Fast Times
Time your sprints over and over again, so you can track your improvement.
Find out how fast you can run
Lead Image © David Grigg, 123RF.com
The littleBits team recently came out with a new Number module that, in addition to the original two modes – which display either relative values entering the module from 0 to 99 or incoming voltage from 0 to 5V – now also counts up or down and has a reset snap on top (Figure 1). Briefly called the Number+ module, the new incarnation is now the default Number bit [1] included in kits or when you order the bit itself. The new functions make this bit much more useful in several projects, including any project in which you want to time or count something.
In the littleBits project in this issue, I'll show you how to build a system that times sprints. The starting block of bits (Figure 2) uses the Pressure sensor bit to sense when the runner has left the starting pad and sends that information to the timing block at the finish line via the Wireless transmitter bit. At the starting line, you also have a button that resets the timer before you start your next sprint.
The timing block (Figure 3) receives information from the starting block via the Wireless receiver bit and includes the timer (Number bit) and a motion detector that turns the timer off. The input from the start and finish lines is sent through a logic bit that determines whether the timer should be running or not.
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