TOKYMAKER TUTORIAL
BLOCKS INDEX
INDEX OVERVIEW
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Control
Logic
Variable
Number
Input
Output
Display
IOT
create.tokylabs.com has a large number of blocks. They are divided into the following
categories:
CONTROL
The Control category holds blocks that control whether other blocks
placed in their body are run.
REPEAT FOREVER
The simplest "repeat" block runs the code in its body in an endless
loop. Will execute the inner instructions continuously, once and again.
These structures are called loops since the body is repeated (possibly)
multiple times, reminiscent of a rope containing loops. Each pass
through the loop is called an iteration. For more information, see
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Control_flow - Loops
WAIT X MS
The Wait () ms block is a Control bloc. The block pauses its code for
the specified amount of miliseconds.
This block is one of the most commonly used blocks; it is used
whenever the code must wait for another action.
REPEAT X TIMES
This version of the “repeat” block runs the code in its body the
specified number of times. For example, the following block will print
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"Hello!" ten times.
AT EVERY
”at every” block, together with the conditioner if/do, runs the code in
each period of time specified in milliseconds or minutes.
IF BLOCKS
The simplest conditional statement is an if block, as shown:
When run, this will compare the value of the variable x to 100. If it is
larger, "What a big number!" will be printed. Otherwise, nothing
happens.
IF-ELSE BLOCKS
It is also possible to specify that something should happen if the
condition is not true, as shown in this example:
As with the previous block, "What a big number!" will be printed if x >
100; otherwise, "That's not very big." will be printed.
An if block may have zero or one else sections but not more than one.
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IF-ELSE BLOCKS
It is also possible to test multiple conditions with a single if block by
adding else if clauses:
The block first checks if x > 100, printing "What a big number!" if it is.
If it is not, it goes on to check if x = 42. If so, it prints "That's my lucky
number." Otherwise, nothing happens.
An if block may have any number of else if sections. Conditions are
evaluated top to bottom until one is satisfied, or until no more
conditions are left.
BLOCK MODIFICATION
To add else if and else clauses, the user needs to click on the gear
icon, which opens a new window.
The user can then drag else if and else clauses into the if block, as
well as reordering and removing them. When finished, the user
should click on the minus sign, which closes the window, as shown in
the previous blocks.
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LOGIC
Boolean algebra is a mathematical system that has two values:
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true
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false
Boolean values (also called conditions) are used in these control
block, which contain examples:
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conditional blocks
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repeat blocks
One of the many examples from those pages is:
If the value of the variable x is greater than 100, the condition is true,
and the text "What a big number!" is printed. If the value of x is not
greater than 100, the condition is false, and "That's not very big." is
printed.
Boolean values can also be stored in variables and passed to
procedures, the same as number, text, and list values.
BLOCKS
If a block expects a Boolean value as an input, it usually interprets an
absent input as false. An example is provided below. Non-Boolean
values cannot be directly plugged in where Boolean values are
expected, although it is possible (but inadvisable) to store a
non-Boolean value in a variable, then plug that into the input. Neither
of these practices are recommended, and their behaviour could
change in future versions.
VALUES
A single block, with a dropdown specifying either true or false, can be
used to get a boolean value:
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COMPARISONS
There are six comparison operators. Each takes two inputs (normally
numbers) and returns true or false depending on how the inputs
compare with each other.
The six operators are: equals, not equals, less than, less than or equal,
greater than, greater than or equal.
LOGICAL OPERATIONS
The and block will return true only if both of its two inputs are also
true.
The or block will return true if either of its two inputs are true.
NOT
The not block converts its Boolean input into its opposite. For
example, the result of:
is false.
As mentioned above, if no input is provided, a value of true is
assumed, so the following block produces the value false:
Leaving an input empty is not recommended, however.
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VARIABLE
We use the term variable the same as it is used in mathematics and in
other programming languages: a named value that can be changed
(varies). Variables can be created in several different ways.
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Every count with and for each block uses a variable and defines
its values. These values can only be used within the block. A traditional
computer science term for these are loop variables.
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User-defined functions (also known as "procedures") can define
inputs, which creates variables that can be used only within the
function. These are traditionally called "parameters" or "arguments".
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Users may create variables at any time through the "set" block.
These are traditionally called "global variables".
DROPDOWN MENU
Clicking on a variable's dropdown symbol (triangle) gives the following
menu:
The menu provides the following options.
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the names of all variables defined in the program.
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"Rename variable...", which changes the name of this variable
wherever it appears in the program. Selecting this opens a small
window that prompts the user for the new name with the text:
"Rename all %1 variables to:", where %1 is replaced by the old name
(here "item").
