Programmable Components - Multi-Light and Coin-operated Charity Box

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Curriculum and Lesson Planning Electronics Programming and control KS3 Secondary
KS3 unit where students create tap‑controlled lights or coin‑op boxes using microcontrollers, with full lessons, CAD files and electronics guidance.

Multi-Light and Coin-operated Charity Box
First released 2015
Ages 11-14 years
Time allocation: 6-12 hours

This unit introduces learners to electronics and control, and in particular programmable components including microcontrollers. Originally planned for Year 9 it has scope to be taught across KEY Stage 3.
It has students design and make either a tap-controlled lighting project or coin operated novelty box, both requiring them to write simple programs in either Flowchart or Basic using Genie or PICAXE. It includes a full unit of work, project framework, PowerPoint presentation and teacher notes, examples of completed projects and CAD files. Components for making the products are not included.
The resource also contains a wealth of general information on electronic components, including starter activities and stimulus materials, presentations on aspects of electronic components and microcontrollers, soldering, circuits and Genie Design Studio and PICAXE files.
The Key Stage 3 lesson framework provided is planned around a double period of 1 hour 10 minutes hours per week and can easily be adapted to suit your own school timetable structure. Resourcing the unit of work depends on the facilities available in your department and how you would like to manage the project. You can either buy circuits in kit form which include pre-manufactured boards or produce the boards 'in house' and purchase the components separately.

Programmable Components
These Programmable Components resources were developed with the support of the IET and have been developed by highly experienced D&T teachers and teacher educators. The three projects aim to provide teachers with resources to enable them to introduce interesting design and make activities into their curriculum where currently the type of technology they depend upon is not being used or would benefit from alternative applications. They are deliberately designed with success built in i.e. what the students make will work. No claims are made about them representing true design and technology activity where one would expect to see students taking more control of the decision making and application of what they are working on. Rather these should be seen as enabling tasks that result not just in interesting products, but also give their creators the wherewithal to embark on further design challenges that would benefit from their increased capability.
All three projects have been extensively trialled in schools with full teaching groups completing the individual tasks taught and supported by their D&T teachers.

Other resources in the series:
•    All in a Spin
•    Celebrations