Jammy blog: August 2017

Friday, 18 August 2017

Sense Hat pixel art V1

Two weeks today is the first Nuneaton Raspberry Jam in the local library. Get your tickets here (
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/nuneaton-raspberry-jam-tickets-36625343388
) We will be using the sense hat emulator on the pi to create sense hat sparkles and the some pi pixel art based on the demo code from trink.io (the link to their site is listed below) I have cut down and adapted their demo to simplify and inject a bit of disco :).

Here is the code for the sense hat / online emulator:

"""
to run on the pi based emulator change the 1st import statement to
from sense_emu import SenseHat
"""

from sense_hat import SenseHat
import time
import random

s = SenseHat()
s.low_light = False

green = (0, 255, 0)
yellow = (255, 255, 0)
blue = (0, 0, 255)
red = (255, 0, 0)
white = (255,255,255)
nothing = (0,0,0)
pink = (255,105, 180)

ColourList = [green,yellow,blue,red,white,pink]

def raspi_logo():
G = green
R = red
O = nothing
logo = [
O, G, G, O, O, G, G, O,
O, O, G, G, G, G, O, O,
O, O, R, R, R, R, O, O,
O, R, R, R, R, R, R, O,
R, R, R, R, R, R, R, R,
R, R, R, R, R, R, R, R,
O, R, R, R, R, R, R, O,
O, O, R, R, R, R, O, O,
]
return logo

def raspi_logo_random():
G = random.choice(ColourList)
R = random.choice(ColourList)
O = random.choice(ColourList)
logo = [
O, G, G, O, O, G, G, O,
O, O, G, G, G, G, O, O,
O, O, R, R, R, R, O, O,
O, R, R, R, R, R, R, O,
R, R, R, R, R, R, R, R,
R, R, R, R, R, R, R, R,
O, R, R, R, R, R, R, O,
O, O, R, R, R, R, O, O,
]
return logo

def heart():
P = pink
O = nothing
logo = [
O, O, O, O, O, O, O, O,
O, P, P, O, P, P, O, O,
P, P, P, P, P, P, P, O,
P, P, P, P, P, P, P, O,
O, P, P, P, P, P, O, O,
O, O, P, P, P, O, O, O,
O, O, O, P, O, O, O, O,
O, O, O, O, O, O, O, O,
]
return logo

while True:
s.set_pixels(raspi_logo())#images[count % len(images)]())
time.sleep(0.75)
s.set_pixels(raspi_logo_random())
time.sleep(0.75)
#count += 1

Here is a link to show you how the pixel Pi logo works:
https://twitter.com/Warksraspijam/status/898468180477214722

Here is the emulator that I used :
https://trinket.io/sense-hat

Here is the code in action:

Enjoy :)

Wednesday, 9 August 2017

BitIO Blog 6: 'Touching pins....takes you places'

Part 2: Touching pins.....takes you places.

This takes the basic 'touched.py' demo from David Whales BitIO master available here:

https://github.com/whaleygeek/bitio/blob/master/src/touched.py

As ever if you have not quite noticed may playground is Minecraft. This version builds on from the previous blog about 'touching pins'
(http://warksjammy.blogspot.co.uk/2017/08/bitio-blog-5-touch-pins.html)

In this version you will touch a Micro:bit pin 0-2 and either:

pin 0- build the world map in Minecraft.
pin 1- teleport to England.
pin 2- teleport to the USA.

To "touch a pin" you will need to touch pin 0 for example with one finger and complete the circuit by touching the 'gnd' pin and then the code will work.

Here is a link to a video of what touching pins basic code does:
https://twitter.com/Warksraspijam/status/895355608404242436

Here is a photo of how it will look:

Here is the link to the simple version code:

Teleportation and pin reading code

https://github.com/ncscomputing/HpAnthologyV2/blob/master/Touching%20pins%20takes%20you%20places.py

Build world code:

https://github.com/ncscomputing/HpAnthologyV2/blob/master/BuildWorldDM.py

Data file:

https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ncscomputing/HpAnthologyV2/master/world3.txt

Credit Damien Mooney's world building code:

https://damianmooney.wordpress.com/2016/02/16/raspberry-pi-minecraft-iss-tracker/

Instructions:
1. Plug your Micro:bit into the Pi/PC.
2. Ensure that you have read blog 1:
http://warksjammy.blogspot.co.uk/2017/07/blog-1-getting-started-with-bitio.html
and downloaded the BitIO master files from David Whales github

3. Go into the 'Bitio master' folder, find the 'src' folder
4. Create a new Python 3 script.
5. Call it "touching pins takes you places.py"
6. Type in the following code:

Code

# touched.py - demonstrates using pin touch

import microbit

from mcpi import minecraft as minecraft
from mcpi import block as block
from datetime import datetime
import time
import serial
import random
import BuildWorldDM as bw

WoolList =[0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15]
EngX = 1.0
EngZ = 50.0

UsaX = 53.8
UsaZ = 39.7
 
mc = minecraft.Minecraft.create()
  
def Teleport(x,z,Country):
    mc.player.setPos(x,20,z)
    mc.camera.setFollow()
    mc.setBlock(x,1, z,35,random.choice(WoolList))
    mc.postToChat(Country)


while True:
    time.sleep(1)
    if microbit.pin0.is_touched():
        print("Pin 0 touched, build world")
        bw.Build()
    elif microbit.pin1.is_touched():
        print("Pin 1 touched, teleport to England")
        Teleport(EngX,EngZ,"England")
    elif microbit.pin2.is_touched():
        print("Pin 2 touched, teleport to the USA") 
        Teleport(UsaX,UsaZ,"USA")

8. Open Minecraft, create a new world.
9. Run the code by pressing f5.
10. Try touching pin 0, what happens. Now try pin 1 and 2.

Extension:
Try adding in extra countries.

You can now download a pdf version of these tutorials as part of the updated #hackpack resource booklet here:
https://github.com/ncscomputing/HpAnthologyV2/raw/master/Hackpack%20Anthology%20V2%200.3.pdf

BitIO blog 5: Touch the pins......

Part 1: Touching pins.....dropping blocks

This takes the basic 'touched.py' demo from David Whales BitIO master available here:

https://github.com/whaleygeek/bitio/blob/master/src/touched.py

As ever if you have not quite noticed may playground is Minecraft. So in this simple version you will drop different wool blocks according to the pin that you touch. To "touch a pin" you will need to touch the metal end of the cable attached to the pin and then touch the ground pin to complete the circuit and for the code to work. It took me ten minutes to figure this out.

Here is a link to a video of what touching pins basic code does:

https://twitter.com/Warksraspijam/status/894975273124458496

Here is a photo of how the pins were set up during the video:

Here is the link to the simple version code:

https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ncscomputing/HpAnthologyV2/master/Touched%20Simple.py

Instructions:
1. Set up the 3 cables as above on the Micro:bit
2. Plug your Micro:bit into the Pi/PC.
3. Ensure that you have read blog 1:
http://warksjammy.blogspot.co.uk/2017/07/blog-1-getting-started-with-bitio.html
and downloaded the BitIO master files from David Whales github

4. Go into the 'Bitio master' folder, find the 'src' folder
5. Create a new Python 3 script.6. Call it "touched_simple.py"
7. Type in the following code:

Code

# touched.py - demonstrates using pin touch

import microbit
from mcpi import minecraft as minecraft
from mcpi import block as block
import time
import random

WoolList = [0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15]

 
mc = minecraft.Minecraft.create()
 

while True:
    
    time.sleep(1)
    if microbit.pin0.is_touched():
        msg = "Pin 0 touched, Wool block colour 0"
        print(msg)
        mc.postToChat(msg)
        pos = mc.player.getTilePos()
        mc.setBlock(pos.x, pos.y-1, pos.z,35,0)
    if microbit.pin1.is_touched():
        msg = "Pin 1 touched, Wool block colour 1"
        print(msg)
        mc.postToChat(msg)
        pos = mc.player.getTilePos()
        mc.setBlock(pos.x, pos.y-1, pos.z,35,1)
    if microbit.pin2.is_touched():
        msg = "Pin 2 touched, Wool block colour 2"
        print(msg)
        mc.postToChat(msg)
        pos = mc.player.getTilePos()

mc.setBlock(pos.x, pos.y-1, pos.z,35,2)

8. Open Minecraft, create a new world.
9. Run the code by pressing f5.
10. Try touching pin 0, what happens.

Extension:
Try changing the block ID's

You can now download a pdf version of these tutorials as part of the updated #hackpack resource booklet here:
https://github.com/ncscomputing/HpAnthologyV2/raw/master/Hackpack%20Anthology%20V2%200.3.pdf

Sunday, 6 August 2017

BitIO tutorial 4:Tilt me ‘Around the World’

This takes the basic 'tilt_mc.py' demo from David Whales BitIO master available here:
https://github.com/whaleygeek/bitio

Credit to Damien Mooney for the world rendering script:
https://damianmooney.wordpress.com/2016/02/16/raspberry-pi-minecraft-iss-tracker/

In the second blog and third blog I extended the basic demo to drop random wool blocks where ever you tilted the Micro:bit and in tutorial three I extended this to lay a road of sorts.

