Digital Sandbox

DEV-12651 RoHS Open Source Hardware

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Skills

Digital Sandbox Experiment Guide

Digital Sandbox Arduino Companion

DigitalSandbox PicoBoard

Digital Sandbox

DEV-12651 RoHS Open Source Hardware

Description: The Digital Sandbox (DS) is a learning platform that engages both the software and hardware worlds. It’s powered by a microcontroller that can interact with real-world inputs – like light or temperature sensors – while at the same time controlling LEDs, motors, and other outputs. The Digital Sandbox is equipped with everything, on board, that you will need to complete 13 experiments including controlling an LED, measuring how loud things are, detecting what the temperature is, and more. Think of this as a SparkFun Inventor’s Kit all in one board!

By interfacing the Sandbox to your computer via a USB cable, the Sandbox can be programmed using the popular Arduino programming environment. To further simplify the learning experience, we’ve designed the Sandbox and its guide around using a simple, “blocky”, programming add-on to Arduino called, Ardublock. Using ArduBlock – a simple, graphical version of the popular Arduino programming language – you will be able to program all of the experiments with a simple graphical interface instead of writing code.

The full-color Digital Sandbox Guide (included) contains step by step instructions of how to connect each circuit with the included parts. Full example code is provided and explained and even includes troubleshooting tips if something goes wrong. The kit does not require any soldering and is recommended for beginners ages 8 and up.

Note: There are three additional circuit experiments included in the DS Guide that will require the Digital Sandbox Add-On pack.

Circuit Experiments:

Circuit 1: Exploring Blink
Circuit 2: Multi-Blink
Circuit 3: Dimming (the Hard Way)
Circuit 4: Dimming (the Easy Way)
Circuit 5: Color Mixing
Circuit 6: Number Storage with Variables
Circuit 7: If This, Then That
Circuit 8: The Reaction Tester
Circuit 9: Serial Calculator
Circuit 10: Do the Analog Slide
Circuit 11: Automatic Night Light
Circuit 12: Thermal Alert!
Circuit 13: Sound Detecting

Included in Kit:

1x Digital Sandbox Board
1x Clear Acrylic Baseplate
1x USB Mini-B Cable - 6ft
1x Instruction Manual
4x Phillips Machine Screw - 4-40, 3/8"
4x Standoff - 4-40, 3/8"

Included on Board:

LED Bar Graph
Slide Switch
Temperature Sensor
Light Sensor
RGB LED
Slide Potentiometer
Microphone
Push Button
3-pin Add-On Header

Documents:

Schematic
Eagle Files
Digital Sandbox Guide
Experiment Guide
Experiment Guide (Arduino Companion)
DS Guide (Separate Circuits)
ArduBlock & Digital Sandbox Examples:
- Windows
- Mac OS X
GitHub (Example Code & Design Files)
Product Video

Comments 28
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Idkradio / about 3 months ago / 4

This is such a great idea. I have some younger kids who wanted to play around with arduino stuff but got fairly overwhelmed with the hardware side of things. This will let them explore it without having to worry about it. Also since you use blocky its even easier for them to get started. Nice job as always sparkfun.
Member #480667 / about 3 months ago / 1

The designing is very good.
Member #480667 / about 3 months ago / 1

I love this kit !!!!
TheCentaur / about 3 months ago / 1

Curious. S3 On/off switch on the schematic… Switching VCC between 5V and VBATT. Hows that on/off? What I miss?
- rsp / about 3 months ago / 1
  
  S3 is on/off when the USB is disconnected. When USB is plugged in, you can’t turn this puppy off.
  - RobertC. / about 2 months ago / 1
    
    well, technically you can turn it off by unplugging the USB ;-)
Member #161556 / about 3 months ago / 1

Just a thought having looked at the schematic, the design assumes sane output selection. While I love the concept here of getting a class straight into Arduino without having slow everybody down while you double and triple check all the wiring there are no limiting resistors on the pins intended as inputs so you can still set pinmode, press the switch and break a $70 board

While a big fan of learning by letting the smoke out I normally only stand back and watch when it’s single LEDS and such that get binned afterwards.

I’m voting for the addition of a smattering of 125 ohm resistors on the next revision for a slightly less fraught class room experience.
- SFUptownMaker / about 3 months ago / 1
  
  I don’t understand the concern, here. Input pins on an Atmega328P have a high impedance Schmitt-trigger buffer on them; so long as the input signal doesn’t violate the supply limits (which isn’t really possible, under normal classroom usage using the USB power), adding a 125-ohm resistor isn’t going to do anything. The Schmitt-trigger buffer will also prevent them from loitering in the high-current crowbar zone in the case of an analog input in the nebulous voltage range, and a resistor wouldn’t help with that anyway.
  
