The littleBits community forum is a place to ask questions, discuss, share or just meet other littleBits fans! Don't forget to check out the dreamBit wall for some wacky ideas!
Note: Please remember to be respectful of others and keep in mind littleBits is a kid-friendly environment.

• Vote Up2Vote Down ramsey January 2

  Welcome to the littleBits community! To start things off, tell us a little about who you are and what you want to do with littleBits. Don't be shy!
• 21 Comments sorted by

  • Votes
  • Date Added
• Vote Up1Vote Down BigEndian April 2

  By horizontal scaling, do you mean incorporating more technologies? And by vertical scaling, do you simply mean increasing the use of such neighborhood scale energy? I'm not sure I see how littleBits fits into this mission. littleBits is educational. If you need electronics, particularly those to build a small scale power infrastructure, littleBits would be relatively costly and achieve nothing. I don't pretend to be an expert, and I have recently become involved in this community as much to learn as to share my ideas, but common sense seems to dictate that littleBits aren't the building blocks of a power infrastructure. You need larger scale inverters, rectifiers, batteries, breakers, and perhaps even transformers and capacitors. If you're looking at littleBits for anything more than an educational opportunity or some hobbyist electronics fun, I think you're looking in the wrong place.
• Vote Up0Vote Down SkyRocketKids February 11

  Will be evaluating the starter kit to see how it fits with an after-school program we are creating. Can't wait to see how our students react to it.
• Vote Up0Vote Down Nlessa February 21

  Hi, my name is Nilton Lessa,from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and I am fascinated by Litle Bits project. We maintain a community unscholling space for learning, making and entrepeneuring(Moleque de Ideias is its name) and around 200 people(among them 120-140 children and teens) come here every week. We use and offer for the community several technologies, among them Sifteos, Cubelets, e-textile, and many others.
  I will put an order of Littke Bits for some initial exploration. Congratulations to LB team for the great idea and for releasing it as an open hardware: that was a wonderful decision!
• Vote Up0Vote Down jjbarrows March 1

  hi, i'm joseph barrows
  interested in artistic uses for littlebits, had a quick look around the site and cant find the designs for the electronics and connectors
  
• Vote Up0Vote Down Loren March 4

  I'm Loren.
  I just bought a kit for myself and my daughter. We also play with Lego MindStorms and are hoping to create some hybrids using LittleBits, NXT and some other electronics we have around the house (an old hacked WRT-54G router formally for war-driving). Stay tuned...
• Vote Up0Vote Down littleBits March 9

  Hey Everyone,
  
  Welcome to our community platform!
• Vote Up0Vote Down BigEndian March 29

  I'm a senior in high school, soon to go off to college. I have played with my Lego collection for years, which includes most of the Lego robotics, both old and new. I'm an avid hobbyist programmer. For several years, I have participated in a local FIRST Robotics team (3861). I think littleBits look like a perfect platform for hands on electronics.
• Vote Up0Vote Down cositomayor March 31

  Hi my name is Rodolfo Sanchez, I am electronic enginnear, MS (Systems) ME (Education) weakends i design electronic devices to help kids with Autism, I am excited with the posibilities of LIttle Bites, actually i use Arduino. Lego, PICs etc.
  http://estrategiaycomandogerencial.blogspot.mx/2011/11/control-remoto-para-nino-con-autismo-ii.html
  Or a Glucose Meter Ultra Low cost for Undeveloped Countries .
  http://estrategiaycomandogerencial.blogspot.mx/2012/03/ingenieria-diabetica-2.html using a Webcam and programmed using SCILAB.
  
• Vote Up0Vote Down kparcell April 2

  We're developing a pilot project that uses pedal-power to provide electricity, clean water, etc, at our "People Power Stations". We already have state-of-the-art pedal-power generators in mass production and our own pedal-power water pump, but these stations will become marketplace hubs that expand to serve the growing needs of the communities they serve by integrating neighborhood-scale energy resources such as solar PV and small wind, and so we are looking for the most basic, universal components to facilitate horizontal and vertical scaling. http://reconomy.net
  
  We need help figuring out how to use littleBits in our project.
• Vote Up0Vote Down SMARTEARS April 3

  Hi - my name is Pratibha Srinivasan. I am an audiologist and therapist for deaf children. I teach them to listen and talk --- the children do not use any sign language. I am interested in littlebits as a way to introduce abstract ideas using language to young children who are learning to listen and talk. I have found that such activities (e.g. I have a set of the snapcircuits) really increase the level of language as well as thinking skills and problem solving, so crucial in a child's development. I'm just getting started -- I will get the first starter kit today. Wish it wasn't so expensive to get additional pieces!!!!!!!!
  Looking forward to participating int he community. I don't have an electronics background, but love to mess around with it.
• Vote Up0Vote Down littleBits April 3

  hey smartears,
  
  Nice to meet you!
  
