Northern Lights

Make your own Aurora Borealis light show using Sparkles and the Crumble.

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things you will need

The following items from the Discover Computing kit:

  • 1 x Crumble
  • 1 x Battery pack
  • 1 x Sparkle baton
  • 1 x Sparkle
  • 3 x Red croc leads, 3 x Black croc leads, 2 x Green croc lead
  • 1 x USB cable

A computer with a USB port and the Crumble software installed.

Plus,

  • Tracing paper
  • Black card
  • Tape
  • Box with lid
  • Craft knife or scissors
  • Ruler 
  • Pencil
1

Connect the Crumble to power

Use one red croc lead and one black croc lead to connect the Crumble to the battery pack.

!

Safety first

Make sure the battery pack switch is set to OFF.
2

Add the Sparkles

  • Attach one red croc lead, one black croc lead and one green croc lead to the connectors on the right hand side of the Crumble.
  • Attach the croc leads to the connectors on the left hand side of the Sparkle baton.
  • Next, attach one red croc lead, one black croc lead and one green croc lead to the connectors on the right hand side of the Sparkle baton.
  • Attach these croc leads to the connectors on the left hand side of the single Sparkle.
!

Need to know

Make sure you connect the croc leads to the side of the Sparkle and Sparkle Baton with the arrow pointing to the right.
3

Connect the Crumble to a computer

Use the USB cable to connect your Crumble circuit to a computer with the Crumble software installed.

4

Code the lights

  • Snap a ‘do forever’ loop to a program start block.
  • Tell the Crumble to set the Sparkle baton to a mix of blue and green colours.
  • Tell the Crumble to set the single Sparkle (number 8) to purple.
  • Tell the Crumble to keep the Sparkles on for 100 milliseconds (you will find the ‘wait 100 milliseconds’ block in the Control section of the menu).
  • Repeat, changing the order of the blue and green colours on the Sparkle baton and leaving Sparkle 8 as purple.
  • Tell the Crumble to keep these colours for 100 milliseconds.
  • Turn the battery pack ON.
  • Send your code to the Crumble (using the green triangle) to test it out.
!

Need to know

Don't forget to change the set sparkle block from number 0 to 8.
5

Build the frame

  • Draw and cut a rectangle out of the box lid.
  • Measure a piece of tracing paper to fit over the hole and cut to size.
  • Tape the tracing paper over the rectangle hole on the inside of the box.

Top tip

Make sure you don't cut a hole larger than the tracing paper.
6

Craft the scene

  • Cut the black cardboard or paper to be the same width as the tracing paper.
  • Draw an outline of a mountain range on the black cardboard or paper.
  • Cut out the mountain outline.
  • Tape the mountain outline to the back of the tracing paper on the inside of the box lid.
7

Prepare the light show

  • Unplug the USB cable from the Crumble.
  • Place the Crumble circuit inside of the box.
  • Tape the single Sparkle to the top of the inside of the box.
  • Secure the Sparkle baton to the bottom of the inside of the box – making sure the Sparkles are pointing upwards.
  • Turn the battery pack on.
  • Close the box.

Top tip

Tape the wires down so that they don't cast a shadow in your sky.
8

Turn out the lights

  • Take your light show to a dark room to see the full effect.

What is the Aurora Borealis?

An aurora is a natural light show that occurs in the sky. It is caused by tiny particles (electrons) from the Sun breaking their way through the Earth’s magnetosphere and into the Earth’s atmosphere. These teeny, tiny particles mix with the gases in the Earth’s atmosphere, which makes the gases glow (see link below for why).

Borealis comes from the Greek word Boreas, which means ‘north wind’.

Aurora Borealis refers to the auroras seen in the Northern hemisphere and is also known as ‘the Northern Lights’.

Find out more here

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