Blog 2
(http://warksjammy.blogspot.co.uk/2017/07/blog-2-extending-accelerometer-demo.html)

Blog 3

http://warksjammy.blogspot.co.uk/2017/07/bitio-blog-3-extending-accelerometer.html

In this blog post we will hike up the challenge to combine both push buttons in addition to the accelerometer.

Section 1 of the code:

If you press the a button on the Micro:bit then a data file is read and world map is then rendered into the Minecraft world. You can then use the accelerometer to navigate the character around the map by tilting the Micro:bit.

Here is a video to show this in action:

https://twitter.com/ncscomputing/status/885213278007328772

Section 2 of the code:
If you press the B button then the character teleport's to predetermined locations on the map. Here is a video of this in action:

https://twitter.com/Warksraspijam/status/894492363330113540

Here are some static images:

The files you will need are here should you not want to code the BitIO python file:

Files:

World map data file:

https://github.com/ncscomputing/HpAnthologyV2/blob/master/world3.txt

Build world library:

https://github.com/ncscomputing/HpAnthologyV2/blob/master/BuildWorldDM.py

BitIO file:
https://github.com/ncscomputing/HpAnthologyV2/blob/master/blog4AWACC.py

If you do want to have a go at making the BitIO file then here are your instructions:

This is what the code will do:

Instructions
1. Ensure that you have read blog 1:
http://warksjammy.blogspot.co.uk/2017/07/blog-1-getting-started-with-bitio.html
and downloaded the BitIO master files from David Whales github

2. Go into the 'Bitio master' folder, find the 'src' folder and save 'World map data file' and 'Build world library' from the links above into that folder.

3. Create a new Python 3 script and type out the following:

Code

#“Written by : @ncscomputing /@warksraspijam”
 
from mcpi import minecraft as minecraft
from mcpi import block as block
from datetime import datetime
import time
import random
import BuildWorldDM as bw

###
"""
Written by @ncscomputing on top of the bitio produced by David Whale
https://github.com/whaleygeek/bitio

world building code imported library from Damien Mooney's blog:
https://damianmooney.wordpress.com/2016/02/16/raspberry-pi-minecraft-iss-tracker/

"""
import serial
from mcpi.minecraft import Minecraft
import time
from mcpi import block as block
import random


mc = Minecraft.create()


# button.py - demonstrates using a button

import microbit

print("micro:bit connected - press button A to test")
WoolList = [0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15]
 
EngX = 1.0
EngZ = 50.0
 
UsaX =  53.8
UsaZ = 39.7
 
CanadaX = 59.0
CanadaZ = 61.3
 
IceLandX = 10.0
IceLandZ = 61.1



def Teleport(x,z,Country):
    mc.player.setPos(x,20,z)
    mc.camera.setFollow()
    mc.setBlock(x,1, z,35,random.choice(WoolList))
    mc.postToChat(Country)

while True:
    time.sleep(0.25)
    #=======buildworld call when a button pressed
    if microbit.button_a.was_pressed():
        mc.postToChat("Button A pressed: build world")    
        print("Button A pressed: build world")

        bw.Build()
        time.sleep(2)
 
        microbit.display.show("build world")


    # manual teleport using acceleromter readings
    pos = mc.player.getTilePos()
    x = microbit.accelerometer.get_x()/300 # -ve=left/+ve=right
    y = microbit.accelerometer.get_y()/300 # -ve=forward/+ve=backward

    pos.x += x # east/west
    pos.z += y # north/south

    mc.player.setTilePos(pos.x, pos.y, pos.z) # set player position

    #time.sleep(0.5)
    #=========
    if microbit.button_b.was_pressed(): 
        print ("Button B pressed: Manual teleport")
        mc.postToChat("Button B pressed: Teleport")  
        time.sleep(0.5)
        Teleport(EngX,EngZ,"England")
        time.sleep(8)
        Teleport(UsaX,UsaZ,"USA")
        time.sleep(8)
        Teleport(CanadaX,CanadaZ,"Canada")
        time.sleep(8)
        Teleport(IceLandX,IceLandZ,"Iceland")
        time.sleep(8)

4. Save it as something.py in the same 'src' folder as the previous files.
5. Open Minecraft, create a new world.
6. Make sure your Micro:bit is plugged in to your PC/Pi.
7. Run the python file that you created above.
8. Try pressing the 'a' button let it build the world map.
9. Try using tilting the Micro:bit to see if you can navigate around the world map.
10. Now try and press the 'b' button and see if the teleportation works.

Extension:

Try extending the teleportation code to go to extra countries on the word tour.

Enjoy :)

You can now download a pdf version of these tutorials as part of the updated #hackpack resource booklet here:

https://github.com/ncscomputing/HpAnthologyV2/raw/master/Hackpack%20Anthology%20V2%200.3.pdf