Designing and Crafting Alarm Systems
30-60 min
Ages 8+
What Will You Make?
You will learn to code an alarm that will sound when you press the paperclip to the brass fastener.
Note: This is a project for students who’ve finished the Beginner Level Makey Makey class or makers who already have basic knowledge about Makey Makey.
You may want to try these projects first:
- Create a Controller to Plug and Play!
- Fruit Piano
- Draw a Playable Instrument
- Makey Makey Interactive Poster
- Creating a Guitar in Scratch
This project also uses elements from:
What Will You Learn?
You’ll learn to code alarms with the Makey Makey, and be challenged to design your own alarm system.
Coding an Alarm System- Momentary Switch
Step 1
Grab your paper clip push button switch, and let’s learn how to code it in Scratch!
Step 2
You need to code an alarm that will sound when you press the paperclip to the brass fastener. It isn’t too difficult, but you will need a quick trick to make sure the alarm only sounds when you complete the circuit!
To trigger your alarm sound, it’s really pretty easy to code! You need an if/else statement nestled into a forever loop that will sound the alarm when the up arrow is pressed. Otherwise, you want the alarm sound to stop.
Step 3
Since this code is in s forever-loop that reads from the top down, this is how Scratch is running the code:
Check to see if up arrow is pressed
If yes: play sound until it’s done
Go through the loop again
If no: (Or if up arrow isn’t pressed anymore) trigger code for else: to stop all sounds
This if/else statement works great for changing costumes, broadcasting messages, etc. However, it is trickier with sound as the code will never get to the else statement while the sound is playing, so if you want to stop the sound as soon as key is not pressed, you’ll have to add another script.
Step 4
You need the reporting block “Not” from the Operator Palette. This code will be under a separate “When Flag Clicked” so that it will always be running and checking to see “if the up arrow is not pressed.
Check to see if up arrow is not pressed
If it is not pressed, stop all sounds in the project.
Now your code will only be triggered when the circuit is closed. If the two conductive touch points do not touch then the alarm will be silenced!
And that’s really all you need to code for your alarm! You might want to add more effects, so check out this coding video walkthrough of using your momentary push button alarm from the first project in this series. Follow along to code your own Scratch project. Then design your own push-button alarm!
Brainstorming and Testing Alarm Systems
Design considerations:
Your first design consideration is to think about where you want to place your momentary alarm.
How will you place two conductive items so that some movement triggers your alarm?
What items will you use in crafting your alarm system? What items work well?
How can you ensure the alarm is triggered without bringing the system crashing down?
In this video below, you can see how you could wire up your momentary push button as a doorbell outside your door. I used a phone with an adapter so I could leave the Makey Makey behind the door. To transform the doorbell into an alarm, I used a wire coat hanger (make sure you sand off coating to expose the metal if you use a coat hanger) hung it above a door and connected the coat hanger to the “Up arrow” on Makey Makey. On the door, I placed a strip of HVAC tape connected to “EARTH” on the Makey Makey. This alarm is triggered when someone opens the door as the coat hanger closes the circuit when it touches the aluminum foil strip. Also, the coat hanger is held with a binder clip to allow for movement! (Make sure to ask your parents before using any thumbtacks or applying tape to walls or doors in your room! )
Coding an Always-on Alarm System- Non-momentary /Toggle Switch
Step 1
Now that you’ve coded a push button alarm, how about coding an alarm that is always set and will blast when someone opens the box that holds your precious goods?
Step 2
Grab your binder clip switch from the first project in this series and let’s learn how to code it really quick! This switch is more like a light switch (which is a toggle switch) it comes on when you flip it and off when you turn the switch to “off.” That means a light switch works by closing a circuit to turn on the light when you flip the switch one way, and turns it off (opens the circuit) when you flip the switch the other way.
Step 3
The coding for this project might look similar to the other alarm, but we need to switch things up a bit! (Get it? Switch???)
With the changes below, you will start a sound by releasing a key press, and stop the sound by pressing the key!
You can use if/else statements to add interesting visuals to go with your alarm. This code will change the background based on a key press (or not.)
