enjoy!


Sensehat temperature controlled spire:
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ncscomputing/Hackpack/master/SenseHatSpireMCPI.py

Sensehat temperature controlled wall:
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ncscomputing/Hackpack/master/SenseHatMCPIWALLV1.py

Sensehat emulator controlled wall:
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ncscomputing/Hackpack/Volume-5/sense%20emu%20wall.py

Sense hat emulator controlled spire:
https://github.com/ncscomputing/Hackpack/blob/master/SenseHatSpireMCPI.py

Below you can see what they do using the emulator:

Sense hat emulator temperature controlled random coloured wall: 25 x 25 blocks:  

Sense hat emulator temperature controlled random coloured wall: 6 x 6 blocks:

Sense hat emulator temperature controlled random coloured Spire: 6 blocks:

Sense hat emulator temperature controlled random coloured Spire: 16 blocks:

Rainbow Spiral using Minecraft Turtle from Martin O'Hanlon

For a while I have wanted a quick blast using Martin O'Hanlons Minecraft Turtle module. I've tweaked one of the examples a little bit to create a Rainbow Spiral. You can access Martins content here :

http://www.stuffaboutcode.com/2014/05/minecraft-graphics-turtle.html

You can access the tweaked example here:

https://github.com/ncscomputing/Hackpack/raw/Volume-5/turtle.tar

Here is what it creates:

You c

 

Whack a block triggering events in Minecraft

Yesterday I dug out the GuiZero menu that I had created to run some basic scripts I have created in Minecraft. I have dug a little deeper into the archive to just over a year ago. I put together Martin O'Hanlons MCPIstuff library and some further work by Dr Scott Turner which created a moving X Wing. In a nutshell my if you whack certain blocks it triggered certain events.

In summary when you run the Python script in 2.7 if you lay the blocks you see below it will trigger the following events:

• 46: TNT Random storm trooper
• 20: glass a Random rainbow wall
• 41:gold Rainbow Storm trooper
• 2:grass Clears the wall
• 47: bookshelf Launch Xwing.

You can download the files needed here:

https://github.com/ncscomputing/Hackpack/blob/Volume-5/WABSWS.tar

 
Enjoy!

GUIZero: experimental Minecraft Modding interface

A while back over half term I dug out some previous Minecraft code that I had done and glued them all into one file and created an experimental panel of buttons to trigger random mods in Minecraft. It uses the currently alpha version of Laura's / (@codeboom) GuiZero. I have to say its pretty neat the tiny bit of that I have used it. Here is a short video of what it currently does.....

You can download the script here:

https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ncscomputing/Hackpack/Volume-5/Pixel%20ART%20GUI.py

You can find out more about GuiZero here:

https://github.com/lawsie/guizero

Over!

EduBlocks Blog 2: Amen to walking blocks

EduBlocks

Josh "All about Code" has been at it again with Edu Blocks with adding some Sonic Pi functions through his Blockly interface. Which now means you can more easily create noise with your Minecraft Python programs. Love it! You can access the Xml code here to run it yourself on Edu Blocks. Link:
 https://github.com/ncscomputing/Hackpack/blob/Volume-5/AmenToWalkingBlocks.xml

Pixel Programmers: NCS Astro Pi team entry

The recent deadline for the ESA Astro Pi competition has passed. At the school I work at Nicholas Chamberlaine, we had a small group of lads who took part. They are called 'Pixel Programmers'. What they managed to produce was pretty cool.

It runs using the Sensehat Emulator, Minecraft and Python. It creates a graph in Minecraft and then reuses the graph demo for the sense hat emulator. It also logs the data in two lists. 

I think they have done a decent job with what little time they had. Try it out for yourself, well done lads!

 https://github.com/ncscomputing/Hackpack/blob/Volume-5/AstroPiNCS.tar   

Micro:bit and minecraft traffic lights

Back in February at Leamington Raspberry Jam we created traffic lights with neopixels and Micro:bits and later creating Micro:bit triggered traffic lights in Minecraft. Here is the worksheet so you can have a go yourself: 

https://github.com/ncscomputing/Hackpack/blob/Volume-5/Microbit%20Traffic%20lights.docx

P.s. you will also need the Minecraft traffic light script to complete the second task on the sheet here it is: 

https://github.com/ncscomputing/Hackpack/blob/Volume-5/MCPITrafficLights.py

Enjoy :)

Raspberry Jam in a zip file literally!!

During the first five Jams I created and curated a zip file full of files that stood me good stead over the first few Raspberry Jams. It was really easy to transfer straight onto the Pi's. Mostly contains Minecraft coding tasks with some Sonic Pi written by Ben Davies.

If you are thinking about running a Jam but do not know where to start this should help you out :) here is the link. It also contains hackpack volumes 1-4. Link https://drive.google.com/a/nicholaschamberlaine.co.uk/file/d/0B2ICknEY6ZXtM2k4WEdBUXJzQjg/view?usp=docslist_api

I hope its useful :)

Over