Advertisement
TROUBLESHOOTING
MY CIRCUIT ISN'T WORKING
• Make sure your power Bit
a red LED illuminated.
• Try swapping in a new 9 volt battery. Low
batteries can cause a circuit to misbehave. Bits
have different power demands. For example: a
motor may appear to not be working while a
light still shines brightly.
• Ensure the power cable is securely fastened to
both the battery and the power Bit.
• Make sure your Bits are arranged in the correct
order. Remember that you always need a power
Bit & power supply at the beginning of each
circuit, and an output Bit at the end. If the last
Bit in your chain is an input, then it won't do
anything to affect your circuit.
• Check your connections. Are all the Bits securely
snapped to each other? You can also try gently
wiping down the ends of the bitSnaps
cloth (like your sleeve). Sometimes dust gets in
the way of a strong connection. Try unsnapping,
cleaning the bitSnaps, and snapping it all back
together again.
I AM HAVING TROUBLE WITH MY SOUND TRIGGER CIRCUIT
THE CIRCUIT TURNS ON AND STAYS ON, OR DOES
– You may need to adjust the
NOT ACTIVATE AT ALL
sensitivity of the sound trigger. Turn the adjustment dial
fully counterclockwise with the purple screwdriver,
setting the sound trigger to the lowest sensitivity. Then
in small increments, turn the dial clockwise. After
each turn, clap and wait 3–5 seconds. Keep doing
this until the circuit turns on at the desired volume.
Try adding a bargraph to see when the sound trigger
is sending a signal.
74
is on. You should see
TM
TM
™
with a soft
USING THE SOUND TRIGGER WITH THE BUZZER
may find that the buzzer doesn't turn off! That's
because the buzzer makes sound that sets off the
sound trigger, causing a feedback loop. You'll have
to finely tune the sound trigger's sensitivity to find
the sweet spot that triggers the buzzer, but also
allows it to turn off. You can also try turning down
the volume of the buzzer with the dimmer Bit to make
adjustments easier.
®
MAKEY MAKEY
BIT IS NOT TRIGGERING (I DON'T SEE
GREEN LIGHTS ON THE BOARD)
•
TOUCHING MY CONDUCTIVE OBJECTS/ALLIGATOR
CLIPS SEEMS TO HAVE NO EFFECT ON MY CIRCUIT –
Every person has a different level of conductivity.
Depending on how dry the weather is, or how
sweaty your hands are, the Makey Makey Bit
will respond in different ways. To make yourself
a more effective conductor, try dampening your
hands with a wet towel.
•
UNRESPONSIVE ALLIGATOR CLIPS
can get dirty from being clipped on to various
foods and materials. Make sure they are nice
and clean for best results.
•
CORRECT BITSNAP TO BITSNAP
the Bit you are trying to activate aligns with the
keypad you are clipped into. The green light will
indicate the bitSnap you should be connected to.
•
UNRESPONSIVE MATERIALS
have skins that are less conductive than their pulp.
Apples, for example, sometimes have shiny waxy
skin that insulates the apples and keeps them
from passing electricity. To make an apple more
conductive, you can either wash it with warm
water, or simply take a bite out of it. Some metals
– You
– Alligator clips
– Make sure that
– Some things like fruit
Advertisement