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"New variable...", which enables the user to enter a new name
for the variable, without replacing or changing variables with the old
name (here "item"). Selecting this opens a small window that prompts
the user for the new name with the text "New variable name:".
SET
The set block assigns a value to a variable, creating the variable if it
doesn't already exist. For example, this sets the value of the variable
named "age" to 12.
GET
The get block provides the value stored in a variable, without changing
it.
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It is possible, but a bad idea, to write a program in which a get appears
without a corresponding set
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EXAMPLE
Consider the following example code:
The first row of blocks creates a variable named "age" and sets its
initial value to the number 12. The second row of blocks gets the value
12, adds 1 to it, and stores the sum (13) into the variable. The final row
displays the message: "Happy birthday! You are now 13"
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NUMBERS
Numbers are mathematical values that play a huge role in
programming. In Blockly, they are used for optimizing and making
algorithms function properly. Without numbers, addition,
multiplication, etc. would not be possible.
MATHEMATICAL FUNCTIONS
The following table lists various mathematical functions and how to
perform them in Scratch; it is not inclusive to all functions:
Addition:
Subtraction
Multiplication
Division
Exponential
Square root
Absolute
Log10
Sin
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Cos
RANDOM NUMBER
This block is conceived to give you the possibility of having a random
number.
You can choose the range of variability by changing the second
number. You could include a variable too.
NUMBER LINE
A number line can be used to represent integers and the values in
between them. The following image depicts a number line:
ARRAY
An array is an ordered collection of values. It is similar to a list,
however, most high-level languages provide first-class data which
allows the concept of "an array of arrays" to be feasible. We only can
put numbers in the data. An array has numbers numbering every
item, usually sequential integers.
More info : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Array_programming
For putting numbers in the array use this block :
For request the number from a specific array you can use this block :
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INPUT
Inputs are blocks that use the information from the environment to
be applied in our code. To capture this information we need sensors.
Tokymaker has a large variety of sensors to be use in your projects. If
you want to know more about what a sensor is, check this useful
video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v25PCV_IJCw&t=3s
READ IN
This is probably one of the most important blocks of
create.tokylabs.com. This can act as a box to store the information
that the sensor is detecting. You can select the port where this sensor
is connected: IN1, IN2, or IN3. The value goes from 0 to 100. For
example, if you connect a light sensor in the Input 1, this block will
store a 0 in total darkness and a 100 when facing a powerful sun.
BUTTON CLICKED
You could connect a button to any of the Inputs, but Tokymaker has
already two physical buttons embedded. This block useful when you
want to do anything in response to a click of the button. The Clicked
and pressed block is a Sensing block and a Boolean block. If the user
is clicking the selected object, the block returns true; if it is not, it
returns false.
From the drop down list, you can choose what button to listen to.
Let’s see a simple example:
In this code fragment, the screen will show a funny message once the
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button is pressed. The message will last for one second and then
disappear.
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BUTTON PRESSING
Alternatively, you might want to do something when the user is
pressing but not yet clicking. on. The pressing block is a Sensing block
and a Boolean block. If the user is clicking the selected object, the
block returns true; if it is not, it returns false.
If we want to use it, the example could be something like:
Now, a waiting message Will be shown in the screen until the user
finally clicks.
TOUCH PAD
Tokymaker also counts with three touch pads that act as a button in
the same way as Buttons A and B.
READ DISTANCE
Read distance is a specific block for an Ultrasonic distance detector.
This block stores the value of the distance in centimeters, ranging
from 0 to 200 cm (2 meters). As this block can give distances between
objects, it is very useful in projects that require a great deal of careful
sensing and movement.
Since this sensor is getting an information from the physical
environment, it’s block has to be an input.
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OUTPUT
Outputs are the actuators. They create an action based on your code.
It is the way to interact with the world!
SET OUTPUT
This block creates an action on OUT1. If you connect one of our
actuators (motors, lights, vibrators, relays, etc) it will react based on
the numeric block you include in the empty space. It can be any
number (constant or variable) that goes from 0 to 100.
For example, if we connect a LED module in the OUT1 and we want it
off, It should be like that:
But if we want to vary the light intensity (from 0% to 100%) we can
connect a potentiometer module (rotation sensor) in IN1 and set put
the next code:
This way we can adjust intensity manually by modifying the Input 1.
Behind the block, there is a Pulse With Modulation (PWM) code that
creates an average voltage value that goes from 0 Volts (Duty cycle
0%) to 3.7 Volts (Duty cycle 100%). Follow the next link to know more
about PWM. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pulse-width_modulation
SET SERVO
A servo motor is different from a continuous rotation motor. It stays
in a fixed angle based on the value we include in the empty space.
