Color-Analysis Tool and Scratch

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scottnliss
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Color-Analysis Tool and Scratch

Post by scottnliss »

My daughter would like to create the chemistry color-analysis tool for part of her science fair project. We are trying to determine if this is possible. We have located a Picoboard and downloaded Scratch 1.4. The instructions say she needs to download a scratch program, Light catpure-SB. However, this program will only download in a Scratch 3 format. The Picoboard only works with scratch 1.4. Before we purchase the board, does anyone know if this is going to work with the Llight Capture opening in scratch 3?
bfinio
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Re: Color-Analysis Tool and Scratch

Post by bfinio »

Hi Scott,

I started to type a long-winded reply about Scratch version compatibility (original response below for posterity) then remembered that luckily there is a MUCH simpler solution. Nearly all modern smartphones have built-in light sensors, and there are plenty of apps that will collect and log data from various sensors on the phone. This project uses a phone for the exact same chemical reaction: https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science- ... or#summary

So, I would recommend simply forgoing Scratch/Picoboard altogether and using a phone - IF your daughter is more interested in the chemistry and you just want to make data collection as hassle-free as possible. If she is interested in circuits/programming, then building and programming your own data collection setup can be a project in its own right, in which case my reply below may still apply and you may want to check out our Raspberry Pi or Arduino projects:

https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science- ... spberry-pi

https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science- ... ?s=arduino

Hope that helps, please write back with any more questions.

Ben

---------------------------

Original reply:

Unfortunately this is a pretty old project and I do not have a Picoboard to test, so I can't verify this myself. Here's what I was able to figure out by digging around the web a bit.

1. As you've already discovered, you can download the current and older versions of the Scratch offline editor here: https://scratch.mit.edu/download
2. The Picoboard works with Scratch 1.4 and 2.0, but not 3.0: https://en.scratch-wiki.info/wiki/PicoBoard
3. It looks like since the original Science Buddies file was hosted on the Scratch website and not as an isolate file to download, over the years it has been converted from Scratch 1.4 to Scratch 3, so if you download it you get an sb3 file (again as you've already discovered).
4. I have tried searching the Scratch website and forums about backwards compatibility between 3.0 and 1.4, but have not found a solid answer yet. This page mentions converting Scratch 2 files to 1.4: https://en.scratch-wiki.info/wiki/Porti ... h_Projects but not 3 to 2 or 3 to 1.4. I haven't read the whole thing but here's a thread about version compatibility https://scratch.mit.edu/discuss/topic/3 ... st-3376398.

Have you tried opening the downloaded sb3 file in Scratch 1.4 yet? Does it open at all? Does it give error messages, does it run, etc? You will probably get better answers about version compatibility on the Scratch forums than you will here.

However, if this winds up being a pain, I would propose another solution. Ultimately the combination of the Picoboard+Scratch in this project is just a way to get data into a computer for graphing using an analog to digital converter. There are plenty of other ways to do that, such as using an Arduino, a Raspberry Pi, or a data-logging multimeter or oscilloscope. So, while Science Buddies does not have explicit instructions for this exact project using those methods, I would be happy to point you in the right direction if you want to go that route.
AmyCowen
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Re: Color-Analysis Tool and Scratch

Post by AmyCowen »

Hi Scott - I know Ben has given you a number of options for your student to continue with a similar project.

I am sorry that your student ran into this problem and may not be able to do the project as planned.

Based on the outdated technology used in the original project you asked about, this project is being retired at Science Buddies. The project won't be accessible from the site at that point, but if your student decides to continue with it, we can provide a PDF of the directions. Just email us at scibuddy@sciencebuddies.org if that will help.

Amy
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