2024/01/23 by Andrea Bianchi, Kongpyung Moon, Artem Dementyev +1 · 1 voice · 1 citation
Engineering · Computer Science · #Experimental Learning in Engineering #Electrowetting and Microfluidic Technologies #Teaching and Learning Programming
paper · pdf · doi:10.1016/j.ohx.2024.e00511
openalex publication_date 2024/01/23 · openalex created_date 2024/01/24 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
Motivated by the necessity of guiding and monitoring students when assembling electronic circuits during in-class activities, we propose BlinkBoard , an augmented breadboard that enhances synchronous and remote physical computing classes. BlinkBoard uses LEDs placed on each row of a breadboard to guide, via four distinct blinking patterns, how to place and connect components and wires. It also uses a set of Input/Output pins to sense voltage levels or to generate voltage output at user-specified rows. Our hardware uses an open protocol of JSON commands and responses that can be used directly via a command line interface to control the hardware. Alternatively, these commands can be issued within a front-end graphical application hosted on a computer for a more user-friendly interface, and to ensure bidirectional and real-time communication between the instructor's guiding and monitoring panel, and all the students' remote BlinkBoards . The BlinkBoard hardware is affordable and simple, partially due to a customized circuit configured via a hardware description language that handles the LEDs' patterns with minimal load on the Arduino microcontroller. Finally, we briefly show BlinkBoard in use during a workshop with high-school students and an undergraduate design course.