  email me on sima@littlebits.cc and you can get an educational discount
  
  that way you can buy more bits:)!
• Vote Up0Vote Down ernestk April 6

  I am a retired math teacher, just playing with little bits. (I am anxious to turn my 7th grade nephew on to Little Bits!)
  However, I am having problems getting the Motion Sensor bit to change it's status. Anybody have any advice?
  Also, is it possible to make an "OR" logic circuit with the little bits?
• Vote Up0Vote Down littleBits April 9

  Hello,
  
  The Motion Sensor is very sensitive so it probably appears to be ON all of the time while you are in front of it. For the sensor to change it's status, you have to remain completely still. This is due to the fact that the sensor is very sensitive and detects even the slightest human motion. If you are moving, even a little, within 10 feet of the sensor, it will trigger.
  
  I would try this. Set up the motion trigger with an output you can see from a distance, perhaps the bargraph. Once you can see the bargraph is active, leave the room. If you can peek into the room and see the bargraph is off, walk back into the room. To decrease the sight of the module, you can narrow the beam by putting a paper towel tube or something like around the sensor. That way the beam will be more directed and not detect the motion in the entire room.
• Vote Up0Vote Down MaxZiebell April 11

  Hello. My name is Max I am looking forward to order my little bits. Is the following simple setup doable without much tweaking?
  
  http://public.maxziebell.de/skitch/render.php?img=/Simple_Questionnaire-20120411-233435.jpg
• Vote Up0Vote Down littleBits April 12

  Hey Max
  
  Sure! It wouldn't be exactly the same, because the bits work linearly, but it's very easy!
  The little tweak is that you have to cut the white cable in the wire module (ground) and attach the contacts there.
  
  For the output signal you can use light (plenty of options) or sound. For sound, the Starter Kit has a Vibration Motor that can be used to produce acoustic sound if placed inside a bell for example… And nice news is that on April 15th we are launching the Buzzer. send me your email so I email you the sketch.
  
  And please we would love to see your project, if you want you can share it in the Community Site https://community.littlebits.cc/
  
  Good luck!!
  
• Vote Up0Vote Down Mark April 24

  Hello,
  My name is Mark. I learned of Little Bits through Ayah Bdeir's Ted Talks presentation and I would like to say congratulations on such a fantastic idea. I just purchased a Starter Kit with the intent of exposing my little five year old to some basic electronics. What I would love to see is a little step-by-step curriculum for teaching children some basic watered-down concepts without overwhelming or disengaging their interest while they play with the Little Bits. Maybe somebody could recommend something?
  
  Thanks and best of luck
  -Mark
• Vote Up0Vote Down brentblackburn April 25

  HI
  
  I'm Brent down in Tasmania. I saw the TED talk too and would love to get a kit for my 7 year old daughter to give her an appreciation of science and have a lot of fun together. However does anyone know if there is an Australian supplier. The shipping times and costs from the US are better than they used to be but still add a lot to the bottom line. Cheers. BB
• Vote Up0Vote Down littleBits April 25

  Hey Mark,
  
  Thank you for your very kind words!
  We actually have some lesson plans that your son can learn from using the littleBits kit, they can be found on our community platform: https://community.littlebits.cc/
  You can even become part of the platform by adding pictures/videos of your son's projects!
  We're constantly adding more projects and lesson plans ( whether by us or by other people) so please stay tuned!
  
  Thanks!
• Vote Up0Vote Down littleBits April 25

  Hey Brent,
  
  Thank you for your support!
  
  Unfortunately, we don't have distributors in Australia yet, but do provide international shipment: http://market.littlebits.cc/
  
  Thanks!
• Vote Up0Vote Down ccyane May 7

  Bonjour !
  Mon nom est Marie Christine, je vis en France et je viens de vous découvrir, et de découvrir ces intelligents petits circuits !
  J'ai craqué pour un kit. Je l'ai acheté pour mon petit-fils et j'espère qu'il aimera (autant que moi !!!) "bricoler" des petits trucs rigolos !!!
  Bravo pour cette géniale invention !!!
• Vote Up0Vote Down littleBits May 8

  Merci Marie Christine! on espere aussi que ton petit-fils aimera littleBits :)