Cube Bits uses three hardware units: a solid cube a 90° degree triangle; and a table top grid that mirrors what is displayed in the screen. All units are necessary as they are the ones that create input in the software application. By manipulating a familiar physical object, the child triggers a direct, unfamiliar effect.

 

The table top grid is the most important object of the hardware unit because it tracks the position of the cube and triangle and sends a signal to the software to create input. When the child places one of the physical objects, either the cube or the triangle on top of a square on the table top grid and applies pressure on it, the matching square in the screen´s grid is filled with black color.
Using the cube or the 90° degree triangle fills the respective shape thus creating a combination of shapes on the screen´s grid.
Each one of the 20 squares of the table top grid have four touch sensors embbeded in their surface. Each one of these sensors is programmed to read the amount of pressure or proximity of the object that is placed on top of them. This way, the software reads (1) which square of the grid is being covered by the object and (2) which shape to create in the screen´s grid.

For example, by placing the 90° degree triangle and given that there are four possible representations of this triangle in a square, the object can only cover two of the touch sensors. By an “if then” programming statement, the software can read which side of the triangle is being chosen and consequently which shape to fill in the screen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Basic Stamp or microcontroller is programmed in pBasic which is a version of basic created for coding or programming the microcontroller. Coding the Stamp can be done in two ways; the programmer can state the variables in pBasic and determine the functions of the variables prior to sending them through the serout pin to the serial port. In another approach, the variables can be stated in pBasic and sent raw to the serial port. Cube Bits is programmed to receive raw numeric values from several variables to the serial port and process its values in Lingo. The only way in which these variables are read is through the serialXtra. Coding the serialXtra is then key but can also be complicated because the programmer first needs to open the serial port and then read the numbers sent to the buffer. The microcontroller can process these numbers faster than Director can read them, because the buffer fills up very quickly; therefore there is a meaningful delay in processing this information in Lingo. A way to solve this problem is by creating a “repeat while” statement in Lingo so that the serial port is only read if it is sending any numbers; or by sending a signal to the microcontroller to ask for numbers.
Because the coding needs testing for the programmer to troubleshoot this issue, it becomes time consuming and frustrating, but it can be done.