  For that matter, setting any of the pins to an output and driving them high or low will also completely fail to damage any element of the board.
  - PickledDog / about 2 months ago / 1
    
    I’m concerned for the peripherals here. I speak from experience as a klutz who has a habit of destroying TSOP38238’s. A cheap part, thankfully… Set your input pin to output with these, and the internal output transistor burns up in seconds. It kept happening because of libraries that surprised me by using pins I wasn’t aware of, and having the wrong sketch loaded on a board. Surely setting A1 to output will kill the phototransistor? Does the MCP9700 tolerate having it’s output pulled high/low by something else?
  - Tom Davies / about 2 months ago / 1
    
    I thought that setting a pin to output, high and shorting to ground (or output, low shorted to Vcc) would damage the ATmega, as the data sheet says that the absolute maximum current per IO pin is 40mA? e.g. on this board setting PB4 as an output, low, and pressing the button?
mrscott19 / about 3 months ago / 1

This is exactly what I thought of the first time I saw the proto-snap boards. They have been a great learning experience for me, but this is now a much better path for beginners.
- NCOSE / about 3 months ago / 1
  
  This was my thought as well - it seems that the ProtoSnap / LilyPad Development Board has all the advantages of this board (no wiring, etc), is $15 cheaper and when you are done learning, you can break it apart and create some e-textiles. The Digital Sandbox has more/different bells and whistles but I would think they would be fairly close if Sparkfun published a LilyPad ProtoSnap Guide. Comparisons aside, the Digital Sandbox is still very cool and I will definitely get one.
  - SFUptownMaker / about 3 months ago / 1
    
    This board was actually designed to replace that one in an educational setting. Our EDU department was using the LilyPad dev board to teach classes, but it has a few major disadvantages. The USB-serial bridge isn’t built-in, so that’s a possible “pinch point” in the process. It didn’t have all the things we wanted to use to explain stuff to people.
    
    Most significantly, though, more than one student immediately started breaking the board apart before the lesson began. We wanted something that could be used and reused for many, many classes in an educational setting.
Member #141410 / about 3 months ago / 1

Costs more than a UNO and does less. To expensive for what it can do; $20.00 is a better price.
- RobertC. / about 3 months ago / 3
  
  completely different products. an UNO doesn’t have any onboard hardware.
LightManCA / about 3 months ago / 1

Very cool!

Curious why you routed out the space between the different components? Just to have them stand out more? It does make it look better than a standard board. They almost look like a proto snap board, I’m guessing you didn’t do a protosnap board because it adds to the complexity of the product (plus what happens for a newbie when the parts break off).

Are all the arduino pins used?
- CaseyTheRobot / about 3 months ago / 1
  
  We wanted to route the board to give it something different to look at. Originally EDU was using proto snaps in the classrooms, but students kept snapping them apart. All of the arduino pins are used. There is a handy 4 pin header at the top that expands out the I2C port or two extra ADC channels (VCC and GND included).
Member #578640 / about 3 months ago / 1

This looks like a great kit for the beginner- I wish I had procrastinated just a couple of more days before ordering a bunch of beginner Sparkfun Arduino stuff. I might go for this anyway…great job on the interface, board design and accompanying documentation.
bsteinbach / about 3 months ago / 1

Looks great! Will this be combined with the add-on pack and a case for educators?
- neurdy / about 3 months ago / 1
  
  We are working up the LabPack (educator) version as I type - stay tuned!
  - bsteinbach / about 3 months ago / 1
    
    Woohoo! Will it be a full set of 20 or can we buy individual kits like the SIK? I need a set of 6 for my classroom and would love to have them for the beginning of the school year.
    - neurdy / about 3 months ago / 1
      
      The LabPack will be a full set though we are currently working on the quantities included and if we will include the add-ons. If you’re looking to purchase 6 kits I would say your best bet is to purchase individual kits. Also, if you’re not already in the system as an educator (20% discount), contact eservice@sparkfun.com to get setup!
Sleepwalker3 / about 3 months ago / 1

Yeah, but does it come with sand or is that extra? How about a bucket and spade?
- Youblob.com / about 3 months ago / 3
  
  …all you need is the S.H.O.V.E.L. The faboulus Sparkfun spork
- Nate / about 3 months ago / 1
  
  We haven’t quite figured out how to make electronics with wet sand but the SHOVEL will be the corner stone of that kit if we ever get there ;)
PickledDog / about 3 months ago / 1

That is some really creative routing! I love the microphone :)
- CaseyTheRobot / about 3 months ago / 1
  
  Thanks! I wonder how many kids will recognize that style of microphone.
  - jweather / about 2 months ago / 1
    
    Everyone will recognize it as the iPhone Voice Memos icon… at least until iOS7 got rid of it!