Have you already made this project or a remix of this project? Let us know! We want to see all the creative ways you’ve been using Circuit Playground this month. Share your projects on social media or on our #AdafruitExtraCredit channel on Discord for the community at large to see with #AdafruitExtraCredit #CircuitPlayground and submit them at Adafruit.com/ExtraCredit!
In this guide we’ll go through the steps to create an hourglass style timer with your Circuit Playground.
An hourglass is an ancient timing device used to measure a fixed amount of time. It contains two chambers separated by a thin neck that allows sand to pass from one chamber to the other very slowly. The overall size and amount of sand determines the amount of time. Once all the sand has emptied into one side, the hourglass is simply inverted to start counting time again.
Here, we’ll use the NeoPixels on the Circuit Playground to represent the grains of sand in an hourglass, having them “disappear” one at a time by turning them off. We can even have the hourglass “reset” by turning the Circuit Playground over. We’ll build this up one step at a time and walk through each one.
This August we’d like to see all of your Circuit Playground projects. Whether you’re just starting out or a seasoned pro, regardless of how recently you completed a project with Circuit Playground, share it on Facebook, G+, Instagram, Pinterest or Twitter with #AdafruitExtraCredit #CircuitPlayground and submit it at Adafruit.com/ExtraCredit for a chance to have your project featured on the Adafruit Blog and maybe even a surprise Adafruit treat!
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Stop breadboarding and soldering – start making immediately! Adafruit’s Circuit Playground is jam-packed with LEDs, sensors, buttons, alligator clip pads and more. Build projects with Circuit Playground in a few minutes with the drag-and-drop MakeCode programming site, learn computer science using the CS Discoveries class on code.org, jump into CircuitPython to learn Python and hardware together, TinyGO, or even use the Arduino IDE. Circuit Playground Express is the newest and best Circuit Playground board, with support for CircuitPython, MakeCode, and Arduino. It has a powerful processor, 10 NeoPixels, mini speaker, InfraRed receive and transmit, two buttons, a switch, 14 alligator clip pads, and lots of sensors: capacitive touch, IR proximity, temperature, light, motion and sound. A whole wide world of electronics and coding is waiting for you, and it fits in the palm of your hand.
Have an amazing project to share? The Electronics Show and Tell is every Wednesday at 7:30pm ET! To join, head over to YouTube and check out the show’s live chat and our Discord!
Python for Microcontrollers – Adafruit Daily — Python on Microcontrollers Newsletter: The latest on Raspberry Pi RP2350-E9, Bluetooth 6, 4,000 Stars and more! #CircuitPython #Python #micropython @ThePSF @Raspberry_Pi
EYE on NPI – Adafruit Daily — EYE on NPI Maxim’s Himalaya uSLIC Step-Down Power Module #EyeOnNPI @maximintegrated @digikey