Brainstorming and Testing Always-on Alarm Systems
Design considerations:
You might want to add more effects, so watch this coding video walkthrough of using your non-momentary binder clip switch from the first project in this series. Follow along to code your own Scratch project and view the bonus feature with a real toy box alarm. Then design your own “Always – on alarm.”
Your first design consideration is to think about what you want to protect and what container you will use to create your “toy box alarm!”
How will you place two conductive items so that they are always touching unless someone is trying to access what your alarm is protecting?
What items will you use in crafting your alarm system? What items will work well and can be secured to a box, lid, etc.?
How can you ensure the alarm is set and no one can see the wires or Makey Makey?
We want to see your inventions! Ask your parents to share them with us on social media and we will highlight your inventions in this spot!
What Is Happening Here?
Switches
When you play the drawing piano you are the EARTH connection that closes the circuit as you press on each drawing to make each piano key sound.
Now let’s learn how to create your own switch that doesn’t require bare skin to complete the circuit.
Vocabulary: A switch is a component that requires a physical action to close a circuit. Just like the keys on your keyboard! A Switch can be momentary or maintained.
Let’s make a momentary switch first. This means the switch will only be “on” as long as the switch is actuated. Normally a switch is an open circuit until it is actuated. Meaning the circuit is open until you push the switch to activate it. Just like a keyboard button, or a calculator button. Did you know that you can draw a momentary switch?
You can also easily make a maintained switch with office supplies. A maintained switch remains on once you turn it on or off once you turn it off. Just like a light switch in your house.
The best way to learn about switches to make a few different types.
This craft along video will show you four different ways to craft your switches!
What Is Next?
Try an Advanced Switch
Learn how to create a tilt sensor with everyday household materials and code Scratch cat to move based on your real physical movements! Or combine conductive touch points on a coordinate plane and code pixel art finger paint in Scratch
Makey Makey Classic Inventor's Kit
The original Makey Makey Classic – Named one of Consumer Reports’ “Best Tech Toys of 2014,” “Best of Toy Fair 2014” by Popular Science, and a finalist for Toy of the Year 2016.
Makes STEM Education fun! Start out easy with a banana piano. First setup takes seconds. Then make game controllers, musical instruments, and countless inventions. Advance to additional inputs and multi-key remapping up to 18 keys. Ages 8 to infinity.
Turn everyday objects like bananas into touchpads!
Connect the world around you to your computer! Setup takes just seconds.
Just plug, clip, and play! No programing knowledge needed. No software to install. Works with Mac and Windows.
1000s of possibilities! Draw your own game controller, sneak a cat selfie, and dance like never before.
Ages 8 to infinity.
Visit the Makey Makey website for tons of projects, educator resources, apps and more.
Materials:
- Makey Makey Classic
- Switches from previous project
- Foil
- Cardboard
Maker Camp Project Standards
Based on NGSS (Next Generation Science Standards)
NGSS (Next Generation Science Standards)
The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) are K–12 science content standards. Learn more.Forces and Motion
- 3-PS2-3. Ask questions to determine cause and effect relationships of electric or magnetic interactions between two objects not in contact with each other.
- HS-PS4-5. Communicate technical information about how some technological devices use the principles of wave behavior and wave interactions with matter to transmit and capture information and energy.
CCSS (Common Core State Standards)
The Common Core is a set of high-quality academic standards in mathematics and English language arts/literacy (ELA).Measurement & Data
- Grades K-2
- CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.K.MD.A.1 Describe measurable attributes of objects, such as length or weight. Describe several measurable attributes of a single object.
- CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.1.MD.A.1 Order three objects by length; compare the lengths of two objects indirectly by using a third object.
- CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.1.MD.A.2 Express the length of an object as a whole number of length units, by laying multiple copies of a shorter object (the length unit) end to end; understand that the length measurement of an object is the number of same-size length units that span it with no gaps or overlaps.
- CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.2.MD.A.1 Measure the length of an object by selecting and using appropriate tools such as rulers, yardsticks, meter sticks, and measuring tapes.
- CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.2.MD.A.2 Measure the length of an object twice, using length units of different lengths for the two measurements; describe how the two measurements relate to the size of the unit chosen.
- CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.2.MD.A.3 Estimate lengths using units of inches, feet, centimeters, and meters.
- CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.2.MD.A.4 Measure to determine how much longer one object is than another, expressing the length difference in terms of a standard length unit.
- Grades 3-5
- CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.3.MD.B.3 Draw a scaled picture graph and a scaled bar graph to represent a data set with several categories. Solve one- and two-step "how many more" and "how many less" problems using information presented in scaled bar graphs.
- CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.4.MD.A.1 Know relative sizes of measurement units within one system of units including km, m, cm; kg, g; lb, oz.; l, ml; hr, min, sec. Within a single system of measurement, express measurements in a larger unit in terms of a smaller unit.
- CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.4.MD.C.5 Recognize angles as geometric shapes that are formed wherever two rays share a common endpoint, and understand concepts of angle measurement.
- CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.5.MD.A.1 Convert among different-sized standard measurement units within a given measurement system (e.g., convert 5 cm to 0.05 m), and use these conversions in solving multi-step, real world problems.
- CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.5.MD.C.3 Recognize volume as an attribute of solid figures and understand concepts of volume measurement.
Ratios & Proportional Relationships
- Middle School
- CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.6.RP.A.1 Understand the concept of a ratio and use ratio language to describe a ratio relationship between two quantities.
- CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.6.RP.A.3 Use ratio and rate reasoning to solve real-world and mathematical problems, e.g., by reasoning about tables of equivalent ratios, tape diagrams, double number line diagrams, or equations.
- CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.7.RP.A.1 Compute unit rates associated with ratios of fractions, including ratios of lengths, areas and other quantities measured in like or different units.
- CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.7.RP.A.2 Recognize and represent proportional relationships between quantities.
K–12 Computer Science Framework
The K–12 Computer Science Framework is designed to guide computer science from a subject for the fortunate few to an opportunity for all. The guiding practices include:- Fostering an Inclusive Computing Culture
- Collaborating Around Computing
- Recognizing and Defining Computational Problems
- Developing and Using Abstractions
- Creating Computational Artifacts
- Testing and Refining Computational Artifacts
- Communicating About Computing
K–12 Computer Science Framework
The K–12 Computer Science Framework is designed to guide computer science from a subject for the fortunate few to an opportunity for all. The guiding practices include:- Fostering an Inclusive Computing Culture
- Collaborating Around Computing
- Recognizing and Defining Computational Problems
- Developing and Using Abstractions
- Creating Computational Artifacts
- Testing and Refining Computational Artifacts
- Communicating About Computing
ISTE Standards (International Society for Technology in Education)
The ISTE Standards provide the competencies for learning, teaching and leading in the digital age, providing a comprehensive roadmap for the effective use of technology in schools worldwide.1.1 Empowered Learner
- Summary: Students leverage technology to take an active role in choosing, achieving, and demonstrating competency in their learning goals, informed by the learning sciences.
- 1.1.a Students articulate and set personal learning goals, develop strategies leveraging technology to achieve them and reflect on the learning process itself to improve learning outcomes.
- 1.1.b Students build networks and customize their learning environments in ways that support the learning process.
- 1.1.c Students use technology to seek feedback that informs and improves their practice and to demonstrate their learning in a variety of ways.
- 1.1.d Students understand the fundamental concepts of technology operations, demonstrate the ability to choose, use and troubleshoot current technologies and are able to transfer their knowledge to explore emerging technologies.
1.2 Digital Citizen
- Summary: Students recognize the rights, responsibilities and opportunities of living, learning and working in an interconnected digital world, and they act and model in ways that are safe, legal and ethical.
- 1.2.a Students cultivate and manage their digital identity and reputation and are aware of the permanence of their actions in the digital world.
- 1.2.b Students engage in positive, safe, legal and ethical behavior when using technology, including social interactions online or when using networked devices.
