4 2 E L E C T R O N I C S .

C O M

LEARN AT HOME
Robotics
What's
Inside
03 Why learn robotics?

Why you should use step-by-step

04 lessons rather than purchase a
ready-made robotics kit

Learning electronics, programming,

05 and robotics

Inspiring projects: The many

10 amazing things you can build

Why use 42 Electronics Intro to

11 Robotics curriculum and kit?
4 2 E L E C T R O N I C S . C O M 0 3 | R O B O T I C S

STEM Education:
Why Robotics?
If you or your teen is interested in
learning electronics, programming,
and robotics but you aren’t quite
convinced, here are a few things to
consider.

First, electronics, programming, and

robotics are an important part of a
STEM education. They expose you to
the underlying concepts for some of
the fastest growing occupations in
the United States including
engineering and computer
programming.

Second, learning to work with

electrical components and read
electrical schematics is a useful skill
allowing you to save money by
potentially repairing a
malfunctioning piece of equipment
(use caution of course).

Finally, working with electrical

circuits and computer code develops
logical thinking and troubleshooting
skills. Both of which are not only
valuable life skills but are also highly
sought after by hiring managers.
4 2 E L E C T R O N I C S . C O M
Above: Building a robot by systematically learning to work with each component and
crafting each line of code means you have maximum flexibility for future projects.
Why a Set of Lessons?
I N S T E A D O F B U Y I N G
If you’re like many people
interested in technology, you
may have purchased a robot kit
or two in your time. Each kit
comes in pieces with a booklet
of instructions. You dive in and
a few hours later you have a
fully functioning robot. But
once you've worked through the
projects provided in the booklet,
it's easy to quickly lose interest
because there’s not much else
you can do.
A R E A D Y - M A D E
The problem with the robotic
kits you find in most electronics
stores is that they give the
temporary illusion you are
learning to work with a robot by
allowing you to snap together a
few pieces or learn to write a
few commands in the code. But
in the end you don't really
understand how the different
components work together or
how to make significant changes
to the code. It was a fun project
but there in the end, you didn't
learn much.
0 4 | R O B O T I C S
"I put the
robot
together but
I didn't really
learn
anything."
R O B O T I C S K I T
By using a set of step-by-step
lessons, you can learn to work
with every electrical component
and write every line of code. By
learning how to connect LEDs,
displays, switches, sensors,
cameras, and more, you can
learn to build complex circuits
and then write the code to
control them. With a bank of
interchangeable parts, you will
have gained the skills and the
tools to tackle projects you find
online or dream up.
4 2 E L E C T R O N I C S . C O M
Learning Electronics,
Programming, and Robotics
W H A T Y O U N E E D T O
Learning robotics from the
beginning is a multi-step
process. First, you must gain an
understanding of how electrical
circuits are powered and how
the various components are
connected together.
Components such as LEDs,
switches, sensors, speakers,
cameras, etc. must be wired
together. This allows electricity
to flow properly and all
components to receive the
appropriate amount of power.
L E A R N A N D H O W T O
Next, you must learn to write
computer programs that will
control the electrical circuit you
have built. While there are a
number of coding languages
available, Python is a good place
to start. It’s friendly to
beginners but also robust
enough to be used by some of
the largest internet companies
in the world. Python allows
students a great deal of
flexibility in designing and
building computer programs.
0 5 | R O B O T I C S
L E A R N I T
Once you have learned to
build an electrical circuit and
control the circuit with a
computer program, the next
step is to take it mobile. You will
need to gain mechanical
knowledge to install, power,
and operate motors. A whole
new round of coding knowledge
is also required to control a
mobile platform. But when
completed,  you will have a
mobile robot that can collect,
analyze, and use data in a
number of ways.
4 2 E L E C T R O N I C S . C O M 0 6 | R O B O T I C S

Building Circuits with

Electrical Components
The first step in the robotics journey
is to learn to work with electrical
components to build circuits. 

You should become familiar with the

various components and how to
connect them to ensure the
appropriate level of electricity is
provided to each component.
Circuits can range from the very
simple to the very complex and form
the base of the future robot.

