The Story
We have all used our thumb and index finger to pretend to shoot something. Numerous people have made their own sci-fi “gun” for cosplay. However, I wanted to take this to the next level. I wanted to create a “gun-less” blaster. When I point my finger and flex my thumb I want lights and sound. In addition, I want to be able to get lights and sound when I raise my hand to use my psychic powers.
I settled on a Circuit Playground express as the platform of choice. The size nestles in the palm of my hand very neatly. The buttons make for easy controls that I can press simply by curling my fingers into my palm.
In the simplest form, this can all be accomplished with these:
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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 7pm ET! To join, head over to YouTube and check out the show’s live chat – we’ll post the link there.