- 1.2.c Students demonstrate an understanding of and respect for the rights and obligations of using and sharing intellectual property.
- 1.2.d Students manage their personal data to maintain digital privacy and security and are aware of data-collection technology used to track their navigation online.
1.3 Knowledge Constructor
- Summary: Students critically curate a variety of resources using digital tools to construct knowledge, produce creative artifacts and make meaningful learning experiences for themselves and others.
- 1.3.a Students plan and employ effective research strategies to locate information and other resources for their intellectual or creative pursuits.
- 1.3.b Students evaluate the accuracy, perspective, credibility and relevance of information, media, data or other resources.
- 1.3.c Students curate information from digital resources using a variety of tools and methods to create collections of artifacts that demonstrate meaningful connections or conclusions.
- 1.3.d Students build knowledge by actively exploring real-world issues and problems, developing ideas and theories and pursuing answers and solutions.
1.4 Innovative Designer
- Summary: Students use a variety of technologies within a design process to identify and solve problems by creating new, useful or imaginative solutions.
- 1.4.a Students know and use a deliberate design process for generating ideas, testing theories, creating innovative artifacts or solving authentic problems.
- 1.4.b Students select and use digital tools to plan and manage a design process that considers design constraints and calculated risks.
- 1.4.c Students develop, test and refine prototypes as part of a cyclical design process.
- 1.4.d Students exhibit a tolerance for ambiguity, perseverance and the capacity to work with open-ended problems.
1.5 Computational Thinker
- Summary: Students develop and employ strategies for understanding and solving problems in ways that leverage the power of technological methods to develop and test solutions.
- 1.5.a Students formulate problem definitions suited for technology-assisted methods such as data analysis, abstract models and algorithmic thinking in exploring and finding solutions.
- 1.5.b Students collect data or identify relevant data sets, use digital tools to analyze them, and represent data in various ways to facilitate problem-solving and decision-making.
- 1.5.c Students break problems into component parts, extract key information, and develop descriptive models to understand complex systems or facilitate problem-solving.
- 1.5.d Students understand how automation works and use algorithmic thinking to develop a sequence of steps to create and test automated solutions.
NGSS MS.Engineering Design
The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) are K–12 science content standards.- MS-ETS1-1. Define the criteria and constraints of a design problem with sufficient precision to ensure a successful solution, taking into account relevant scientific principles and potential impacts on people and the natural environment that may limit possible solutions.
- MS-ETS1-2. Evaluate competing design solutions using a systematic process to determine how well they meet the criteria and constraints of the problem.
- MS-ETS1-3. Analyze data from tests to determine similarities and differences among several design solutions to identify the best characteristics of each that can be combined into a new solution to better meet the criteria for success.
- MS-ETS1-4. Develop a model to generate data for iterative testing and modification of a proposed object, tool, or process such that an optimal design can be achieved.
NGSS HS.Engineering Design
The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) are K–12 science content standards.- HS-ETS1-1. Analyze a major global challenge to specify qualitative and quantitative criteria and constraints for solutions that account for societal needs and wants.
- HS-ETS1-2. Design a solution to a complex real-world problem by breaking it down into smaller, more manageable problems that can be solved through engineering.
- HS-ETS1-3. Evaluate a solution to a complex real-world problem based on prioritized criteria and trade-offs that account for a range of constraints, including cost, safety, reliability, and aesthetics as well as possible social, cultural, and environmental impacts.
- HS-ETS1-4. Use a computer simulation to model the impact of proposed solutions to a complex real-world problem with numerous criteria and constraints on interactions within and between systems relevant to the problem.
NGSS 3-5.Engineering Design
The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) are K–12 science content standards.- 3-5-ETS1-1. Define a simple design problem reflecting a need or a want that includes specified criteria for success and constraints on materials, time, or cost.
- 3-5-ETS1-2. Generate and compare multiple possible solutions to a problem based on how well each is likely to meet the criteria and constraints of the problem.
- 3-5-ETS1-3. Plan and carry out fair tests in which variables are controlled and failure points are considered to identify aspects of a model or prototype that can be improved.