Common electrical components

which should be introduced include: 

Power supply
Breadboards
LEDs
Resistors and Potentiometers
Jumper Wires
Switches
Capacitors
Transistors
Sensors (infrared, temperature,
line detecting, etc.)
Speakers
Microphone
Camera
4 2 E L E C T R O N I C S . C O M
Learning to Use a Raspberry Pi
A P O W E R F U L M I N I
When learning robotics, you
will work with a number of
pieces of equipment but none
are perhaps as important as a
Raspberry Pi.
Invented in the UK with the
purpose of providing an
affordable computer to
everyone in the world, the
Raspberry Pi is about the size of
a deck of playing cards. It can be
used for the same sorts of tasks
normally accomplished by a
desktop or laptop.
C O M P U T E R P E R F E C T
What makes the Raspberry Pi so
incredible is that it's very
inexpensive, often less than $40
(an entire computer for $40!) It
can also be connected to
standard computer monitors,
keyboards, mice, printers, etc.
so there's no special equipment
needed.
The Raspberry Pi makes it
possible for you to have your
own computer to work with for
programming or to even have
multiple Pi's available for
different long-term projects.
0 7 | R O B O T I C S
F O R P R O J E C T S
You can connect the Raspberry
Pi to electrical circuits and
devices and then write
programs to control them. This
includes programming to gather
data, make decisions, and
perform tasks.
Given all the advantages of
using a Raspberry Pi, it is our
top choice for our Intro to
Robotics Curriculum and Kits.
4 2 E L E C T R O N I C S . C O M
Above: Learning to code in Python is an excellent choice for beginners as the language
is user friendly but also forms the base for many well known websites.
Learning to Code
P Y T H O N F O R B E G I N N E R S
There is certainly no shortage of
coding languages out there and
you may be struggling with
which one to focus on. Here are
a few reasons Python is the best
choice for beginning students.
Python is currently the fastest
growing programming
language. It is useful for data
science and many large
companies built their platforms
using Python including
YouTube, Dropbox, Google,
Quora, Instagram, Spotify,
the fastest
and powers
Reddit, and Yahoo Maps. While
languages come and go with
time, Python is likely to have
significant staying power
making learning it a good long
term investment.
Python is particularly accessible
to beginners and has an
intuitive coding style making
the learning curve
relatively gradual. If you choose
to continue using Python long
term, there is significant
documentation available.
0 8 | R O B O T I C S
"Python is
growing
computer
language
Google."
The structure of Python makes it
easier to learn than other
popular programming
languages such as Ruby and
Javascript. Have you ever heard
someone say that knowing 
Spanish makes it easier to learn
other Latin-based languages
such as Italian and French? The
same principle applies to coding
languages.
For all these reasons and many
others, 42 Electronics teaches
Python in our Intro to Robotics
curriculum.
4 2 E L E C T R O N I C S . C O M 0 9 | R O B O T I C S

Taking it Mobile:
Building a Robot
Once you have learned to build
complex circuits and craft each line
of code to control the circuit, you are
ready to take it mobile. The end goal
is to build a robot that can be
programmed to collect data, analyze
the data, and make decisions based
on the data. All your electronic and
programming skills come together to
make this possible.

Building a functional robot requires

you dive into the mechanics of
working with servos and motors.
Troubleshooting skills you learned
during previous lessons are likely to
come in handy. A new level of
complexity must also be added to
your coding skills to control the
movement of the robot.

If you have studied their electronics

and programming well, you will be
well equipped to design robots for
specific purposes and integrate the
robot's operations into a web page
control panel. You will also find a
large number of projects on the
internet to further inspire their
creativity.
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PROJECTS
TO INSPIRE

Students completing the Intro to Robotics courses

can expect to have solid electronics and
programming skills to tackle any number of online
projects. Here are a few examples to get them
started:

Synching music to holiday lights

Burgler alarm

Digital picture frame

Gaming device

Home automation

Land line telephone

Weather station

Garage door position monitor

Digital camera

Mobile robot that can follow a black line on the

floor without human intervention

Collecting humidity and temperature data,

analyzing it, and posting it to a web page or
33  |  TRIPMAG.COM

Twitter

Mobile robot that roams around avoiding other

objects
4 2 E L E C T R O N I C S . C O M 1 1 | R O B O T I C S

Intro to Robotics:
Curriculum and Kits
Open-and-go lessons done at
home (no class to attend)

Teaches electronics,
programming, and robotics 

No prep work or outside

teaching required

Designed for Grade 6 to Adult

Kit includes electrical

components

No previous knowledge of
electronics or coding
required

Homeschoolers can use for

high school credit

Non-consumable lessons and

kit can be used for multiple
people in a family

Get started today:

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