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This article or section documents something not included in the current version of Scratch (3.0). It is only useful from a historical perspective. |
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- This article is about the sensor board. For the extension, see PicoBoard Blocks.
A PicoBoard was a piece of hardware that allowed Scratch projects to interact with the outside world. Currently, it works on Scratch 1.4 and Scratch 2.0. It was discontinued in Scratch 3.0, with the new extensions being favored more. The PicoBoard could be ordered from SparkFun, but has been discontinued. The schematics and additional information are also available on that site. It was previously called ScratchBoard. The Connecting to the Physical World forum is a place dedicated to discussions about real-world Scratch sensors.
 Note: | PicoBoards are not for sale anymore, as they have been replaced by new extensions. |
Blocks Used with the PicoBoard
- Main article: PicoBoard Blocks
| Note: | Click on a block to visit its individual wiki page. |
when [button pressed v] :: hat extension([slider v] sensor value:: extension)<sensor [button pressed v]?:: extension>When [slider v] [> v] (50):: hat extension
The blocks for PicoBoards each had at least one drop-down menu with other options (see right).
Features
The PicoBoard had the following features:
- Slider: Controls the slider value.
- Light Sensor: Changes the light sensor value depending on the amount of light it detects.
- Button: Can be pressed to control the button pressed value (true or false).
- Sound Sensor: Changes the sound value depending on the amount of sound it detects.
- Alligator Clips: Changes the value of various variables that detect whether the alligator clips are connected, and how much resistance each connection has.
Setting up a PicoBoard
To set up a PicoBoard, one could follow these steps:
- Get/buy a PicoBoard.
- Download the appropriate driver depending on whether the PicoBoard is a Serial or USB PicoBoard (all PicoBoards sold after June 2009 are USB PicoBoards).[1]
- Plug the PicoBoard into the computer.
- Read Getting Started with PicoBoards.[dead link]
Buying
A PicoBoard was previously available to buy here, but have since been discontinued by SparkFun. They cost about $45 USD, and international shipping was $7.
| Note: | PicoBoards cannot be bought anymore. |
PicoBoard Starter Kit
The PicoBoard Starter Kit was a kit for the PicoBoard. It cannot be purchased anymore, as SparkFun has retired it.[2] It included:
- 1× PicoBoard
- 1× Gear Hobby Motor
- 1× Red Concave Button
- 1× Green Concave Button
- 1× Toggle Switch
- 1× Linear 10k Ohm Rotary Potentiometer
- 1× Square Force Sensitive Resistor
- 1× 0.709" Magnet Disk
- 1× Insulated Reed Switch
- 1× 10K Thermistor
- 4× Tall Silicone Bumpers
- 4× 2.5mm Audio Cable to Dual Alligator Clips
- 10× Multicolored Alligator Test Leads
- 10× 20 AWG 6" M/M Jumper Wires
Buying
| Note: | PicoBoard Starter Kits cannot be bought anymore. |