You could connect a button to any of the Inputs, but Tokymaker has
already two physical buttons embedded. This block useful when you
want to do anything in response to a click of the button.
The servo itself can rotate around 180º, but we rescaled the angles to
adapt it to the input percentage values (from 0% to 100%).
Then, we have to put a number 0 if we want the servo to stay at 0º
and we have to put a number100 if we want it to stay at 180º.
Alternatively, we can also put variables, or Inputs, etc.
Find out more at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Servo_(radio_control)
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PLAY TONE
Tokymaker can include a large variety of actuators. One of them is a
Speaker to produce notes and tones. The operation is fairly simple, we
just need to select the Output where we connected the module and
select from the two dropdown menus the octave and the note.
You need to put a wait module for wait.
TOUCH PAD
Tokymaker also counts with three touch pads that act as a button in
the same way as Buttons A and B.
READ DISTANCE
Read distance is a specific block for an Ultrasonic distance detector.
This block stores the value of the distance in centimeters, ranging
from 0 to 200 cm (2 meters).
Since this sensor is getting an information from the physical
environment, it’s block has to be an input.
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DISPLAY
Tokymaker includes a little screen. It is made of 128 × 64 individual
OLED pixels, each of which can be turned on and off.
SCREEN: CLEAR
Before we want to display something on the screen, we have to clear
the screen.
We can do this with this block.
SCREEN PRINT
If we want to display text, we use this block. Between the quotation
marks we can type our text that we want to display on the screen.
SET TEXT SIZE
With this block we can adjust the size of the text that we want to
display.
ENTER NEW LINE
This block is similar as an "enter" in a text editor on your computer.
SET CURSOS
With this block we can place the cursor somewhere on the screen.
The X values range from 0 to 128
The Y values range from 0 to 64
DRAW PIXEL
If we want to display a pixel on the screen, we use this block.
With this block we can display a pixel. You must first define where the
pixel should be located. We do this with the help of the "Screen: set
cursor at X, Y" block.
DRAW LINE TO
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With this block we can draw a line. You must first define where the
line should start. We do this with the help of the "Screen: set course
at X, Y" block.
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DRAW CIRCLE
With this block we can draw a circle. You must first define where the
center of the circle should be, this is done with the help of the
"Screen: set cursor at X, Y" block.
SCREEN: DISPLAY
If we want to display something on the screen, we do this with this
block.
If the toymaker executes this block, text or pixels between block:
"Screen: clear" and "Screen: display" that you have programmed will
be displayed on the screen.
If we want to use it, the example could be something like:
CONSOLE PRINT
To the right in our coding interface we find the Console. Here we can
visualize text or values. This is a good block to visualize things.
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IOT
The Internet of things is the network of physical device or items
embedded with electronics, software, sensors, actuators, and
connectivity which enables these objects to connect and exchange
data.
IoT Platform in Tokymaker
To understand what an IoT platform is, first you need to understand a
little about the components of a complete IoT system.
Hardware
The Tokymaker is the hardwarde in the IoT system. The Tokymaker
collects data/information from the inputs or perform actions in the
environment.
Connectivity
The Tokymaker needs a way to transmit all that data to the cloud or
needs a way to receive commands from the cloud.
User interface
To make all of this useful, there needs to be a way for users to
interact with the IoT system from the Tokymaker.
The interface in our IoT Tokysystem is supported by Adafruit.
(www.adafruit.com)
Software
A complete IoT system needs software. This software is hosted in the
Tokymaker so the Tokymaker is responsible for analysing the data it’s
collecting from the sensors and makes decisions.
We can program the Tokymaker to our wishes via the Creator
Webpage from Toky.
The blocks in the creator webpage make it very easy to realize this.
Normally it is very advanced and difficult to connect 2 items via
internet with each other and let them communicate with each other.
Because of the new IoT blocks in our create webpage we have
managed to make this simple for the Tokymaker.
The blocks are :
WIFI SET
The connectivity of the Tokymaker or the way to transmit or receive
all that date to the cloud is with a wireless connection called Wifi.
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LOGIN
Create an account on the IoT platform Adafruid via:
https://www.adafruit.com
Then log in to Adafruit via the IoT “IOT : loginuser” Block
IS CONNECTED
If we have a WiFi connection then this block will be "true".
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PUBLISH DATA
We can send data from the Tokymaker to Adafruit with the “IOT :
publish data” block.
DATA FROM FEED
We can receive data from Adafruit with the “IOT : data from feet”
block
Example :
If we are connected to WiFi and IOT the onhead LED of the Tokymaker
will bright green.
Then we send the value from Variable “Temperature” to the feed
“test.send” to Adafruit platform.
We also receive data from the Adafruit feed “test.receive” and we will
set te output 1 to this value.
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