//control.Node • PS-3232

The //control.Node provides power to and controls STEM Sense peripherals like lights, fans, pumps, stepper motors, servo motors, and a growing line of other accessories.

The purpose of the //control.Node is to control devices such as stepper motors, servo motors, fans, and pumps. The //control.Node also provides battery power for these devices. The //control.Node wirelessly communicates via Bluetooth to a computer and it receives instructions written in Blockly code to control the devices. Code can be uploaded to the //control.Node and run autonomously without connection to a computer.

The //control.Node can also send sensor readings to the computer while executing code. These sensor readings can be used as feedback in the program and can also be displayed live in graphs and other displays in PASCO Capstone or SPARKvue. It has one sensor port for PASCObot Modules or the Greenhouse Sensor. It has a rechargeable battery and can be powered using the USB connection.

The //control.Node is used in the following kits:

• Motorized Drawbridge
• StructureBOT
• Motorized Crane
• PASCObot Sense and Control Kit
• Greenhouse Sense and Control Kit
• //control.Node Sense and Control Kit

Because the //control.Node can be moved from one kit to another, it is only necessary to purchase one //control.Node to be able to do all the projects in these kits. Each kit can be purchased with or without the //control.Node.

PASCObot

The //control.Node is the controlling device that is at the heart of the PASCObot (PS-2994). It provides power and code instructions to the PASCObot. In the PASCObot, its two stepper motors are plugged into the //control.Node. If the PASCObot has a Line Follower Module or a Range Finder Module, they are plugged into the Sensor Port on the //control.Node. When using the Gripper with the PASCObot, the servo motors that run the Gripper are plugged into the Servo Ports on the //control.Node.

Greenhouse Sense and Control Kit

The //control.Node is also the control center for the Greenhouse Sense and Control Kit (ST-2997). In this kit, the water pump, Grow Light, or greenhouse fan, can respond to conditions registered by the Greenhouse Sensor which are all plugged into the //control.Node for power and code instructions. The humidity, temperature, light level, and soil moisture measurements gathered with the Greenhouse Sensor are relayed through the //control.Node to the Blockly program to make decisions about when to turn on the water, fan, or light.

//control.Node Sense and Control Kit

In the //control.Node Sense and Control Kit (PS-5050), the //control.Node is used with accessories to turn on lights, run a cooling fan, launch rubber bands, and more. The kit includes materials and instructions for six projects:

1. Night Light
2. Game with Meter
3. Automatic Door Opener
4. Thermostat-Controlled Fan
5. Light-Activated Winch
6. Remote Control Rubber Band Launcher

//control.Node Extras

The //control.Node has some built-in extras, including a 3-axis accelerometer and a speaker. The accelerometer is useful for knowing when the //control.Node has been turned over, creating a way in code to automatically turn off the PASCObot. Code the //control.Node speaker to play songs or to act as a warning beeper.

One unique feature of the //control.Node has to do with the servo motor control. The //control.Node has an internal current sensor for the servo motor ports. This enables the user to know when there is a load on the servos. When the servos on the PASCObot Gripper start to draw more current as the Gripper closes onto an object, the code knows that the Gripper has gripped an object and can tell how hard it is squeezing it.

What's Included

• 1x //control.Node
• 1x USB Charging Cable